time, the flesh of my left arm seems to be stretching out away from my body, extending in a strange line that creeps along through the air.
“Fuck!” I shout, jumping up from the booth and knocking over my coffee, which spills across the table with a loud clatter.
Everyone in the restaurant turns to look at us as I cover my arm with the opposite hand and rush straight for the restroom.
“Mandi! Are you okay?” Derek shouts from behind me, first trying to follow and then turning back to contain the coffee spill with several napkins.
“Yeah, I’m fine! I just need a minute, I’ll be right back.” I tell him frantically.
I burst through the restroom door and head straight for the mirror. I can already see parts of my face drifting away as the nanobot glitch continues to blossom within me, literally tearing me apart. Could this be the end?
I grab the edge of the sink to support myself, staring back at my rapidly distorting reflection in the mirror and trying desperately to calm down. My breathing heavy and my heart slamming within my chest, I find my body in a losing battle against the corruption of my new biomechanical cells.
Closing my eyes, I focus on collecting myself, finding a center internally that I can grab onto for just one fleeting moment. There is a calm within the center of this tornado, and when I find it I latch on tight. I remind myself that the only way through this is by staying grounded, and then I open my eyes.
The strange projections of matter that drift away from my face are now retracting back into my body, returning to the steady form of their initial programming. I let out a sigh of relief, running my hand across my skin as it fully returns to normal.
Suddenly, Derek is pushing through the door of the restroom behind me. Without a word he grabs me in his large, muscular arms and holds me tight, our bodies pressed together in a show of love and support that immediately fills me with warmth. I’m crying again, but not the same wild tears of frenzied emotion from before; I’m crying out of appreciation, and loss. This is one of the most incredible men I have ever met; understanding, supportive, and most of all, honest. I was such an idiot to turn him away when I did, but I had forgotten that when I closed myself off sexually, I also closed off my heart.
Unfortunately, I’ve realized this when I might only have days left to live, the nanobots threatening to give way at any moment and rip me apart like nothing more than a string of faulty computer code.
I sink deeper into Derek’s supportive embrace, taking in his masculine presence.
“Are you alright?” Derek finally whispers. “I’m sorry, we don’t have to talk about the past anymore.”
“I’m fine.” I tell him. “It wasn’t you. I just have this… skin thing.”
Derek doesn’t say anything in return, but he seems to buy it; for now at least.
Finally, I pull away from this breathtakingly handsome man and look up into his eyes. We connect instantly, an excitement flowing between us that simply can’t be denied. I lift up onto my tiptoes and slowly push my lips towards his.
“I’m sorry.” Derek says, pulling again.
Disappointment hits me like a ton of bricks. “What is it?” I ask.
Derek stares back at me with an achingly sad, but stern, look in his eyes. “I can’t.” He says. “I’m dating Tara. I’m not the kind of guy who does this
“Fuck!” I shout, jumping up from the booth and knocking over my coffee, which spills across the table with a loud clatter.
Everyone in the restaurant turns to look at us as I cover my arm with the opposite hand and rush straight for the restroom.
“Mandi! Are you okay?” Derek shouts from behind me, first trying to follow and then turning back to contain the coffee spill with several napkins.
“Yeah, I’m fine! I just need a minute, I’ll be right back.” I tell him frantically.
I burst through the restroom door and head straight for the mirror. I can already see parts of my face drifting away as the nanobot glitch continues to blossom within me, literally tearing me apart. Could this be the end?
I grab the edge of the sink to support myself, staring back at my rapidly distorting reflection in the mirror and trying desperately to calm down. My breathing heavy and my heart slamming within my chest, I find my body in a losing battle against the corruption of my new biomechanical cells.
Closing my eyes, I focus on collecting myself, finding a center internally that I can grab onto for just one fleeting moment. There is a calm within the center of this tornado, and when I find it I latch on tight. I remind myself that the only way through this is by staying grounded, and then I open my eyes.
The strange projections of matter that drift away from my face are now retracting back into my body, returning to the steady form of their initial programming. I let out a sigh of relief, running my hand across my skin as it fully returns to normal.
Suddenly, Derek is pushing through the door of the restroom behind me. Without a word he grabs me in his large, muscular arms and holds me tight, our bodies pressed together in a show of love and support that immediately fills me with warmth. I’m crying again, but not the same wild tears of frenzied emotion from before; I’m crying out of appreciation, and loss. This is one of the most incredible men I have ever met; understanding, supportive, and most of all, honest. I was such an idiot to turn him away when I did, but I had forgotten that when I closed myself off sexually, I also closed off my heart.
Unfortunately, I’ve realized this when I might only have days left to live, the nanobots threatening to give way at any moment and rip me apart like nothing more than a string of faulty computer code.
I sink deeper into Derek’s supportive embrace, taking in his masculine presence.
“Are you alright?” Derek finally whispers. “I’m sorry, we don’t have to talk about the past anymore.”
“I’m fine.” I tell him. “It wasn’t you. I just have this… skin thing.”
Derek doesn’t say anything in return, but he seems to buy it; for now at least.
Finally, I pull away from this breathtakingly handsome man and look up into his eyes. We connect instantly, an excitement flowing between us that simply can’t be denied. I lift up onto my tiptoes and slowly push my lips towards his.
“I’m sorry.” Derek says, pulling again.
Disappointment hits me like a ton of bricks. “What is it?” I ask.
Derek stares back at me with an achingly sad, but stern, look in his eyes. “I can’t.” He says. “I’m dating Tara. I’m not the kind of guy who does this
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