by Gigi Marlowe
"Perhaps," Jill looked at Dillon. He locked eyes with her. "Or perhaps it takes an intelligent man to know when a woman has enough courage to stay by his side no matter his station in life."
Lewis barked a laugh, breaking the moment between Jill and Dillon. "You'll have to bestow more of your wisdom on me during dinner, Jill." He took Jill's arm in his. "If you were in my life, I doubt I would have had my heart broken." Jill looked back at Dillon, who followed her and Lewis into the restaurant.
That evening, Jill watched Dillon closely from her seat in between Lewis and Ida. Her best friend sat quietly across from her, which caused an odd sense of loneliness in her. It didn't matter to her that Lewis tried his best to win her undivided attention with entertaining stories of his various adventures. All Jill wanted to do was talk to Dillon. Dillon, for his part, did not act as miserable as she suspected he felt. She was sure that Lewis's comment had brought back unpleasant memories of Abigail, and she regretted that she couldn't spend the evening distracting him from his thoughts.
After a generous meal of coq au vin, followed by a slice of devilishly delicious triple chocolate layer mousse cake, Jill heard the gentle strokes of a grand piano begin to play softly. Jill closed her eyes and began to sway very subtly in her seat as a violin joined the melody.
Someone gently tapped her shoulder. She opened her eyes and saw Dillon standing next to her. Wordlessly he reached for her hand and pulled her out of her seat. Leading her to the dance floor he pressed her against him. “There goes my heart beating…” the words of Calum Scott's song "You Are the Reason" serenaded Jill and Dillon.
"Are you okay?" Jill asked as she laid her head against his chest. She could hear the soft murmur of his heart thundering through his clothes. Her own heart started to keep a steady pace with his.
"We haven't danced since prom." He sighed against her hair. "Why don't we do this more often?" Jill relaxed into Dillon's arms. She thought back to that night years ago. Back then, Dillon had held her at arm's length as they’d swayed tentatively. Now, Dillon firmly held her in his arms and confidently moved her across the dance floor. Jill felt like they were the only ones in the room. She hummed softly.
"I missed you tonight," she admitted, feeling sheepish.
"Me too. Even though you were right there, it felt like you were so far away." His hand tightened around hers.
"I would have rather been sitting with you." Jill lifted her head and gazed into Dillon's eyes. "I thought," she struggled to express how worried she had been about him. "I didn't want you to feel alone."
"Then stay with me." Dillon held her closer. Jill couldn't grasp her feelings. She was overwhelmed by the desire to do exactly as Dillon said. She knew that she needed to sort through her emotions, but for the moment she was content to enjoy the here and the now. The song ended too quickly since she wanted to stay wrapped in Dillon's embrace for the rest of the night.
When the two returned to the table, Jill was surprised to see that Lewis had left and Richard and Ida were now sitting next to each other. When she asked Ida about his sudden disappearance, Ida had explained that Lewis had decided to head home for the night. Richard and Ida stayed and talked with Dillon and Jill for another hour before the four them decided to head back as well.
"I'm glad you came, Jill," Dillon said. They stood outside her hotel door. Dillon's suit jacket hung casually over one of his arms, and he held her black pumps in his hand.
"It was fun," Jill grinned.
"Will you come to my lecture tomorrow?" Dillon asked her.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world," she promised. Instinctively she stretched on her tiptoes and gently kissed his cheek. Her eyes widened as she realized what she had just done. Dillon's face looked pleasantly surprised. "Goodnight," she said closing the door softly behind her.
The next morning, Jill didn't see Dillon until she was seated in the auditorium, waiting for his lecture. She caught a glimpse of him behind the curtain. He looked just as handsome today as he had yesterday. She tried her best to focus on his lecture. Dillon had a way of explaining the benefits of utilizing artificial intelligence in a way that made it easy for even the most ill-informed person to follow. His demeanor during his speech was easy and casual. Listening to him felt more like having a conversation with a friend rather than hearing a lecture from someone more intelligent than most people in the room.
During the middle of his lecture, Dillon's eyes swept the room and landed on Jill. He smiled subtly at her and intentionally looked at her several times throughout the remainder of his presentation. Jill found herself wondering how she had never thought about the fact that there was more to Dillon than just her best friend. Mulling over her changing feelings for Dillon she realized that she wasn't sure where they were surfacing from. She also knew that she was nervous about what they meant. Dillon's friendships meant too much for her to take this lightly and she wasn't sure what she would do if she were to lose it. Jill tried to picture what it would be like to be with Dillon romantically. The idea immediately made her blush as she thought about her lips brushing against his.
"Artificial intelligence holds the key to our advancement. No matter how unknown the territory may feel at times, we must continue to explore it." Dillon's words broke through her swirling thoughts. She noticed that he was looking directly at her. "As a very courageous friend of mine told me once, 'the fear of the unknown cannot keep us from taking steps towards our future. If we were to let it, we could forfeit our futures completely.'" Dillon winked at Jill as the audience applauded him. Jill realized that she had told Dillon that right before they had graduated high school. How could he remember that after all this time?
