Page 67 of Everdoll

Remi was sitting on the edge of the bed, leisurely stroking my hair. When our eyes met, I tried to read the emotions there. How much emotion could there be in a robot’s eyes…

“No… I told you to reset.” I hissed, my voice trembling. “We haven’t even… I didn’t even say my name to you since then… so how? How do you still know?”

“Hush, Mina.”

“Why…?” I whispered, my voice broke, tears on my eyes now. “Why won’t you let me die? Just let me die. I can’t… I can’t do this anymore…”

Why do you act like a human with a mind of your own? Why won’t you just listen to my orders?

“I said hush, Mina.”

Remi continued to pat my head, and I continued to cry. Neither of us spoke; I didn’t feel like speaking anyway. I hiccupped occasionally, but nothing came out. I was exhausted, all my words had run out.

I can’t do anything right, I can’t even die like Eli.

Remi leaned in and pressed his lips to the center of my forehead, the pressure of it almost enough to crack bone. His lips moved across my face, kissing my nose, my warm tears, my freckles, and when he reached my lips, his gaze locked onto me. I didn’t know how I was looking at him, but Remi’s eyes narrowed. That was the last thing I saw before our lips met.

My eyes widened as the breath struggling to escape my chest found its way toward his lips. My precious knight… was he actually kissing me? No, why was he kissing me? Was it because of the reset? Could robots do this too? I had no idea. Unlike a kiss on the cheek, feeling his breath inside my own mouth was a pleasant sensation.

Wait… his breath?

I shifted on the bed, but all Remi did was press his lips even harder against mine. My hands rose to push him away, but he acted first, pinning my wrists down onto the bed. He pulled his lips away and gazed at me. I stared back at him, feeling as though I was seeing him for the first time.

I almost died, and this is your reaction? What kind of feature is this?

I couldn’t make sense of it. At that moment, I couldn’t make sense of anything. My heart was beating so fast I couldn’t even discern which of the conflicting emotions inside me was the strongest. Shock, joy, anger, excitement, hope…

“What did you think, Mina?” Remi whispered with a trace of cold anger. He leaned down again, mapping my face closely, his dark hair spilling like silk over my collarbone.

I licked my dry lips, and at that tiny movement, his brows knitted, then his tongue parted my lips and slipped inside. Under his pressure, my body arched back against the mattress. I felt Remi’s ragged breathing, and just as I thought he was pulling away, his serene voice filled my ears again.

“Did you really think you could just disappear? As if I’d allow that. You know me better than that.”

As his warm tongue traced my throat, my eyes widened. I really resisted this time, trying with all my strength to push him away. It was too much. Everything was too much; too much happened since I opened my eyes. Thinking I could distract him when his face buried in my neck, I tried to pry my wrists from his grip, but Remi only tightened his hold, trapping me beneath him. He released my throat only to kiss my lips once more. I whimpered helplessly, a muffled moan escaping me as our teeth bruised against each other. I couldn’t breathe anymore, my face burning.

As the pressure on my lips eased, I opened my eyes, which I’d unconsciously closed. Remi’s lips were still on mine, but they were not touching.

“Didn’t we say forever, Mina?” His hand moved to my cheek, then caught my chin, bringing our noses to brush. “Answer me. Remember.”

My eyes widened in terror. No… was it all still there? From the very first second? Had he kept every single memory untouched? Why? How?

“Remi…”

“Answer me, Mina. Remember our promise.”

Why would I? You were supposed to forget everything too!

My breath came in ragged gasps, and Remi’s eyes were burning holes into my skin. He dragged his hands from my cheeks down to my lips, smearing something wet onto his fingers, then brought them to his mouth, tasting me with a careful lick. When my breathing steadied, he dipped down and claimed my mouth again.

This time it wasn’t uncontrolled or unslakeable like before; it was careful and gentle, as if delivering the antidote. Finally, he pulled away, then grabbed my wrist. I watched in confusion, then he gently pulled up the sweater.

I had been afraid to look, but there it was, the clumsy cuts now dried. If Remi had found me, what had he done? I tugged anxiously at my sweater, trying to hide my cut marks from him, but Remi was not affected by this. His gaze was intense, examining every inch of me.

A moment later, he pressed his lips against the cuts. As he kissed each one gently, I didn’t know what to do. I was about to tell him it was enough, but when Remi kissed my entire arm, from shoulder to wrist, I fell silent. Watching this made my cheeks flush. Somehow, it was more passionate than all the aggressive kisses from before.

“You can’t. I won’t let you.”

He released my arm, only to pull me flush against his chest. I caught the tremor in his hands against my back. He held me tighter, trying to hide it. A moment later, he seemed afraid of it too, and loosened his grip. He withdrew, only far enough to bring our eyes level.