[ a/n : I'm so sorry for lack of chapters, but expect a lot more in the coming days :) Give me your thoughts on the chapter. love y'all <3 ]

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"Do I believe that Jessica and I are compatible?" Scott repeated the question with a frown. He gave it a thought, seeming to toss the idea over in his mind before he answered, "No,"

"So the system is wrong?" I stammered, taken aback by his response. He scowled, shaking his head as he sat up further. Adjusting his glasses, Scott allowed a sigh to escape through his lips.

"Don't put words in my mouth," he said slowly, his words harsh, precise yet contained no true malice. He yawned, stretching, before crossing his arms and staring at me blankly, "In theory, a machine cannot be imperfect. It is an algorithm, it cannot one day fall astray from this code and fall towards a biased side as it cannot be biased. However, anything built by humans has flaws, imperfections which include the machines... includes any system, therefore. So it may not be perfect, however I do not believe it is wrong, it cannot be wrong unless it was programmed to be so. Too many variables would come into play for such a thing to occur, and for what purpose might I add?"

I wanted to say something, anything, put words to the thoughts which scrambled in my mind like the flicker of a flame. How did he even expect me to respond to such a thing? Of course, machines could be faulty, of course, there could be mistakes in the code. But then why were they incompatible? What did it mean? Clearly sensing my unease he shook his head, the glasses slipping further down his nose. He did not seem to notice, or perhaps he simply did not care.

"But," he continued with an apathetic glare, "I do not believe the matching process between Jessica and I was a mistake. In theory, her overemotional state should balance with my impassive state... except for the fact no human can be unemotional. Although I appear stoic, I am human, am I not? I have emotions. Therefore the balance does not exist of an equal or uniforming emotional state. We are incompatible on a level which cannot be measured by an algorithm,"

"You don't seem to be very emotional," I said the words before I could even process what they meant. I attempted to backtrack, not wishing to face further criticism from a man who seemed more than happy to scrutinize every detail, "Sorry, it's just, you always seem so... logical... like emotions are bad?"

"I can be logical and still have emotions," Scott said with an amused smirk, his eyes darting to me as he adjusted his glasses. He scanned across my eyes as he continued "I am still human. I just do not allow my emotions to control my actions... they are a fault when they cause more harm than good. Such as you risking your life for a Lower for your emotions, not logic. I do not hate Lillian because she is sick, or because she is a Lower, or because I am a spiteful man, I do not hate her at all. But you are risking your life carelessly which has limited chance of success,"

"What am I supposed to do? She's like family, she is family. She's-" the words were caught in my throat, a deep dark feeling in my chest that wouldn't lift. I shook my head, "I can't let her die..."

I was unable to meet the uncompromising gaze. I didn't want him to see me cry, as surely this lump in my throat would grow as he continued to tell me how stupid I was. I expected his words to hit me hard, fast, and with anything but remorse. For him to call my emotions weak, laugh at me.

"I admire you, Rebecca," were the words I had not expected to hear. I looked up, struggling to process what he had said. He held his usual bleak expression, displaying no sense of true meaning, yet a cynical smile was not present either.

"What?" I managed to stumble over the words, sitting up properly, staring at him with a dumbfounded gaze. He took a deep breath, sighing.

"I said I admire you, Rebecca," he said it again, however, it did not feel real. For a moment I thought of getting a nurse, maybe perhaps he was playing a joke. That I was some game. Yet his eyes remained locked on me, a frown adorning his lips and a curiousness to his tone, "Apologies, did I upset you?"

"Why? What?" Surely this was all a joke? Some elaborate lie to teach me a lesson about how I should never trust my emotions, "What do you want from me? Why are you saying this?"

"Excuse me?" he scowled, his gaze growing harsh as his eyes narrowed. Sitting up straighter he said, "Do you really think so low of me as to take a compliment as being selfish or malicious? I admire you, Rebecca, for you seem to care for others far more than I can begin to fathom. It is an admirable skill, something which cannot be taught easily, and something which cannot be defined. I admire it,"

"I... I don't understand..." I shook my head, red rushing to my cheeks as I kept his gaze. His eyes softened slightly, something I was shocked to see in him, "I... I thought you hated me..."

