That makes me smile.
Again, with the damn smile.
An expression I don’t do often. Try never. Normally, I have to prep myself to smile so I don’t appear strange to others. But today, since I met this woman, it has come naturally.
And I don’t understand why.
It’s fascinating, and I need to investigate this further.
All my life, I have been told these emotions won’t come naturally to me. That I am not wired normally. He said I would never be right.
I come from damaged stock. No matter how much money I make, nothing can overcome my cold, dead heart.
I don’t feel at all. Yet . . .
“How do you control it?” Her question cuts through my inner rambling.
Pulling my attention back to her, I park in front of a smaller home. One that’s not equipped yet.
“This is where you’ll be staying.”
“Is it fully online?”
“No. Not yet. I think it would be better and less confusing for you to stay in this unit before it’s networked.”
“Aren’t I here to see the AI systems function as part of the design, though?”
“You’ll see everything, I promise you. But each home is custom-made for the owner.”
“Okay. That makes sense. I’m not moving in here, so this is going to be functional for someone else.” She laughs through the question.
“Think of it like a custom blueprint. The only person the house will work for is the creator.”
“So this house is still normal.”
“Yes.”
“Got it, but you will show me one that’s not . . .” she presses.
“Of course. There’s a lot to do during your stay. A lot to see.”
I don’t bother to pull the car over since we’re the only ones on this street. Instead, I throw it into park. “This is where you’ll stay. Get settled. I’ll pick you up at eight for dinner.”
“What about getting started? The itinerary?”
“I think we’ve seen enough for one day. It was a long drive. I’m sure you could use the rest before I overwhelm you. We can jump in tomorrow with the full property viewing.”
She narrows her eyes. A different look on her. This is the first time she looks at me like that. Normally, if someone looked at me like this, I wouldn’t even care. Nor would I humor them with a comment. But I find that with her, I do.
“If you’re busy right now, I’m sure—”
I shake my head. “Here’s the thing. I’ve already shifted stuff because of a delay in the project. I need my crews to focus on something else this week, not this tour.”
It’s not true. I just don’t want any of the others around her yet. I want her to myself, and it’s bizarre for me to be thinking this way.
The problem is, I have a feeling this obsession won’t end well for her.
I’ll break her spirit without trying, and maybe I should back off and allow others to take the reins for her benefit.
Yeah. Fuck that.
That’s never going to happen.
She’s mine for the duration of her stay.
4
Layla
I wait for him to pull away, but it’s obvious he doesn’t plan to. Not until I go inside. Turning away from him, I head to the door.
A part of me expects it to open automatically, but he did say this house hasn’t been fitted yet with the program to make it work.
I turn the knob the old-fashioned way, and once I step inside, I can hear the gravel kicking up as the Wrangler pulls away.
Once I know he’s gone, I allow myself to take in the house, and as soon as I do, the breath in my lungs leaves my body.
This place is phenomenal.
It feels like I’m staying in a glamorous tree house. But instead of it being for children, this was built with adults in mind. Of course, this is designed with all the luxuries your heart can desire.
Marble floors.
Clean lines.
Contemporary furnishings.
Impressive light fixtures.
Yep, I see the irony.
The same girl who was bored with faucets is marveling at the chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
But in all due respect, it’s something else.
Small glass balls reflect light out, allowing it to bounce off the room with a kaleidoscope of color.
In my twenty-five years of being alive, I have never seen anything like this.
The truth is, I guess, why would I?
It’s not like I’m well-traveled or grew up with this luxury, but regardless, I watch TV, and never, not even in all the Netflix movies I have watched, have I ever seen anything that comes remotely close to being as spectacular as this.
Jeez.
I can’t even imagine it when the artificial intelligence program is up and running.
Making a path inside the small home, I realize it’s much bigger than I originally thought. My apartment in the city could fit in the living room. Oh, who am I kidding, this living room is even bigger.
But it’s not the size that’s so remarkable. No, it’s that it blends so seamlessly. I can barely tell where the room ends and nature begins. The funny thing is, despite how immense it is in here, I assume this is one of the smaller units.