Artificial Mates - Chapter 68

I couldn’t believe my eyes. what was Lyla doing here? My gaze rested on her as she pulled in her big silver suitcase with a tiny flag of Titan on the front. I couldn’t move, the boys didn’t help her either. However, it wasn’t her presence that bothered me the most. More like what Grant had told me earlier. Leaving? We can’t leave now, not when Lyla was standing right here.

She curiously studied Grant then Demos. Pacing slowly back and forth with one finger on her chin. After a minute, Lyla left her suitcase in the middle of the living room and turned to me.

“Why did you order two of them?” she stuck her thumb towards them.

“Sognare made a mistake…well, that’s what I thought at first,” both of them watched us closely in utter silence. They didn’t proceed to greet her either, which was a little odd.

“Well, don’t they have tongues or manners?” she turned with her hands behind her back staring straight at them.

“We do speak,” answered Demos shortly.

“Hi, I’m Lyla, Liliane’s best friend,” she extended her hand at him, he shook it briefly then she faced Grant but he just stared at her.

“I don’t think I like this one,” she retrieved her hand.

“The feeling is shared,” he shot with a dry tone. Lyla gasped as she walked back at me.

“You were right when you said your robots were giving you a hard time. What kinda masochist programmed those things? So rude,” she hid her mouth while commenting. But it was loud enough for the whole room to hear. I laughed nervously and averted my eyes. This situation wasn’t what I was hoping for.

“Lyla, please they are not rude. They just aren’t used to…” my voice trailed off when I met my mates’ cold glares.

“We are curious, who is that person? Because Liliane never mentioned having a friend called Lyla…a best friend at it,” Demos crossed his arms over his chest. “It seemed she has been keeping a lot of secrets. Even going as far as speaking ill about us, behind our backs,” he went on with a frown.

“Liliane, that’s not very nice calling us liars when you are doing the same. It seems honesty is not your best quality,” added Grant. Both shook their heads in perfect syncing. Lyla stepped away from me, with a hurt look. It was overly exaggerated. I always thought her excessive happy mood had to be an act. But then, I’m the gloomy one among us two. So, everyone expressing their feelings were either alien or faking it.

“You didn’t tell them about… me?”

“Wait, I was… I can explain,” I stumbled on my tongue desperate the right excuse. Whatever, I do don’t add another lie to the pile.

“You can?” Grant stepped in with arched eyebrows.

“I was upset, I called her. I needed someone to talk to and it was the week first we spend together… We weren’t getting along. She is my friend,” I tried my best to stick to the truth. It came out flat and emotionless.

“Friend? A friend, so dear, she never came up in our conversations. A relationship is built on trust,” Grant said in a bitter tone.

“I’m sorry,” I lowered my head and felt Lyla’s arm wrapped around me.

“I’ve missed you so much. I’ll never let you go,” her grip tightened, she was shivering. What happened to her back on Titan? She leaned and kissed my hair. Lyla was taller than me, her black high heel pee toe sandals accentuated her pretty silhouette. She had always been prettier than me and deep down I envied her. The way she can shove the dark cloud away and still smile, always baffled me. How could she be so confident?

“So what do we do?” she showed me her brightest smile. “What’s the new entertainment in town?” she bounced with glee. I couldn’t help giggling along.

“There’s a new mall in Level twenty-three…” I started but was immediately interrupted with Demos clearing his throat.

“Sorry, but we already made plans for today. We are not going anywhere if your friend wants to go shopping, suit herself. She can go on her own,” he added.

“Hey! I wasn’t talking to you. I’m making plans with ‘my friend.’ What’s wrong with your toys? shouldn’t they like, shut it and stay in a corner waiting for orders or something?” she fumed. I was scared things might escalate any minute.

“Lyla! I don’t want you to fight. Let’s all be friends, ok,” from the look on Demos’ face my request was mission impossible. He glared in my direction his eyes flashing blue. Grant gave up and turned around.

“I’m going to charge, there’s a long journey ahead and no one knows when we’ll have access to an E3 socket again,” he tossed over his shoulder before he shut the lid of his pod. Demos lingered around the living room and switched on the TV. He was clearly ignoring us.

“Oh my, do they act like that all day? Like they own the place? Mop around being emo? That worse than making cats,” Lyla whispered. Now that I thought about it, this was a first. Grant was usually friendly and caring while Demos made jokes and being… himself. I slowly shook head and gave her a tight smile. She patted my back in sympathy and quicky reverted into her joyous self.

“Girl, I have so much to tell you. Come, let’s go hang out in your room. The mood is nasty around here,” she peeked at Demos staring at the screen. Lyla pushed me towards the door without giving me time to protest. When we were in the safety of my room where they couldn’t see us, she gazed with open disapproval. She pulled me by the shoulder to force me to face her.

“Liliane, tell me frankly, what the hell were you thinking?” she sighed. “Are you insane? Those are freaking machines. They don’t love you…They can’t love you,” she rolled her eyes. “If they were like…licking your toes and calling you mistress… perhaps I would think otherwise. But those are really rude characters. The one with the curly hair is freakish. Don’t tell me you got down and dirty with them,” she shuddered with disgust. Her comment snapped me from my paralysis.

“Wait, they are not usually like that. It’s just… something… a lot of things happened. We were in the middle of an argument,” I tried to explain and failed. Lyla dismissed my words with a wave of the hand.

“Robots don’t argue, they just obey,” she walked to my desked and picked up the yellow rubber duck and turned it around in her hand with her eyes vacant.

“Well, they are different. Sognare said that Demos and Grant react upon my actions. And we didn’t do… anything,” I averted my eyes feeling my cheeks flaming. She sprung around dropping the duck on the desk. It landed on its side in a painful quack.

“No freaking way?” she dramatically placed her hands on her cheeks while faking a surprising look. I didn’t buy it at all. I felt stupid for feeling embarrassed. “Are you playing house with them or something? I’ve heard artificial is something you must experience once to know the full extense of their capacity,” she tapped her index on her lips with a dreamy look in her eyes. “Do you think you could lend me the tall one. Even though, it disgusts me to the core. He is still pleasing to the eyes,” she laughed. I was shocked beyond words.

-Liliane, I don’t like her… at all.