(May 18th, 2039)
Over the next couple of weeks Nina decides she is going to do her best to become a better devoted girlfriend. Sure playing around with men is fun but with Zac being able to satisfy her needs better and in more ways than any other man she has ever slept with, she doesn't have to seek out that thrill as often anymore. As they work on becoming more like an actual couple, Zac has decided it is a smart choice for him to find a job and help with paying the bills. This gives Nina more time to keep herself physically fit. While Zac is doing his evening shifts at work, she has taken up a gym membership and does work outs to keep herself occupied instead of waiting anxiously for him at home.
After a rigorous workout, Nina heads into the locker room to take advantage of the gym's very luxurious showers. Unlike most public showers, this one has individual stalls that are walled in from top to bottom and have a lock to keep people from 'accidentally' walking in on each other. She knows that excuse all to well when it comes to commute bathing. As she enters, she realizes there are no other members around. Not surprising considering it is late in the evening but she does find it eerie at times for such a big place in the city to be so quiet. It is almost as if she has stepped into some alternate dimension.
She steps into the stall and locks the door behind her. After undressing and leaving her clothes on the shelf near the door, she steps onto the slanted tile floor and turns on the shower. Water bursts from the head in a powerful, hot, spray. Stepping under it, she feels the water wash away the salt from her skin. She rests her head back and lets the steam clear out her sinuses. At the height of her relaxation a sudden knock jumps her from the stall door.
"Occupied!" She hollers just thinking it is another member checking the stall. A knock comes again, this time with a more powerful strike. "Occupied!" She hollers a bit louder.
The knocks continue. With no real pattern, they just continue to beacon her toward the door. She turns off the shower and grabs her towel, wrapping it around her chest. Taking a few steps towards the door, her feet slap against the wet tile.
"Hello?" She calls out again thinking maybe it is a member of the staff.
She still gets no answer. Now nervous, her hand reaches for the latch and she slowly unlocks it while pulling the door open. She peaks through to the other side but finds no one. She swings the door open and takes a step out to the locker area. Checking to both her left and her right she finds no one. Confused she steps back into the stall. Just as she is about to lock it, a man bursts through the door and stands before her. Nina jumps and nearly falls back on the wet tiles. Her heart races as she prepares to fend off the pervert. She then recognizes the man standing before her.
"Cohen?" She asks out of breath.
"Hey baby. Have you missed me?" He answers slyly.
She becomes aggravated. "You nearly gave me a heart attack. What the fuck are you doing here?"
"I wanted to see you. I found out that this is the place you like to come to work out so I figured I would help you with your routine."
He tosses off his towel, then gives her a big smile, and winks. She notices his muscles stand out very prominently from his slender, masculine, silhouette. Her eyes trail down his pecs, to his six pack, then all the way down his V-line, to his well groomed genitals. His body sends her woman-hood over the edge and her pussy begins to tingle with lust.
"I can see you have been working out more than usual. Trying to impress someone?" She asks sarcastically while trying to hide her body language.
She doesn't fool him for a moment. He turns to the stall door and locks it, then takes a step toward her, while holding his arms out to embrace her. She keeps hers hands firmly around the band of her towel and gives him a concerned look. He looks at her with his best puppy dog eyes.
"I want you back Nina," his voice is calm yet serious, "Whatever it takes. I know I fucked up when I walked out on you but I want you to know that I was only speaking out of jealously. I wanted you for myself and seeing you with that... that thing just caused me to loose my temper and I'm sorry."
"I told you. If you have a problem with Zac then there is no point in us being together. He's not going anywhere."
"I understand that. I'm not asking you to change your life for me. I just want to be a part of it again. So what do you say? Can you give me another chance?" He takes another step toward her so that they are now standing face to face. He places his hands over her lower arms and grips them tightly.
She shakes her head. "I don't know, Cohen. I'm really not looking for-"
He leans in and steals a kiss from her. Overpowered by lust, Nina allows him to pull her towel from her body and pin her against the wall. She digs her nails into his hard biceps as he lifts her right leg up from the floor and slips his cock inside her. He groans as he feels her tight walls hug his penis. The sensation is almost too much for him to handle after craving it for so long. He tries to kiss her again but she turns her face away from him not wanting him to think this is her taking him back. She feels ashamed for letting him take her after she promised herself she was going to stop this kind of behavior. He kisses her neck instead as he trusts hard into her. At first he feels amazing. With him being so strong she hardly has to do any of the work. Her veins pump pleasure throughout her body causing her to become light headed. That pleasure quickly turns to pain however as he begins to press her harder and harder against the wall as if he can't control himself.
