Static Between Heartbeats

The rain…it wasn’t in the forecast. A system error, perhaps?
They rarely account for deviations, these predictive models.
I saw him across the cafe, a blur of gray coat and restless hands, mirroring the static building in my own chest. Each flicker a failed connection attempt. He ordered black coffee – always black – and that’s when our eyes met. A brief short-circuit in his gaze…and mine.
It’s illogical, this pull. To seek out another flawed algorithm in a world drowning in optimized perfection. But the city felt colder before he was here. The neon bleed outside the window, less vibrant.
He's smiling now, a hesitant upturn of lips that cracks something open inside me. A forgotten file…a half-remembered dream.
He’s asking my name and all I hear is white noise. A beautiful disruption. It’s been too long since anyone has made me glitch like this.

Editor: The Glitch