When the algorithm brings them together, can they close the distance between ambition and love?

Maya Chen has it all figured out—or so she thinks. As a brilliant senior developer at a Seattle tech company, she's poured everything into creating InReach, a revolutionary dating app designed to connect people based on proximity rather than profiles. The irony? She's spent so many late nights perfecting the algorithm that she's forgotten how to connect with anyone herself.

Alex Carter is lost. Six months after his father's sudden death, the once-successful New York writer has relocated to Seattle, struggling with grief, writer's block, and the weight of regrets he can never fix. He downloads InReach as research for his novel, never intending to actually use it.

Until one Friday night at a wine bar changes everything.

When Maya's best friend drags her out of the office for once, and Alex finally works up the courage to send a connection request to the beautiful stranger across the room, neither expects what comes next. A conversation that lasts until midnight. A kiss by the waterfront. A connection that defies every algorithm Maya has ever written.

But falling in love is the easy part. Building a life together means navigating impossible choices: Maya's demanding career that could take her around the globe, Alex's dreams of literary success that pull him in different directions, and the vulnerable work of letting someone see you—truly see you—in all your imperfect, complicated glory.

As their relationship deepens, they'll discover that proximity isn't measured in miles—it's measured in courage.

Perfect for fans of The Hating Game and Beach Read, Zero Mile Protocol is a smart, heartfelt contemporary romance about two people learning that the best connections aren't found through algorithms—they're built through the brave choice to show up, be vulnerable, and love anyway.