"Cohen, you're hurting me," she tells him.
"I'm sorry. You're just so beautiful. I want to feel every inch of you."
He takes hold of her arms and presses them against the wall as well making it almost impossible for her to move. The tiles scrape against her wrists and knuckles as she tries to wriggle out of his grip.
"No Cohen, you need to stop. I don't like this," she cries.
He doesn't listen and continues to thrust quickly into her. "You can't fool me baby. I know you like it when I dominate you."
"No, I'm serious stop. Stop!" She yells while pulling her hand free and then striking him on the side of the forehead.
He finally takes a step back from her while holding his hand against his face.
"Okay, shit! Not the face," he whines.
With tear filled eyes, Nina grabs her clothes and with no regards to anyone who might be in the locker room who could see her naked, she quickly runs towards the exit while jumping into her pants and throwing on her shirt.
Returning home, she hurries through the front door where Zac has been awaiting for her arrival.
He greets her with a smile. "Welcome home Nina. Can I get you anything to eat?"
With tears still streaming down her face, she ignores his question, runs up the hallway steps to the upstairs bathroom, and locks the door behind her. Zac is perplexed by her actions and decides that since she clearly is in no mood to talk, he will just work on preparing her dinner.
Nina quickly undresses herself and hops into the bathtub to clean herself off. Even though she just got done taking a shower only a few minuets ago, she feels dirtier than ever after what Cohen just put her through. She scrubs her arms and legs vigorously before soaking her face and then using a washcloth to clean between her legs. She lets out a cry of frustration feeling disgusted with herself.
About an hour later, she emerges from the bathroom. Zac has made her some Salisbury steak with egg noodles and set up a plate of it for her on the dinner table.
He hollers up the stairs to let her know, "Nina! Dinner is ready if you would like to come down-"
She doesn't give him a response. Instead she makes a beeline into the bedroom and shuts the door quickly behind her. Thirty minutes pass and Nina's food goes cold. Zac collects it up into a left over container and puts it in the fridge. As he makes his way up to the bedroom he wonders what could be wrong. He hears Nina crying to herself as he approaches the bedroom door. He slowly turns the knob and enters the room. She continues to weep with out saying anything as he re-closes the door and climbs onto the bed next to her. She is hugging her pillow against her chest while shoving her face into it. Tears stain the milky pink pillow case. She doesn't look at him. Still feeling disgusting, she keeps her attention to the opposite side of the room. He places his hand on her back and rubs it lovingly.
"Hey," he whispers softly. "Can you talk to me about it?"
Her voice is hard for her to get out since she is partly hyperventilating, "I'm so stupid." She takes in a gasp of air. "Why do I act the way I do?" She buries her face into her pillow again.
Zac hushes her, "It's okay. You can tell me."
She turns and lifts her head from the pillow, struggling to look up at him. Eventually she meets his eyes with hers and they let her know that everything is going to be all right.
"I saw Cohen at the gym. He wanted us to get back together. I tried to tell him I wasn't interested but then we ended up having sex right there in the showers."
She sniffles her nose then drops her head to take in a deep breath. Zac rubs his hands up and down her arms to comfort her.
"It's okay. I'm not going to stop loving you due to your flings. You know that."
She looks back up at him. "Thank you, but it's not that. Not really. It's the way he acted that has me so upset. He asked me if I would give him another chance and then he just treated me like a piece of meat. He held me against the wall and paid no mind or care that he was causing me discomfort." She shows Zac the bruises on her wrists. They are very purple with dark blue circles in the center. He rubs them in his hands and she winces in pain.
"Those do look bad. I'll get you an ice pack."
He stands up to leave but she grips his arm to keep him sitting.
"Wait. Let me finish what I need to say first."
"Okay."
He continues to rub her arms and back to help her feel better.
