Build-A-Boyfriend

5

"Ok... Not to be rude but he's kinda creepy looking."

The head on the screen stares out at me, looking like a bald kids doll with the eyes poked out.

"Oh this isn't him. This is his basic facial structure. We just need to add a few details." The doctor laughs. "Once you've chosen his hair and eye colour, maybe added some cheekbones?

"Um no." I shake my head. "I don't want to do that."

"Why?" He frowns at me. "This is the part that the other 5 applicants enjoyed the most, the whole 'Build-A-Boyfriend' aspect of it."

"The poor guy doesn't get to alter my love handles and huge nose." I point out. "Anyway, how would it work? Would you do plastic surgery on him to fit my order?"

"The technology we have allows us to perform cosmetic procedures on him before the pod has finished growing him fully. We can inject various chemicals that would change his hair or eyes-"

"Damn, just leave the boy alone." I look at old Dr Frankenstein here distastefully but he just shrugs.

"Does he have a face already?" I sigh.

"Yes, of course."

"Well just use that. Can I see it?"

Dr Henderson nods, evidently slightly disappointed that he won't get to play Mr Potato head with my embryo dude.

He whistles irritatingly loudly as he clicks through files on the computer screen. I wonder if Miss Barbie gets annoyed by his tuneless whistling.

I wonder if she can get annoyed by stuff he does. Suddenly an uneasy feeling settles over me.

"Do you and your wife argue?" I ask suddenly.

"Ah. I wondered when you were going to ask me that. You took longer than the other five applicants. The man I had here this morning asked me that before anything else." The doctor smiles as he turns to face me. "The answer is yes, we do. We argue over big things and bicker over the little things. You have to understand, the embryos have free will. They are human after all. In the first few weeks they will learn from you, understand what you need a partner to be so that they can match you perfectly. Expect the first couple of weeks to the most awkward... After that, it'll be like every other relationship, with the exception that you know your partner is utterly devoted to you and will never cheat."

He smiles at the uneasy look on my face; "As I told you, they are all very different people, the reason that they match with you is down to several complex factors. We provide all of the data to find the best match, but it's no use if the embryo rejects you. They choose you. If they don't, the match would never work.
Another of our applicants in this test stage was a victim of domestic abuse, the embryo that chose her is already displaying an unusually sensitive, gentle demeanour. The idea is that they will be perfect matches for those who use our service. Our aim is not just to please the person who is paying, but to produce a loving harmonious match for the embryo too. For people with anxiety, depression or other issues our service will open up a whole new world to them."

I nod, thinking this over for a minute.

"Aren't you worried about them taking over in the long run? Like, if you could have the perfect partner designed then why would you even bother interacting with other people?"

"No, that doesn't concern us. The process of making the embryos in the initial stages is so difficult that we can make only a small handful at a time. Of the initial bunch of cells we create, only a tiny 5% survive, after that it's a full 18 months before we can even move them from the lab and into the pods. The realistic prediction for how many we can produce is roughly 25 a year.
More than that, the majority of people want a partner who brings life experience and their own friends and family to a relationship. What we are offering will appeal to far less people than you would imagine. It's the sort of thing people think they want, but once they truly think about it, they don't at all. We are hitting a select group of the market... With a very high price tag."

"Right. Ok. So you just want me to date this guy and report back to you."

"That's right. This is the very final stage, providing everything goes well with the 6 embryos we are releasing, the service will be fully ready to hit the market. We can discuss the fine details in our meeting this afternoon. Ah.. Here we are." He taps the keys on his computer and smiles at me. "Are you ready to meet Harry? As I said, this is him in his unaltered form.."

He turns his laptop towards me and my mouth falls open.

Well shît.

Slap me down and call me Martin.

"He seems to prefer his hair to be slightly longer." Dr P frowns.

"Works for me." I croak.

"We can change anything you like. How about we remove that little freckle near his mouth?" He points at the screen.

"Are you kidding me? That freckle is more attractive than my entire face and body."

Dr P laughs and shakes his head.

"It's up to you. We refuse to perform any altering cosmetic surgeries once they are out. In the pod they are unaware it's happening. Once they are out it would be unfair."

"Right." I swallow.

"But... Here he is..." Dr P gestures to the screen.

"The one that chose you before he was even born."

***

I'm so nervous.

It's been a month since I left the Dream Factory and a letter arrived last week to say that H2839z would be delivered to my address today.

I've cleaned the flat by the method of shoving everything that was on the floor into a cupboard and spraying febreze around the rooms.

I've bought a 4 pack of beer, then spent an hour stressing about if I should be providing beer... Like the first few weeks are the most important and I don't want him to turn into a raging alcoholic.

Food is stressing me out too. What if he hates my usual diet of pizza and fries or worse, what if he's one of those freaks that likes pineapple on pizza?

None of this is important, but it just brings home that I know absolutely nothing about him yet I've invited him to live with me.

The biggest worry is that I live in a studio and there's only one bed. The thought of some stranger coming and living with me is suddenly very real. As usual, I've acted impulsively and haven't thought this through.

All this races through my head in a jumble as I sit and wait. Dave seems to sense I'm stressed and stares at me in concern for a moment before turning his back on me and going to sleep.

Oh crap, what if he hates Dave?

I can't believe I'm doing this. Is it to late to cancel?

Suddenly the doorbell rings loudly. I'm shaking so much that it takes me forever to reach the door. I open in a fraction, staring downwards.

Feet.
Long legs.
Don't stare at his crotch Hendrix, that's creepy.
Body, with arms. Arms are always good.

Finally I find myself looking into his face. He's smiling shyly.

He has deep dimples when he smiles.

Frickin dimples.

I realise I'm staring around the door like a suspicious old lady so I open the door more fully, trying to breathe and stay calm.

"Hello." He rubs the back of his neck self-consciously then with an adorable shy smile he holds out a large hand.

"I'm Harry."

***

Dedicated to armorfthes thanks so much for reading my stories. You da bomb 💖

I really hope you're enjoying it so far? Hope the explanation of the embryos wasn't boring, it's important you understand how Harreh works (just in case you want to order one for yourself, the Dream Factory address will be provided in the last chapter 😏)