Living with Seven

                                    

                                          
The first full day was odd for Nicole for she was not used to someone always there. Not that he attached himself to her hips or anything like that. He made a nice breakfast with her coffee ready. He cleaned the house as she typed. He waited until she went on her walk to vacuum the floors. Lunch was ready when she got back. She ate as he asked about how she like done in the house. She told him, letting him know that he was doing a great job already. He smiled at the praise she gave to him. She worked on the novel until dinner where they talk about what she was writing about. Nicole found it nice to have someone to talk about her passion with. Sure, it was in his programming, it was still nice though.
Today, he was looking over the paperwork that the lawyer had sent over to her house. Seven had been there a total of five days now.  She handed it to Seven who immediately sat down on the couch and started to read over it. Nicole watched as his eyes scanned the pages slowly. She was sitting on the papasan chair across him as Seven read. She played with a rip in her jeans. 
Seven was dressed in a black t-shirt and a pair of grey cargo pants. The suit he came with was hanging up in the closet in his room. Nicole did not realize how dusty her house was until Seven started to clean. He was covered head to toe in dust. Luckily, the clothes that Matthew left fit Seven, just a bit loose in the waist. A belt fixed that problem. Now he had several choices to choose from. Nicole picked him up a pair of regular shoes and pack of socks.
"I find nothing that will bind you into a pickle, darling. It is a clean cut, separation over differences. You will have the house, and no one will have to pay the other anything and his lawyer is on retainer, so he is already being paid." Seven looked up from the paperwork.
"So, signing it will dissolve my marriage and everyone can go their own way?" Nicole sighed, her shoulders a bit slumped. She never thought she would be getting a divorce, but here she was.
"Yes. I know this is something you never wanted, but the fact it will only hurt you to hold on. For your own sake, darling. Let it go." Seven voiced. Nicole eyed at him suspiciously like he was going to break out in song at any moment. "No worries, I am not Elsa." Seven handed her the paperwork.  Nicole took a pen she was had in her pocket and signed it.
"I am going to change and take this to the lawyers. After that, we can go to the farmer's market." Nicole stool up. Her jeans were old, holey, and comfortable. She was dressed in a plain blue shirt and had a blue flannel tied around her waist.
"Darling, we are just dropping off paperwork, not seeing the judge. You are fine the way you are. Come now." Seven mused, standing from the couch. Nicole looked at herself and agreed. Seven went to grab a flannel from his room while Nicole got her shoulder bag.
Their first stop, the lawyer's office who was happy to see the quick turnaround on paperwork. Then, the farmer's market. Nicole like to walk around the booths, seeing what people were selling, and bought a few things here and there. Seven would comment about items, what dishes he could make, and the prices on a few things. 
There was a Spring festival happening near the farmer's market. They decided to check it out since Nicole had not been to one in years and it was Seven's first festival. They would walk close, without touching, just enjoying the other's company. For the first time in a while, Nicole was genuinely happy.
After coming home, Seven asked why she did not use him for his first intended purpose. "You check on nothing from the sexual or non-sexual folders. Why?" Since he was a learning machine, he was able to ask questions to form hypotheses.
Nicole looked out the window. "It is complication. It is not the act for sex I want. It is the intimacy with another person." She took a breath. "I will not have that again due to my condition, so I don't want to subject anyone to ...disappointment."
"Darling, I was made not to disappoint." Seven responded, nonchalantly.
"I know. You were created to provide pleasure, but I can't bring myself to choose those functions. I guess I want real desire from someone." Nicole explained. Seven nodded, adding the information she provided to better understand he could do for her. Right now, it was to be her friend.
Weeks passed and Seven performed his duties around the house perfectly. He joined Nicole on her walks her for she was just a houseplant with issues and needed sunlight. Nicole added the therapist function on Seven's program since at times, she needed to talk to someone, and no one could make themselves available. 
Seven encouraged to find her friend's book club and try a new hobby. All the group was a bunch of gossipy women who rather talk about people and who they were sleeping with behind their husband's back. Nicole tried to talk about the book they were reading, and she was shot down.
"We don't read here. It is just an excuse to cut loose and have fun." One woman laughed. The scent of mimosa strong on her breath. Nicole excused herself when they started to compare penis sizes. 
The new hobby she first tried had her face to face with Matthew's pregnant mistress. Nicole looked at the slight round belly and Matthew's hand on it. Nicole just walked away, she had to. The sight of everything that was taken from her. Her ability to have children, her husband was too much to bear. She felt sick.
Coming home earlier, Seven met her at the door. When he saw the look on her face, he asked what happened. Nicole started to cry. She could not hold it back anymore. When she felt like she was going to fall down, Seven wrapped her into his arms and held her to his chest. Seven stroke her hair.
"I did not select this function." Nicole voiced, yet she was not pulling away. Her arms went around his waist.
"I am learning about what you need. Right now, you need this." Seven held her tight. He was right, she needed to be held. Nicole learned that Seven had to the capabilities to override certain functions to allow or shut down. When it came to the sexual functions, he only had the ability to shut down, not allow.
Nicole allowed the hugging function to stay. Seven was warm and smell like gingerbread. She tried not the take advantage of the function, but she had to admit it to herself that him hugging her felt good.