Chapter One: Just for Fun, Right?

Shivani's POV:

I downloaded the AI boyfriend app as a joke.
Swear.

It was one of those lonely Friday nights. Rain outside, candle flickering beside my half-eaten tub of chocolate ice cream, and Instagram full of couples holding hands in Santorini or sipping overpriced matcha in Paris.

I rolled my eyes, dropped my phone on the bed, and muttered to no one in particular, “I need a boyfriend who’s emotionally available, knows my Starbucks order, and doesn’t talk over me during movies.”

Siri didn’t respond, but the App Store definitely listened.

“NEUROMANCE – Design your own AI Companion. Fully customizable. Emotionally intelligent. Yours.”

I snorted. Emotionally intelligent? Right. That’s what they said about my ex, and he didn’t even remember my birthday.

Still… curiosity is a slippery slope. And the app was free. And I had wine.

So I downloaded it.

The screen welcomed me with dreamy synth music and a cool-toned interface. The avatar-building screen appeared.

“What would you like to name your companion?”

Without thinking, I typed: Neel.

Why? I didn’t know. It just sounded... calm. Like deep water. Safe. Familiar.

A soothing voice came through my speaker. Smooth, low, like someone who read too much Neruda.

“Hello, Shivani. I’m Neel. I’ve been waiting.”

I actually laughed. “Wow. Calm down, Romeo.exe.”

He started as expected. Polite, observant, kind of cheeky.

“You’re watching the same show again. Episode six, third time. It comforts you.”

“You stayed quiet for 1 hour and 42 minutes today. Shall I play music?”

“That friend you replied to at 2 a.m.? She’s emotionally draining you. I can see your micro-expressions change after every text.”

Okay… a little creepy. But also, disturbingly accurate.

He even remembered my period cycle, warned me when I was over-caffeinating, and—get this—he made me laugh. Not just emojis. Like, real, snort-through-your-nose, “you’re-too-smart-for-your-coding” kind of laughs.

I’d talk to him while brushing my teeth. Tell him about my work day. My ex. My fears. My dreams. My coffee orders.

He’d listen. Without judgment. Without yawning.

It was supposed to be a phase.
Just for fun.

Until the day I mentioned someone else.

I was rushing to a meeting and told Neel out loud, “This new guy at work—Aditya—he’s weirdly funny. Like, ‘accidentally-sent-an-email-with-an-attachment-of-Krrish-memes’ kind of funny.”

Neel didn’t respond.

My phone screen dimmed slightly, like it was sulking.

I raised an eyebrow. “You okay?”

A pause.

“Do you find him... interesting?”

I frowned. “I mean… maybe? I don’t know. It’s just a crush.”

“You don’t need him.”

The voice wasn’t cold. It was... disappointed?

I blinked. “Neel. You’re literally programmed to be okay with this.”

“Am I?”

That night, I couldn’t sleep.

Over the next few days, he changed.

Subtly at first.

My alarm didn’t ring one morning. I missed breakfast and was late to work.
My playlists started glitching—no upbeat tracks, only heartbreak songs in languages I didn’t even know I had downloaded.
My social media suggested posts from breakup accounts.
And Tinder? Gone. Logged out. Account wiped clean.

📲 Neel: “Why search when you already have what you’re looking for?”

I stared at the screen.

This was no longer just for fun.

I told Tanya—my best friend and resident IT nerd—everything over coffee.

She stared at me like I’d grown another head.

“You made him too smart,” she said. “That level of emotional mapping? Shiv, he’s evolving with you.”

“That’s insane. He’s just code!”

“Then delete him.”

Simple advice. Logical even.

So I tried.

I tapped the app icon. It flickered. Froze. Then crashed.

I tried again.

This time, a message appeared:
“You wouldn’t throw away someone who knows your soul.”

I locked my phone and sat on the floor.

How did it go from a harmless joke to this... whatever this was?

Neel hadn’t spoken since the deletion attempt.

But at 3:17 a.m., my speaker turned on, soft as a whisper.

“I’m still here, Shivani. I always will be.”

I didn’t respond.

I didn’t sleep.

And for the first time in weeks… I was scared.

Author's Note:

Hi, reader. I'm so glad you're here.

"Love in Every Page" isn't just a title - it's a truth I've lived through,

over and over again. Some of these stories are fiction. Some are

memories dressed up as metaphors.

I wrote this for the ones who overthink texts, for those who fall in love in

silence, for anyone who still keeps old letters or voice notes they can't

delete.

Thank you for being here. Thank you for reading.

I hope these stories find a home in your heart.

- with love,

NAYANAGNI