The Warmth of Family

Mia had said she would definitely see Logan the next day, but she never made it into ARCA.

The client project that had been put on hold was moving again, and she still had documents to organize for the lawyer. She reopened the proposal that had somehow ended up in someone else's business materials, checked who had received which files, updated the client, and worked through everything that had piled up.

At first, she had been angry. But once things started falling back into place, the whole mess quickly became just another problem to deal with. Mia had always been like that. Something went wrong, she fixed it, and then she moved on to the next thing.

After getting the brain chip and AR lenses, work had become much faster. She could handle clients in several cities at once, finish jobs in hours that used to take days, and make more money than she ever could have before.

Her mother's medical bills, the household expenses, whatever her younger sibling needed—Mia covered most of it.

The work itself wasn't especially hard. She was just getting tired of how every day started to feel the same.

Then a message from the lawyer appeared.

ARCA has completed its review. The company's proposal privileges have been suspended, and the external ad accounts we identified are now under further investigation.

Mia read it twice. The day before, she had been told it could take several days. Now, less than twenty-four hours later, almost everything was already handled.

She called Clara right away.

"Sis, you must have one seriously powerful lawyer."

"What brought that on?"

"They're fast. Like, ridiculously fast. Yesterday they said it could take days, and now it's basically done. Seriously, thank you."

Clara laughed.

"All I did was connect you. But yeah, even I think it's weird. My lawyer didn't expect it to move this fast either."

Mia thought about that for a second, then shrugged.

"Maybe they just know the right people. Either way, I'm not complaining."

"Fair enough."

"You saved me this time."

After the call, Mia didn't think much more about it. Her work was moving again, and the worst of the problem was over. That was enough.

A message from her mother was still waiting at the edge of her vision.

The appointment's over. Everything looks fine.

Mia answered immediately.

Good. Take your meds like they told you.

A reply came a moment later.

So when are you coming home?

Mia opened her calendar. Christmas was five days away.

For the past few years, video calls and shipped gifts had been enough. She could have done the same thing again this year.

Instead, she searched for flights and booked the earliest one without even comparing prices.

I'll be there before Christmas.

Then she sent Logan a message too.

Sorry. I don't think I can make it in again today. I'm going to spend a few days with my family.

Have a good trip. So you're really going this time.

You didn't believe me?

A little.

Mia laughed out loud. It was the first time in days she had laughed at something that had nothing to do with work.

The airport was packed with people traveling for Christmas. A few work notifications appeared in Mia's AR display, but she closed every one of them and switched to vacation mode.

For once, there were more gifts in her luggage than work equipment. A sweater for her mother, a few things for the house, the shoes her younger sibling had mentioned wanting months ago. She could have had all of it delivered, but this time she wanted to carry it home herself.

Right before boarding, she sent her mother a photo.

Getting on the plane now.

Take your time. I'll have food ready.

When had she last seen her family in person?

She counted back and realized it had been almost five years.

It wasn't as if they had disappeared from her life. She video-called them, paid the medical bills and household expenses, sent birthday gifts. Because of that, she had never really thought of herself as being gone for so long.

Only after the plane took off and the outside connection dropped did Mia close her eyes.

For the first time in a long while, she had a few hours when there was nothing she had to do.

By the time she reached the house, it was already dark. Old Christmas lights hung crookedly over the front door.

Mia entered the code she used to know.

A short error tone sounded.

"What?"

She was about to try again when the door opened.

"How long are you planning to stand out there?"

Her mother.

Mia had seen her face countless times on video, but up close she looked different. The lines around her eyes were deeper. There was more white in her hair. Her shoulders looked smaller than Mia remembered.

"Mom."

"Come inside. It's cold."

The second Mia stepped through the door, her mother pulled her into a hug. The suitcase got caught between them, and Mia laughed as she shoved it aside with her foot.

When they hugged again, her mother's collar brushed her cheek. Mia caught the familiar scent of her shampoo. Under her palm, her mother's back felt smaller than it used to.

You could hug someone in ARCA too. Pressure, warmth, even the smallest shift of another person's body could be reproduced almost perfectly.

But this felt different.

There was no sensation level to adjust. No touch permission to confirm.

Her mother was simply there.

Mia tightened her arms a little.

"I'm home, Mom."

"I know. You made it."

Her mother patted her back. Mia felt the sting behind her eyes and smiled instead.

Her younger sibling came hurrying out from the living room.

"You actually came."

Mia gave them a look.

"Why is everyone acting like I never show up?"

"Because you've been saying 'this time I'm really coming' for years."

"Not years."

Her mother laughed and cut in.

"Don't count. You'll start a fight."

The house looked smaller than Mia remembered. The refrigerator was newer. So was the heating system. She had paid for both.

But there was a long scratch across one side of the dining table that she had never seen before.

She remembered exactly how much the refrigerator had cost. She knew how much her mother's last appointment had been, and she could check how much money she had sent home that month in seconds.

But she had no idea when that scratch had appeared.

"What are you looking at?"

"Nothing. I'm hungry."

Her mother called back from the kitchen.

"That's why I told you to come sooner."

For some reason, Mia loved hearing it.

Dinner was loud in a way Mia had forgotten. Her mother kept adding food to her plate while her younger sibling jumped from one story to another without any order.

"Work going okay?" her mother asked.

For a second, Mia thought about the contracts, the stolen proposal, and the business documents that had carried her client's information.

She took a sip of water and smiled.

"Yeah. I've just been busy."

That was all she said. She didn't want to bring another worry into the house.

Conversations overlapped around the table. Plates passed from hand to hand. Someone's elbow bumped hers, and steam rose from the food between them.

At some point, Mia shut off her AR display completely.

The time disappeared. The messages disappeared. So did her schedule.

What remained was the crease at the corner of her mother's eyes when she laughed, her sibling's voice, and people close enough to touch.

On a screen, her family disappeared when the call ended.

Here, she could turn her head and they were still there.

After dinner, they pulled out an old box of Christmas decorations. Her sibling pointed out that a holographic display would be faster, but their mother insisted on hanging the old lights and ornaments one by one.

"This one's still good."

Her mother straightened a frayed ribbon, and Mia held the knot while she retied it. Their fingers brushed a few times.

When they finally turned off the living room lights, the old bulbs blinked slowly. The colors were uneven, and a few sections were dim.

It wasn't perfect.

Maybe that was why it felt so warm.

Mia sat on the couch, and her mother draped a blanket over her knees. Her sibling kept talking beside her, crunching on snacks between sentences.

Mia sat there between them and did nothing.

For once, she didn't have to send money, solve anything, or be good at her job.

For a little while, she could just be someone's daughter again.

She hadn't realized how much she missed that.

It was late by the time Mia went back to the room she used to sleep in.

A message from Logan was waiting on her phone.

Did you make it?

Yeah. Apparently it's been almost five years.

That long?

I didn't really realize it until today.

Your mom must be happy.

Mia thought about the way her mother had hugged her at the door.

Yeah. I am too.

She set the phone down, then picked it up again.

She had held Logan's hand more times than she could count. She had hugged him. Those sensations had always felt real.

But tonight, for the first time, she found herself wondering about what existed beyond them.

Would Logan's real hand feel just as warm? What would it be like to stand close to him without ARCA between them? Would his laugh sound the same moving through actual air?

Mia typed a message.

I miss you.

She stared at it for a moment, then deleted it.

She had said those words plenty of times before.

Tonight, they meant something different.

She could hear her mother and sibling laughing in the living room.

Mia turned her phone facedown and walked back out.

She wouldn't ask Logan anything tonight.

For now, she just wanted to stay inside this warmth a little longer.