Why Modern Relationships Feel Empty

He had just looked at her and left.

Six months and then a glance.

Nothing more.

One evening, deep into a bar, they had met.

It couldn’t have been more exciting than that.

Her girl gang and his guy gang had ended up next to each other in a crowded, inhospitable place.

On this particular evening, Nikki would have rather sat at home wrapped in a blanket and watched series or possibly, possibly, had a quiet drink in an equally quiet place with a quiet friend.

Lately, things had been hectic for her.

Personal conflicts had followed one after another and it had affected her schoolwork so much that she got a warning.

Now most things had calmed down and this weekend she should have been home and recharged, but true to her habit, she couldn’t say no when they called and tried to lure her out.

The nightlife was something Nikki found difficult to balance with her poor finances, but there were almost always men ready to invite her and they almost seemed to appreciate her nonchalant attitude when they realized she wasn’t going to follow them anywhere.

That is, if Nikki went to the right places because there were many places where such attitudes could be punished.

But she knew how to play the game, and she knew what to do if things went wrong.

This evening nothing would go wrong because she would not allow anything to happen.

She was tired and wanted to go home but kept up the show because she was still Nikki.

Nikki who was the standing centerpiece of the event and who was gifted with everything that women wanted.

At least that’s what they thought.

Nikki was nothing out of the ordinary, but she had understood early on how women played with each other and how they played against men.

The game.

Always the game.

The friends always sat at each other’s houses the night before, sipping on drinks or white wine and letting their confidences rain down on each other.

But as soon as they went out to the nearest bar, their attitudes changed, and the men became the focus.

She might be tired of that, but she had understood since she was little that everything was a struggle.

And now also a struggle in the digital media where it was no longer about being the prettiest girl in the class but being the prettiest girl in the world.

And on top of that, having the right attitude, friends and surroundings.

How it would work out in the long run, she didn’t understand, but such deep thoughts were rarely given an outlet, even though they were stimulated in her education.

Her university was a combined school, ARTAI-Academy: The Academy of Art and AI; the first of its kind where art and AI were allowed to work across borders.

Nikki was unsure whether the school management had made a wise connection, but she knew nothing about AI, so it remained a wonder, not a statement.

Fredric’s glances slowly reminded her during the evening.

At first, she had barely noticed them, but they came more and more often and more often until she felt she had to act on them.

He was handsome in his suit and radiated the masculinity that she was looking for and longing for.

Yes.

She was that simple and most of the women she knew were that simple.

Lust, attraction and will!

Universal.

The only reason she didn’t pay him more attention was that she hadn’t had good experiences with men with such charisma.

That and that there were always more opportunities to keep men like him waiting.

That and that she was tired.

But in the end, it was as if his gaze was an annoying flashing light.

Like a light she had to turn off in order to sleep.

If she didn’t go to him, his gaze would rub against her before she went to bed, and she couldn’t bear it.

She was convinced that he was one of those guys who would brag about everything he owned.

She had already overheard that they were in the finance industry, so her hopes were low.

She knew finance like a glove in the sense of men and their urges.

Financiers were hungry by nature.

They chased money during the day and women at night and surprisingly many of them liked spanking.

Probably because then they didn’t have to be in control and could just indulge in someone sexually.

Indulging was otherwise their greatest fear in real life.

With those thoughts in mind, she took the few steps towards him and smiled.

“You carry that suit well.

What else in life do you wear?”

Nikki loved what she called “filters.” Filters took her through her entire process of being a woman in a way that made things easier.

Her lines were in her brain, and they weren’t premeditated.

The man would simply ignite a line in her subconscious with his mere revelation and let her do the rest.

So, she waited for his answer and lost her composure a second later.

Maybe intimacy was never supposed to feel this disposable.