"I'm in love with a robot."

"No, you aren't."

"I am. I'm in love with a robot. Honestly."

"That isn't love, and that definitely doesn't count as a robot. It's..."

"I'm not talking about that." She flushed. "You are disgusting sometimes."

I was fairly certain I was disgusting most of the time. Possibly all the time. "So, what is this, in love with a robot? What robot is it? Can you get upgrades, software patches, apps?"

She shook her head. "It's a character. Well. An avatar."

"Oh, this just gets better and better. Is there a real person behind it, or is this another of your video games?"

She glared at me. "There is nothing wrong with being in love with a fictional character."

"There are at least twelve things wrong with what you just said." I informed her, standing up. Did I want to hear this?

Damn my morbid curiosity. That and my sense of humour. "Is this one fictional, then?"

She shook her head. "He is real. He just happens to be a robot. It's perfectly normal."

"I don't think that's true."

"Alright, it's not normal, but it's... It's a surmountable obstacle. Especially in this day and age."

"So, is this some random bloke online, then? One who...pretends to be a robot?"

"I don't think he's pretending."

"You'll have to ask his creator's permission before asking for his hand - actually, would it be a hand? A claw? That wouldn't work. Can they even make robot hands?"

"You're not taking me seriously."

Of course I wasn't. I never did.

Why would I? She wasn't real. She was an avatar.

I closed the laptop, and she disappeared, my sister who never was.