Watching Dillon exit the stage she wondered if, like her, he had ever considered the possibility that there was more to Jill than just a best friend. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. It didn't matter if Dillon had experienced feelings similar to her own at one time. She was sure that he wasn't feeling them now. You're not his type, she thought to herself as she stood and adjusted her skirt. She wasn't here to fall in love with her best friend; she was here to learn more about AI, and that's what she was determined to do. She would conquer her feelings just like she had conquered every other goal she had set for herself.
Chapter 5
Dillon surveyed the room before him for at least the tenth time. When they had begun, he had observed that the majority of the audience members were people who had attended his speech the day before. So far, every question posed to the group had been intellectually challenging and rewarding. His only disappointment was that no one had asked Jill a question. Dillon was eager for Jill to show the audience, and herself, how knowledgeable she really was. He had hoped someone would ask about the medical uses of artificial intelligence so that Jill could answer, but that had not been the case thus far.
As question after question was volleyed between the panel speakers, Dillon saw Jill's nerves grow more and more tense. Dillon remembered how nervous Jill could become while waiting. He had seen her overthink situations and psych herself out right before she was ready to begin. Dillon had perpetually been confused by how someone so intuitive could stand in the way of her own success. Today, it saddened him to see her so insecure about the depth of her intelligence. Jill was so much smarter than she gave herself credit for. While he did acknowledge that it could be intimidating to be surrounded by some of the best researchers and most intelligent innovators in the technology world, he also knew that Jill could hold her own. She was just as much of an intellectual giant as anyone else here. He just hoped that someone would ask a question about the use of artificial intelligence in the healthcare field so that Jill could see that for herself.
Just then, a petite blonde woman approached the microphone. Her golden hair was curled very softly and framed her perfectly sculpted face. Dillon blinked as a wave of unwanted emotion crashed into him. The woman reminded him so much of Abigail. She had a grace about her, a sophistication, that was undeniable.
"By all means," Dillon said, "ask away."
"I noticed during your speech yesterday that you mentioned the untapped potential for artificial intelligence use in healthcare. Can you expand on that?"
"Of course. I believe that while artificial intelligence is currently being used to enhance our accessibility and usability of medicine, it is not being used to its full potential. We have focused so much on using smart computers to help us diagnose problems and enable us to reach more patients without having more doctors, that we have overlooked the possibility to develop more intelligent devices to raise the quality of life for humans around the world."
The woman smirked at Dillon. “Please clarify. Across the United States, there have been several universities that have built wearable heart monitors and other devices that are increasing the quality of life significantly. Why, the scientists at the University of Pittsburgh are already working on a prosthetic that links wires from the machine to the brain. What more can there be?" She pursed her lips.
Dillon knew that he could answer this woman's question in a blink of an eye. She was trying to outfox him, and maybe she could have if he had not been prepared for these types of questions. He knew of the research she was talking about, and he admired it greatly. But he also knew that he could see a more significant benefit from just having one prosthetic arm that was able to utilize pressure sensitivity.
He looked at Jill and saw her mouth pressed in a firm line. Jill had always had a way of inspiring those around her with her passion. It had been Jill that helped him see a new facet for using artificial intelligence and prosthetic research. He had merely wanted to make a better prosthetic, but Jill had inspired him to want to help the lives of children around the world. Dillon knew that she needed to be the one to answer this question.
"I think my associate, Ms. Sinclair, can answer that question best." Jill shot him a warning look. Dillon knew that she had not expected him to do this. Maybe she hoped that since no questions had been directed at her, she could go through the entire panel without speaking. However, Dillon knew that she needed to show everyone the Jill he knew. The Jill who was fearless and courageous in the face of new experience.
"I think you would be better suited for my question, Mr. Quinn," the woman objected.
Jill leaned forward in her chair. "I am fully capable of answering your question, Ms. ?" Jill raised a curious eyebrow at the woman.
"Haverfield." Dillon instantly recognized the name. She came from a well-established investment family. He was unsure if Jill knew that she was talking to the daughter of a renowned researcher and investor.
"Ms. Haverfield, Jill continued, completely unaffected, "I'm very familiar with the research you're referring to. And while that research does hold many benefits for individual users, one of the underlying negatives of that prosthetic is that it is complicated to reproduce. This means that only a limited number of people can receive a prosthetic with the capability of understanding the environmental stimuli that surround it."
Dillon turned to Jill and fought not to beam at her. He could see that she was sinking into her sweet spot. As Jill leaned closer to her microphone, Dillon saw that her innate poise lent itself to natural confidence.
"Imagine the unlimited benefits of having an easily reproducible prosthetic that could not only respond to pressure but also have built-in sensors to communicate with the environment like your hand does. While there have been individual moves towards making such a prosthetic, research currently focuses on trying to replicate one portion of our hands’ or limbs’ characteristics."
Ms. Haverfield's face took on an appreciative look. "Now consider," Jill continued, "if we could create such a prosthetic and then we could make it feel and look just like our hand. It would be seamless. We would no longer have to worry about patients disassociating a prosthetic with their body. We could eliminate phantom pains."
