Jake had never been in love but looked forward to choosing his bride. The Gubmint had provided a list of twelve possibilities based on his sociability scores. However, given his age, his parents had veto power, as did his potential match's parents.

This was his first foray into Reds, but of course, he did not experience anything that resembled anxiety or apprehension. Such emotions were strictly on the banned list, only allowed through prescription by the Department of Corrections. He was a good boy from a good family and had never experimented with unapproved emotions.

Fourteen was the earliest age for betrothal, but most young adults were not certified until sixteen or seventeen. Jake had always taken his studies seriously and consistently scored at the top of his class for Citizenship and Stability. He was now reaping the rewards.

He started to take his Red capsule but stopped and double-checked the striped code that was the label for Attraction. It would be easy to mix it up with the Red Affection capsule, which he was not scheduled to take until the first in-person meeting. He popped the cap dry and opened the catalog.

He felt a pleasant warmth flush through his body as he spread the holograms across the table. Jake knew what to expect intellectually, but the actual emotion's strength was more compelling than expected.

He had planned on starting with the biographies, specifically reading through hobbies and goals, but found his gaze drawn to the three-inch-tall girls posing on top of the cubes. A particular “type” of a girl had never before interested him, but the two redheads in the group immediately stood out.

He enlarged both to life-size and placed their cubes on the floor to do a walk around. One was tall, thin, and gangly, with a dusting of freckles across her cheeks and slightly upturned nose, while the other was of average height, about two inches taller than his five-foot-two. After the mandatory three-year engagement, he was sure to grow some before they married, so he ignored that aspect.

The second girl was slightly pudgy but glowed with health and vitality, with dimples on her knees that matched those on either side of her naturally bright-red lips. Her green eyes had a sparkle of impishness, and her hair had bright copper highlights, while the taller girl was closer to a strawberry blonde.

He picked up the second girl's fact sheet and read her name, saying it out loud.

“Jenny. Jenny McCarthy. I even like the sound of it. Jake and Jenny. I believe she is the one.”

He turned off the other girls, dialed Jenny’s cube to thumbnail, and placed it back on the table. He scanned Jenny’s bio, but the details were irrelevant to his feelings at this point. He called his parents into the living room, who had been waiting patiently in the kitchen, and showed them his choice. His mother studied the holo while his father read through the expanded bio.

“Fred, don’t you think they will have gorgeous children?”

“I suppose, Alice. More importantly, she shows aptitude in structural genetics and remote robotics, so she’ll fit in well with our family business after graduation. Well, Jake, are you absolutely sure you can spend twenty years with this girl?

I know a standard partnership contract sounds like a lifetime at your age, but worst case, you can file for dissolution after the kids are grown. On the positive side, eighty percent of couples renew for at least a second term these days.”

“You don’t make it sound very romantic, Fred, but your father’s right. We expect to live out our lives together, and I hope the same for you.

“I trust the Gubmint, and I just can’t imagine any problems could come up that emoticons can’t address.”

His father picked several pills from a cup and handed Jake two, a Red, and an Orange, that he had dialed up from the pharmacon in anticipation of success.

“This is Longing. You should take one once a week for a month, then another any time you two are separated more than a week. It is not an especially pleasant emotion, but it is an essential part of the bonding process.

Also, take a Delight cap with the first four dosages. It will take the edge off until your system adjusts. Your mother and I are also allowed a Pride, which should tell you how important this is in our life.”

Jake pretended not to notice the Lust and Arousal caps his father put in his own pocket and also pretended the smile on his mother’s face was meant for him. Even with his impending engagement, they still thought of him as a child. He was sure their adult Reds were fully sanctioned, which they were, but since they had never brought the subject up, he politely ignored the implications.

~o0o~

Jake was alone in the convenience room at his engagement dinner, trying to decide how best to respond to the situation.

“Pharmacon, I believe someone slipped me a Purple Panic, so I request a Green Outrage as an appropriate response.”

“This is a serious charge, citizen. Please insert your index finger in the sample slot.”

He did as he was directed and barely felt the slight prick as the diagnostic machine accessed the blood droplet for analysis.

“It was only a mild Blue Embarrassment and not a whole one at that. The perpetrator will be admonished by two days of Blue Sorrow, but such an act is a traditional prank at these events, even though officially discouraged. We feel a Green Annoyance is a more appropriate emotion, which will allow you to handle the Embarrassment with a minimum of effort.”

Jake took the capsule from the slot and rejoined his intended and their immediate families. Jenny exhibited at least as much Attraction and Affection as Jake, and after their official mutual acceptance announcement, the waiter brought enough Orange Cheerfulness that all enjoyed the evening immensely.

~o0o~

The first opportunity they had to be together without chaperones, Jake knew there would be trouble. Jenny led them to a side alley instead of the movie theater entrance across the street and produced a cellophane baggie that held a rainbow collection of capsules.

“Hey Jake, what’s your favorite combo? I brought two of everything so we can trip together. I like Fear, Agony, and Amazement, as long as I’m with someone I can trust, but I’m up for anything that gives a good rush.”

“Where did you get all those? I don’t even recognize half of them. I don’t do unauthorized caps! It can be really dangerous. I’m also confused because I didn’t expect this from your bio.”

“Nobody truths their bios, except maybe straighties. I thought your adventuresome categories were high, but I guess you dundled them.”

“No, I was perfectly honest, or else what good are the stats and bios? Are you saying you were dishonest? That makes no sense to me. That means I don’t really know you at all.”

“Oh, don't be a Depression! I got these from my mother’s fun drawer, just like all my friends do. Don’t try to tell me you’ve never experimented. Really? You’re a virgin? Wow. I thought your kind was a myth.

You trust me, don’t you? Of course, you do, given all those Reds and Oranges they’ve been pushing on you. Join me for a walk on the rainbow!”

Jenny was correct in that no matter how intellectually opposed he was to her suggestion, the six months of treatments had made his emotions firmly attached to the charming and beautiful love of his life. If taking a couple of caps made her happy, he couldn’t risk disappointing her.

She picked out two Purples, two Greens, and two Oranges and put the remaining back into a hidden inner pocket. He thought that the Oranges might be Euphoria, a rare emoticon typically reserved as a reward for individuals who performed an exceptional act for society, but he was entirely ignorant about the Purple codes.

“Ah, I see you recognize Euphoria. If this is your first time, we might as well start off with the best. For my own enjoyment, I’m adding Ferocity and Fear. The Ferocity spirals the Fear to the edge of insanity, but the Euphoria flips it upside down and creates a pleasure you think will destroy you. I’ve only done it once, but I would love to experience it again with you.”

Jenny leaned over and pursed her lips to give him a kiss. It was gentle but promised future passion, then she gobbed the proper Red cap. Jake rented a hotel room and snuck Jenny in through the back entrance.

He realized security cameras, both public and private, followed their every step, but that was ubiquitous. He figured the Gubmint could not sift through billions of data points to concern themselves with every little indiscretion, especially since this was his first.