Chapter 1 #5
I’m using my tablet to organize my thoughts as I stand behind the counter, where I’ve been hanging out to watch the flow of customers and how the advisors interact with them, listening to Alia help a customer check out with two large bags of merchandise.
Their chatter is pleasant background noise to the orchestra of creativity that’s moving through my brain at top speed.
I’ve already made the boutique accounts across all the major platforms. It’ll just be a matter of cross-posting a single introduction video, then posting three to five videos a week on top of wisely managing an allotted ad fund across websites to get Jessica’s brand in front of the right fashion-hungry people.
I’ll spend the weekend building her fully functional website, and we’ll be in business.
Soon, Jessica Bennett will be a household name, if I have any say about it.
For dinner, Laolao stops by with my niece and nephew and brings us delicious homemade food.
Youtiao, eggs and scallions, soup dumplings, and chicken are quick to disappear when Jessica and I get our hands on it.
I’m going to have to be careful with the food in Jessica’s house—everything is so delicious and made from scratch.
Between home and Royal Empress Café, I might gain a pant size or three.
We’re winding down for the night. Rae-Rae and Alia sort and tidy up the store when the door opens, setting off a digital welcome bell, and I hear a familiar voice. “Well, look who finally came home!”
I turn and find my older brother smiling brightly at me. Apollo wears a black T-shirt and pants, looking like he just got off his shift at the Belmont Fire Department, and he still has that same shit-eating grin I remember growing up with.
It’s hard to believe it’s been four years since I’ve seen him.
He hasn’t aged much. My muscles tense with a moment’s discomfort as he approaches me.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure how this was going to go down.
Sure, we shoot each other a message every few months to make sure everything’s okay, or he’ll send me photos of my niece and nephew.
He’ll even send me a funny video about baby sisters a time or two, and I’ll send something back if it’s related to firefighting.
But it’s bare minimum stuff. I can’t help but feel a little trepidation as he comes closer.
When he hugs me, I give him a few pats on his back before pulling away. “Somebody’s got to help make your wife world famous.”
“Hey, I’ve done my part,” Apollo protests. “I’ve already got every guy at the station shopping here. Even our android is outfitted here.”
“Wow, really?” Before I was fired, I must’ve asked Apollo a hundred questions about his android coworker. Belmont made history by being the first fire department in the nation to employ a BioNex android.
Of course, with the state of the economy and Humanity First, it caused a lot of controversy.
But Apollo reassured me that humans are in no danger of being replaced entirely by androids anytime soon.
I prefer never over not yet, but we’ll take what we can get.
And I’m not against it. Honestly, it’s reassuring to know someone so powerful has my brother’s back if there’s any danger.
But now after everything that’s happened, I’m wondering if it’s only a matter of time before his job is in jeopardy too.
I’d hate for him to be displaced the way I was, especially when he’s got mouths to feed.
Now one more, including me. Just because we aren’t best friends doesn’t mean I want to see him fall on his face.
“Yeah,” Apollo says, and he leans back, maybe sensing how taut I am. “So, uh, how you holding up?”
“I’ve been better,” I admit. “I’m sure I’ll be okay, in time, but . . . yeah, this doesn’t feel good.”
His gaze deepens with empathy. “I’m sorry, Mia. You didn’t deserve that.”
I do appreciate hearing that from him. “Thanks. And . . . thanks, for letting me crash here with you guys while I figure stuff out. I know it’s not ideal and you’re short on space, but—”
“You kidding?” Apollo scoffs. “Five bedrooms, and one of them has your name on it. Even got some of your old knick-knacks and keepsakes from Mom and Dad to make you feel right at home.”
I don’t know what to say at first. He really is being sweet. Which is weird. When we fall into an awkward silence, unsure of what to say to each other, I clear my throat. “So, do you and your android work together a lot?”
“Yeah,” Apollo says, jumping at the opportunity to talk about something else. “Nolan should be coming in a moment, by the way. We’re working the night shift this weekend.” The door behind him opens. “Oh, never mind. Here he is.”
My eyes are instantly locked on the man who walks through the door.
He’s got to be well over six feet, if not taller.
He’s buff but not ridiculously shredded, like he’s been souped up with steroids.
