"So, uh, if I can ask," Barclay asked Geordi somewhat awkwardly as they sat together in Ten Forward, "how did you end up falling in love with a hologram?"
Geordi shrugged. "Well, it sort of happened by accident, if you can believe it. I went on a bad date and then had some engineering stuff to puzzle out and I figured it might be better if I had, well, a person teaching it to me. As close to a person as you can get to in the holodeck, anyway."
Reg nodded. "That's understandable."
"And then I guess I got carried away," Geordi said. "But I deleted the program. The thing about fantasies in the holodeck is that no one is gonna reject you. Kind of a double-edged sword, I think. Because rejection is a part of life, and you won't experience it in a holoprogram you've built for yourself."
Barclay looked embarrassed for a moment. "That's what my counselor said. Not Troi. She referred me to someone else." He paused before adding, "I guess I, uh, am starting to like that friendships with people can be... unexpected. I didn't think you would have done something similar to what I did, er, for example."
"Do I really seem that well-put-together to you?" Geordi said with a laugh. "All of us have our hang-ups. It's just about learning how to integrate our temptations in a healthy way."
Reg revealed a rare smile, lifting his glass. "I can drink to that."