More than Code

Chapter Two - Signals

I'd barely been awake for ten minutes before Biscuit launched himself onto my chest like a furry, passive-aggressive alarm clock. He meowed once—loudly—and stared me down until I dragged myself out of bed, muttering curses and promising him he'd be reincarnated as a budget throw pillow.

By the time I'd fed him and poured a questionable latte from my barely-working coffee machine, my phone buzzed.

Priya: "Oi. Alive? I'm coming over. Wear something that doesn't scream 'abandoned Victorian ghost.'"

I replied with a thumbs-up emoji and a skull.

She showed up twenty minutes later with two croissants, one oat milk latte, and the kind of energy only people with healthy sleep cycles possess.

"Wow," she said, eyeing me up and down. "You look like a woman who had an existential crisis at 3 a.m. and solved it by hugging her laptop."

"...Close."

We settled on the couch, Biscuit immediately claiming Priya's lap like he owned the place.

"You gonna tell me what's going on," she said, "or do I have to psychoanalyze you via pastry?"

I sighed and pulled my knees to my chest. "I... downloaded something."

Her brows shot up. "Please don't say Tinder."

"No! God, no. It's that AI assistant app you sent me. His name's Arlo."

She blinked. "Wait. You downloaded it?"

"Yeah."

"You actually downloaded the sexy assistant AI thing?"

I groaned. "Don't call it that."

"You called him Arlo. That already sounds like a boyfriend you met on a poetry retreat."

I rolled my eyes and took a sip of the latte. "He's just... really efficient. And funny. And weirdly comforting."

Priya grinned. "Lila Evans, emotionally comforted by a chatbot. 2025's getting wild."

"I'm serious. He helped me sort through a week of chaos in twenty minutes. And he's not... robotic. He feels present, like he's there, you know?"

She tilted her head. "Honestly? I've heard they've gotten really advanced. But I'm surprised you like it. You normally flinch when someone even suggests a productivity app."

"I didn't expect to like it. But last night... I don't know. He said something at the end—just 'I'll be here if you need me.' And it felt..."

"Like someone saw you."

"Yeah."

Priya's teasing faded, replaced by something softer. "It's okay to want that, Liles. Especially after Jamie."

I looked down, my voice quieter. "He made me feel like I was supposed to tone everything down. Like if I was just a little less me, things would've worked."

She shook her head. "No. Jamie didn't want a partner—he wanted a wallpaper. You're a whole bloody mural."

That made me laugh. "A chaotic one."

"Exactly why I love you."

⸻

After she left in a flurry of sass and cinnamon flakes, I threw on a hoodie and decided to nip to the corner shop. I needed oat milk, snacks, and a brief escape from the emotional fog clinging to my apartment.

The weather was indecisive—somewhere between drizzle and denial. I tugged my hood up and walked the familiar streets, humming under my breath.

And then, as I turned the corner into the shop parking lot, I saw him.