Unexpected Love

2.

After an eventful day at the mall, Grunkle Stan and the twins returned to the Mystery Shack. The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the cluttered yard. As Mabel and Dipper raced inside, eager to show off their new purchases, Stan lingered in the living room, his thoughts still on Liv, the charming woman he met at the bookstore.

He had spent years scheming and chasing money, but for the first time in a long while, he was genuinely interested in someone. And he had no idea what to do next.

Stan sat down in his old armchair, pulling out his phone. He squinted at the screen, trying to remember what Soos had told him about finding people online. "If only these dang gizmos came with a manual," he muttered to himself.

He stared at the phone, tapping aimlessly. "Let's see, how do you do this... find someone..." He opened the internet browser, which instantly flooded the screen with ads for dubious get-rich-quick schemes and weight-loss pills.

Stan grimaced. "This isn't what I need!" he grumbled, closing the browser. He tried opening the contacts list instead, scrolling through names like "Cheap Suit Guy" and "Suspicious Bill Buyer," but of course, Liv wasn't there.

Stan scratched his head, his frustration growing. "Alright, what did Soos say... social something? Media... that's it!" He opened an app he vaguely remembered hearing about—something with a blue icon. Once inside, he was bombarded with posts, pictures, and videos that made no sense to him.

"Why are there so many cat videos? Who watches this stuff?" Stan muttered, scrolling through pictures of people's lunches, babies, and vacation photos.

Finally, he spotted a search bar at the top. "Aha! There we go!" He triumphantly typed in "Liv"then hit search. The phone hesitated for a moment before displaying hundreds of results, none of which seemed to match the Liv he was looking for.

"How many Livs are there in this world?" he groaned. The search results showed profiles of people named Liv from all over the place—none of them the woman from the bookstore.

"Ugh, this is useless!" Stan growled, tossing the phone onto the coffee table. He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, feeling defeated. "Why can't things be simple like the old days? You like someone, you just ask them out—no digging through gadgets."

Just then, Dipper walked into the room, fiddling with his own phone. Noticing Stan's sour expression, he asked, "Grunkle Stan, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong!" Stan snapped, then softened when he saw Dipper's concerned look. "Actually... maybe you can help me with something."

Dipper raised an eyebrow. "Sure, what's up?"

Stan hesitated, feeling awkward about admitting his struggles. "Let's say... hypothetically... you wanted to find someone you met at the mall. How would you do it with one of these things?" He gestured vaguely at his phone.

Dipper grinned, catching on quickly. "You met someone at the mall? Who is she?"

"None of your business!" Stan barked, his cheeks flushing. "Just tell me how to do it."

Dipper chuckled and took the phone from Stan. "Alright, alright. First, you need to know her full name or something specific about her, like where she works. Do you know any of that?"

Stan thought for a moment. "She said her name's Liv. I think she works nearby, but that's all I got."

"That's a start," Dipper said, typing into the phone. "Let's try searching for 'Liv' and see what comes up."

After a few minutes, Dipper handed the phone back to Stan. "I found a few profiles that might be her, but you'll have to check them yourself."

Stan squinted at the screen, scrolling through the profiles Dipper had pulled up. After a few seconds, he spotted a familiar face. There she was—Liv, holding up a book with a smile. Her profile mentioned she liked reading, baking, and spending time outdoors.

"That's her!" Stan said, his voice filled with excitement.

Dipper smiled. "Cool! Now you can message her or just see what she's into."

Stan stared at the screen, unsure of what to do next. "Message her? What do I say? 'Hey, remember me from the bookstore?' That sounds lame."

"Just be yourself," Dipper advised. "Maybe mention something from your conversation earlier. You got this, Grunkle Stan."

Stan nodded, his confidence slowly building. "Alright, I'll give it a shot."

As Dipper left the room, Stan took a deep breath and started typing. His first attempt was awkward, and he deleted it twice before finally settling on something simple:

Hey Liv, it's Stan from the bookstore. Great talking to you today. Maybe we could grab a coffee sometime and chat more about books?

He hesitated for a moment before hitting send. As the message flew into cyberspace, Stan felt a strange mix of anxiety and hope.

"Here's to trying something new," he muttered to himself, leaning back in his chair. Maybe this technology wasn't so bad after all.