Page 30 of Space for More

Shockingly, they all look made for a human with a similar build to mine. Or at least close enough that the stretchy material would make them suitable.

“Did these belong to Fina?” I ask.

I’m surprised when she flushes a darker pink and her hand goes to the back of her neck. She looks almost bashful.

“No. I, uh, I made it for her. I took her to a club when she first got to Spire and she had to wear some of my clothes. I thought the barely there look was hot, but she was so embarrassed that I wanted her to have things that fit. So I made her some outfits. Too many outfits.”

“You made these?!” I card through the pile of bodysuits, tops, dresses, and more. They all look professionally made. “They’re incredible! You’re really talented.”

Mezli grins at my compliment. “Thanks! I got a little carried away and ended up with a surplus. There’s only so many times I can pretend to bring her outfits from a ‘local boutique’ before she notices I shouldn’t have the credits from my day job to afford so many gifts.”

“I don’t understand. You didn’t tell her you made the clothes?”

Her flush deepens. “I didn’t want to make her feel like even more of an outsider. When she moved here, she was one of the only humans living on Spire. There weren’t any shops selling clothes tailored for humans, and I didn’t want that to be another thing to add to her list of why she didn’t belong here. Fina’s brave, but I know how tough it was for her to acclimate. Even with a gorgeous, delightful guide like me. I wanted her to stay—no, I needed her to stay. I mean, I obviously was fine on my own, but it was getting a bit…lonely.”

The emotion in Mezli’s voice surprises me. She comes off so carefree, but as I spend more time with her, the deeper, more complicated parts of her peek through. They make me like her even more.

“She’s lucky to have such a generous and thoughtful friend,” I say, placing my hand on top of one of hers. The touch sets off sparks across my palm, but I do my best to ignore it. Now’s not the time to get turned on. I quickly pull my hand back and pick up ashimmering mesh bodysuit to keep myself from touching her more to feel that jolt again.

“Nah, I’m the lucky one. Fina was the one person who kept me sane when I ran away to Spire. She believed in me so much that it made me believe in myself. That’s why I did my best to return the favor when she moved here.”

Even though I don’t get the sense that there’s ever been anything romantic between Mezli and Fina, an odd pang of jealousy hits me. It’s absurd getting jealous that she made these for Fina and not for me, but it doesn’t stop it from happening.

Maybe she notices the shift in my demeanor, because she grabs a dress and shoves it toward me. “Enough about Fina and sappy nonsense! Try this on.”

For a panicked moment, I think she wants me to get undressed right in front of her, but she gestures to a small hygiene room across the hall from her bedroom. “I’ll go freshen up while you decide what to wear.”

She heads into the other room and I hear the shower turn on. Knowing that she’s naked across the hall while I’m getting changed does nothing to cool my heated thoughts. I slip on a dress, the slinky fabric caressing my skin in a way that makes me shiver. It’s pretty, but isn’t the best color for my complexion. I try on a few more things, but each one doesn’t feel quite right. They’re gorgeous, but obviously made with a different woman in mind.

I’m in the middle of tugging on a short, dark purple dress when the door to the bedroom swings open. I scramble to cover my ass and turn to see—ohwow. I stop caring about whether or not this dress fits right when I see what Mezli’s wearing. Or rather, not wearing.

She has on a skintight white bodysuit that looks painted on. The cut of the legs shows off her wide hips, and a cutout at the midriffreveals her toned stomach. I realize now that we may be similar heights, but she’s built like my polar opposite. It’s an observation that she must be making too, and for a split-second I worry she’ll think I look bad in this skimpy dress that dips so low in the bust that there’s at least four inches of my cleavage on display.

“Fuck, you’re so hot,” Mezli says, dropping the brush in her hands absentmindedly as she assesses my outfit.

Just like that, the worry is gone. Which is good because the last thing I need tonight, when I’m going out to find someone to sleep with, is to be worried about my body shape. I’m fat and I’ve never cared beyond the annoyance of my gigantic tits. Why should I start caring now?

“Thanks, so are you!” I try to say it casually, like I would to a friend I was trying to hype up. It’s hard to look away from her. Now that her sleek black hair is down from its usual ponytail, she’s even more breathtaking.

She’s still staring at me with her mouth agape, so I bend down and grab the brush for her to avoid staring back. She lets out a strangled squeak as I do.

Standing back up, I give her a questioning look. “Everything okay?”

“Yep! Your tits almost fell out, that’s all.”

Oh god. I shove the brush at her, and my other hand flies up to cover my chest.

She shakes her head at me adamantly. “Nope, I can already tell what you’re thinking, but you’re not getting changed. You lookperfect. Abundant boobs ready to burst out of your dress at any moment is exactly the look you need if you want someone to sleep with you.”

“A-are you sure? Do you at least have a jacket or something I can use to cover up with on the way to the club?”

“Hmm…” Mezli scans the pile on the bed, then snatches something that’s definitely not a jacket. “Here you go!” She hands over a mesh top that’s cut to only cover my arms and neck. “Better?”

Sensing I’m not going to win this argument, I slip it on. “I guess. Let’s go before I back out of doing this.”

I should’ve backedout of doing this.

Mezli chatters the whole way to the nightclub, giving me so many seduction tips for aliens that my head is spinning by the time we get there.

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