Warm brown skin, powerful arms. The way his work shirt snugly fits his chest has my heart threatening to skip like a schoolgirl.
Even though I’m considered tall for a woman, he practically towers over me. I swallow.
Then he smiles at me with bright pearly whites to match his stark white irises, and my breath catches.
This man is an android. Who the hell decided a robot could be made this hot? I don’t remember the androids back in LA looking half as amazing as he does.
“Hey,” he says. “I’m Nolan.”
I try to pull my jaw up from the floor and clumsily offer my hand. “Mia. I’m Apollo’s sister.”
He takes my hand and gives it a firm, yet gentle shake. “I know. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Apollo gets distracted by some new jackets on a nearby rack.
I hardly notice my brother’s departure. I’m too focused on the man in front of me.
While I saw plenty of them back in California, I’ve never touched an android before, so I expected the chill of metal, or some kind of hint that he’s got a mainframe made of steel.
Instead, his hand is warm, and his grasp is soft, lingering.
When I touch him, it’s hard to tell he’s artificial.
He feels so real. “All good things, I hope.”
Nolan chuckles. “Apollo’s never one to talk shit, especially about you. Everyone feels like they already know you at the station.”
That surprises me. I’ve never really known my brother to be the proud sibling type, but it’s a little embarrassing if he’s gone overboard. “Really?”
“Yep. Many already call you ‘baby sister,’” Nolan replies.
I’m not sure I like that. I quirk a brow. “And you?”
He flashes a playful, lopsided grin. “You’re not my sister.”
His words cause a prickle to climb up my spine and settle at the base of my neck. I’m not sure I can feel my legs. Do I have legs? With a faint smile, he steps away from me. “Nice meeting you, Mia.”
“Uh, yeah. You too.” All I want to do is watch him walk away. I have to stop myself from checking out his ass. From the brief glimpse I allow myself before heading back to the counter, I can tell his back is built like a Greek statue just as much as the front of him is.
Nowadays, I really don’t think twice about androids.
The novelty of their appearance has worn off.
But there’s a big difference from a simple bionic assistant and the one standing here in front of me.
Nolan is a firefighter, like my brother.
I can’t even begin to imagine how much it takes to build an android like him.
That’s like building your own superhero. Technology is amazing.
Nolan is amazing.
It’s a good thing I live with my family. If I were on my own, I’d be experimenting very dangerously with candles if it meant Nolan would show up and rescue me.
“So.” Apollo’s voice brings me out of the daze I’ve found myself in. “What do you think? He’s pretty cool, huh?”
“Yeah, definitely,” I say, trying to compose myself and hoping I wasn’t staring too hard. We shift awkwardly as I try to think of something to say to my brother. “So how is work going?”
“Fine, it’s—” He breaks off as Jessica emerges from the back room and catches Apollo’s gaze. She smiles coyly and brushes her hair behind her ear, looking at the register as she pretends she doesn’t see him looking. He just grins that much brighter.
Ugh, they’re so in love. Gross. I don’t need the reminder that I’m perpetually single. I’ve gone on plenty of dates and had a couple of boyfriends, but nothing stuck. Nobody was the one. Apollo, meanwhile, never had that problem. He met Jessica and the way he tells the story? Boom. That was it.
I’m still waiting for that. That boom.
Seeing Nolan walk through the door is the closest I’ve ever felt to anything like lightning, and right now, I’m trying to figure out why.
I should be wary, right? Pissed, even, at androids.
But—I don’t know, I just don’t have it in me to blame androids for the fact that my world came crashing down when I thought I was at the height of my game.
It’s the corporations, the greedy fuckers at the top who don’t want to hire people who require lunch breaks and vacation time, who have families to feed.
It’s not Nolan’s fault I lost my job. It’s none of their faults.
It was a bunch of rich guys in suits that screwed me over, not him or any of the rest.
It’s hard not to look at him. I can’t get over his smile, the dimples in his cheeks. He looks so unbelievably real. If it weren’t for those eyes, I never would have guessed.
I’d love to talk to him some more, but he and Apollo are lifting some boxes of heavy freight for Jessica, and I don’t have the arm strength to contribute. I want to chat with him without getting in the way. But what do I even say when I get to that point?