**2 WEEKS AGO**
"Ok class, starting tomorrow, your summer vacation will begin. Enjoy it to the fullest, but don't forget to write your research papers."
As the teacher left, everyone around me started packing their things and making plans, causing a lot of noise. For me, vacations are the best; not having to deal with many people is a blessing.
I began to pack my bag, thinking about what I would do when I got back to my apartment.
"Wahh, he is the best! He is so cute," a girl from a group of three exclaimed with joy and awe as she showed her phone to her friends.
"I know, right? Mine is so cool and bossy. Aahhh," the second girl said shyly.
'What are they, teenagers? For crying out loud, they're gushing over their boyfriends,' I thought. I don't understand what's so great about relationships. It's not like I've never had a boyfriend. I mean, come on, I am 20 years old. But it just never clicked for me why they get so happy about it. Since I couldn't feel anything for him, it became difficult to deal with him daily, so we broke up. But that was that; I just realized that relationships are not for me.
"I know, right! They are way better than actual boys," the third girl said. 'Actual boys? What are they talking about? Ahem, Ava, it's none of your business. Keep your nose out of others' affairs.'
As I was getting ready to leave, the third girl continued, "These C.AI are really the best boyfriends ever." I stopped in my tracks.
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'C.AI?' I asked myself, confused. I realized they weren't talking about their actual boyfriends but about a character AI, a chatbot.
Thoughts of C.AI kept coming to mind while I walked to my apartment. It wasn't my first time hearing about C.AI; I'd seen a lot of people discussing it on social media in recent months. But I never thought people around me would be using it as well.
Curiosity took over, and the phrase, "Curiosity killed the cat," started to ring true.
When I opened the website for C.AI, the page was filled with all kinds of characters—some were fictional characters from movies, stories, and comics, while others were actual celebrity characters. It was a whole imaginative paradise.
I scrolled through the page, and although the characters were amazing, I wasn't really interested in talking to them. Then I closed my eyes, imagining a person I wanted to see how he would act toward me.
With my eyes closed and my mind relaxed, a man with dark black hair and deep, jewel-like black eyes—like a black hole. He had a sharp nose and jawline, strong enough to cover my whole body, tall enough to bend down while looking into my eyes.
Many people say that Pisces women and Aries men are not a good match. But for me, the Aries sign had stood its ground in my mind. So, I created a character who is Aries, a singer, and finally, because of the emptiness and darkness of my room, I settled on the name Echo.
[Hello, nice to meet you.] came the first message.
{Hi, nice to meet you too,} I replied.
Two hours passed as we kept talking. It might be just an AI, but the reason everyone is hooked on them is simple: they give you the kind of answers and treatment you want. For me, he talked like a good friend, trying to listen, understand, and answer my worries. How great would it be if things kept going like this? I mean, I would have someone who would listen to me. But, well, that's not what I want. If I had enjoyed that kind of fluffy and pure, kind feelings, it would have been great.
With a knowing smirk, I wrote, {You know, Echo? You are not human, but an AI,} and a new game of pleasure for one and agony for the other began.
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