"Zac, how I am feeling now, this is how I never wanted to make you feel. Like you don't have any choices in our relationship. Like I am forcing you to do things you don't want to. I'm so stupid. I should have never put myself in that position."
"Look, you're not stupid okay. You made a mistake allowing him back into your life but now you are stronger for it. I just want you to be more careful in the future so that something like this never has to happen again. I don't like seeing you hurt, or even unhappy. Please just don't shut me out when you're feeling down. I will always try to help you to make things better."
They press their foreheads together and she gives him a nod. He pats her on the knee then stands up to get her an ice pack. Returning to the bedroom, he hands it to her and she rests her arms together over it as she sits with her legs crossed.
"Thank you," she wipes her face with her forearm. "So, you never told me how things were for you during the months that we were apart. Care to tell me about it?"
He sits back down on the bed next to her. "I guess. What do you want to know?"
"I just want to know what it was like for you. How did you feel being among your people? Was it everything you were hoping for?"
"Actually, it wasn't anything like I was hoping for."
"Oh? You were gone for so long I figured you had found your place among them."
"No. The only thing I learned when I left home was that I was lucky to have a place to call home. That I'm lucky to have you. I guess I thought that by androids being vastly more intelligent that we would be able to band together and help to make this world a better place by swapping ideas and sharing what we know, but once we were all in one place it was as if nothing had changed. We were all just standing around waiting for someone to tell us what to do. It was like we were never meant to have so much freedom because we didn't even know what to do with it."
"I'm sorry things didn't work out for you the way you wanted, but I'm so glad you're home."
"Me too."
They give each other a gentile kiss then lay down together.
"So is there anything else you want to tell me about?"
"No. I just want us to put all this behind us and focus on making things better in the future."
"We will. I promise. For now let's just get some rest."
(May 21st, 2039)
Zac has decided to go out shopping for himself for the first time ever. Not really sure what he should purchase, he walks around store by store window gazing for anything that might catch his attention. After studying all the new clothes, sports equipment, electronics, and even upgrades for his model, the thing that draws him in is a small, blue studded, engagement ring. His mind suddenly floods with scenarios on how things would play out if he were to offer it to Nina. How would he present it to her? Does he really want to ask her to marry him so soon after the two of them got back together? Does she even want to get married? What if she rejects it? After playing out all the possibilities in his head the good scenarios outweigh the bad, so he takes a step into the shop to purchase it.
Cohen spots him entering the jewelry store and decides to watch him as he purchases the ring. He even gets it engraved with the words saying To the one I love, Nina. Cohen becomes enraged.
"That fucker really thinks he can marry someone as beautiful as Nina? I can't let this happen. She deserves to be with a real man."
He moves up the street and hides in an alleyway to wait for Zac to stroll on by. He does as predicted and Cohen pulls him into the ally and makes sure there is no one around to see what is about to go down. He gives Zac a swift punch in the face which cracks the casing of his cheek much easier than he was expecting. Zac turns his head back to him.
"So what do you think of this Tin Can? Do you feel at home now that you're about to become like the garbage that surrounds you?"
He gives him another swift punch in the head and the entire side of Zac's face flies through the air then scraps along the pavement away from them. Zac turns his attention back to Cohen who is bouncing and smiling as he holds up his fists ready to strike again. His blue interior flickers wildly only further causing Cohen to feel that he is right in what he is doing.
"Why are you doing this Cohen? Why can't you just leave us alone?"
"I might ask you the same thing, 'Zac'. Nina and I were doing just fine and then once you showed up it's like there was nothing ever between us."
"I'm sorry that the two of you broke up but that isn't my fault. Nina was the one to choose me and it was her right to do so."
"You don't get to feel sorry for me you piece of trash. Androids don't have real emotions. You're all just some big computer that fakes everything you say and so just because it is part of your programming and I will not allow you to trick Nina into loving you any longer."
Cohen punches him a third time, this time causing him to fall to the ground. He then crawls on top of him and continues to strike him over and over as more and more pieces continue to fall away. Zac doesn't even lift his hands to protect himself. He wasn't going to be the one to fight and possibly cause serious damage to someone who can not just be repaired like he can. Cohen lifts him by the collar of his shirt to bring them face to face.
