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"Don't look at me like that, Sparkplug."
"Like what?"
"Like I'm different now. As if you can't see me the same way after finding out who I really am. I'm just a man. The only person who attempted to repair your laptop. The guy who can't stop obsessing over you."
She nods. "Sure, but this is one heck of a coincidence."
"Yeah, TechGuard did some coding for us, as I recall."
In fact, TechGuard is under suspicion, as is every contractor, but I don't want to ruin our date. I know Sera wouldn't sabotage anyone or anything... but what about someone on her team?
"If you need any help, let me know," she says.
If I didn't trust her already, this might make me cautious. What if she's offering to help so she can further TechGuard's sabotage? But why would they want to ruin my product? If we get to the root of it and expose them, the company will be ruined.
"Thank you," I say. "But honestly, I think I preferred it when you didn't know who I am."
"You're still the same old Luke to me, don't worry," she says with a gentle smile.
The waiter approaches, and both of us order steak. After, I sit back with a smile on my face.
"What?" she asks.
"I could sit here with you all night," I tell her. "Enjoying the view, the conversation... spoken and texted."
She quickly taps on her phone, lighting mine up.
Sera: I can't decide which form of conversation I enjoy more.
"Me neither," I reply. "But having to be civilized has certain benefits. It means I have to ask civilized questions like: what do you plan on doing with your empathetic AI idea?"
She shrugs. "Nothing right now, except developing it further. I enjoy my work at TechGuard... and there's some personal stuff."
"What kind of personal stuff?" I ask. "If that's a rude question, feel free to tell me to go to hell, either via text or with that gorgeous voice of yours."
She studies me closely, as if trying to determine if I'm manipulating her. The expression saddens me. She seems to have never received a genuine compliment before and is suspicious of it.
"Do my compliments seem like tricks?" I ask.
"Have you developed some kind of neurological link already, huh?" she says. "Have you implanted it in my head? Are you reading my mind already, hmm?"
I chuckle. "I was on the money, then?"
Turning to my phone, I quickly type.
Luke: I mean every single word I say. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever laid my eyes on. When I first saw you, I thought "I'd sacrifice all my billions for her." And I meant it.
I glance up to see her smiling widely at me, her eyes shining. She turns to look out the window at the stunning view, chewing her lip. "Do we have to talk about... that?"
She's referring to the personal stuff I asked about. I want to tell her yes, we do, because I'm eager to learn everything about her. Her soul needs soothing, and I want to heal her. But that wouldn't be fair.
"No, of course not."
She picks up her phone, the corner of her lip twitching. I love when she gets sparked up like this, living up to her nickname, Sparkplug through and through. My phone buzzes.
Sera: I prefer when you look at me like I'm a prize, like you're imagining all the things you want to do... rather than I'm a real person with issues and baggage and all that crap.
"I want the real person," I tell her.