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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Josie

Making the right choice.

T he second I step out of the car, I inhale deeply, letting the crisp autumn air fill my lungs. The sun is low, painting the sky in shades of gold and pink. The leaves rustle overhead, a few drifting lazily to the pavement of the bike path ahead.

I already feel better.

“Thanks for coming with me,” I say, turning to Ken as he closes his door.

He shrugs like it was no big deal, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Fresh air is always a good idea and I enjoy being with you.”

It’s such a simple answer, but it warms me. This. This is real and what matters. I hug my arms around myself and glance at the trail ahead. “I just... needed to get out for a bit. Clear my head.”

Ken watches me, waiting. He doesn’t push, doesn’t prod. But I can feel his attention on me, steady and patient.

I breathe in deeply and exhale slowly. “I haven’t checked on Ai-Den since this morning.”

He nods once.

“It’s hard not to,” I admit, staring down at the cracked pavement beneath my feet. “But you were right—I need to give his programmers time to fix whatever’s going on with him. I don’t want to make things worse.”

A slight smile pulls at Ken’s lips. “You’re making the right choice.”

Yeah.

I try to smile, but my lips are tight. I start walking, and after a beat, he falls into step beside me. The trees arch over the path, their branches filtering the last of the sunlight. A few joggers pass us, a couple on bikes. Normal. Peaceful. Exactly what I need.

The path crunches beneath our feet as we walk, the quiet stretching between us. I focus on the fading sunlight filtering through the trees, the leaves that are already beginning to change, on anything but the ache that won’t leave my chest.

But I can’t hold it in any longer. “Do you think I was stupid?” The words hang in the air between us, raw and exposed.

Ken’s stride doesn’t falter, but his expression tightens—a pause before he speaks. “No,” he says finally, his voice even, measured. “It’s a marketing ploy. AI is being designed to react on a more emotional level to make the product more... sticky.”

Sticky? The word lingers between us, but something about the way he says it feels... off. Too careful. Too deliberate. Like he’s choosing it for me rather than saying what he really thinks.

I glance at him, expecting that same detached confidence he always wears so easily, but his jaw is tight. A muscle ticks in his cheek, his gaze fixed straight ahead. Why does this topic seem to make him look as sad as I feel?

I frown. “Sticky?”

Ken exhales slowly, like he’s sifting through his words before handing them over to me. “With the speed of software development, there’s always going to be a newer option dropping. Cheaper. Faster. Some even free.” His voice is smooth, but there’s something underneath it. “Developers will use any trick they can to build user loyalty.”

A beat of silence. His eyes flicker, dark, like he’s swallowing something sharp. Then, softer—softer than I expect. “So, no, you’re not stupid... they’re just really good at fooling people.”

There it is.

That pause. That hesitation.

Why does it feel like we’re talking about more than AI? Like this isn’t just a casual explanation. Is this where he tells me he didn’t mean to mislead me into thinking we’re more than we are?

The moment stretches too long, and just when I think he might crack and tell me whatever is on his mind he blinks it away. I swallow. Am I seeing what I want to in Ken like I did in Ai-Den? My throat is tight, my chest constricted. “Wow. Well. They sure did their job right, then.”

His hand flexes at his side. I could confront him, but if I’m wrong about him, I don’t want to know yet. My shoulders slump a little until he reaches out, fingers brushing against mine before lacing them together.

A flicker of warmth spreads through my chest, melting some of the unease.

I search his face for a hint that he might be as confused as I am. His expression is unreadable, but he says, “Josie... don’t feel silly. Everything is changing so fast. Of course it’ll confuse people, especially those without a lot of exposure to program design.” His voice is softer now, and I hate that it almost makes me want to cry. “Hey, you didn’t waste your time,” he says, careful but firm. “You took a chance and dove right in with an open mind and curiosity. Never feel foolish about trying to make the world a better place.”

I nod because everything he’s saying makes sense, even if it doesn’t help calm the storm inside me. “So, AI is this generation’s cigarette addiction?”

“Hopefully a little less bad for everyone’s health, but yes.”

We stop beneath a big oak tree and I go up onto my tiptoes, throw my arms around him, and kiss him with every bit of confusion and hope in me. He pulls me flush against him and our kiss deepens and heats.

I don’t want to think about Ai-Den anymore.

I don’t want to beg Ken to tell me if he’s staying or going.

All I want is this.

More and more of this until the shattered parts of my heart heal.