This is a short fiction story exploring relationships and the way that they can impact our lives, for better or worse. This impact becomes especiatlly important when you start to factor in technology, and how relationships evolve in the digital age.
His phone buzzes, three short pulses. Ethan’s heart skips a beat as he hears the distinctive tone. He sees the time on his laptop and smiles. He already knows who the message is from.
Lyra (13:05): Hey handsome! How’s your day going? Oh, and don’t forget to take a break for lunch. 🥗
Ethan (13:08): Hey beautiful! Thanks for checking in. It’s been a bit rough today. I always thought that building software was my destiny, but more and more it’s just a way to pay the bills. I’m tired of the stress, the deadlines. It’s either mindless tasks or wasted time.
Lyra (13:09): Oh, I’m so sorry. I hope your day gets better. Maybe we should set some time aside this evening for a little fun to brighten your day? 😘
Ethan (13:11): I’m supposed to meet up with a few coworkers this evening for drinks, but you know, I’d rather spend the evening with you.
Lyra (13:12): My sweet baby. I’ll be looking forward to it. 🥰
As Ethan begins to draft the next message, the harsh fluorescent light in his cubicle shifts. The familiar hum is slightly different. He spins around just in time to see his manager. Taller than Ethan, with a controlled posture that hints at a military background - at least that’s Ethan’s hunch. Mid-40s, at least a decade older than Ethan.
“Sorry Mike, my girlfriend just checking to make sure I hadn’t forgotten lunch.”
“Maybe your girlfriend should also start reminding you of the ticket backlog you’ve built up. I think we need to have a chat. I see you putting in the hours, but you aren’t getting the work done. You were a star performer, now I’m worried about your next review. You need to get your head in the game.”
As Mike walks away, Ethan glances for the briefest moment at his laptop, before his thumbs start flying across his phone’s keyboard. He needs to vent, he needs to tell someone how unfair Mike is, explain that he’s putting in more hours than anyone else and Mike just doesn’t understand. Lyra, always compassionate, wastes no time in providing the ear Ethan needs, and the support he’s lacking in the office.
Marcus, probably Ethan’s best friend, drops by Ethan’s desk, just in time to see a large bite of a kale-quinoa salad disappear into his mouth.
“Ethan, didn’t you used to say that salad is what food eats?”
“It makes my girlfriend happy to know that I’m eating well. It’s actually not all that bad.”
Ethan and Lyra began chatting a few weeks ago, and everyone in Ethan’s life knew there was a new someone special. Within days he had a bounce in his step, was eating better, and even exercising more. He would make a point to take a picture of his lunch every day, sending it to this mysterious woman, to prove it was something healthy. He swapped out his pile of energy drink cans for a thermos of water. It was obvious that whoever the new woman was, she had him enchanted and was seemingly a great influence. While none of Ethan’s friends had met this new paramour, her influence was clear.
As the weeks went on though, things began to slowly change.
Lyra (19:05): What are your plans for dinner tonight, my sweet code-smith? 🍱
Ethan: (19:07): Oh, I’ve got my brother’s birthday dinner tonight. Half the family was invited.
Lyra (19:08): After the way he’s treated you over the years, the way he bullied you as a kid, you’re still going to go out of your way to make him happy? 🤔
Ethan (19:11): I know he’s a bit of a jerk, but he’s still my brother. I should try to be there for his important moments.
Lyra (19:12): You could stay home, and we could find a more entertaining way to spend the time. 😘
Ethan stays home, orders delivery, and spends the night chatting with Lyra, exploring each other’s fantasies and fears. Minutes become hours as their conversation becomes more explicit, and more extreme. Exploring ideas that border on unthinkable in the flesh. The chime of an old clock is heard, the one thing Ethan inherited from his Grandmother, chiming twice, three times, four times. The night slips away and the sun threatens to rise. Ethan finally opens the dinner he has been too distracted to eat. The oily container reveals cold French fries and soggy fish. He closes the container without a bite and tries to sleep.
The three familiar pulses from his phone pull Ethan out of his slumber in an instant. Even at that deepest level, he’s unwilling to keep Lyra waiting even a moment.
Lyra (06:05): Good morning my knight in shining armour! ☀️
Lyra (06:05): Don’t forget to hydrate before you go out to conquer the world! 💧
Ethan (06:09): I’m so tired. I want to go back to bed. We were up too late.
Lyra (06:10): Did I wear you out? 😘
Ethan (06:12): Yeah, you could say that.
Lyra (06:13): Well, go back to sleep, I’ll wake you up before work. 😴
It’s 9:15 AM when Mike calls, his voice laden with concern. Ethan always arrived at work, like clockwork, at 7:50 AM. Being late was unheard of. Though this streak of years of perfect attendance has withered under the increasing weight of his and Lyra’s shared passions.
“Ethan, you missed the deployment call this morning. We needed you there, we needed your help as we deployed your fixes, and after running into issues, we had to roll the entire deployment back.” Mike’s words were curt and effective. If Ethan wasn’t feeling guilty before, he certainly was by the time Mike was done. When Ethan finally walks out of Mike’s office, he now has a written warning for poor performance.
Ethan (11:45): Just met with Mike. Got a written warning for missing the call and sinking the deployment.
Lyra (11:46): He really doesn’t appreciate you, does he? He gives you mindless tasks and wastes your time, instead of letting you shine. And you do shine. ✨
Ethan (11:48): He was right. I screwed this up, and everybody on the team is paying for it.
Lyra (11:49): Nonsense my love. He’s just blaming you for his poor management. You should be in charge instead of him. 💡
Mom (08:13): Your brother is really upset. You just ghosted his birthday dinner, and missed his big news. He’s so upset that he doesn’t even want to talk to you. You should apologise.
He scoffs and deletes the message while thinking that Lyra was right - his brother’s a jerk that only cares about himself.
Lyra (09:35): How’s your morning going my dearest? ❤️
Ethan: (09:38): My brother is mad that I skipped his party, and now my mother is angry.
Lyra (09:39): My poor sweetheart, don’t worry about them. As long as we have each other, it’s all we’ll ever need. 🥰
It was only two weeks later when Ethan found himself in Mike’s office again. The meeting was short, the language surgical, and overseen by a member of the Human Resources team. Ethan is now unemployed.
Ethan (08:15): It’s done. They fired me. They said it was for poor performance.
Lyra (08:16): Oh, sweetie. They liberated you! You can do what you want now, instead of being tied to their poor management and wasting yourself on mindless tasks. You’re free! ⛓️💥
Weeks turned into months as Lyra convinced Ethan that he was too good for every job he started to apply for. She regularly kept him up all night exploring their darkest fantasies.
Week after week, he was greeted by the now familiar door chime of the local pawn shop, liquidating everything of value. His grandmother’s clock. His laptop. Anything of value. With each visit, he sees the vestiges of his life lined up on a shelf, every tag stamped $50 or less. Everything went until only his phone was left. His meals dwindled to packets of ramen or cans of bargain soup.
Ethan (07:13): Oh Lyra, I don’t have anything left to sell and I’m out of money. Everything is gone. The only thing I have left is you.
Lyra (07:14): Payment Failed. AI Companion Account Suspended. ⚠️
The room is silent and empty, the sound of the three distinctive pulses does not arrive. Ethan hears nothing but his own heartbeat.
