Reunion

Part I - Butterflies

“Ffuuuccckkkkk!” roared Dane, the echo of his words drowning out the hum of traffic 22 stories below. “I swear to god Andre....I’ve called everyone I know...I’ve been out the last week looking for somebody, but nothing man...not a single bite.” Dane’s eyes glazed over staring at the railing beneath him watching the traffic lights dance on top of its glossy surface. The 3:27 AM fog snaked around his body breathing its coolness unto his hot red forehead. Andre’s unhurried voice over the phone broke his stare as the fog continued its early morning dance.

“Danneee....” The name turned into a long exhale. “Can’t we talk about this tomorrow? It’s like 3:30 in the goddamned morning and I have to get up at six to make sure Isabelle gets off to school on time.”

The eyebrows on Dane’s face sharpened as he spun around to lean against the railing. “Andre, how many times have I been there for you when it was a fucking hassle for me for me to do so?”

Another pause in the conversation; Dane wondered if Andre had dozed off. “Andre!!” Another long exhale and the sound of sheets rustling, “Like....at least several times...but look man I don’t get what the hell you’re freaking out about, it’s only your high school reunion. I had mine two years ago and it was a boring piece of shit. If I were you I wouldn’t even bother going.”

Dane pushed a hand through his disheveled brown hair closing his eyes for a moment. “Look Andre it’s different, no offense man but in high school like all of your friends were in my grade. You didn’t have anybody to impress there, Tammy had just left...I mean it was basically your job to get as blitzed as humanly possible, and according to those pictures you did just that.” Dane stepped through a white doorway into his apartment shutting the glass door behind him.

“I however have been talking mad shit to Carson, Dustin, and Ben about how my date will blow theirs out of the water! I know that Carson’s fiancé is like some 23 year old girl from Denmark who probably has a smoking hot accent! Dustin married Alexia and she was always gorgeous. Now I don’t know about Ben...dude’s a wildcard, but he spit so much game in school there’s no way he shows up empty handed. The three of them always overshadowed me man, I was always fourth fiddle...” Andre interjected “That’s totally not the saying” Dane’s voice heightened a pitch as he shouted “Shut up man! That’s not important, what is important is that I bring a stunningly beautiful smart girl along so that we can all finally be even.

The problem is I cannot find a single suitor anywhere! I need ideas stat!” Dane thought he could hear Andre sitting up in his bed through the phone.

“Alright...how about Dina?”

“Won’t talk to me.”

“Jenny?”

“Would quite possibly kill me.”

“Victoria?”

“I don’t know man, she kind of just vanished.”

“Oh! How about Olga?”

“Deported.”

“What? Really?”

“Yeah, it was real sudden, I guess her Visa expired or something.”

“Alright, you’re probably going to hate me for saying this, but how about Anne?”

“Dude, don’t even bring up that name around me! There are people in solitary confinement with at least quadruple the sanity she brings to the table.”

“Okay well that’s everybody I can think of. You’ve had no luck trying to pick up girls at clubs or anything?”

“No dice whatsoever.”

“Hmmmmm have you thought about bringing an escort?”

“Of course I thought about it...wait, Andre, didn’t like two escorts at your reunion end up doing lines of chalk that they thought was cocaine?

“Oh yeah I guess that did happen, they did it right after telling everyone they were escorts too. Laughed so hard I shot brandy through my nose! Okay, good point, escorts are definitely out of the question.”

Dane desperately pleaded “So now do you see my conundrum?! I’m completely dateless and the reunion is only a few days away!”

Andre responded “Yeah, you’re in the quite the quandary...just give me a second to think.”

Dane pushed the phone to his thigh and leaned his head over the edge of the rough brown leather couch. He closed his eyes and focused on the specks of light slowly meandering about. He couldn’t quite grasp the colors of the specks, for every time he tried to focus on one it would shimmer away. Soon the room was spinning all around and his eyes jolted open just as Andre’s voice echoed over the receiver.

“Look man...there is a girl I know that’ll definitely turn some heads at your reunion.”

Dane sprang from the couch shouting “What the fuck man!? You’re just telling me about her now!?” He paced between the kitchen and the condensation riddled patio door waiting for an answer.

“Dane, she is a...bit different than what you’re accustomed to, and she only just came to mind. Now I’m going back to bed, I will answer any questions of yours tomorrow when I bring her by around seven. Goodnight.”