"Idiot," he said sharply, "Have we not been over this before? I feel as though I am not getting through to you that I do not despise you,"

"You seem to hate me, or people at the least,"

"I do hate people," he took a deep breath, shaking his head at me, "I hate certain people who make me feel awful. I could not hate if I did not have emotions. I hate those who hurt those emotions so I hide them so I am unable to be hurt. And frankly, this is one of those occasions,"

"I- I didn't mean..." my mind was a mess, thoughts scrambled as I tried to piece together the situation that was unfolding before me, "I don't want..."

"I know," there was a slight pause as he took a deep breath, glancing over me, "Most people do not see I have emotions. Just like you, just like Jake, just like... Jessica,"

"Do- do you hate her?" I asked quietly, taking in a breath as I said it. Something had changed in Scott, and as he sat there, he seemed almost vulnerable. I could not turn away from him, not now, not when it seemed I was finally connecting to a man I thought impossible to connect to.

"Yes..." he said quietly, "Her emotions typically fall first before all others. Hence why Jake and her are nor were never compatible. Jake places others first as do you, she would exhaust and drain him. Their relationship is toxic, he is merely seeing an illusion of happiness under the gaze of percieved love,"

"But what will happen with you and Jessie? If you're not compatible?" I frowned, my voice growing quieter as I seemed to see more and more into the curious man before me, "Why are you telling me all this?"

"I trust you," he winced, reaching to his bandaged eye, "Besides I do doubt anyone will believe you even if you tried to claim such things... Jake is a lost puppy, Jessica is the center of a love triangle, the helpless girl who has far too many admirers. Myself, seemingly a distant, cold and broody man. I believe that's how typical novellas go? You read, do you not?"

"Yes..." I said quietly, the words going over in my head as I struggled to process everything he was saying, "Do you admire her? Do you see yourself growing to love her?"

"I do not have a choice," he sighed once more, moving on the bed to properly face me. He has his legs crossed on the bed like a child sitting patiently for a teacher, slightly elevated as he sat on the bed and I the chair. After a quick glance around he continued, "If I had a choice I would not be in this circumstance. You would agree I am sure. Although they are a toxic couple, so were most when the choice was available. If they were matched, everything would be better, although there would be issues, we are taught that is normal,"

"Is it normal?" I asked, finding my heart beating faster with each word. This had been the most I had talked with Scott, yet felt as though we had been friends for years. His gaze was intense, almost suffocating with the way he never once looked away.

"Maybe," he said, adjusting his glasses slightly, "If it was, would that change anything?"

"I suppose not..." I looked into his eyes, noticing the slight brown which brimmed on the edges of the cornea, "So what do you plan on doing?"

"Nothing, I cannot do anything," he extended his palm out as if asking for me to give him something. I stared at it, confused on what to do, "Give me your hand Rebecca,"

Hesitantly, I placed my right hand in his left, our fingers gently grazing over once another. Fear kept me from properly holding his hand, fear of what he might do. However, he carefully turned my hand around, his fingers soft and precise.

"We all have marks," Scott said quietly, slowly running a finger across one of the lines on my palm. I jumped, my eyes fixed on what he was doing. He looked at me briefly, however, continued to trail across my hand, "Lines and grooves which define us, shape us. We are not robots, we are emotional, we are all different despite how identical we are. We are as imperfect as we are human,"

"Then what would you want to do? I mean... if you could do something, what would you do?" my heart began to race faster, each word feeling like I would be messing up the situation. He looked to me, scanning over like he was reading a page in a book. His hand rested on mine, warm, comforting. How long had it been since I had held someone's hand?

"Whatever I want cannot change the situation," he said, "But if this is theoretical then I suppose- ... no, never mind. Theoretical scenarios do not solve solutions,"

He retracted his hand, coughing slightly and adjusting his glasses. I felt as though every movement I made was being analyzed by him, and one wrong step may cause him to shut off. What did he want?

"Scott..." I paused on the name, struggling to say anything with confidence, "I want to hear it... and maybe even if it doesn't seem possible we can try? We've already seen how broken the system can be..."

"And risk our lives?" he paused, before taking a deeper sigh. He moved back to face me again, extending both of his hands. I carefully placed both of my hands into his, my mind struggling to process the situation, "Are you entirely sure you wish to know?"

"Why wouldn't I?" I almost choked on the words, feeling the cold yet delicate hands against mine. A deep redness bloomed on my cheeks as I struggled to properly breathe.

"In an ideal situation... Jake and Jessica would be matched," he paused, hesitating on these next words. Griping my hands slightly tighter he said, "And thus that would leave us I suppose..."