I gulped. She definitely didn’t need to remind me. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. I decided to just blurt my question out like a curious schoolboy. “How is your chest so large when you’re so thin?”
She smirked again. “Oh, they aren’t real.”
I gawked at her. “They aren’t?” I asked in disbelief.
She nodded, glancing back down at her menu. “Special type of silicone – it’s very expensive, but feels more like regular fat. But more importantly, it won’t melt except at exceptionally high temperatures. Temperatures my body is incapable of, thankfully.”
I continued to stare at her. I already knew what I wanted off the menu anyway, and I could seriously just stare at her constantly shifting orange irises forever. “How do you afford it all?” I asked seriously. “I mean, everything you own is fireproof. I assume your house must be too. That’s got to be hundreds of times more expensive – for everything.”
She nodded somberly, glancing up at me just briefly. “My house is almost paid off, and I own everything else.” She sighed heavily, closing her menu. “My place doesn’t have a lot of the modern technology, like a personal home AI and live security feeds, largely because I had already spent so much on having it custom built.” She folded her arms on the table and leaned forward, her chest along with her. I successfully kept my gaze on her eyes as she continued. “I don’t mind it though. It’s the one place where I don’t have to worry about controlling my emotions.” She glanced away. “The only other loan I have is for my breast implants. I still owe about forty on those.”
I sat back in my seat as I thought about it. If it did work out between us, then I’d probably pay all her loans off for her. Not just because of being my girlfriend, but also because I felt bad that she had to spend so much extra on everything just because of her ability. I decided to focus back on the conversation. “But that still doesn’t answer my question…” I pressed. “How do you afford it all?”
The waitress finally showed up with our drinks and breadsticks then, so we both gave her our orders. I was getting the chicken parmesan, whereas Lily was going for the mushroom ravioli. At first, I was glad it was a woman, so I didn’t have to worry about a guy trying to hang around all night. The last thing I wanted was constant interruptions, but with the way the waitresses was ogling Lily, I began to wonder if we’d get interrupted frequently after all.
The girl was certainly attractive. She was slim with a moderate chest-size, and her hair was dyed a dark purple. She also had gold eyes, which I suspected were due to wearing gold colored reality enhancement contacts. Granted, there were people who naturally had gold eyes, but it was a popular contact color too.
“Anyway, so–”
Lily cut me off. “I used to model, okay? But don’t tell anyone. The only other person who knows is Nancy, and that’s only because she recognized me from a magazine she had seen me in a few years ago.”
I stared at her in surprise. Not because her story wasn’t plausible, but because she had given it up. Surely that was a much more lucrative career than what she was doing now. Unless she meant something more exotic than regular fashion modeling…but I couldn’t imagine Nancy interested in anything too deviant. Nancy kept to herself, but from what I knew about her, she was a normal woman interested in normal fashion trends.
Lily must have misinterpreted my expression as not believing her, because she pulled out her phone to show me some pictures.
“Here’s what I looked like before the implants,” she said, showing me a young teenage girl who was absolutely beautiful, but barely had a chest at all. She was wearing standard fashion in the image. Nothing inappropriate. “And here’s just after the implants.”
After examining the second picture for a few seconds, I sat back, looking at the real thing. “So then, why give it up Lily? There’s no way you get paid even a tenth of what you used to.”
Lily sighed as she set her phone down, taking a sip of her iced tea and grabbing a warm breadstick. “A lot of people don’t understand,” she admitted. “Including other models. But it was a tough life. I was never skinny enough – there was always a pressure to be smaller, to the point that it was unhealthy. Honestly, it’s a very toxic environment.” She then gestured down to her body. “I weigh a healthy five pounds more now than I did in those pictures – not counting the implants. I still keep my weight under control of course, but I’m much happier just sitting at this weight. When I was modeling, it was years of torturous diet restriction almost to the point of starvation. I finally decided the money wasn’t worth it.”
I crossed my arms and leaned back more in my chair. “Okay, I can understand that. But surely you can’t enjoy working at the office. It’s boring as hell.”
She suddenly looked concerned. “You aren’t wanting me to quit, are you?”
I abruptly leaned forward, shocked that she would even think that. And even more shocked that she would even care what I wanted. “What? No, of course not. You’ve got it all wrong. I…” I paused, feeling myself blushing for the first time in at least six decades. “I like you working there. I’m just trying to understand why you’d want to, is all.”
She seemed relieved, her eyes unexpectedly glowing wildly when she saw my flushed cheeks and timidity. However, she quickly glanced away to get a hold of herself. When she finally returned her gaze to mine, she sighed and rested her elbows on the table, her latex-restrained breasts hanging seductively in front of me. “I like getting paid to use my brain,” she admitted. “For the first time in my life, I feel like I have value other than my physical appearance.”
Damn, there was more to her than I realized.
4: Falling for the Girl
“Wow,” I replied breathlessly.
“What?” She asked, concerned again.
I rested my cheek in my palm, my elbow on the table, holding her smoldering gaze. “I think I really like you Lily.”
