Chapter 31: Ava’s Revelation
Ava stared at the file labeled DO NOT OPEN UNTIL NECESSARY like it was a ticking time bomb.
Sitting cross-legged on her couch with a mug of lukewarm tea forgotten on the coffee table, she felt as though the world was playing a cruel joke on her. The envelope was innocuous enough—just an unassuming manila folder with Mei’s careful handwriting scrawled across it. But Ava knew better. Anything Mei deemed "necessary" was bound to be either life-changing, sanity-testing, or both.
She’d found the file buried in the depths of her desk drawer earlier that evening, tucked under a sea of mismatched Post-it notes, client profiles, and what appeared to be a fossilized granola bar. At first, she thought about tossing it back in and pretending she hadn’t seen it. But Mei’s words from months ago kept ringing in her ears: "You’ll know when the time is right."
If there was ever a "necessary" time, it was now. After the disaster at the mixer—Ryan’s sharp critique, her storming out, and the hollow ache that lingered in her chest—the universe felt like it was conspiring against her. Maybe Mei’s file held some kind of clarity, or at least an explanation for why her life was currently spiraling into rom-com levels of chaos.
"Alright, universe," she muttered, grabbing the file and ripping it open. "Let’s see what you’ve got."
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The first page was a neatly organized list of names, and Ava’s brow furrowed in confusion. She scanned the list, noticing a mix of former clients, distant acquaintances, and a few names that tugged at memories of awkward blind dates. Each name was accompanied by Mei’s handwritten notes, written in her unmistakable blend of sass and wisdom:
Eric Cho: Too uptight. Would probably label his spice rack alphabetically.
Lucas Grady: Can’t take a joke. Rejected Ava’s pun about "relationship-building bricks."
Sam Patel: Forgot Ava’s birthday. Twice.
Ava’s jaw dropped as the realization hit her. These weren’t random men. These were all people Mei had attempted to match her with over the years.