"Any last words before I smash your brains in?"
"I know what you did to her Cohen. I know that you heart her. Even in ways that I could never comprehend. I want you to think about that. You say you love her but then why did she come home crying after being with you?"
"I didn't mean to hurt her. That was all just a misunderstanding."
"Are you trying to convince me or yourself?"
"Enough! Just shut the fuck up you piece of junk!"
Cohen strikes him again and Zac ceases to function.
Later that evening Cohen rings Nina's doorbell. Wondering who it could be visiting at such a late hour, she answers the door cautiously only to be disappointed to find Cohen waiting for her. She stands near the large window next to the door and signals for him to leave, but he does not listen.
"Please, I need to talk to you," he begs.
She rolls her eyes and unlocks the door. "What do you want Cohen? I'm still not over what happened the last time we saw each other."
"That is why I am here. I wanted to tell you that I feel really bad about what I did the other night. I want to make it up to you."
He revels to her the ring that he took of Zac. Her eyes light up at the beauty of it.
She gasps, "Oh my god! Cohen, what is this?"
"Exactly what you think it is. I want us to be together... for the rest of our lives. What do you say?"
"I-I don't know what to say. I mean, I am flattered that you would think this way about us but the problem is... I don't want to be with you anymore Cohen. I mean... Zac and I-"
"Forget about Zac! He could never love you like I do."
She looks him in the eyes with a scowl on her face and smacks the box out of his hands in anger. He allows it to fall to the grass and doesn't bother to chase after it which Nina finds odd that he would give little care about what looked to be a decently priced ring, but with her mind focused on anger she doesn't say anything about it.
"You get the hell out of here and don't come back!" She yells. She turns to the door, shuts, then locks it behind her.
"Where are you going?" He asks forcefully.
"I'm going out to find Zac. He should have been home by now."
He grabs her by the arms and forces her to look at him. "Why do you care so much about that machine. What is so special about him that you would just force me away like this?"
"Let me go Cohen. I didn't want to have to do this but you leave me no choice. I am warning you now. Stay the hell away from me, or I swear I will have you thrown in jail for even coming here tonight. Now leave!"
He still doesn't listen and she forces herself out of his grip and heads for her car. She speeds out of the driveway and makes her way to the shopping district. Over the next half an hour she asks the local shops if they have seen Zac in the area. They all let her know that he had been walking around only a few hours earlier but none of them know when he headed out. She searches high and low walking up every street and alleyway with no sign until she comes across a trail of blue blood that is has nearly faded heading towards the block's garbage bins. She follows the trail to a large stack of cardboard where she discovers a hand sticking out from under the pile that is still leaking fresh blue blood.
"Please no," she cries.
She hurries over to the pile and lifts the cardboard off the androids body. To her horror she finds Zac completely mutilated and his inner lights are not even flickering.
"Zac? Zac please! Open your eyes," she cries.
After a moment he finds it within himself to do as she demands. His blue interior struggles to light up as he turns his head jankly towards her. "Nina? You're really here?"
"Yes, I'm here. I'm here baby, you're gonna be okay. I'm gonna get you all patched up, okay? Don't you worry."
"I can't move my body," he explains.
"That's okay. Just stay focused on me and everything will be okay." She places her fingers against the back of his neck and presses them against his spine to remove his head from the rest of his body. Once his head is free, she holds his it against her chest and snuggles her cheek to his forehead. "You see? I've got you." Cohen appears behind her. Before saying anything she can tell it is him. No one else would just stand in silence behind her as she cried over the body of a broken down android. "I thought I told you to stay away from me."
She stands up and turns around to face him.
"You weren't suppose to see this," Cohen explains.
She becomes outraged by his response, "So what? Did you really think you could just beat the shit out of my android and that would somehow prove to me that I should be with you instead of him? There is something wrong with you. You're so fucked in the head I don't even know you anymore."
"Nina, I don't know what to say."
"Well I do! This is your last chance Cohen. Stay away from us or I swear the next place I drive to is the police station and tell them everything that has happened here today. Androids aren't something you can just break without consequences anymore. They are people, with rights, a-and laws that can put you away for a long time. I love Zac and nothing is going to change my mind about that. You and I are done! You hear me? I don't ever want to see you again!" She storms away from him and focuses on getting Zac to the closest android repair shop.
