Page 24 of What Makes an Alien a Dad?

He heaved a heavy breath, afraid to think about all the implications of that discovery. Maya just happened to be pleasant to look at. That didn’t mean he found her attractive.

Or did it?

She bit her lip, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. “It’s not your fault. It’s just that I don’t know what to say or how to answer those questions.”

“Say it as is. I’ll listen.”

She drew in a long breath, then released it slowly before giving him a penetrating look. He waited, hoping she’d open up.

“I received a...a rather unpleasant message from home,” she blurted out in a halting string of words.

“Just one?”

That meant her boyfriend’s second letter hadn’t reached her. He had managed to stop it in time.

It’d been a wrong question to ask, he realized, as she glanced at him with confusion.

“I mean...you’ve been upset for a while now.” He shut his mouth, afraid to make things worse if he kept talking.

“I know,” she said hesitantly. “I probably should explain my meltdown.”

“Probably.” That was all he trusted himself to say this time.

“My...boyfriend,” she swallowed, taking a brief pause to compose herself. Before continuing. “He, um... decided he’d rather be single than have a long-distance relationship with me.”

Not single. The asshole had already found another girlfriend, close to home. But Kear would die before he told Maya that.

“I’m sorry,” he said, measuring his words like a miser would money. The less he said, the better.

“Thanks.” She heaved a sigh, but at least she wasn’t crying. Yet. “Long distance is hard on relationships. I knew that. But I hoped...” Her voice broke, her eyes turning glossy.

Shit, she was about to cry again.

“Maya...” He reached for her instinctively, without having a fucking clue how to handle this.

“I’m fine.” She patted his hand reassuringly. “I’m much better today. Promise.” She smiled, but her eyes remained shiny with unshed tears. “Apparently, he’s having second thoughts.”

“He is?” She got his message! “It’s good then, isn’t it?”

“Honestly? I don’t even know what to think.”

Oh no, this wasn’t the reaction he’d hoped for when sending that letter to her yesterday.

“Why?”

She chewed on her bottom lip. “It was a very weird message.”

“Why?” he repeated like a dummy.

“Short, impersonal. He addressed me by my name.”

“And that’s wrong? How?”

“Walter only ever uses my name when he’s angry or irritated with me.”

Well, that was a problem. He’d made a mistake by not talking to her first to learn all these things.

“What did he call you when he wasn’t angry?”

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