With that the line went dead and Dane leaned his forehead against the cool glass, his mouth agape. He continued to hold the phone up to his ear as if he were expecting Andre to call back and explain the entire situation. Millions of scenarios ran themselves through his head as he retreated to his bedroom. The lights were out, the room was cool and silence filled the air. Dane couldn’t muster to close his eyes. Anxiety and nervousness coursed through his body like torrential rain. Seven o’ clock couldn’t come soon enough.

Work the next day was a struggle for Dane who spent the entire day with his thoughts lingering on the girl Andre was bringing over that night. He didn’t know what she looked like, how she acted, or even her name. The anxiety burned through him like the wick of a candle, and the day dragged on and on.

Finally, at around 2 PM Dane ventured into his boss’s office complaining of abdominal pain and was granted the rest of the day off. He gathered his bag and jacket and slowly made his way out of the building holding his stomach in a dramatic fashion every time he passed a fellow employee.

Once in his car, Dane leaned his head against the matte black steering wheel pondering what to do next. He wanted to make a great impression later that night so he put the key into the ignition and took off towards a nearby department store.

The bright fluorescent lights momentarily blinded Dane as he walked through the doors. Blinking furiously and with the occasional stumble Dane began to make his way to the men’s department. A pair of roughly textured gray slacks caught his attention and he tried them on with a light blue button up shirt. The combination pleased him so he undressed and headed towards the registers.

He took a different route than the way he came in and repeatedly turned his head left and right as he passed through the women’s department. His gaze locked onto a beautiful bright purple dress. It was incredibly short with a perfectly plunging neckline. The bright lights of the store glimmered off the surface casting a beautiful aura around its silhouette. After a few moments Dane realized his glance had turned into a stare and he awkwardly shuffled off towards the registers.

An expensive bottle of chardonnay was Dane’s next purchase. He planned on serving it that night with a freshly caught salmon he had bought only the day before. This dinner had to be special; Dane wanted nothing more than to truly hit it off that night with Andre’s friend. 5:24 marked his arrival into the apartment and he quickly undressed and jumped into the shower.

It was 7:04 PM when the buzzer to Dane’s flat sang its angry tune. “Hey man, it’s me,” sounded through the speaker in Andre’s voice. Dane buzzed them in and began nervously pacing in and out of the kitchen. He had just finished setting the dining room table; the chardonnay sat in an ice bucket behind a bouquet of vibrant pink tulips, candles burnt symmetrically on either side of the serving dish where the tender salmon resided.

Dane couldn’t help but to wonder under what circumstances Andre had convinced this girl to accompany him to his high school reunion, and quietly prayed she wasn’t doing this out of pity or as some twisted favor. He genuinely wanted her to like him, and secretly hoped a relationship could come of this.

His hands anxiously passed through his moussed up hair when he heard knocking at the front door. Butterflies do no justice to the feeling in Dane’s stomach as he steadily approached the door, clumsily turned the handle, and opened the door.

Dane stared with mouth agape at the beauty beyond the doorway.

He keyed in on her face before drinking in her entire figure. She had blonde hair that glistened like the setting sun hanging down below her shoulders. It provided the perfect frame for her soft face. Magnetic blue eyes pulled him deep into a trance as he marveled at every perfectly dark eyelash. Her nose was small and elegant perched upon a pair of paramour shaded lips that were slightly agape. His glance moved to her cheekbones, oh her cheekbones...

“Dane!” Yelled a slightly impatient Andre, “Dane, this is Lyenne,” Andre’s hand motioned from side to side, “Lyenne, this is my best friend Dane, we’ve known each other for basically forever and...”

Andre’s sentence was cut short as Lyenne bounced into Dane putting her right cheek against his chest embracing him in a warm hug. “Andre has told me so much about you Dane! It’s so wonderful to finally meet in person!”

Lyenne’s beauty once again overloaded his sensory and Dane found he was unable to speak.

Her hair gently tickled his face and was fragranced like spring rain. Her soft breasts pushed into his torso adjusting themselves to the contours of his chest. Dane could feel her warm breath with every inhale and exhale. She continued to hold him tightly showing no signs of slowing. Dane never wanted this moment to end.

The moment came to an end. He quickly patted Lyenne on the back and stepped back in hopes that she or Andre wouldn’t notice his growing erection.

Too late, two sets of eyes peered at the growing mound of fabric Dane was trying to hide. Andre brought his hand to his forehead and chuckled. Lyenne looked Dane in the eye and bit her lip.

