Page 84 of Dealing With Drak

Like my An-nana, he wears boots. But his are lighter in color and match the cowboy hat he wears on his head often. Today he left the hat at home, letting his sandy hair flow freely. The length touches his shoulders, longer like Aprixians tend to keep their hair. I am told, though, that many hu-nim males keep their hair shorter.

His appearance does not mean much to me, outside of the eyes he shares with my mate. But I do wonder what my friend will make of him. Not that he will tell me, but perhaps I will be able to tell by watching him.

“Whoa,” Cay-leb mutters, looking around as I walk him through the space, heading for the stairs.

I chuckle, watching him take it all in. This building is one of the most technological. It is full of machinery and advanced devices, much more than any of the places he has been to thus far.

“Are you so easily impressed?” I ask, cocking a brow at him.

“This place is fucking futuristic, you know that?”

Absorbing his words, I lead him up the steps and grunt. “It is quite advanced here, yes. I am going to introduce you to one of the reasons why.”

Cay-leb does not reply, only continues to oggle everything that we pass. Until eventually, I guide him into our destination.

“Lovan,” I call out joyfully, letting myself and Cay-leb into his space without a proper invitation. The Aprixian male is constantly working, so he leaves his door ajar for guests to pester him. If he were to schedule appointments with friends, he would never make them. “Why am I not surprised to see you hard at work?”

“Hello, Drak,” he says but does not look up from his tools.

I am not surprised to find him wearing a tight shirt, either. His muscles are constricted under the material, but he does not seem to mind. He prefers to be covered while working though many Aprixian males would find his attire to be extremely uncomfortable—myself included.

Shirts only serve to hide my glorious form from my mate.

Lovan is a large male despite the fact that he is in no need of his size, he has never been a fighter nor a warrior of any kind. He is a male of science.

Cay-leb blinks at Lovan from his place standing by my side, taking in the room—well, mostly taking in Lovan. With vibrant yellow skin contrasting against his long black hair, he is a unique sight. Cay-leb has not met many Aprixians outside of our small group, but none of us have pitch-black eyes to match our dark hair.

Aprixians all share similar features but have unique qualities as well. I wonder what qualities Cay-leb finds appealing—if any at all.

“I have brought you a creature to study,” I muse, watching as Lovan’s head immediately snaps up. “This is my mate’s hu-nim brother, Cay-leb.”

“Excuse me,” Cay-leb balks. “You did not say you were bringing me here to be studied!”

I chuckle at his outrage. “I am only joking. Lovan is curious about hu-nims, that is all. He makes the health bracelets that your sister refuses to wear.”

An-nana can not be talked into being monitored until she is with child. She does not like feeling watched by such an unfamiliar technology.

Cay-leb seems to settle with my words and blows out a breath. “You know, on Earth, they’d actually study you guys for showing up on the planet. Forgive me for not wanting to be cut open in the name of Aprixian science.”

“I do not study hu-nims,” Lovan blurts out, seemingly flustered. “I am… I do technology.”

Cay-leb seems to brighten at this. “You made this place, right?”

Lovan’s throat bobs with a swallow, and he nods. “Most of it, yes.”

“I have brought Cay-leb here to meet you,” I chime in. “Because you will find him interesting without cutting him open. But also because he could use a male friend.”

They both blink at me, so I continue.

“Many of our fellow Aprixian males are nervous that Cay-leb being male means he could steal away a potential female mate from them. But you are not in search of a female, right, Lovan?”

He gulps again. “Right.”

Oh, this is glorious. I am a genius.

My hands clap together. “Neither is Cay-leb. And so, you should be friends!”

Cay-leb’s face flushes red. “I’m sorry, did you just set us up on a playdate?”

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