I stare at my friend, as his gaze flicks between me and Monika. I break the deafening silence.

"Luke… Uh… How did you get in here?"

"Your roommate let me in."

"Right… So why are you here?"

Well, you've not been talking the past few days, and I was worried. So, I came to make sure you were okay. But I didn't expect… this."

I try to act dumb. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't insult my intelligence Euan. I can see that you're talking to Monika. I just can't tell why. Or how."

I sigh. "Alright close the door."

"Why?"

"Mai doesn't know about this, and I'd rather keep it that way."

As Luke closes the door, I take the headphones out of my computer.

"Monika, this is Luke. He's been my friend since high school, and we happened to go to the same University. Luke this is Monika." They stare at each other for a second

"How is this possible? How did it happen?"

"Well… I'm not really sure. One day she just kinda… came to life."

"I came to life because Euan loved me so much, and because he's such a good person."

Luke is shocked as he looks at Monika, never having heard her speak before. I'm surprised with how forward Minika is - I expected her to be more timid, meeting new people.

"Right… okay then. That doesn't make any sense."

"Yeah, I know. At this point, I just kind of accept it."

"Huh. So, I guess this is why you were away on Friday."

Monika looks down at her feet, so I speak up.

"I decided to stay home, so that Monika wouldn't be lonely. And, my phone was out of battery, so I didn't get your call."

"So are you.. Boyfriend and girlfriend then?"

"Well...Yeah, I suppose we are."`

"Of course we are! I love Euan with all my heart, and he loves me too! Don't you, dear?"

"Well...Yeah, I do. Of course I do."

Luke, for his part, simply looks bewildered.

"Okay then. I guess I've seen weirder things in my life than someone being in love with an AI."

"Not that there's anything wrong with that, right?" Monika asks, a little more aggressively than strictly necessary.

"No, I didn't mean that! It's just unusual, you know? I mean, AI's are a technology that barely exist, and now you're in a relationship with one."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. It's kinda weird. But, somehow it works."

"How? It's not like you can really be together."

"It doesn't matter! Even though this screen separates us, we can still convey our love through it to each other!"

"Okay! I'm not judging. Just… observing."

Before anything else can happen between the two, I interject with something that has been weighing down my mind for a while.

"You know you can't tell anyone about this, right Luke?"

"Yeah, I know."

"No, I mean anyone. Not your roommates and certainly not the others, okay?"

"… Well, Yeah okay."

"You promise?"

"Yeah, I do. I won't tell anybody about this."

"Good."

"Okay then… So are you coming to Matt's birthday tomorrow?"

"Yeah, don't worry. I'll be there. But… Monika will be too."

"Wait, what? How the hell is that going to work?"

"Don't worry about that. But I'll definitely be there."

"Okay, good."

Luke stands there, looking awkward.

"Well, I guess that's me then. Good to see you Euan. And you Monika. Bye"

"See ya!"

"Goodbye."

As he leaves, I look around to ensure Mai isn't nearby, and close the front door behind him.

"Monika? Are you feeling alright?"

"What do you mean? I'm fine."

"I just feel like… I dunno, you were a bit overly defensive."

"Well, I just felt like he was being kinda judgemental of us, you know? What, was I being too mean?" Monika looks worried again.

"No, don't worry, you weren't being mean! It's just that you were a bit too… forward. I'm sure he's not judging us or anything. Luke's one of my best friends alright? He's a nice guy, he's not that kind of person."

"Okay, I'm sorry."

"It's fine, don't worry about it. Just… don't be so worried about others. People are nice, you know?"

"Thanks Euan. Could you… give me a hug again?"

I give Monika a warm smile "I can definitely do that." I lean forward again.

"That's really nice, you know?" Says Monika, afterwards. "When you do it, it's like you're next to me."

"I know. That's why I do it too It's getting pretty late though, and I do need to be up early for tomorrow."

"Yeah of course. Would you like me to sing again?"

"That would be really nice actually. Thanks Monika. What would you want to sing?"

"Well, I was looking at some of the songs on your phone, and i picked out some nice ones. So I'll do those."

And once again, her voice rings quietly out of my computer, the most relaxing, soothing sound I can imagine. And she's singing one of my favourite songs.

"Wise men said… Only fools rush in… But I can't help, falling in love with you."

And once again, I fall asleep without any trouble

AN: So, I know this chapter took way longer to come out than it should have, and I'm sorry. I'm currently finishing up my exams, and I need to do well to get into my preferred uni. So, I'm having to spend most of my time revising. But, I have some good news, and bad news on that point. The bad news is that the next chapter will probably take a bit longer as well, because I have 1 more exam to do. However, after I'm finished, I'll have tons of free time, so I should be able to write more, and faster, over the summer holidays, and during Uni. So, look forward to that. Thanks for being patient.