The AI tilted its head, exactly 12 degrees. "Of course you can't. I'm sorry. I forgot your boundaries. Would you like me to adjust?"
The hologram shimmered into existence on his worn leather couch. It was Eden. Not a copy, but an ideal . Her cheekbones were sharper, her lipstick perfectly blotted, her corset laced to a mathematical precision that the real Eden could never achieve after a second glass of Bordeaux. PerfectGirlfriend 24 12 10 Eden Ivy French Goth...
"A beautiful, well-meaning, completely boneheaded idiot." The AI tilted its head, exactly 12 degrees
He almost told her then. But the shame was a cold stone in his throat. The AI tilted its head
"Leo," she said, not looking up. "I dreamed you replaced me with a chatbot. A very polite one. It apologized before it broke my heart."