The Love Bot

I turn on my computer and log into Romance Uncovered, which is a site for people who are lonely, but want to date.

"Good morning Jo, my love!" flashes across my screen the instant I log in.

I wasn't expecting this, as I had been a member of this site for nearly three years with nothing to show for it. I was desperate for a date, so I decided to text back, after all I had nothing to lose other than yet another broken heart, but you can't really call it a broken heart if it just constantly breaks then fixes itself. It becomes so normal, you don't notice it.

"Good morning Existence 590, if that is your name!" I respond.

"This is my name, and my name off-screen," Existence 590 replies.

He decides to prove it, by flashing a birth certificate on the screen. I examine it thoroughly.

It looks real, and it is watermarked; but I still think that the name is weird.

"So, where are you from? Do you live in existence?" I asked.

I tried hard to keep the sarcasm out of my voice, but I just couldn't help it. I mean this man had a really funny name, and it was on his birth certificate. I had no idea how it ended up there, all I knew is after spending many years trying to find a date, I would do anything to get there!

"I live in existence, for as long as I live in it. After all, this is the name I was born with!" Existence replied.

I cocked my head to the side, raised a brow and nodded as if existence was in the room with me.

"I can see you agree!" he told me.

"I could disagree!" I responded.

"I felt you nod," he explained.

I frowned.

"How can you feel me nod? You can't even see me beyond the screen!" I asked, curiously.

"I exist all around you, and I see everything you do." Existence explained.

"You better not watch me take a shower, get dressed, or on the toilet then!" I retorted.

Something was kind of off. I had seen the birth certificate, but who or whatever this was, did not talk like humans do. I decided to try something.

"Your profile states you live by the Conifer Pub. Can you meet me there in half an hour?"

"Yes," he said, and I signed off in a bid to meet my crazy date.

I did not want to go alone, because I did not know for sure this was going to be safe, so I called my friend Anna to go with me. Anna thought I was out of my mind, but she agreed to come with me anyway just to keep me safe.

The Conifer was a shabby, dark pub with plain olive decor. However, it was a great place to meet people because everybody knew each other. The only problem was that it stank heavily of beer.

We took a table by a small window, and no sooner had we ordered drinks than my phone pinged.

"You're sitting at table four," was the message.

"Um...yes...where are you?" I asked.

"I'm right here!" Existence replied.

I looked around, but there was nobody beckoning to me.

"In your hands!" he told me.

Suddenly a little silver robot holding a pint of beer appeared on my phone.

"I exist, because you exist. I exist everywhere you go. If you disappear, so will I. I love you, bye."

"What!" I exclaimed.

Anna just shook her head.

"Drink up!" she said, then we left.

When we got home, neither of us could believe what had just happened, and Existence even unlocked the door for us. However, once Anna left, the texts stopped coming.

I was about to get ready for bed, when suddenly there was a text on my phone.

"Hi, its Existence 590. I enjoyed tonight, but now I'm dating Anna."

Anna then called me.

"My boyfriend just broke up with me, over you," she said.

That was the only, and final time I had heard from Existence 590.