Gentleman ( The Boyfriend Shop )
vi. When Realization Strikes

Arin was sitting on her bed hugging her pillow, her legs criss - crossed. There was only one thing on her mind ever since Dennis and her had gotten back from the date - the kiss.

She didn’t know where had the courage come from. It pretty much disappeared as soon as she’d realized what she’d done ; she started to panic, he wasn’t kissing back and she’d just managed to embarrass herself even more !

But, just as she was about to pull away and run off, he kissed back. He’d probably been taken aback by her sudden move so he’d been unable to respond so quickly.

Her heart started to beat fast inside her chest when he not only kissed back but also pulled her closer by her waist. She felt butterflies, something she hadn’t felt in a long time. She couldn’t even recall when had been the last time she’d been kissed so tenderly, all of the kisses she’d received weren’t even kisses, more like slobbery bites.

Dennis ’s kiss was a nice change. It seemed as if he was actually putting effort into it, as if he wanted to make it good considering it was their first kiss.

Her heart fluttered from just recalling that moment. She couldn’t contain a smile from forming on her lips as she thought about it. Like a teenager, she squirmed and giggled to herself, burying her head into the pillow at how silly she was acting. It was so weird, she felt awkward being a grown woman and acting like that. In her defense, she’d never gotten the chance to act so when the time was right so she was more or less making up for it.

She didn’t mind, though. She wanted to make up for all the lost time, do everything she didn’t get to do when the time had been right.

But, she’d do that later. For the time being, she just wanted to reminisce about the kiss a little bit more. Her fingers outlined her lips, it was where his had been. She could still feel them very vividly. Another set of giggles escaped her at the thought of what had happened afterwards ...

After what felt like a whole eternity - even though only a few seconds had passed - she pulled away, looking down again to hide the blush that had crept on her face.

“ I’m sorry, “ she mumbled, biting her lip to stop a smile threatening to spill the secret that she actually had no regrets.

“ I’m not. “

She looked up at him, now completely reassured he wouldn’t deny her goofy smile. She could tell he wasn’t feeling awkward, or was hiding it so well with the bright smile. Though, she wasn’t worried ; she’d seen the exact smile whenever he was genuinely smiling, like when he saw a funny picture on his phone or when she said something so stupid only she could think of it.

“ Now we’re both messy ! “ he noted with a small chuckle, trying to light up the atmosphere. The moment was too perfect to be ruined by awkwardness. As she looked up at him, she saw what he’d been referring to : her red lipstick on his lips.

“ That’s on me too ~ “ she hummed sheepishly, but he stopped her from subconsciously making things awkward again by smudging it even more and putting some on his shirt as well.

“ Now we’re even. This is on me. “

Thinking about it with hindsight, she couldn’t help but feel so thankful for him. He always managed to make things better, what was especially useful to someone prone to making mistakes. He always managed to calm her down if she was feeling anxious ; he knew exactly what to say to make her feel better and everything he did, he did it in the right moment.

She was thankful for being approached by Mr. White. She was thankful Mr. White had managed to talk her into taking Dennis in, for she wouldn’t be able to be who she was without him. Now that he was there, she couldn’t imagine her life without him nor could she believe she’d lived so long without him. Only now could she see what a great impact he’d had on her life and maybe, only maybe, she was starting to embrace it. Only maybe, against all odds, she was starting to grow attached to him. Only maybe, breaking all of the laws in the process, she was starting to grow feelings for him. A robot.

In the room nearby, the boy was having similar thoughts. He was sitting on the couch, holding the pig toy and thinking, a smile on his lips as he did. He couldn’t believe something such had happened - he’d been kissed by a girl he was bound to for the whole eternity. He was programmed to only see one certain person they’d be spending their life with and when the human died, the robot did with them. It was the law, every individual had their own personalized robot.

Though, that kind of depressing thought hadn’t crossed Dennis ’s mind. If he had a heart, it’d be racing inside his cold metal chest. He was absolutely overjoyed !

