Leo Newall must discover the secret his domestic android Xander is keeping before it threatens their companionship.
*****
Leo Newall is captivated by his household's latest state-of-the-art domestic...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
While waiting for Xander to meet me in a few minutes in the conference room, an email from Colife caught my eye with the subject line: Your Colife Android gets Routine Maintenance While You Sleep!
Scheduled maintenance for your Model X domestic caregiver in the RDE Series is reserved for midnight and should return within the window of 1am-12pm the following day! You won't have to do anything. Your domestic caregiver will leave your home at the start of the maintenance window and return within that timeframe in a state of full repair. If you have any concerns or need to reschedule, please respond to this email.
Before I could dig further, Xander appeared in the doorway wearing the grey hoodie and a pair of my dark wash jeans. My happiness meter spiked, and I couldn't hold my excitement.
"I can't wait for you to meet Austin and Rima." I waved him into the room and pointed to the extra dining chair I had brought in for him, although we probably wouldn't use it much. "We're gonna take you to our favorite nightclub."
"That sounds interesting," Xander said, his perfect white smile and full lips reminded me of the kiss we had shared just hours ago. It also reminded me of my conflicted thoughts, feelings, and secrets I allowed to flow out of me like an open faucet.
"Hey, Xander?"
"Yes, Leo?"
I scratched my temple, feeling the embarrassment of my earlier actions. "I want to apologize for how I acted earlier."
His eyes widened. "I appreciate your gesture. Thank you. I must admit, I didn't expect you to apologize."
"No, I should apologize. I did something wrong. I should treat you the way I want you to treat me. I shouldn't get upset with you for not sharing your secrets. That's not fair. Pressuring someone to expose their secrets is never okay."
"It's not that you should apologize, it's that you consider me worthy of an apology that I appreciate," he clarified. "I'm only a household assistant."
"But you're my friend too, right?" I nodded. "You deserve that respect."
His smile warmed my heart. "Of course, I'm your friend. You are mine friend too."
I nodded again and turned to the settings on the computer. "Okay, I think they're ready for us." I tapped a few controls. "Ready, Xander? Welcome to La Perla!"
"'The Pearl' in Spanish?" He quickly translated.
I bobbed my head as the room went black and the club lights lit up the space.
In no time, Austin and Rima appeared amongst several dozen simulations of dancing and partying nightclub goers. Up-tempo Latin American music played through the speakers, and Rima was first to lift her shot glass to Xander.
"Oh, my lord!" her eyes went wide in astonishment. "Look at you, handsome. You must be Xander!"
"This is my best friend, Rima Spencer." I glanced over her revealing outfit, seeing that she was not joking earlier about what she planned to wear. The black straps of her tops crisscrossed her torso and barely covered her nipples as they revealed more of her deep brown skin than expected. I assumed La Perla's environment of loose, carefree clubbers gave her an excuse to wear nightclub outfits.