"Such a feat seems almost inconceivable," Ms. Haverfield argued. "And even if we were to produce such a device, it would surely be the most elite technology in the world."
"When we do produce that device," Jill corrected, "it will be the most elite technology in the world. But it will also be the most accessible. Artificial intelligence is a relatively new field of technology. The capabilities of it are endless. For some reason, society has deemed it acceptable to make cell phones accessible that can learn our behavior and predict what apps we will want to use at what time. But the same society has deemed it impossible to create prosthetics that function as seamlessly as someone’s own limbs. The ramifications of this research would produce a better quality of life for individuals across the entire world."
"Surely you don't mean that people in underdeveloped countries would be able to receive this technology," Ms. Haverfied sneered.
"Of course. Underdeveloped countries should be among the first to receive this technology." Silence stretched across the room. Fearlessly, Jill continued. "What sense of justice and human compassion would have us withhold from anyone the very technology that could create a better quality of life. The country of your birth does not dictate your worth. Individuals living in underdeveloped nations deserve the same advantages derived from technology, goods, and services as everyone else." As Ms. Haverfield left the microphone, Dillon wanted to get to his feet and applaud Jill's intelligent answers. She had been just the right combination of diplomatic, polite, and gutsy.
Dillon's heart felt like soaring. Jill's answer had opened an onslaught of questions for her about the medical use of artificial intelligence. Questions, which she answered readily as they ranged from using smartphones to help doctors diagnose patients on the go, to creating wearable data recorders for terminally ill patients, to whether artificial intelligence could be used to create a full body scanner for paraplegic patients. Dillon could tell that Jill enjoyed stretching her mind. At the end of the panel, Dillon pulled her into a tight hug.
"I am so proud of you!" he said. His heart raced as he felt Jill lean into him. He could feel the soft curves of her body melt effortlessly into his. An unexpected feeling of warmth radiated through his body. Quickly, he released Jill and cleared his throat. He had been struggling with these new feelings for the past couple of days. Suddenly, he saw Lewis's lanky body strolling up to them.
Dillon frowned. This was not the person he wanted to see right now. Ever since Lewis had met Jill the day before, he had been struck with an odd sense of protective jealousy over Jill. He had never had a problem with Lewis before, but the man's sudden interest in Jill irritated him to no end.
"Jill," Lewis said with his arms outstretched, "you were sublime!" Lewis enveloped Jill in a quick hug. To Dillon's dismay, he saw that, when Lewis released Jill, her cheeks held a slight flush. Could Jill possibly be interested in such a devilish man? Jealousy overtook Dillon. He did not feel comfortable letting anyone else hold Jill, even for an instant. Dillon wasn't sure why or when he had begun to be drawn to Jill the way that he did. But, he had noticed it first when they had arrived at the convention. It was true that he’d always had a deep connection to Jill, but until then he had always taken that love to be the same kind of love a brother has for his sister. Not anymore.
"Thank you,” she said to them both. Jill's eyes darted to Dillon's, and he wished with all his heart that Lewis would just leave. His presence irked Dillon more than he would ever let on.
A brilliant idea struck Dillon. He knew exactly how to get Jill alone and, more importantly to him, away from Lewis. "Jill, you and I should go out for lunch to celebrate your wild success," With smug satisfaction he noted that Lewis's jaw clenched
. Good, he thought to himself. Lewis needs to understand that Jill is not a woman he can conquer. Jill would never be Lewis's because she-- Shock ran through Dillon. He realized that he had been about to finish that thought with the phrase 'was his.' Had he fallen for Jill without even realizing it? Had his brotherly affection turned into something more?
"That would be scrumptious," Jill chimed. She licked her lips in anticipation. Dillon's eyes lingered over the way her tongue delicately traced the outline of her full mouth and wondered what her lips would feel like. It took every bit of self-control to squash the urge to groan in sheer frustration. What was he to do about these feelings? Jill was his best friend, she was not someone he could have a relationship with. But, he wondered, hadn't he heard somewhere that you should marry your best friend?
Lewis broke through Dillon's thoughts by throwing a casual arm over Jill's shoulder. Dillon combated the urge to slap his arm away. How dare Lewis presume that he could flirt so shamelessly with Jill. She was a woman of class. "Maybe I should join you? I'm sure Jill would enjoy my company," Lewis winked at Jill. Dillon was mortified. What if Jill did enjoy Lewis's company more than his? Lewis was an attractive young man and someone who definitely entertained her with his antics. Even though Dillon knew that he had growing romantic feelings for Jill, he was unsure if she felt the same way he did. Could she ever see him as more than a friend? What would he do if she did? Could he be as brazen as Lewis? Should he?
Before Dillon could think of a quick retort to Lewis, Jill chuckled. She unwrapped Lewis's arm from around her shoulders and jokingly said, "I think Ida was right, you know. You really are a scoundrel," she smiled brightly at Lewis, making Dillon's heart sink.