I supposed that was both the right thing to say, and the wrong thing to say. She bolted from her seat just as her hair lit on fire, trying to avoid burning anything. I jumped up too, helpless to do anything, but the sudden fear of ruining the date calmed her down quickly. It was good I had gotten us secluded seating after all, because we might have gotten kicked out if anyone saw.
“I’m sorry,” she pleaded, still remaining where she was.
“It’s okay Lily,” I replied, motioning for her to sit back down. I tentatively got back in my seat too, ready to try to catch her if she attempted to run away. Normally I might not be so bold, but I knew she wanted to be here. She was just afraid she had ruined it.
Her orange irises were churning more slowly now, very slowly, as she became teary eyed.
I pointed towards her seat. “Lily. Sit,” I demanded in a firm tone.
She hesitated, before nodding somberly and obeying. Her voice was barely audible as she spoke up, her gaze downturned, her posture defeated. “You don’t have to put up with this,” she said quietly. “With me,” she clarified.
I interlaced my fingers on the table and leaned forward. “Lily,” I began hesitantly, waiting for her to look up at me. I continued once she did. “Please let me make that decision. Don’t make it for me.”
Her expression was bewildered for a moment, before she nodded. “Okay,” she whispered. She was vulnerable now, which I had to admit I really liked, but I also wanted her to enjoy our time together. I wanted her to feel safe with me. I didn’t want her to fear my rejection.
I decided to change the subject as I began working on a garlicy breadstick of my own. “So, is there anything you’d like to know about me?” I wondered.
Her expression brightened. “Can I ask how old you are?”
I looked away. “It might bother you,” I admitted.
She laughed, prompting me to give her a confused look. “You might be surprised,” she said cheerfully. “I have some pretty old friends. Plus, you could be five-hundred and I wouldn’t care. You still look my age.”
; Wow. Five-hundred? My age didn’t seem so bad with her using that anchor for reference. “Two-hundred and nineteen,” I said simply.
She didn’t even flinch, instead taking a sip of her tea and grabbing another breadstick. “Where were you born?” She wondered.
I shrugged. “Actually, I don’t know. I guess I could look up my birth certificate, but I’ve never bothered to check it.”
She gave me a confused expression. “How could you get by without checking it?” She asked in surprise.
“Well, I would really only need it for my citizen ID, but I’ve already had that for as long as I can remember.” When she still looked confused, I added, “I have a little bit of a gap in my memory. I don’t remember anything prior to my mid-twenties.”
She gasped. “Did something happen?” She wondered. “Like did you get hurt so bad you lost your memory?”
I shook my head. “No, actually…”
I paused when the waitress brought our food. I expected Lily to start eating right away, but she seemed too focused on me. She just sat there and waited for me to continue.
“Umm, you aren’t squeamish, are you? I don’t want to ruin your dinner.”
She shook her head, not even bothering to look at her mushroom ravioli.
I continued. “Well, I’ve actually had my brain destroyed once. I was literally a skeleton at that point, but I didn’t get amnesia then. My brain regrew just fine, and I still had all my memories intact.” I shrugged again, deciding to begin eating. She took my lead and picked up her fork too. “So, I really have no idea what happened back then. It’s sort of a mystery.”
“What about your parents?” She wondered.
“I don’t remember them either,” I admitted.
“Sorry,” she said abruptly. “This isn’t too personal is it?”
I laughed at her. “Lily, I just asked you about your breast implants, and you’re worried I’ll get offended by asking about my non-existent family?” I laughed again.
She smirked at that, taking another bite. Once she swallowed she continued. “So then, can I ask you about previous relationships?”
I froze, trying to keep my expression as neutral as possible. My mind blank. “Maybe…another time,” I hedged.
She nodded, seeming a little worried.
I decided to tell her a little. “I haven’t been in a relationship in a long time,” I admitted. “But I don’t want to talk about the details.”
She paused. “Can I ask how long?” She asked tentatively. “I promise I won’t ask anything else,” she clarified. “I’m just curious.”
I focused on my meal as I thought about answering her. We both ate in silence for a few minutes before I decided telling her that wasn’t so bad. “It’s been a little over sixty years since I’ve been on a date – which did not end in sex,” I added, refusing to look at her. “And it’s been more than a full century since I’ve actually been in a relationship.”
I continued eating my chicken parmesan while staring down at my plate, but when she didn’t say anything I finally looked up. She was just staring at me with a bewildered expression on her face again. She recovered after a moment. “I guess you must be really picky then, since you’re so handsome.”
I blushed at the compliment, looking down again. “Wow, thanks,” I said breathlessly.
“I mean it,” she replied seriously. “And not just because you’re buff.”
I smirked at her. Due to my body’s regeneration ability, I could technically stop lifting weights entirely and still maintain my appearance – my muscle would never waste away. But I still did it out of habit anyway. I wasn’t massive by any standard, but I had definitely built up a decent amount of muscle over the years. My arms were like five times as thick as Nick’s legs, which only made his unnatural strength more shocking.
“I exercise,” I admitted, flexing my muscled chest to get her attention.
She grinned. “Yeah, well that much is obvious.”
“What about you?” I wondered. “Surely you wouldn’t be so toned if all you did was watch your diet.”
