Lunch Tomorrow, Logan

The next day, Mia arrived at the café an hour earlier than usual. She was only there to finish the work left over from yesterday. It had nothing to do with Logan saying he would be there around lunchtime.

"Did you come early to look at the ocean?"

Rita set down her coffee.

"To work."

"Same as always, then."

But as lunchtime approached, Mia did something unusual. After finishing the urgent revisions, she closed her laptop without accepting another job.

Rita stopped in her tracks.

"Done already?"

"With the urgent work."

"You usually do the nonurgent work too."

"I'm taking a break today."

Before Rita could ask anything else, Mia moved to a table farther inside the café.

Logan had only said he would be there around lunchtime. He hadn't asked to meet again or given her an exact time. It might be lunchtime for her and the middle of the night for him.

Still, she had time left on her free trial.

Mia leaned back in her chair.

"Take me to yesterday's beach."

The café disappeared, and sand formed beneath her feet. In daylight, the ocean looked bright, and the café at the far end of the beach was clearly visible. Mia checked the breakwater first.

No one was there.

She walked down to the water and back. She would take one last look around, then leave.

"You got here first."

She turned and found Logan standing behind her. He wore the same black shirt as yesterday, with one sleeve rolled up.

"I just got here too."

His gaze dropped to the sand. Mia's footprints overlapped between the breakwater and the water's edge.

"We're not trusting the footprints here, are we?"

"Then I guess I saw them wrong."

He was smiling as he said it.

Mia changed the subject first.

"Have you eaten lunch?"

"Not yet. Want to eat together?"

Logan pointed toward the café at the end of the beach.

"You can order real food here too. It gets delivered to wherever you are."

They sat across from each other at a table beneath a wooden roof. The menu was divided into food they could experience virtually and food that could be delivered in the real world. A notice assured them that their delivery addresses would remain private.

They could eat together without explaining where either of them was.

Mia ordered a salad and iced coffee from the café where she was sitting in real life. Logan ordered noodles and water.

A few minutes later, a delivery notification appeared in front of Mia. When she accepted it, part of her vision shifted back to the real table beside her. A café employee had set down her salad and coffee.

She opened the container and picked up her fork. The same bowl and fork appeared on the table in ARCA.

After taking a bite, she looked up. Logan was still waiting for his food across from her.

In reality, she was eating lunch alone. But with someone sitting in front of her, she found herself putting down her fork to talk.

"This feels more natural than I expected."

"What does?"

"Eating together like this."

Logan's food arrived a moment later. He took one bite of his noodles and froze. After slowly swallowing, he took a drink of water.

"Too spicy?"

"I ordered the mild one."

After taking another drink, Logan opened his order details for her to see. The spice level had been set to the highest option.

Mia pointed at it.

"I thought you worked in automation."

"I never said I was good at ordering food."

He pulled the water closer, and Mia finally burst out laughing.

Logan looked at her.

"Is it really that funny?"

"A little."

He set the water down.

"Can I trust that smile?"

Mia blinked.

"What?"

"You told me not to trust the footprints. What about now?"

"This is real."

Logan nodded.

"Good."

Mia took a sip of coffee, then brought up travel.

When she complained about having to arrange her workspace again every time she moved, Logan told her he usually kept about eight AR screens open while he worked.

"You work with eight screens open at once?"

"Yes."

"Do you actually look at all of them?"

"I need every one."

"Everyone says that."

Logan laughed.

"How many do you use?"

"One main screen and maybe a message window."

"That must make it easy to work from anywhere."

"Moving isn't the hard part."

Mia moved her fork through her salad.

"I can go anywhere. Deciding where to go is harder."

Logan didn't ask why. Mia didn't have to search for an explanation.

He picked up another small bite of noodles, then put it back down.

"Order something else."

"It would be a waste."

"Want me to buy it for you?"

Logan looked at her.

"I make good money too."

It was what Mia had said to him yesterday.

"You're copying me."

"You caught me."

Mia laughed. Logan finally reopened the menu. This time, he checked the spice level before placing his order.

Lunch lasted longer than it did when she ate alone. Mia didn't check the time until an alert appeared.

Five minutes until your next appointment.

"I have to go."

"I have a meeting soon too."

They stood. Mia was about to open the logout screen when Logan spoke.

"Want to have lunch again tomorrow?"

She checked her schedule. There was a small opening after her morning meeting.

"I only have twenty minutes."

"Then we'll have twenty minutes together."

Mia looked at him for a moment, then nodded.

"Eleven thirty, my time."

Logan checked the converted time on their shared display.

"Sounds good."

"And order properly tomorrow."

"I'll have you check it first."

Mia logged out. The beach disappeared, and the sights and sounds of the café returned.

She took another sip of her coffee.

It was still cold.

Before opening her laptop, she added an appointment to tomorrow's schedule.

11:30 — Logan. Lunch.

It had been a long time since she had put someone's name on her calendar.