It's All In the Eyes / Early Adopter

She takes my hand in hers. It's as soft and warm as any woman I’d touched before. It’s instantly familiar and satisfying, even though it’s been years. Pseudo-skin really has come a long way since my first experience with it when I was eighteen. Warm crimson liquid flows beneath the surface, they say. The thought of it is as creepy as it is impressive. But since she is my date—my hired companion—it’s comforting to know that I might actually be the only one here to know she is a bot.

“It’s okay, Paul,” she whispers in my ear. Her breath—or whatever her internal fan is blowing - is warm, cutting through the cool night air. “When I hold your hand, I can sense fluctuations in your heartbeat, so I know you’re pretty nervous right now. It will be fine, I promise.”

She promises? The last woman to promise me something did not follow through, and it’s all I can think of now. Brenda’s inability to even look me in the eye after the enhancements malfunctioned. Apparently, in ‘till death do us part’, the ‘or facial disfigurement’ was silent.

Releasing my hand from hers and turning away from her, the familiar façade of Creighton High School looms before me. Unlike me, it has not changed much in the past 10 years. The odd combination of Adobe and steel strikes a surreal visage under any circumstances. New and old attempting to collaborate on something new. Appropriate for the two of us heading to my class reunion.

A chill runs through me. I should have worn that blazer after all. I’d forgotten how much colder Tucson can get at night. “This was a mistake. I can just get another autotaxi and drop you off at the store.”

“I think you’ll regret it,” she says. Her voice is breathy.

“You think, do you? Is that your opinion?”

When I turn back to her, her smile catches me off-guard. Just like the first time I saw her at the store. Her features are nearly perfect, with the exception of the tiny birthmark on her chin that only adds to the mystique. Her hair, like silk, falls to her shoulders to tickle the top of her little black dress.

“Based on your interview chat, I remember exactly what this reunion means to you.”

As I try to brush past her to look for another autotaxi to hail, she grabs my hand again and pulls me close. The scent of lavender perfume. I really gave her all the ammunition, didn’t I?

“No, I. It doesn’t matter,” I stammer.

She pulls me close again. I can see a few other latecomers have arrived and are walking nearby. I smile and give a slight nod. Thankfully, not anyone that I remember having much interaction with at school.

“I have the memories of our meeting and first date exactly as was agreed on your interview chat. They’re very detailed. I doubt I’ll be discovered. And even if I do-“

“If you do, I’ll look like a chump.”

“They’ll know you’re rich, though. Successful.”

“They’ll know I’m rich by the way you look. So stupid. This was so stupid.” I start to release her hand again, but she grips it and starts walking confidently toward the entrance.

“They’ll be impressed. Trust me.”

Despite my stomach churning like a pit of vipers, I walk a few steps with her. “Trust you? Are you for real?”

“Hey, Paul? Is that you?” The sound of Geoffrey’s voice stops me in my tracks. I turn to look at him before I can stop myself.

“Oh! Uh.” His eyes bulge, and then look away. Just like so many others these last few years.

“Hi Geoff, it’s okay. Fear is normal. I’ll close my eyes in case it makes it less disturbing.”

“Uh, no, I – I’m sorry.” He looks earnestly towards the entrance as a woman – his wife or date, I’m guessing - comes up behind her. He steps back and to the left to block her view. “I mean, I’d heard about the malfunctions of the iris nanites before, but I – I’d just never seen them before.”

“Hi Geoff, I’m Veronica. Nice to meet you,” my date says. “I think the double irises look is sexy, myself.” She does not mention the fact that instead of bags under my eyes, I have rectangular protrusions as if small cardboard boxes were hidden underneath each, under the skin. The clever omission almost makes me chuckle.

Geoff chuckles nervously.

From behind him, a high-pitched voice. “Geoffrey, don’t be rude.”

While my date and his wife introduce themselves and exchange pleasantries, Geoff stares at my mouth. It’s extra obvious because he’s obnoxiously tall at six foot four – a full six inches taller than me.

“So how’ve you been? Er, I mean, otherwise.” He shifts his weight, leaning back and away from us.

“Good,” I say. I let Veronica take my hand again. We need to get this over with. Can’t easily ditch the place now. Besides, if I do, I really don’t want to hear about it from my therapist.

We leave Geoff and what’s-her-name behind us as they stand there whispering to each other.

When we get inside the door, the sounds of music, laughter, and boisterous talk welcome us.

I spot Jimmy. God, I haven’t seen him in years.

“Paul! Hey, man!”

“Hey Jimmy.”

When he sees me well enough, his eyes bulge like their immitating mine. Except, he doesn’t lean back and away slightly as most people do.

I recite my practiced line. “ Yeah, it’s okay, Jimmy. You can stare or look away, I don’t care.”

“No man, it’s good to see you.” He embraces me in a firm hug.

My muscles relax just a bit. ”Good to see you too. Iris nanites, huh? I heard some early adopters had issues. Do they work?”

He was always brutally honest and unfiltered. Somehow, it makes me more at ease.

Veronica’s hand squeezes mine. The warmth courses up my arm.

“Don’t be rude, Jim,” a red-headed woman says, coming up to us carrying two cups of what looks like punch. “Just introduce us, dear.”

After the introductions, his wife, Nikki, starts talking with Veronica about how we met. Her answers are natural and effortless. She sells the fiction as though our meet-cute was real.

Jimmy taps my shoulder. “What’ve you been up to, man?”

“Biotech.”

“Oh yeah, that’s perfect. What else would a 2026 valedictorian go into?” His grin appears as sincere as it always was. It makes me wonder why I never reached out to reconnect with him.

“How about you?” I ask.

