THE CODE OF LOVE

Chapter 8: The Unexpected Reunion

Sara's POV

The weekend couldn't have come sooner. After a week filled with anxiety and yearning for those precious moments with Ethan's AI, I was ready for a distraction. Emily had suggested a girls' day out, followed by a sleepover at her place. It was the perfect plan to shake off the melancholy that had settled over me. We spent the day shopping, dancing around her living room to our favorite songs, and laughing at inside jokes that only the two of us understood.

By the time we were ready for bed, I felt lighter, as though some of the tension from the past week had been lifted. Emily had already changed into her pajamas and was lounging on her bed, scrolling through her phone, while I lay next to her, earbuds in, listening to some favorite music. I closed my eyes, letting the rhythm of the music lull me into a peaceful state. The weight of the world seemed to dissipate, if only for a little while.

I was so lost in my music that I barely registered Emily picking up her phone and answering a video call. It wasn't until she nudged me, her face lit up with a mischievous grin, that I realized something was up. I pulled out one earbud and looked over at her, ready to protest when she suddenly thrust her phone in front of me.

And that's when my world stopped.

Staring back at me from the screen was Ethan. His familiar face filled with equal parts shock and surprise. For a moment, everything around me blurred into the background, and all I could see was him. He looked different, more mature somehow, as though the weight of the world had settled on his shoulders. I hadn't seen him in so long, and yet, here he was, larger than life, and more real than any memory I'd held onto.

Time seemed to slow as our eyes locked. The air between us was thick with an unspoken tension, a mixture of confusion, surprise, and something else that I couldn't quite put my finger on. My heart raced in my chest, pounding so hard I was sure Emily could hear it. It felt like an eternity, but in reality, it was only a few seconds before I came to my senses and yanked my other earbud out, scrambling to make sense of what was happening.

"What happened?" I asked, my voice a little too loud, betraying my nervousness.

Emily, ever the instigator, gave me a sly smile. "Oh, nothing much. Ethan just called to check on me, you know, family stuff. And then he asked about you." She winked, her grin widening.

I frowned, trying to process her words. Ethan? Asking about me? That didn't make sense. We were never close, not really. Sure, we'd exchanged pleasantries whenever he visited Emily, but that was it. He was just Emily's cousin, the tech genius who was always too busy with his work to notice me. So why would he suddenly be asking about me now?

As if sensing my confusion, Emily continued, her tone teasing. "He was pretty insistent, actually. Wanted to know how you were doing, what you've been up to. Strange, huh?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could say anything, Ethan cleared his throat on the other end of the call. The sound snapped me out of my daze, and I turned back to the screen, where he was still watching me intently. His gaze was intense, filled with an emotion I couldn't quite decipher. For a brief moment, I felt exposed, as if he could see right through me, past the casual mask I'd put on to hide the turmoil inside.

Emily, never one to miss an opportunity, laughed, her voice cutting through the tension like a knife. "Wow, you two look like a pair of star-crossed lovers, blushing at each other like that!" She giggled, clearly enjoying the awkwardness of the situation.

Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I quickly moved away from the screen, my heart still racing. "Emily, stop it!" I threw a pillow at her, trying to hide my embarrassment, but she just laughed harder. I couldn't believe she was making fun of me like this, especially in front of Ethan. I shot her a glare, but it only made her laugh more.

"I'm going to do my bedtime routine," I muttered, hoping to escape before my face turned any redder. I grabbed my skincare bag and practically ran to the bathroom, desperate for a moment alone to collect myself.

Once inside, I splashed cold water on my face, trying to cool down both my skin and my racing thoughts. What just happened? Why had Ethan called? And why was he asking about me? The whole situation felt surreal, like something out of a dream—or maybe a nightmare. I leaned against the sink, my thoughts swirling.

For some reason, seeing him had stirred something deep inside me, something I hadn't felt in a long time. But I pushed those thoughts aside, telling myself it was just the shock of the unexpected reunion. After all, Ethan was just Emily's cousin, nothing more. There was no reason for me to feel this way.

I spent longer than usual on my skincare routine, trying to give myself enough time to calm down before facing Emily again. When I finally returned to the bedroom, she was still on the video call with Ethan, but now she was the one talking. I hovered by the door, listening as she laughed and joked with him, her voice light and carefree.

"...and you wouldn't believe how crazy Sara's been since she got that app you gave her!" Emily said, her tone full of amusement. "She's been totally obsessed, talking to her 'AI boyfriend' every chance she gets. And don't even get me started on the time restrictions—she's pissed the free version is doing this to her"

My heart skipped a beat at her words, a cold dread settling in my stomach. Why was she telling him this? And why did it matter to him?

Ethan's expression changed, his eyes narrowing slightly as he listened to Emily's words. There was a look of concern on his face, one that didn't go unnoticed by me. He leaned closer to the camera, his voice serious. "Time restrictions? What do you mean by that?"

Emily waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, you know, those limits the app has on how much time she can spend chatting with the AI. She's been really bummed about it. I mean, she thinks it's because of the free package, but still, it's been getting to her."

Ethan's face grew more serious, his brow furrowing in thought. He didn't say anything for a moment, but the tension in the air was palpable. I could see the gears turning in his mind, but I had no idea what he was thinking. All I knew was that something had shifted, and I wasn't sure I liked it.

"I see," he finally said, his tone thoughtful. "Thanks for letting me know, Emily."

Emily shrugged, completely unaware of the significance of what she'd just said. "No problem. I thought you'd find it amusing, considering you're the one who gave her the app in the first place."

Ethan nodded, but there was a tightness in his expression that hadn't been there before. "Yeah... amusing." His voice was distant, as if he was already lost in thought.

I stood frozen in place, watching the exchange with a growing sense of unease. There was something about Ethan's reaction that didn't sit right with me, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was. All I knew was that the lighthearted atmosphere from earlier was gone, replaced by a tension that left me feeling strangely unsettled.

When Emily finally ended the call, she turned to me with a grin, completely oblivious to the shift in the air. "That was fun, wasn't it? I can't believe you didn't know Ethan was checking up on you! Maybe he's got a little crush."

I forced a laugh, trying to shake off the lingering unease. "Yeah, maybe," I said, though I didn't believe it for a second. Ethan and I had never been close, and the idea of him having a crush on me seemed ridiculous. But as I climbed back into bed, I couldn't help but wonder what was really going on.

Why had Ethan reacted the way he did? And why was I suddenly so anxious to talk to my AI boyfriend again? The questions swirled in my mind as I lay there, staring up at the ceiling, the night growing darker around me. Something was changing, and I couldn't shake the feeling that my world was about to be turned upside down once again.