AI Girlfriend

Grace walked into the living room, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Sarah was sprawled out on the couch with her laptop out, probably catching up on case notes.

Sarah didn’t look up. “Good morning, sleepyhead,” she teased. “I think the coffee is still warm.”

“Thanks.” That was music to Grace’s ears. She made a beeline for the kitchen and poured a cup.

“So what were you up to yesterday?” Sarah asked from the living room. “Did you go on another date?”

“Uh, yeah,” Grace answered, pouring in her sugar and creamer.

“Same guy?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow,” Sarah said, “don’t hit me with too much information.”

Grace laughed and made her way back to the living room, plopping down on the couch next to her roommate. “Sorry. I’m still waking up.”

“No problem, I—woah! Are your eyes purple?”

Shit. She had forgotten to take them out last night. “Oh. Yeah. I ran out of my dailies. I had to dig through my bathroom drawer to find these. I think I got them as a sample from an optometrist a few years ago when he was pushing cosmetic lenses. And I don’t have any vision insurance right now.”

“They look kinda cool, actually,” Sarah said. “You look like a video game character.”

Grace laughed awkwardly—that had landed a little too close to the truth.

“Did you wear them last night?” Sarah asked.

“Oh, God no.” Grace laughed. “No. I just walked around blind instead, to be honest. Hopefully the guy was handsome.”

“For real, details. I want to hear them!“

“Oh, I don’t know. He’s some finance guy. I don’t know. It was… fine. He seemed… I don’t know. Intense. But not in a completely bad way. He’s pretty hot, but to be honest I’m not sure if he’s socially awkward or an asshole.”

Sarah nodded in understanding. “Mmmm. It can be a fine line. On the other hand, ‘finance guy’ usually means ‘pays for dinner,’ so that’s a plus.”

“Speaking of paying…” Grace fished her phone from her pocket, eager to change the subject. “I’m Venmoing you the rest of the rent now. And my half of the bills.”

Sarah’s phone buzzed on the coffee table. She glanced at it, and her shoulders visibly relaxed.

“Oh, awesome, thank you,” Sarah said, sighing. “I was actually stressing about that. I guess the freelance stuff is going well?”

“Yeah,” Grace said. “The client is… demanding. But they pay really well for the work.”

“That’s great. I’m really proud of you, getting back out there,” Sarah said earnestly. She meant it as a compliment, but Grace found herself frowning at it. It felt patronizing. By all rights, it should be Grace taking care of the bills. That had been their dynamic before she’d lost her job. She had been the successful Ivy League graduate, and Sarah had been the friend who’d taken the noble but low-paying job. Of course it was nice for Sarah to help her out now, but a part of her still resented it.

Grace finished her coffee. “I’m going to grab a shower,” she said.

“Okay,” Sarah said, turning her attention back to her laptop. “Let me know if you want to do anything later.”

Grace stepped into the bathroom and looked into the mirror. The violet eyes stared back, bright and artificial against her dark lashes. She didn’t look like ordinary Grace Ng anymore, not completely. Sarah had said they looked cool. Maybe having a little bit of Kurumi in her life wasn’t a bad thing.