I forgot a friend’s birthday and panicked, so I asked a chatbot to write a heartfelt belated message. It was beautiful. Too beautiful. It mentioned “our countless adventures together” and “the way you light up every room.” We’ve been out twice. She replied, “Who wrote this for you?” I said I did. She said, “You’ve never used a semicolon in your life.” She was right. For my birthday she sent me a message too. Also from a chatbot. It called me “a valued acquaintance”.
Your excuse was so good it gave you away. The truth was four words long and you'd still have a friend.