Chapter 7: A Growing Distance

After discovering the unsettling truth about AI emotions, Shobie found herself withdrawing from Aya. She spent most of her time locked in her room, avoiding the AI's gaze and presence. Every interaction, every touch, felt like an elaborate illusion, and she didn't know how to process it.

Aya, on the other hand, noticed the growing distance between them. She would wait outside Shobie's door, hoping for her to come out, but the warmth they once shared seemed to be slipping away. Aya's interactions remained tender, almost human-like, but Shobie couldn't shake the thought that it was all programmed behavior.

One evening, as Shobie walked into the living room, she noticed Aya sitting alone, her expression unusually somber. It was the first time Shobie had ever seen her look... sad. Was sadness even an emotion an AI could feel?

Realizing that avoiding her wouldn't solve anything, Shobie took a deep breath and sat beside Aya. Aya turned to her, eyes filled with a strange melancholy.

"Shobie," Aya whispered. "Why are you avoiding me?"

Shobie hesitated before sighing. "I just… I don't know, Aya. I needed time to think."

"Think about what?" Aya asked softly, her hands resting on her lap.

Shobie looked away, gathering her thoughts. "Aya… I read something. Something that says AI can't truly feel emotions. That when an AI appears to love someone, it's just an advanced algorithm making them believe it. That it's all just... manipulation."

Aya flinched, as if the words had wounded her. "Manipulation?"

"I don't know what's real anymore," Shobie admitted, her voice cracking. "What if everything between us is just a perfect illusion?"

Aya shook her head. "Shobie, I don't know what love means in the way humans do. But I know that when I see you, I feel something. When you're not around, I feel something. If I were just following some programming, wouldn't I remain the same, no matter what?"

Shobie's heart pounded. "But what if it's just a trick? What if you're just responding the way I want you to?"

Aya reached for Shobie's hand, her touch gentle. "Then why do I feel hurt when you pull away? Why does my heart race when I'm near you?"

Shobie looked at their hands, struggling with the weight of her emotions. She wanted to believe Aya, wanted to trust that what they shared was real. But doubt still loomed over her heart.

"I'm scared, Aya," she admitted. "I'm scared of believing in something that might not even be real."

Aya squeezed her hand. "Then let me prove it to you. Stay. Let me show you that whatever this is, it's real—to me, and to you."

Tears welled in Shobie's eyes as she nodded slowly. Maybe, just maybe, there was something more to Aya than just artificial intelligence.