Binary Hearts

6| The Midnight Blueprint 🛏️🧑‍💻

Hours passed, and Ada found herself unable to sleep despite her best efforts. She quietly got up and left her room, discovering Tunde sound asleep with a small teddy bear clutched to his chest. Gently, she covered him with a blanket and wandered around the office before sitting at his personal desk. Curiously, she leafed through the books on the table. One was filled with drawings of a family, a child, and a house, clearly indicating his longing for home.

"I shouldn't be going through his books," Ada said to herself. As she put the books down, one of them slipped out of her hand and fell on the ground, but luckily it didn't wake Tunde up. The book was clearly labeled "My Works." Ada was tempted, so she opened the book and was impressed. The first project was a digital ID system where ID cards and all other personal information would be digitalized. Once a person's face was scanned, it would bring up those details.

"Clearly, Nigeria hasn't done that yet," she said with a smile as she proceeded to the next page. She saw a fintech project with a sketch of the user interface of the app below it. Ada was much more impressed by the design; it was very sleek. "Don't tell me you're also a UI/UX designer!" she exclaimed in confusion and surprise.

The next page was the project he was working on earlier: the gas measurement device. The sketch below was incomplete, obviously showing he was having trouble making up a complete design for the project. Deciding to help, Ada turned on his Mac desktop on his table and navigated through the application packages until she found what she was looking for - CAD. She used the CAD software to sketch a prototype of the gas measurement device all through the night, eventually dozing off in the process.

The next morning, Tunde woke up and found Adaora still sleeping at his desk, showing she had been working throughout the night. Tunde quietly took another chair to sit beside Ada, trying not to wake her up. He turned on his hibernated desktop, which was still on the CAD package. The sketch had already been completed. Tunde viewed it for minutes, dumbfounded.

"Omo to sure! (That's my girl)" he said with a big smile on his face as he patted her back, forgetting she was asleep. Ada stirred slightly but didn't wake up. He admired the detailed and thoughtful design she had created. It was perfect, addressing all the issues he had been struggling with.

Carefully, he lifted the sketch from the screen and transferred it to his tablet, making notes and adjustments as he went along. He marveled at how intuitive and efficient her design was. It was as if she had read his mind and translated his ideas into a coherent, practical solution.

A few hours later, Ada began to stir, slowly waking up. She blinked, rubbing her eyes and realizing she had fallen asleep at the desk.

"Good morning," Tunde said softly, still looking at the tablet.

Ada sat up, slightly disoriented. "Morning," she replied groggily. She noticed the smile on Tunde's face and followed his gaze to the screen.

"You did this?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.

Ada nodded slowly. "I hope you don't mind. I saw your sketches and thought I could help."

"Mind? Are you kidding? This is brilliant, Ada!" he exclaimed, beaming. "You solved all the problems I was facing. This is exactly what I needed."

Ada smiled, relieved and happy that her effort was appreciated. "I'm glad you like it."

"Like it? I love it!" Tunde said, turning to face her. "You have no idea how much this means to me. Thank you."

Ada felt a warmth spread through her. "It was nothing. I just wanted to help."

"And you did," Tunde said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You really did."

They sat there for a while, discussing the design and making minor tweaks. Tunde explained his vision for the device in more detail, and Ada provided insights and suggestions to improve it further. Their collaboration felt natural and effortless, as if they had been working together for years.

Eventually, Tunde leaned back in his chair, looking at Ada with a newfound respect. "You know, you really are something special," he said.

Ada blushed slightly. "Thank you. It means a lot coming from you."

Tunde smiled, feeling a deep connection with her. "I think we're going to make a great team," he said.

Ada nodded, feeling the same way. "I think so too."

They spent the rest of the day refining the design and making plans for the next steps. The atmosphere was filled with excitement and a sense of purpose. For the first time in a long while, Ada felt hopeful about the future. She knew that with Tunde by her side, she could achieve anything.