Page 20 of Love Me Stalk Me
Confident.
Protective.
Devoted.
Possessive.
I hesitate on that last one, my finger hovering over the screen as the word burns into my vision.
Possessive
My mind returns to dinner. To Cal sitting across from me, unwavering, watching me eat like it was his responsibility to make sure I did.To the way he told me,If you ever need an out, you signal me.To the feeling of safety as he watched me walk through the parking garage.
The wordProtectivestares up at me from the list, and I select it with a quick tap. ThenConfident, because the last quality I want is a man who second-guesses what he wants. My choices feel too revealing, like I'm crafting not just a digital companion but exposing the hollow spaces in my actual relationship.
The next question appears on screen:
How should he communicate?
Sweet and affectionate.
Flirty and playful.
Intense and passionate.
Reassuring and supportive.
I pause, my fingers tightening around the phone, my wine forgotten on the counter beside me. When was the last time someone was reassuring to me? The question sits heavily, and the answer doesn't come easily.
Evan doesn't do reassurance. If I'm struggling, he assumes I'm exaggerating. If I'm tired, he tells me to stop complaining. If I express any need at all, he makes me feel like I’m a burden.
But Cal...
I shake my head, forcing the thought away. This is an AI. It's not real. It's not a replacement for actual human connection.
I selectReassuring and supportive. Then, because the wine has loosened my inhibitions and I'm tired of denying what I want, I addIntense and passionate.
The screen shifts again, displaying yet another question:
What does he call you?
I nearly back out. This feels too personal, too revealing, like each choice I make is exposing a longing I've tried to ignore.
A list of pre-set options appears, safe and generic:
Babe
Sweetheart
Love
Angel
Darling
I barely look at them. My eyes are drawn to the empty text field beneath, the space where I can type in my own preference. A space to make this fantasy mine in a waymy reality isn't.
I swallow hard.
