Contemporary Companions

Hugh opened the door for Mae and followed her out of a dim wine country restaurant, across a cobblestone street. They strolled beneath a web of string lights that dangled overhead between rows of refurbished warehouses, now homes to wine bars and high-end boutiques. Mae performed a quick little spin on a brick path that cut through the village center. Her blonde hair billowed, backlit by the setting sun. Hugh smiled and led her, briefly, into a waltz.

She wrapped her slender arms around his chest and ran a finger over the glowing tattoo that circled his wrist like a bracelet, the light generating from deep inside him. Mae sank her teeth into his shoulder.

“What’s that for?” he asked, guiding her toward an ice cream shop.

“Nothing. Just thinking about the weekend.” She glanced up into his dark eyes. “I don’t know why I didn’t do this sooner.”

“Ask to get ice cream? Dance in public?”

She laughed. “No, dummy. I don’t know why it took me so long to find you.”

Hugh had encouraged Mae to share her past with him on the car ride to the resort. She admitted she was the last of her friends to order a Contemporary Companion. She’d held off for nearly a decade, despite her friends’ success stories, despite every eligible bachelor she’d had her eye on settling down with Contemporary Girlfriends. Most of those Contemporary Girlfriends became Contemporary Wives.

Companions designed and programmed for women had always been far more expensive than their counterparts. The manufacturers publicly claimed it was simply an issue of demand. But money was no obligation for Mae or any other woman in her small but powerful social circle. She and her friends had rarely settled for anything less than exactly what they wanted. This was the not-so-secret secret to their countless successes. The only arguable exceptions pertained to human men.

Mae couldn’t count all the guys who’d told her and her friends that their ridiculous standards were why they’d never find real men. But Mae found something better than a real man; she found Hugh. At least, that’s what she’d been suggesting all weekend.  

At the ice cream shop, Hugh handed Mae her cup of espresso chip and followed her out the back door. A narrow deck spanned the length of the building over a parched riverbed. In the distance, the sun sank between two towering cypresses. Nanopanels imbedded in Hugh’s skin absorbed its rays. 

Mae led him to a back corner couch that lay in the fading sunlight. Hugh had enough energy to last him through the upcoming night, though he was concerned they wouldn’t get much rest. Mae had kept him up every night of their getaway.

While accompanying her to the back corner of the deck, Hugh noticed an attractive brunette at a large wooden table. She had dark eyes and sat with her hands beneath the tabletop. Seated beside her was a man wearing sunglasses. He was handsome with wide shoulders and a thick blond beard. Even seated, Hugh could tell that the man towered over him. 

Passing the couple, he found himself drawn to the shape of the woman’s eyes, the gold tinge to her skin. She traced a finger over her ear, combing a loose strand of hair and revealing a glowing tattoo of her own.

Hugh knew he shouldn’t stare. His consciousness had sparked to life with the understanding that such behavior could cost him the privilege of existence. But this was the first time he couldn’t help himself. 

“Something I can help you with?” the man said. Even with the sunglasses, Hugh read suspicion on the man’s furrowed brows, contempt in the corner curl of his lips.

The tattoo on Hugh’s wrist pulsed. “Just admiring your sunglasses.”

“Is that what you were looking at?”

Hugh’s eyes met Mae’s. “I was thinking of getting a pair of my own.” 

“Interesting,” the man. “I was admiring your tattoo.” 

Hugh glanced down at his glowing wrists and suddenly felt unsure of where to put his hands. 

“I was thinking of getting one like yours.” The man raised his hands and shrugged. “But I can’t.”

“Aw, how sad,” Mae said. “You can’t match your girlfriend.”

“She’s not my girlfriend.”

“You’re treating her like she's your girlfriend.”

“No, I’m treating her like she’s mine. Because she is.”

Mae said, “Does she know that?”

The brunette returned her hand beneath the table.

The man smirked, focusing on Mae. “You probably think I’m like you, but the difference is I don’t need this.” 

“You sound very proud of yourself.” Mae hugged Hugh’s arm. “Congratulations on your relationship.” The man stood from his chair, but Mae pulled Hugh toward the back corner of the deck. “Come on. Let’s enjoy the sunset.” 

The ice cream shop door shut behind the man as the brunette reached for it. Before following him inside, though, the brunette looked back at Hugh. He’d never before wondered what another companion was thinking. The brunette then glanced at Mae before disappearing into the shop. 

Mae motioned for Hugh to join her on the couch. “You know her?” 

Hugh lowered himself onto the firm, slippery cushions. “I’ve never seen either of them in my life.” 

“Funny,” Mae said. “That whole time she couldn’t take her eyes off you.”

“Really?”

“Oh yeah. A woman notices these things.” 

As Mae finished her ice cream, Hugh sat in silence and thought about the other companion’s tattoo. Its thickness indicated she was an older model, two generations before him. He wondered when she was activated. Where did she live? In a boarding house with other companions or in a home with that man? Did she have her own room, or did she share his bed? What did she do for him? Cook? Clean? Maintain his gadgets? Or had she been strictly ordered to make him feel like a man? Hugh wondered how she felt about him. He wondered how she felt about herself.

“You know,” Mae said, “you two look like you could be siblings. You both have the same eyes.”

Hugh said, “I don’t know about that.”

“If you two were walking down the street together, I’d think you were brother and sister.” She ran her finger along his jawline and tried turning his face toward hers.

Hugh kept his gaze fixed on the glowing gap between the cypress trees. He finally grabbed her free hand and smiled at her. “Maybe in another life.”