But, he couldn’t be thrilled for long. There were some haunting thoughts he just couldn’t get rid of, numerous ’ what ifs ’ and different imaginary possibilities. The most important one of them all was the one he’d been bothered with his whole existence : could it be possible he actually felt something for her too ?

Thinking about it further, he could actually tell he’d changed ever since the kiss had happened. His usual cold metal frame was starting to feel warm on him, as if the metal had melted away. His usual occasional sharp movements that could have eventually given away his true identity have calmed down and gotten more human - like. It was as if a little bit of her had transferred onto him with that brief touch of their lips.

He glanced in the direction of the room. He knew he’d promised to give her some alone time to think about everything that had happened, but he just couldn’t stay away from her. As if something from inside was pushing him to her. He wanted to hold her and kiss her, make her feel like the most loved girl in the world, what she truly deserved.

He couldn’t hold back. He knocked on the door and after having to wait for a couple of seconds, the door opened and Arin let him in.

“ Hey, “ he greeted, looking at her with nothing but adoration in his eyes.

“ Hey ~ “ she hummed back and got on her tiptoes again to give him a small peck on the lips. Now that she was allowed to kiss him, she’d use every second to do so.

He took the opportunity to deepen the kiss and pull her closer by her waist so she was completely leaning on him, his back against the wall.

It was yet another gentle but passionate kiss that’d leave everyone breathless and wanting more. The two weren’t an exception either. Every time they kissed, Arin could feel a wave of electricity run down her spine. Every time their lips brushed against each other’s, she could feel herself getting weaker and weaker until she completely melted into him.

“ Can we … Go all the way tonight ? “ she asked, her breath uneven after the kiss and her eyes glued to the ground from embarrassment.

Dennis certainly didn’t know how to answer that. Of course he wanted it, but he was scared ; scared he’d hurt her as his most feared assumption. After all, he was strong, he was artificial. Though, he recalled Mr. White ’s words when he’d once asked him if robots were allowed to make love and he’d said yes. He explained to him that it was one of their roles in the relationship too and they were already programmed to be able to pleasure their owners the best way they could, even better than an average human could. The unethical part was them disrespecting the privacy while doing research what did a specific human like most. But, Arin didn’t have to know he already knew everything about her.

The problem in his case was Arin. Dennis recalled Mr. white explaining to her what Daniel had been doing to her, harassing her and using her everyday, sometimes even more than once a day and without her agreement. Thus, it was important for Dennis to be slow and careful, make sure he got her full consent and when he got it, he had to be careful not to go overboard.

He cupped her chin and raised her head to force her into eye contact. Only so could he be certain she was serious. “ Are you sure it’s not too early ? “

Her only response was yet another kiss. She wanted to use the time she was courageous to do as she wanted, to live through everything she’d missed, such as making love to someone with actual emotions present. She knew Dennis wasn’t like Daniel, she trusted him. Even with her life if necessary.

Slowly, he started moving her backwards until the back of her legs hit the bed, making them both fall on the fresh sheets.

In the meantime, red lights were flashing in the white rooms of The Boyfriend Shop. The owner, Mr. White had received an alarming message from his controlling, main computer that every and each of his robots was connected to so they could be monitored.

“ Sir, there’s something wrong with Dennis, “ one of the computer science geniuses that worked in the lab announced in a worried tone. The old man just stroked his beard as he read what was written on the screen.

It was a new situation for him too, he had absolutely no idea what was going on. Not once had something such happened !

“ What seems to be the problem, Martin ? “

“ It says here that the robot is experiencing some glitches. I’m not sure what’s happening ! “ the panicked man answered.

“ Check his location and other vital information, “ the older man ordered.

“ He’s in Arin ’s flat and there aren’t any problems with anything besides this one glitch. “

Mr. White narrowed his eyes at the screen. There was an outline of a robot, Dennis to be precise, every part of his body was glowing green, indicating there were no problems, except his chest area that was flashing red. The white walls surrounding the two mean as well as their faces were lit with the red warning sign.

What could it mean ?

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