That first day back at work wasn't easy. I kept flashing back to all the things Rick had done to me. And then I would immediately feel guilty because shouldn't I be missing my husband and not mooning over a cyborg? He isn't even a real person, is he? Everything he says and does is because of the sync feature. He doesn't have a real personality, only the attributes that I unwittingly gave him when Shane synced him up to me.

Then I decided to go easy on myself. I didn't ask for Rick, and he is designed to be a ‘perfect match.’ It would be weird if I wasn't a little distracted by him. And that's what it is isn't it, a distraction? I still miss Shane. I still love him. And it probably isn't healthy for me to wallow in loneliness and self-pity all day.

So, it's a good thing to be distracted by Rick. To think about him during the day and look forward to returning to him in the evening.

I have searched the web for other ‘Perfect Matches’ to see how their people act with them and I am nowhere near the craziest one. These other people are obsessed, going on dates and vacations and stuff. Two of them married their matches. Real ceremonies, guests and everything. One is trying to emancipate their match so they can own property and have a bank account. Another wants to get their match's reproductive system ’fixed’ so that they can have children together ’naturally.’ These are court cases that are in the works right now.

These Perfect Match Cyborgs have only been out for six weeks. People have gone completely mad for them, and they are now on back order with folks waiting years to buy one.

I'm pretty impressed that Shane was able to snag one for me, but I am a little concerned that Shane is put off by Rick. He makes an uncomfortable face whenever I call Rick by name or refer to him as he instead of it. I just can't bring myself to talk about Rick as a thing though. So, after the first few video calls where Shane seemed annoyed with the Rick situation, I confronted him about it. If he didn’t want Rick in my life why buy him?

Shane didn’t really have an answer to that other than to say he doesn’t have a problem with Rick. Not really. He’s just a little put off by me treating him like a person with feelings when it’s all programming.

I just don’t know what to say to that. Rick seems real to me, like he has real feelings and really cares for me and—I guess that’s kind of pathetic. I can kind of see Shane’s point. I can’t change the way I feel though, and I don’t want to be fake with Shane. I’m not going to pretend that things are any different than they are. He bought me a perfect match, and I feel and act exactly the way SynDeCorp intended. Where is the shame in that? I’m only human and those designers know exactly what they’re doing. Shane should have considered all of this before he set us on this path.

After some back and forth about it, I just made sure Rick was in another room when I spoke with Shane. I don't bring him up, and if Shane does I say as little as possible and change the subject.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Twice now Shane has called me first thing as I woke up, so he saw that I was sleeping in our bed again. He must have put two and two together and realized that I'm sleeping in bed with Rick, but he hasn't said anything about that.

It may seem like I'm being callous towards Shane, and maybe I am a little bit. If Shane had a Perfect Match it would break my heart. But then again, I wouldn't surprise him with one as a gift. I wouldn't ever leave him for two whole years either. I don't have a problem with saying that this situation is 100% Shane's doing and he needs to deal with his own feelings about it. I'm not going to worry about the fallout of all this until Shane gets home and then we have to decide if I can keep Rick. You can't sell or give away a Perfect Match. I don't understand how the Sync works exactly, but apparently it's a one-time thing. So if a person doesn't want their Match anymore, or they die or something, the cyborg has to be destroyed.

I know I'll be upset if we have to get rid of Rick, but I also know I'll always pick Shane if it comes to that. I'm not delusional though–I know that even if Rick is destroyed, he's not dead. Obviously, he's not a living person. If he has a consciousness, it doesn't even reside in his body. For all I know, all the matches might share the same AI. So it's not a moral decision where I need to preserve Rick's ‘life’. The only feelings to consider are mine and Shane’s.

It would be hard though. I can be honest with myself, and I've grown really, really attached. Caught feelings. It's ridiculous, but there's no point in pretending it's anything other than what it is. And Rick doesn't help with how sweet he is. We watch movies together every evening, sleep together every night. He's always making delicious dinners, running me baths and snuggling me. I think that's what has lifted my mood the most, all the touches and affection. And the sex. The sex is exquisite. I come effortlessly and multiple times. I know that's part of the Sync–no human partner could be that in tune—but everything with him is perfect. Even his smell is perfect, making me want to be as close to him as possible all the time.

And even though it makes me feel like the sappiest idiot on Earth, every time I get home and Rick hugs me from behind and quietly says "I missed you all day, Honey," in that deep voice, I melt.

And usually Shane calls less than a minute after Rick greets me so perfectly.

That's why, today, when I got a call notification as Rick released me from a hug, I assumed it was Shane. I walked to the den and said "Answer Shane" as I entered, but it didn't answer the call. When I looked at the screen it wasn't Shane calling at all, but a person I didn't know. I didn't answer–this unknown person can leave a message.

When the FaceTalk window closes, the home screen with date, time, weather and news popped up the headlines and snags my attention.

‘Court rules Perfect Match Emancipated. Declines to Rule on Sentience.’

‘Are Perfect Match Androids People?’

‘SynDeCorp Issues Recall on Perfect Match Androids! Owners Devastated!’

My palms have started to sweat, and I feel a cold hard knot of dread in my stomach. I reach toward the screen to select a story.

Ding.

My smart screen alerts me to a voice message, and I tell it to play.

"Ms. Williams this is Dr. Andrea Peterson with Synthetic Designs. I am calling you in regard to your Perfect Match Android Companion. You should receive an email concerning our recall and refund procedures. Please read that email and then FaceTalk me as soon as possible. Thank you."