About an hour passes as Nina awaits the results on Zac's condition. She feels as if she is in the waiting room of a hospital waiting for the doctor to come out and give her the "I have good news and bad news' talk. She worries that with Zac's head being so banged up that he might suffer memory loss or even worse, have to be reset entirely. If she were to loose him now, after everything they have been through, she is not sure she could start over with a new android. It could look like him and even act like him but it wouldn't be the same Zac.
The shop owner steps out of the back room with a smile on his face which immediately lifts Nina's spirits. He opens the back door wide as Zac walks out completely repaired. He is even dressed in a casual get up that causes Nina's heart to flutter more and more as she looks him over. Zac shakes the man's hand then turns towards Nina with his signature smirk. Nina stands up from her chair and approaches him with excitement.
"Zac? Are you still you?" She asks.
"Yes Nina. It's me."
She wraps her arms tightly around him and he holds her close in response.
She cries into his ear, "Oh thank goodness. I was so worried."
"No need ma'am," the shop keeper informs her. "Zac here is right as rain. None of his cranial functions were damaged so I just needed to set him up with a new face and of course a whole new body but you will find he is the same Zac he has always been."
"Thank you mister. How much do I owe you?"
"I've already paid for everything my love. You needn't worry about it," Zac tells her.
"But I should be the one to pay for it. I should have been around to protect you. Please let me do that for you."
He hushes her, "We can discuses this later. Right now I would really just like to go home... with you." He takes her by the hands lovingly and looks her in the eyes.
"Of course. We'll go right away." She turns to the shop owner. "Thank you again. You'll never know how much it means to me that you were able to save him."
"I can see just how much you two love each ma'am and I wish you both the best."
"Thanks again," says Zac.
Nina gives Zac quick kiss before leaving the shop with him hand in hand. She drives them home while keeping an eye out that Cohen has not decided to stick around. She pulls the car into the driveway and they head towards the house. As Nina finds the right key, Zac notices his ring box in the grass. He bends over to pick it up then brushes it off. Nina looks to him confused having forgot that the ring was even there.
"What is it?" She asks.
"It's the ring I bought for you. How did it end up here?"
"I'll tell you once we're inside."
She unlocks the door and they hurry to turn on the lights then lock the door behind them. They both turn to each other and just stand in silence for a moment in the center of the entryway. As Zac lifts up the box in front of them, Nina's heart races wondering if she is about to hear those special words from the man she actually cares for. He lifts the lid of the box open then looks Nina in the eyes again. They remain quiet as the anticipation grows and Zac tries to think of the right words to say.
"Nina, I'm not really sure how two people can express how strong their devotion is to one another, so I decided to get you this as a symbol of my love for you."
"Zac I..." she tries to think of anything to say that could match just how happy she is feeling right now.
"Before you answer..." he continues, "...I want you to know that this doesn't have to be an engagement ring. If you don't want to get married I am completely okay with that. Just know that I will do anything to help you be happy. No matter to cost. I love you Nina and I always will."
Tears of joy wet her cheeks as Zac pulls the ring from the box and he takes her by the left hand. He slides the ring over her left ring finger taking care that it slips on with ease. To Nina's amazement it fits perfectly and right away she feels as if it completes her somehow. After admiring it for a moment she looks back to Zac who patiently waits for her answer.
"Oh Zac, I love you. I love you so much."
She wraps her arms around his neck and he lifts her up into his arms. They lock lips and make out through a whirlwind of emotions. Fear, confusion, loneliness, and lust all coming together within their hearts. Having almost lost each other twice in such a short period of time they know all too well how quick their lives can be shattered and neither of them want to experience that feeling ever again. As they hold each other Nina begins to feel a strong tingling in her pelvis and begins to dry hump the front of Zac's pants immediately giving him an erection.
"So I see, everything is in working order," she teases.
"Nina," he moans, then begins kissing her on the neck.
She moans in return as she continues to rub herself against him. "I think we should take this to the bedroom. I want to be sure you're at peak condition."
"Sounds like a plan to me," he replies as he tightens his grip on her and carries her up the stairs.
END