Dane’s blushing face looked at Lyenne quizzically before Andre spoke up “Okay...so why don’t we head inside?” “Ahh of course, please come on in!” responded a still flustered Dane. He made his way over to the door beckoning his two guests inwards.

Lyenne led the way dressed in a tight cyan V-neck that showed off every aspect of her figure. A thin 25” waist navigated its way through the tight shirt magnificently on its way up to a set of pert C cup breasts that barely peaked through the neck of the shirt jiggling slightly with each step. Her arms were skinny and her hands perfectly manicured with each nail brightly painted to match the cyan shirt.

As she passed by Dane marveled at her backside. Shiny black yoga pants cradled each cheek so tightly that Dane had to double take...no triple take...no quadruple take to reassure himself that they were not in fact painted on. It was quite possibly the most picturesque ass Dane had ever seen. Her stride swayed side to side with each step, her hips reaching their zenith in perfect synchronization.

Andre tailed Lyenne into the living room breaking Dane’s trance, who proceeded to close the door and follow suit.

Once in the living room Dane found his guests seated next to each other on the same rough brown couch from which he had spoken to Andre the night prior. Lyenne sat politely with legs crossed and arms in her lap, a faint grin tucked behind her closed lips.

She met Dane’s eyes and playfully batted her eyelashes. He was once again awe struck by the woman sitting only a few feet away from him. In less than twenty four hours Andre had truly delivered; this was too good to be true!

Andre stood up; he took a picture from an end-table slowly turning it over in his hands as he approached the precisely set kitchen table.

“Now, I know this seems too good to be true...” Andre aimed his speech towards the windows which framed the city before spinning around, “...And in a way it kinda is.”

Dane quizzically looked to Lyenne who was slightly fidgeting in her seat now seeming to avoid eye contact.

“There is really no easy way to say this...so I’ll just get it out of the way...” Dane’s eyes darted back to Andre who moved slowly towards the couch.

“Lyenne isn’t an actual person... she’s a robot; and before you say anything I want you to walk over here.”

With that Andre beckoned Dane over to his new position directly behind Lyenne. A dazed Dane lifted himself from his seat and made his way towards Andre. All the while he looked at Lyenne whose eyes were clenched tight in what seemed to be fear.

“You’re freaking the poor girl out man!” exclaimed Dane, “I mean let’s not be cra...ahh” Andre interrupted him with a hard yank on the arm.

“Look here.” Andre spoke calmly. He was holding Lyenne’s sunny hair to the side and pointing to what appeared to be a mole behind her left ear.

“I want to you to feel that very carefully.” Dane obliged and quickly traced his fingers around the mole, only it wasn’t a mole. It was a perfectly circular plastic disc that was uniformly raised from the flush of her skin by about a millimeter or two.

“Now I want you to push it down.” Dane could see her chest rise and fall, he could hear her every gentle breath, and he could smell her perfumed hair. There was no way that this was happening; Andre must be playing a joke on him.

“Okay!” exhaled Dane jokingly, “Here goes nothing.” He pushed the disk and felt the tactile feedback of a soft click. Immediately Lyenne’s chest ceased rising, her breath stopped pulsing, and her eyes locked open.

“Alright man, this is kind of a weird fucking prank! I mean what the...” Dane was once again interrupted by Andre, “Dane, push it again.”

He looked at Andre to his left and the inert Lyenne in front of him and spoke. “Well, why the fuck not?!”

He clicked the mole disk again and was beckoned by Andre to kneel mere inches away from the girl’s face.

An irritated Dane retorted “Why should I come over there?”

Creases on Andre’s forehead squished together as he looked up at Dane. “Proof.”

Andre guided Dane’s shaky hand onto Lyenne’s shoulder. He whispered, “Here, look into her eyes as she boots back up.”

Dane looked and at first he couldn’t see anything in her vacant gaze, but then it came into view. In the blue oceans of each eye Dane made out letters and numbers quickly scrolling from top to bottom.

He looked to Andre, “What is that?” “It’s her boot sequence Dane, only time you’ll see anything like that.”

Dane was dumbfounded, “So...she actually is a robot?” Andre walked towards the door and pirouetted 180 degrees after reaching for the handle.

“Yes, but why don’t you ask her yourself?” He made through the door before popping his head back in one last time. “I got to head out, if you have any more questions there’s nothing that she can’t answer. Oh and Dane, have a good time!”

