“What’s the matter, cat got your tongue?” she teased, her smile crooked.
I gasped and sat frozen, eyes locked on her. How had she tracked me so quickly? I’d been ultra careful, layering perception filters at every turn. In Ultrahigh reality no human should follow an architect’s trail so easily. What had I missed?
“May I sit?” she asked, indicating the empty chair. Her micro-coloured blue eyes held me spellbound.
“Yes, certainly,” I stammered. “Sorry—where are my manners?”
She slid into the seat, returning my gaze as if peering into my soul. My heart fluttered. I recognised the sensation—this wasn’t supposed to happen here, unless another architect had engineered it.
“Can I get you a coffee?” I finally managed.
“A chai latte,” she said, tucking hair behind her ear. “If they do them here.”
“I’m sure they do.” I headed to the counter, needing time to collect myself. When I glanced back, she waved, her smile mesmerising. At the barista’s prompt I ordered two drinks—one for her, one more for me—then lingered by the pickup area, mind racing. I could phase out of Ultrahigh reality in the restroom, but that might spook her—or make me look like a coward. Protocol insisted I leave quietly, but curiosity—and those eyes—won out.
Returning with two steaming cups, I saw her gazing out the window. “I love this spot for people-watching,” she said, patting the chair beside her. I sat, realising we shared the same vantage.
“Yes, me too,” I replied, thinking perhaps she’d come here by chance, recognised me from the plaza. But why tap my shoulder? In the square she’d held my gaze with that hypnotic stare. Now here she was, drinking chai in a reality I’d helped design.
“You’re one of them, aren’t you?” she asked, glancing at me.
“One of what?”
“An architect,” she said, then returned to watching the street. My pulse jumped. Had she seen through my avatar? Was she assuming I was a traditional architect designing real-world buildings? I feigned confusion. “I’m sorry?”
She smiled serenely, cradling her cup. “You heard me.”
I sipped my second flat white and joined her view of avatars strolling by—some driven by humans, others just code. Real-human meetings in Ultrahigh usually occur by design to keep a touch of sanity in the system. But this encounter felt anything but incidental.
We sat in thoughtful silence until she finished her chai. Turning, she met my gaze with those captivating eyes. My heart pounded. “Do you want to fuck?” she asked, smiling.
All I could manage was one word. “Fuck.”
