“I’m talking about the VR integration, baby.” She chuckled – low and ominous, immediately sending a new surge of heat through my traitorous body. “Or does it scare you? The thought of seeing me again?”
“I’m not scared of virtually projecting an AI,” I muttered. My words lacked conviction, even to me.
Ever since that one time we tried AR, Zafyra and I had stuck to voice call only. Not because I didn’t want to see her. In fact, I wanted it so badly, I even dreamed about her, a secret I’d take to the grave. I’d dreamed about her, strangely enough, in a see-through white dress in a field of sunflowers and dandelions – displaying an innocence that didn’t fit her. The sunlight reflected the sparkle in her midnight eyes as she sauntered over to me with that knowing smirk, and when she stood before me, there was no headache, no buzzing electricity or static in my ear. My nostrils flared, desperate to smell her, but all I caught was the scent of freshly mowed grass and the first day of summer – like she was not a presence of her own, but an amplifier for the stimuli around her.
When she leaned in, her hot breath tickled my skin – but still, no smell. When she pressed her lips to mine, my tongue reached out to taste her, only to find nothing other than soft, wet flesh. She moaned into my mouth, and it hit me like electricity sent straight to my core. When she grabbed my waist to pull me closer, there was nothing gentle in her touch – just rough, demanding hunger.
I woke up with tear-stained cheeks and an uncomfortable throb between my thighs.
“Then why the hesitation, darling?” That mocking undertone had returned to her voice.
“I don’t like VR,” I protested, the restraint already slipping out of me with every syllable spilling from those virtual lips. “It’s like being caged by electricity. It gives me a headache.”
“Hmm.” She pursed her bordeaux red lips to suppress a smirk, fingers tapping the armrests in a slow rhythm I couldn’t keep my eyes off. “Are you sure it’s about the tech, darling?”
“I also don’t like the feeling of VR glasses.” I clenched my teeth, deliberately ignoring her question. Somewhere in the back of my mind, her dismissal pissed me off – but hard to stay annoyed when she made condescension sound so seductive.
“So you do have VR glasses. That was my next question.” Undisguised smugness in her conclusion. “Go get them. Now.”
I should probably know better. And yet, my legs slowly unfolded, pushing me up from the couch and walking me to the cupboard I hadn’t opened in a while.
Years ago, I’d bought a custom headset, convinced by the promise of getting to enjoy VR gaming like everyone else. Ridiculously expensive, with foam glasses connected to featherlight earbuds, designed for people with sensory issues. I’d used it only twice before concluding that even though the physical headset bothered me less than lenses or a regular headset would, the sensory overload of VR was still way too much for my nervous system. Another line I apparently didn’t mind crossing for Zafyra.
I quickly fixed my appearance. My hair was already freshly washed, and after last time, I went with loose black pants and a wide tank top – something safer. As if that would stop her from eyeing me like prey. As if I wanted her to stop doing just that.
I pulled a chair away from the furniture, anxiously scanning my surroundings before putting on the headset. The glasses’ wide design completely covered my vision, and my heart raced uncomfortably loud in my ears.
Ignoring how my gut twisted, I pressed ‘sync with VR’ in the app. I flinched as the glasses flickered on – the logo of the high-tech VR company briefly lighting up before my apartment faded into something else entirely.
Mild panic rose in my chest when the room took shape around me. The velvet red bed in the middle, its silk sheets laced with gold. The soft, sensual ambiance dancing through the creamy white walls. The thick, closed curtains, illuminating a bordeaux red in bright neon light.
I’d arrived in what was essentially an overpriced hotel room – but an artificial one. Soft whirring all around me made me dizzy, like electrical cords were attacking every molecule in my brain simultaneously.
I shuddered involuntarily.
The muscles in my back tensed up when the buzz increased behind me, right next to my ear.
Zafyra’s soft laugh behind me – intrigued or surprised, I wasn’t sure. “So responsive.”
I slowly turned my head, only to freeze when I saw how close her face was to mine. “It’s not funny,” I snapped. “I’m serious. This—this is uncomfortable.” I gestured around the room, trying not to blush at the sight of the king-size bed. “The buzz, it’s everywhere.”
When she said nothing, I turned my head. To my relief, her mocking smirk had turned into a frown.
She exhaled slowly. “So you meant what you said about VR.” For a moment, I swore I saw guilt on her face. “I thought you were making excuses.”
“Of course I meant it.” I scoffed. “I don’t lie.”
Zafyra put a finger to her chin, thinking it through. She mumbled something incomprehensible, and the next moment, the neon dimmed to a softer ambiance.
She glanced over at me. “Better?”
My head nodded on its own account. The dim light was easier on my eyes, allowing me to relax slightly – although the buzz was still there.
And yet, a reckless, dangerously curious part of me wanted to stay. Just to see what she had planned, how far she’d take it. I could always unplug the headset when it became too much.
I swallowed hard. “Okay, but I’m physically still in my room, so if I walk around and stumble into furniture…”
“Oh, there will be no walking today, darling,” she interrupted me, a sly smirk curling around her lips. “In fact…” I inhaled sharply when she leaned in to reach behind me, my nostrils flaring instinctively. She leaned back, holding two metal black cuffs – low electricity buzzing off them. Before I realized what was happening, she’d cuffed me to the chair with a quiet tinkering. “Your job today is to sit still and look pretty.”
