“What does that even mean?” My eyes roll and I feel so out of touch, I almost give up.
“You tell me.”
“How the fuck would I know?”
“Don’t blame the messenger, dude.”
Mike’s right. I need to get a grip and grow a pair. “Sorry. I’ll drop by in a bit. Thanks.”
In less than an hour, I put on the headgear and enter what appears to be a clothing store.
“Hello.” A pretty blond avatar walks behind a desk. Beside her, a mirror comes into focus. “Does this image meet your approval?”
I pause at the cartoon likeness of myself. In it, I’m wearing a cowboy hat and khaki uniform. Apparently, my occupation triggered the outfit.
“Please say yes or no.” She points again.
“Ah, no.”
“Please make a selection.” Images of clothes flash in front of my face.
My mouse moves over a flannel shirt and jeans, I double-click, and press continue.
“Please chose a venue for your virtual date.”
I select the first item, a coffee shop, and my virtual space morphs into a room with small tables and booths.
“Excellent. Good luck. Remember, you can say goodbye at any time, but if you’re rude, you will lose points and be less likely to be chosen for a date in the future.”
Wearing leggings, heels, and a tight tunic top, Danni’s caricature smiles and sits down. “Hi, I’m Danni.”
Her voice sounds in my headset and I moan because my cock seems unaware she’s miles away in New York City.
“Nice to meet you. Do you come here often?” I chuckle when she laughs at my lame joke.
“I’ve spent the last five years in here.”
“It’s amazing. How does this work?”
“You actually want to do this?” Her hesitancy makes me more resolved.
“Yeah, let’s pretend we never met. Walk me through this.”
She smiles and I ask, “First, explain how it makes facial expressions.”
“Your laptop camera reads your face and my program does it’s best to emulate it. If you walk away from the camera, it will guess.
“Pretty sophisticated.”
“Thanks. Now, think of this as a physical date. What would you say if you wanted to start a meaningful relationship?”
Oh fuck. Things just got real in the virtual world. I want her so bad, it hurts. Since she left, food tastes like cardboard, the sky is always gray, and it’s hard as hell to find a reason to roll out of bed in the morning.
“What do you do for a living, Danni?” I lean in and my avatar follows suit.
“Software. You?” She answers so quickly, I scramble to formulate my next question.
“Law enforcement.” Wow. This is harder than I first imagined and I feel like she’s making it that way on purpose. If this was a first date, I’d be lucky to get a second.