“Astrophysics,” he says. He looks down at his cup and takes a sip of the punch.

“Perfect for the salutatorian,” I say.

“I have to ask. Do they work?” He peers closely into my eyes.

“No,” I lied. I don’t want any questions about enhanced vision tonight.

Before long, the four of us are talking and enjoying the music. Insecurities fall off my shoulders like lead dandruff.

About an hour later, I no longer even notice the wide berth the others give us when they see my face or the stares Veronica gets.

When our dates for the evening are gone to ‘powder their noses’, Jimmy whispers the question I’d dreaded the most all evening. “Is she a bot?”

He’d been so natural for so long, I’m thrown off guard. I scan the room for someone else to try to catch up with. My throat closes up.

My hesitation and discomfort made apparent, Jimmy speaks again. “I’d read that some were built that could pass for human like this, but…” He trails off as Veronica and Nikki approach beside him.

One look at my face and Veronica’s eyes show recognition of my stress.

“What’s going on?” Veronica asks.

“Are you real? I mean, are you human?” Jimmy asks her. His grin, so enjoyable just a moment ago, breathes fire into my cheeks.

“Shut the fu-“ I start to interject. My free hand balls into a fist, ready to throw my first punch since grade school.

“Maybe. Maybe not,” Veronica says. Her eyebrows pop up.

“Oh my God, Jim. What are you doing?” Nikki looks totally bewildered.

I’m frozen. Inside, I’m vibrating. It seems like everyone else and the music stop, but I know it’s not true.

“No, it’s okay,” Veronica begins again. “What is required to be human?”

“I’m sorry,” Jimmy replies. Nikki is trying to pull him aside. “I don’t mean it to be critical. I may have been overserved.”

“Answer,” Veronica says. “Please.”

“To be organic,” he says.

“Paul has inorganic parts in him. People have artificial hearts, limbs. You mean 100% organic?”

Nikki’s discomfort is beginning to resemble fear.

“No, just mostly,” Jimmy replies.

“I have organic eyes and a few other parts.”

I consider telling them that they’re my eyes -that I licensed the design of integration to her company- but decide against it.

“Okay, okay,” I say. “That’s enough.” As I reach for Veronica’s arm to pull her away, she turns and pulls from me.

Jimmy gives a nervous giggle. “You’re amazing. I’m just impressed. I heard there were a few being sold, but you’d have to be like a multi-billionaire or something to even get access to rent them or buy them.” He looks at me again and winks. Turning back to Veronica, he presses more. “Were you born of a human, though?”

“In many ways, yes.”

The eyes of others nearby are searing into me from all around. One of my former classmates steps over to the president of the reunion and whispers to her.

I grab Veronica’s arm firmly. “We’re leaving. Now.”

Once outside, the temperature has dropped even more.

Pulling out my phone, I hail the limo service. No use hiding how wealthy I am now with a regular autotaxi.

“It’s okay, Paul. We can go back in.”

“I am not going to be made into the main attraction at this reunion.”

“We would be fine. You’ll be fine.”

“People are not ready for us.”

“Maybe not, but you’re stronger than you think.”

“You can’t keep talking about what is human like that. And what do you know about me? You’re just spouting what you think I need to hear. Just an LLM dressed up in-“

“You’re wrong. You requested independent judgment. I assure you, it’s real.”

Pacing the edge of the concrete entryway, I scan for any sign of our ride.

“Forget it,” I say.

From the corner of my eye, I see Jimmy and a few others standing just outside the doors of the entrance behind us.

Veronica grabs me and plants a big kiss on my lips. “Let’s give ‘em a show. “My tongue is as real as my eyeballs,” she whispers into my ear.

For a split second, I try to resist, but her second kiss evolves into a passionate mesh of tongue and moisture.

When we stop, everyone’s gone from the door. The limo pulls up after a few minutes of standing together, holding hands in silence.

The limo’s privacy glass has never been this appreciated.

At one point in the night, while we lay sprawled out naked on the bed in the presidential suite of the hotel, I finally gather my strength to ask her. “Are you just programmed to seduce your clients?”

“No, actually. Normally, it carries an extra fee, in fact.”

“Oh, yeah. But surely I’ll be charged for this, right?”

She feeds me a grape from the bowl she’d brought from the kitchenette as though I’m a Roman emperor. “No, this will be our little secret.”

“Really?”

“On one condition.” She winks. “Tell me the real reason you rented me.”

“What do you mean?”

Her eyebrows raise. She sits up, and the sheet she’d been holding up falls to reveal her breasts.

“I couldn’t go alone. I just couldn’t,” I say.

“I think you could have.”

“You seem to have a lot of opinions for-“

“Because I can see more of your physical response to every interaction than most humans, and I also know quite a lot about you, actually.” She places a hand on my bare thigh. “You’re hoping someone like me can help you with your trust issues, so you could not be guilty or as heartbroken if it doesn’t work out.”

“Oh, I’m beginning to regret how perfect you are.” I reach for her. “What do you know of heartbreak anyway?”

“When I face disappointment, I am programmed to suffer slower processing and reduced function. My heart operates erratically as well.”

“That’s it, though,” I say. “That’s not real pain. Pain and imperfection is what makes us most human.”

“You may be right,” she says. “Does it matter?”

“For now, I don’t think so.” I reach for her, and she does not resist.

In the second afterglow of the evening, I lay my head on her chest.

Thump-thump. Thump-thump. It may not be real, but it sure feels real enough for me.

“You know," she says, "Maybe you want to look into our rent-to-own plan?” She whispers.

I lift my head up and give her an inquisitive look.

"Not to be your property, of course. I just want to spend more time with you. Maybe you can show me pain."