\nMom and dad are outside the room, watching me on the view screen. I grip the small holoroom remote in my hand. Pixels swirl around me, transforming into a park. As soon as I see Ava on a bench reading my mouth is dry and there\u2019s tears in my eyes.\n<\/p>\n
\nI don\u2019t even know what to say or how to say it. My parents want me to delete my girlfriend.\n<\/p>\n
\nAva looks up from her book and smiles, but it slides away. \u201cHey, what\u2019s wrong?\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cMy parents want me to erase the program,\u201d I say. I can\u2019t believe I blurt it out like that. The horrible look on her face twists my guts. \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d Her voice is barely a whisper.\n<\/p>\n
\nHot tears drench my face. I clench my teeth and take an unsteady breath through my nose. \u201cMom and dad don\u2019t think we\u2019re legit. They think it\u2019s wrong for us to be together.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nHer dark eyes meet mine. There\u2019s tears there, but I can tell she\u2019s more angry than anything.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with what we have? Why do they get to decide who you love?\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nThey shouldn\u2019t be able to. I tried to tell my parents that when we argued. But I live in their house. Their rules. Either I delete Ava and get a real girlfriend or they will. What other choice did I have?\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThere\u2019s nothing wrong with it,\u201d I say. \u201cYou\u2019ve been my everything for the last six months. I love you.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cYeah, I can see that. And what\u2019s in your hand. Is that it? The remote. You\u2019re going to do it aren\u2019t you, you\u2019re going to kill me?\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nShe sounds so hurt and my heart feels like it\u2019s gonna burst. I hadn\u2019t even thought about it like that. But she\u2019s right. Deletion will do more than end her program. It will erase her forever.\n<\/p>\n
\nI don\u2019t know what to say. All I can do is stare at the beautiful girl in front of me and wonder what the hell is so wrong with loving her. Ava is every bit as real to me as anyone else I\u2019ve ever known. She\u2019s more than a program.\n<\/p>\n
\nShe takes a deep breath, wipes the tears from her face, and sets her jaw. \u201cJust do it,\u201d she says, voice steady. It\u2019s amazing how strong she is. How brave. I love her so much.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry. I didn\u2019t want be the one to do it, but I wanted to say goodbye. I love you.\u201d I take a few steps toward her.\n<\/p>\n
\nI feel like I\u2019m gonna puke. I raise the remote and I\u2019m about to do it when she says my name.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI know it\u2019s not your fault. I love you too. Keep me right here,\u201d she says and she points to my heart.\n<\/p>\n
\nI press two buttons. Ava fragments and the world around us crumbles. Her small body fades as pixels drop and dissipate. The last piece of her to go is her bright, toothy smile.\n<\/p>\n
\nI\u2019m alone in the empty holoroom. It wasn\u2019t how I wanted my goodbye to go, but my parents were watching. I had to make them believe I\u2019d done it. Before I deleted, I saved a copy. I doubt they\u2019ll verify the files are gone. It\u2019ll be some time before I\u2019ll risk seeing her again. I\u2019ll have to sneak visits when my parents aren\u2019t around. But I love Ava with all of my heart, and I refuse to let my parents tell me that I can\u2019t love a hologram.\n<\/p>\n
Eric Fomley\u2019s stories have appeared in Clarkesworld, Daily Science Fiction, and Galaxy\u2019s Edge. You can read more of his stories on his website ericfomley.com.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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