Page 13 of What Makes an Alien a Dad?

He nodded, stepping out of the bathroom and closing the door behind him.

I half expected him to be gone by the time I got out. But after I finished in the bathroom, I found the professor in my bedroom fluffing my pillows and turning down the cover.

I was so used to seeing Professor Thormus exclusively in the setting of the clinic’s examination room. He’d storm in, looking all business. During the entire exam, he’d keep his focus on my uterus, on the screens of the devices, or on the notes on his tablet. Before today, he’d probably never even looked at me above my waist.

Pausing in the door to my bedroom, I admired the view of this large, strong man fluffing a pillow for my comfort. I tried to remember when I’d last had anyone in my apartment. It was probably when the representative of the Liaison Committee, Alcus Hecear, came to check on me last month. He didn’t come into my bedroom, of course. We just sat on the couch, had some tea, and talked.

The professor noticed me standing in the doorway.

“Where are your pajamas, Maya?”

“I don’t have any.”

His thick eyebrows jerked up in shock.

“You don’t?”

“The contract stated not to bring any clothes with me,” I explained. “I can only wear what is provided to me by the clinic.”

It provided an unlimited supply of white hospital gowns and robes, but nothing else. After brushing my teeth in the bathroom, I’d changed into a fresh gown and robe, getting rid of those stained with cupcake icing and the dirt from crawling in the flower bed earlier today.

The professor rubbed the back of his neck. “The contract does stipulate that, doesn’t it?”

I nodded. “I sleep in a hospital gown.”

I took the robe off, careful not to turn my back to him. The gown was open on the back from the waist down. It was very convenient for the daily exams of my nether regions. But outside of the lab, I had no desire to flash my naked butt at the professor.

He shifted on his hooves uneasily, then cleared his throat and patted the mattress.

“All right, then. Off to bed with you.”

I climbed under the covers.

“Thank you, Professor,” I said sleepily as he tucked the blankets around me. The exhaustion of the day had caught up with me, and the sugar rush from the cupcakes was wearing off. “You’re a warm, kind person. We should hang out more.”

Now, I wished I’d had the guts to speak with him earlier. Who knew Professor Thormus would actually turn out to be such a nice guy? He’d always seemed so cold and unapproachable. But there he was, tucking me into bed, like a loving older brother, after comforting me through a massive meltdown. Clearly, appearances could be deceiving.

He grunted and patted my shoulder through the covers.

“Just get some rest, Maya. I’ll lock the door on my way out.”

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