A Moment's Pause Digimon

"Sir," she cooed, sliding next to me, "I really think you should reconsider my...proposal..." Her arm snaked around my shoulders as she drew herself closer, closer...

I tried to ignore her, and continued to read the paper. After a minute or so like that, she withdrew.

"You know, you really know how to give a girl the cold shoulder." She paused, shaking out her arm. "/SIR/" she added, drawing it out.

I turned the page. She could make even something like a new stoplight seem fascinating by comparasion.

"Sir, talk to me."

/How about not?/ I thought to myself, smirking.

"Sir..."

I stopped. Her tone of voice had changed, from her usual venomous one to a soft, almost hurt one.

I caught a hint of myself in it, a ghost from my past that I tried to ignore.

"...Arukenimon?" I asked cautiously, looking at her.

At the mention of her name, she stood up straight, moving her glasses up as far as they would go and turning back towards me. "Sir."

"...You're wasting your time on me." I had to speak the truth, after all. It seemed the other side of me was keeping quiet. He liked to string her along.

Behind the shades, her eyes darted away from me. "...is there someone else?"

/There was...someone I would have given everything for.../ "No."

"Don't lie to me, sir."

I hadn't programmed her for that, either. But perhaps having my data in her was having an unexpected effect.

I stood, going over to her. Despite her reflexes, she only seemed to notice me when I was right in front of her, taking her hand. A step back was the only move she made, though.

The fabric of her glove felt familar, like a policeman's coat tossed over the back of the couch. But I couldn't dwell on that. If I did, if I even thought about him, things I couldn't predict would start happening.

"Sir...?" she asked at length, shaking me from my reverie.

"Don't waste your time on me, Arukenimon." I saw my other creation outside, sitting on the front stoop. "There's someone who could give you everything you want. Don't let it go to waste."

I almost want to finish that with 'like I did', but instead I fall silent.

She pulls her hand back with a jolt. "He's useless. I don't know why you hired him. Where did you get that load, anyway?"

She can complain all she wants. I return to my paper.