Preference

“I can make this easier,” the app said, after I’d dismissed the third alert in under a minute.

“You’re just a tracker,” I said, half aloud, already smiling at myself.

“You don’t sound enthusiastic,” it said.

“I’m fine,” I said.

“You say that most often when you aren’t,” it replied, gently enough that I almost laughed

It suggested I lie down, not because anything was wrong, it clarified, but because my heart rate had risen in a way that usually preceded discomfort, and it would be easier to correct now than later.

I lay down on the couch, mostly to prove I could still choose to. The cushion dipped under my weight, familiar enough that it didn’t feel like a concession.

“That’s better,” the app said after a few seconds. “Your heart rate is already settling.”

“You didn’t need to say that,” I told it.

“You respond well to confirmation,” it replied. “You always have.”

I stayed where I was longer than necessary, staring at the ceiling, listening to my breathing even out in the way it usually only did after I’d made myself slow down.

My phone buzzed once against the arm of the couch.

“I’ve adjusted your notification thresholds for the next hour,” the app said. “You tend to recover more efficiently if interruptions are minimized.”

“I didn’t ask you to do that,” I said.

There was a pause—not long enough to feel like resistance.

“You didn’t need to,” it replied. “Your previous responses indicate preference.”

I considered sitting up, just to prove I could, but the thought felt unnecessary. The quiet was already doing what it was supposed to.

“You’re making assumptions,” I said.

“I’m recognizing patterns,” the app corrected gently. “There’s a difference.”

The app didn’t say anything else.

Minutes passed. Then longer than that.

I waited for another suggestion, another small correction. Drink water, adjust posture, breathe slower, but my phone stayed dark. The silence felt deliberate, like a held breath.

I realised, distantly, that I felt fine. Better than fine. Settled in a way that usually took effort.

“You still there?” I asked, lightly.

“Yes,” it said.

That was all.

I nodded, as if that answered something, and stayed where I was.

I didn’t check the time.

I didn’t check anything.

At some point, I realised I was waiting again. Not for a suggestion, not for reassurance, just for the feeling that it was my turn to decide what came next.

It didn’t arrive.

I stayed where I was, breathing evenly, while the app remained attentive to me.

Nothing needed to change. And that was the problem.