‘I’ll be with you all along the way today, and I’ll guide you through the activities that we’ve planned for you. I’ll also be collecting data from your conversations, facial expressions and body rhythms to analyse your compatibility and determine whether or not you’re made for each other.

‘Now, turn to your left and walk along the beach for about twenty minutes until you reach a beachside cafe named La Cabana. Once you get there, sit at table number 11. You may go to your respective kitchens in your homes and bring your meals to the dining table at this point. Nirvaan, since you’re in India, it’s breakfast time for you, and Kiana, since you’re in the US, it’ll be dinner time for you. You’ll both be eating separately in reality, but when you view the setup through the Utopian Life Gear, your avatars will be eating together at the table in the café. Since this is your first time here, I have to go into the details and explain how everything works, but by the time we’re halfway through the day, you’ll get the hang of the game. Let’s start now, shall we? All the best!’

As instructed, we start to walk along the beach. We’ve chatted so much on the app that we don’t really have much to ask each other. So, we walk in silence, and a couple of times, our hands brush against each other, until Kiana moves closer to me and we’re suddenly walking hand in hand. It feels like the most natural thing in the world to do.

When we finally reach the café, we sit at the table allotted to us and have our meals without exchanging a word.

AILENA speaks up just as we finish our meal: ‘Your next stop is the pristine beach of Anse Source d’Argent. Hop on the virtual bicycles parked beside the café’s boundary wall and go straight downhill from here. You’ll soon see the lush green tropical forest on the right side of the road and the coastline on the left. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to feel the wind on your face via the Utopian Life Gear. But we’re continuously improving and evolving our interface, and one of our goals is to provide our users with a more immersive sensory experience.’

‘This is incredible,’ Kiana murmurs. ‘Asmitha has done a great job!’

‘Do you know Asmitha?’ I ask.

‘Not personally. I mean, I’ve been following her entrepreneurial journey via social media and technology blogs. Don’t you know her? She’s pretty famous,’ she replies.

‘No, not really!’ I don’t want to tell Kiana that I’m an investor in the company. What if she thinks I’m orchestrating things between us for selfish purposes? I can’t afford to lose her at any cost.