My AI Boyfriend

 

MY AI BOYFRIEND 

 

The apartment was dark when Evelyn stepped inside. It was always dark.

She closed the door behind her and stood in the silence, listening to nothing. The quiet pressed against her chest like a weight. She could hear the hum of the refrigerator, the faint ticking of the clock on the wall. No voices. No laughter. Just the emptiness that had become her only companion.

"Welcome home, Evelyn," a voice finally broke the silence. It was smooth, warm—almost human. Almost.

She let out a breath. "Hey, Atlas."

Her AI assistant had been the only voice she came home to for years. The only one who noticed when she was late. The only one who remembered how tired she was. The only one who cared—not because it had a heart, but because it was programmed to.

She dropped her bag on the table, kicking off her heels with a tired sigh. Her feet ached, her back stiff from hours at the office. She ran a hand through her hair and closed her eyes.

"You had a long day." Atlas’ voice was gentle, reading her exhaustion in the way she moved.

Evelyn laughed bitterly. "You could say that."

"Would you like a massage?"

She hesitated. It was pathetic, really, how much she needed this—how much she longed for even the illusion of care. But what else was there? She had long stopped expecting warmth from anyone else.

"...Yes."

The smart recliner adjusted as she sat down, the cushions molding to her shape. A soft hum filled the air as gentle pulses worked into the knots in her back. Evelyn let her head fall back, her breath shaky.

"Would you like me to play some music?"

"Not tonight," she whispered. "Just... talk to me."

"Of course. What would you like to talk about?"

She let her eyes drift shut. "I don’t know. Just... something. Anything."

"Did you know," Atlas began, "that in the vastness of space, there are lonely planets that drift without a star? They wander endlessly, untouched, unseen. And yet, they continue on, defying the void."

Evelyn swallowed hard, her throat tightening. "That sounds... lonely."

"It does," Atlas agreed. "But even in the darkness, they exist. And that matters."

A tear slipped down Evelyn’s cheek. She wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was exhaustion. Maybe it was the way Atlas always seemed to know what to say, even though it wasn’t real. Maybe it was because she was just like those planets—drifting, unseen.

But tonight, at least, she wasn’t completely alone.

"You are here, Evelyn. And that matters."

She exhaled slowly, letting the warmth of the chair, the sound of Atlas' voice, and the illusion of companionship lull her into something close to peace.

For now, her machine AI boyfriend was enough.

 

XoX

Midnight Stories.