She nodded, her grin widening. “Of course! I have the Minx 9000. It was a heavy investment, but I take my health very seriously. I would have a hard time jogging otherwise.” She glanced down at her chest. “You have no idea how uncomfortable it can be to run with these without the acute anti-gravity feature. A mile isn’t so bad, but after about four or five, my back is killing me.”
I stared in appreciation. I wondered what had led her to get the implants in the first place, but decided not to ask for now. Probably a modeling thing anyway. Lily had stopped eating again, so I suspected she might be done already. I knew I could eat a lot more, but my stomach was starting to feel uneasy now that we were nearing the end.
“So, umm…” I paused. “Do you want dessert?” I wondered. “My treat of course.”
Her gaze was suddenly intense. “I’m saving room for when we get home.”
I gulped.
Holy shit, what did that mean? If her expression wasn’t so serious, I might have thought she actually had dessert at home. But no, she meant that sexually. No doubt about it.
“Right,” I tried to recover. “Well, then let’s pay and get out of here.” I tried to ignore her continued staring while I pulled out my phone and activated my digital credit card. I then held it up to the sensor at the end of the table. It only took a second for them to sync, and then I input the tip on my phone and requested two boxes. The waitress showed up a moment later with some mints and the storage containers. Her grin was massive, likely from having seen the tip I gave her. She now realized that her self-restraint with gawking at Lily had paid off, because I was definitely expressing my appreciation with the gratuity.
“Come again,” she said cheerfully.
As Lily and I neared the exit, my phone went off again. I checked it as we walked through the automatic doors, seeing that it was the receipt with an added message from the waitress. “Here’s my number, in case you two want to hang out sometime.”
Holy shit! It even had a heart next to her number.
Lily glanced at it and laughed. “Wow, that’s awkward.” She then paused as I opened the door to my Lambo for her. “You’re going to delete that, right?”
“Oh, of course. I mean, it’s not like we could take her up on that offer anyway. Way too dangerous for her.”
Her expression was suddenly vulnerable then, though I wasn’t sure why. “You haven’t…” She trailed off.
“Oh! No, of course not,” I reassured her.
She sighed heavily, climbing in. “Good. Because I’m not into that kind of thing. Girl or guy.”
I grimaced. Well, I sure as hell wasn’t getting involved in a threesome with another guy. Hell no. I tried to continue reassuring her as I got in, keeping it vague. “I’ve only ever been with one woman at a time, and I’ve never cheated.”
“Well, that’s good,” she admitted.
“You believe me, right?” I asked seriously. “Because it really is the truth.”
She looked at me in surprise. “I mean, yeah. I do.” She scoffed. “I mean, if you could resist this for the last two months then obviously you aren’t easy to seduce.”
“You have no idea,” I muttered under my breath.
“What?”
I shook my head. “Nothing.” I smirked at her. “Just looking forward to what we have planned next.”
She gave me warm smile. “Me too,” she whispered.
I wanted to reach out and hold her hand, but I was afraid she’d explode and burn up my car. Instead, I decided to turn on some music to help fill the sudden silence that was being forced on us due to the anticipation. “What do you like?” I wondered.
“What do you like?” She countered. “I want to hear what you listen to on your way to work.”
I grinned at her. I definitely liked songs with lyrics, but the actual music was the most important part to me, meaning that I often listened to songs that was intense
but usually instrumental. I liked to get lost in the beat. Some of my favorite songs were popular remixed versions without the words, or with the lyrics sped up.
I told my car’s AI what to play, and the melody and beat filled the space instantly. Lily grinned when she recognized the song, singing with it almost immediately. I looked at her in surprise, shocked to hear her voice sound so…professional. Like she could have been an actual vocalist herself. Not wanting to interrupt her, I tapped the screen on my dashboard to turn down the volume a little.
Lily gave me a confused look for a moment, before realizing I wanted to hear her better. She smiled then and kept up with the words, bobbing her head slightly with the beat.
That’s when I unexpectedly discovered that a song could actually be better with the lyrics. Much better. As long as the right person was singing them.
And I realized Lily was that right person for me, turning a great song into a perfect song.
I would never be able to enjoy this song the same way again, knowing it was missing something vital. Something absolutely essential – this angel sitting next to me, singing it as if she had written the words herself.
I put my Lambo in autopilot for the first time in forever and turned to watch her, enjoying every second of it. Even if sex didn’t work out between us, there was no way in hell I was going to let this go. Not in a million years.
She was doing something for me no one else had ever done – pulling me fully into the present. In that moment, nothing else matter except for her. And more importantly, not a single unpleasant thought or bad memory invaded my mind. She was like an invisible barrier, enveloping me in her presence, pushing everything else away.
Chasing it all away.
5: Making the Commitment
The mood changed quickly once we got to her place. Honestly, I felt like the music helped us both relax and not feel too anxious about what we were planning. But once we arrived, it was obvious we were both nervous. Really nervous.
And apparently, Lily really enjoyed our dinner together, to the point that she tried backing out of our plans. “You know what?” She said as we stepped inside her front door. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”
The Daily Struggles of an Immortal Page 3
