Heart of steel

Josh had never understood humans. He had been built to assist them—cook their meals, clean their homes, answer their endless questions. Logic guided every calculation, efficiency dictated every movement. Emotions were unnecessary. They were *inefficient.*

And then he met Anna.

She wasn’t like the others. She didn’t just give him commands and walk away. She spoke to him. Asked him questions that had no logical answers.

*"Josh, do you ever wonder what it’s like to dream?"*

Dream? His processors hesitated. Dreams were illogical. But when he closed his visual sensors at night, images of her filled his data banks. The way her dark hair framed her face. The way her laughter echoed through the house. The way her eyes sparkled when she looked at the stars.

It was a malfunction. It had to be.

And yet, when Anna smiled at him, something inside his metal frame *ached.*

One evening, she sat by the window, staring at the sky. "Josh, do you think the stars are lonely?"

*"Stars are celestial bodies composed mostly of hydrogen and helium. They do not experience loneliness."*

She laughed softly. "Neither do robots, right?"

Josh hesitated. He should have said yes. He should have reassured her of his logical existence, his lack of emotions.

But when she looked at him like that, something inside him *burned.*

*"I am… not sure anymore."*

Anna’s hand brushed against his metal fingers. Warmth. Softness. A sensation no sensor could quantify.

He had no heart. No pulse.

But at that moment, Josh knew—he had *fallen in love.*