I laugh. “Don’t worry. I’m not a fan, either. And I don’t know. I’ve never had a Pocket Girlfriend, Pocket Best Friend, whatever they’re called now.” Books were always my haven, ever since Mama taught me the power of a story. I know Pocket Girlfriends were Teddy’s creation, and I was probably the ideal candidate for a Pocket Friend, because I was so shy. But when I came across a character I loved in a book, I felt like my soul had been seen—its call answered by the author. I didn’t feel hollowed out, manipulated, disconnected, like I suspect I would have with a Pocket Friend, some mindless, beeping thing, no better than the Furby Tai once begged for that I wanted to chuck out the window after an hour.

“Wait. Never? Seriously? Even with your uncle being…?”

“Never.” The liquor bubbles up in me. “He tried to give me one, but I wouldn’t take it. I gave it to Tai.” And I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t stop myself from saying: “It’s just … a little bit sick?”

He frowns. “Good sick? Like, genius?”

“I mean … despicable,” I say. I shouldn’t speak ill of them, but they always gave me the creeps. It felt like a girl was boiled down to this sweet ooze and funneled into a box to be … sex candy for basic dudes. Ooh, I am drunk.

“It changed thousands of peoples’ lives for the better. You don’t see the positive in that?”

My hands close into fists, but my tongue is loose. “I mean, sure, I totally see the allure of a relationship with a robot that’s completely predictable and whose affection is guaranteed.” I fold my arms across my chest, a shiver coming on in my too-bare dress. “It’s clearly a last resort for people with no social skills. Pocket Girlfriends aren’t people. Their affection isn’t real. How can it nourish someone in the same way?”

“You’re clearly privileged enough to never have felt a shortage of love in your life, then.”

I glare at him. “You don’t know me.”

“Well, I do know that they didn’t pick your personality as the root code for the Pocket Girlfriend,” he murmurs, taking a sip from his drink.

“Wow!” I exclaim, drawing concerned looks from Tai and Linos. “I can’t believe you’re defending a robot. Is this really a hill you’re willing to die on? What, have I offended your first girlfriend? How can you not see that buying one of those things screams desperate and sick?”

When I look up, I expect to see his eyes glittering sharp, his mouth forming a comeback. But Hérrakí’s jaw is set, and his hair falls into his eye as he looks at his hands.