Virtual Ink December 2013//January 2014 | Page 11

PHOTO BY DEARSECRET VIA DEVIANTART.COM ed to watch, each with their own titles, their own plots and inner-complexities. It was truly far less boring than he assumed. He counted the titles of movies on his watch list until he fell asleep. In the morning, he walked into the bathroom and got himself ready to meet Acacia, in real life. During the very short walk over, Tal got his priorities straight, and did some self-analysis. He thought about Acacia, her motives, his motives, and what he was doing. He thought about how quick this was moving, how shallow things were. He pondered all this in a desperate attempt to overcomplicate what boiled down to an axiom. I just want to be close to someone. By that point, he had walked upon the bright green grass, which he had been trudging through in the dark. He had never been outside up until this point. It was absolutely amazing. Tal got to the front of the dome-shaped abode that Acacia lived in. He saw a panel on the chrome colored structure and placed his hand upon it. He heard an alert on the inside, though it was muffled, and Acacia allowed him to enter. The instant he saw her, he was speechless, which honestly didn't mean much considering he had never truly spoken to anyone before. He was seeing Acacia in person. What do I say? As if reading his mind, she simply said, "I think we've already talked enough." referring to their online conversations. He agreed silently. After all, he did just want to be close. Nervously, the both laid down on her bed, sharing a loving gaze for a few seconds. Tal was anxiously wondering what to do next. What should they do in this sterile society, in which no one even sees anyone else face to face, never mind touches them? Tal was the first to make a move. He pressed his hand against Acacia's face, ever so slightly, in such a way that it seemed almost like he was afraid she'd break, as if there might truly be some reason for society's total isolation, but no, not now, not in the slightest. He felt her cheeks contort into a smile. The stigma was meaningless, and so they embraced each other tightly. Tal could feel her breath on his neck, and her soft skin on his face. He could feel her arms tightly wrapped around him. I made it. In a display of innocence at its finest, they fell asleep that way. The next morning, Tal found himself lying on his back, with Acacia resting on his arm. Her alarm sounded, just like his, in a continuous high-frequency tone. Before Acacia could move to shut it off, Tal reached over and silenced it for her. In an instant, she was fully awake, ready to start the day. "You know, Acacia, I think we should watch something." "What, like one of Avius Proliet's movies?" "Nah, let's try something a little different." Tal grabbed the small tablet off Acacia's nightstand, and glided his finger rapidly across the screen, searching for a very unique film. His finger stopped at an old title he had come across while reading up on older famous films, the one 11