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Phone still remembers the first time you two met. Its camera captured the excitement on your face when You chose it instead of the others; love at first sight. Of course, You wouldn’t call it that. It’s just a device, incapable of reciprocating the feeling.

But Phone knows You well enough to finish your sentences, and holds all your memories like a cherished loved one. It gets You a ride when you need it. It sleeps at your side, forever ready for when You wake.

You cherish Phone more than yourself. It is never exposed, always inside a protective case, while You refuse to wear sunscreen. You walk icy ground in sneakers and, when You fall with Phone in your hands, your first instinct is to twist as to hit body first. You are more willing to break bone than screen.

You trust Phone with your life. Every bit of You is on the device, and it keeps your secrets as safe as you want them to be.

In the dark, when Phone is your only company, it does not judge. It is a flashlight when shadows intimidate; entertainment when ennui threatens immolation.

You do not know when exactly Phone became a necessity, but You acknowledge the uselessness of debating its position as such. You might not be lost without it, but you would be left behind.

Phone, and others of its kind, are integral components of the modern machine, as equally important as humans, if not moreso. If people were to suddenly pop out of existence, phones would continue to operate as intended. Any animal can tap one.

But if phones suddenly popped out of existence, nearly everything would come to a grinding halt. Everything would have to change.

You are aware of this. Conscious of how much Phone means to you. Even if you wouldn’t call it love, a therapist would call it an unhealthy dependence, which, in some ways, is love.

Semantics aside, its place as a permanent feature in your life has been ratified. Even now, as it updates and is inaccessible for mere minutes, You feel a tinge of separation anxiety. You stretch and crack your fingers; You are not comfortable when they are idle.

But Phone takes too long to turn back on. Screen lags a second before switching – pressed letters appear in improper order – videos load one frame at a time – all the apps you love to play with won’t go past their logos.

After everything Phone has done for You, there is only one option; upgrade to the one that just came out.

End

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