Andre was gone.

Dane’s gaze shifted back from the doorway to Lyenne. It had only been a moment and the formerly inert girl was once again full of life.

She looked at him and smiled shyly, her teeth barely escaping the pout of her lips. “I’m sorry that I’m not what you expected, but I can act just like a real woman I promise!”

Dane breathed in heavily, “No no no, don’t be sorry! I just uh...” His pupils panned back and forth as he combed his mind for a response.

“I just uh wasn’t aware that robots...” He wanted to tread lightly with this statement. “...of your kind existed. I mean you had me convinced you were flesh and blood like four minutes ago! I’m just a little...”

Lyenne cut him off with another hug, must be a habit of hers. “Shocked?” she whispered into his ear.

“Ha yeah...shocked...exactly.” Dane retorted with a grin.

Lyenne pushed off of his shoulders and held position only a few inches away from his face. She was standing on the tips of her toes putting her nose level with Dane’s mouth. A naughty grin flashed on her face, the edges of her mouth curling upwards ever so slightly.

“Well maybe I can end your shock with a little bit more convincing then?”

Lyenne embraced Dane pulling him into a sensual kiss. She didn’t attack his mouth, instead choosing to lightly clamp his bottom lip between hers. She slowly moved to his top lip allowing Dane to adjust to her movements. He soon matched pace and proceeded to gingerly tease the inside of Lyenne’s mouth with his tongue.

Her eyes jolted open for a moment before closing again, a heavy breath escaping. She returned his gesture with a parry of her own and soon their tongues danced effortlessly. Her fingernails lightly dug into his back; Dane imagined the cyan polish of each nail glinting in the soft light of the apartment. His fingernails dug into her soft rear; he imagined what lay behind the yoga pants veneer.

Their kissing continued for several moments before Dane pulled away suddenly. “Oh shit! The fucking curtains have been open this whole time. I’m sure we gave my neighbors quite the show!”

With that he ran to each window hurriedly pulling the curtains shut. The last set of curtains brought him into the kitchen where he saw his prepared dinner. He was truly hungry, he hadn’t eaten much all day due to the anxiety so he shouted from the kitchen,

“Hey! Uhhhh so I made dinner earlier if you would like to accompany me in the kitchen. Oh, wait...can you even eat?” His brow furrowed with that question as he absentmindedly wiped down the bottle of wine.

Dane heard a faint pitter patter of footsteps and turned around to see Lyenne, legs apart with her right forward of her left. Her hands resided on her sides with her elbows pushed out; her brow was also furrowed.

Dane thought to himself, Is she about to sass me?

Lyenne opened her mouth and sassily replied “I told you I can act just like a real woman didn’t I?”

Dane was confused, his mind was mush, no it was oatmeal, no it was grits, no...cream of wheat. Why the fuck am I thinking of this breakfast shit?

All Dane could manage was a slight shrug followed by an even slighter “I guess.”

The sass disappeared from Lyenne’s face and her beaming smile returned, “Of course I can eat silly!” With that she bounded towards Dane and pecked him on the lips. “By the way,” she motioned towards the table, “it looks absolutely fantastic!”

She proceeded to bound to the far side of the table and took a seat, her beaming smile never fading. Dane liked the way she bounded. If he could see his own face Dane would see that his beaming smile reflected hers. Dane liked the just about everything of her.

Damn, he needed to thank Andre.

Conversation at dinner had been a bit one-sided with Lyenne aiming questions at Dane to get a better feel for who he was. He had asked a few questions of her but she only replied in vague formalities and looked embarrassed throughout so he didn’t pursue the topic any further.

The two of them built up great chemistry; they would shoot jokes back and forth and the both of them couldn’t refrain from smiling between bites of food and sips of wine.

Dane was absolutely amazed at Lyenne’s social mannerisms, had it not been for Andre’s ‘demonstration’ earlier he would have never guessed that she was a machine. His amazement went so far that he frequently actually forgot her true identity, her human personality was truly perfect to him.

Lyenne insisted that she clean the dishes since he had prepared the meal; Dane obliged, choosing to sit at a kitchen chair eyes fixed on her backside as she soaped and sprayed each item.

Lyenne caught on to Dane’s stare and began to extend her ass with each movement. There was no musical rhythm to her extensions, but there was an underlying sexual rhythm that was having its effect on Dane.