Page 9 of Fembot
Winston shifted, feeling unsettled. The idea of leaving his gift out where anyone could access it made him uneasy. Winston was usually territorial about the things his father gave him. If he wasgoing to get gifts instead of affection, he was going to guard them closely.
“It’ll be fine,” Winston said, shoving himself to his feet. “I’m so tired I’ll probably be asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.”
Novak’s expression oozed skepticism, but to his credit, he kept his doubts to himself. “Alright. Well, I’m off to bed. I have an early class.”
Novak clapped Winston on the shoulder and then disappeared up the stairs.
Winston went from room to room turning lights out. He stood at the foot of the stairs for a few minutes until he felt ridiculous for hesitating. It was his room. His house. He could sleep wherever he wanted. Calvin wasn’t a person. He didn’t have to be polite or entertain him or worry about what he wanted from Winston, if he had ulterior motives. He was a robot.
With that in mind, Winston climbed the flights of stairs that led to his bedroom on the top floor. His room was unchanged from the last time he was in it. Nothing had been moved, but the presence of Calvin in the corner wasn’t something Winston could ignore.
At least not yet. He’d need practice.
He stripped out of his clothes and let them fall to the floor in a heap before he climbed into bed. Normally, Winston liked his oversized bed. It came in handy for nights when there was more than just him in it. And when he was alone, he got to starfish in the middle. Stretch out in all directions and not touch the edge. He usually liked the way it made him feel small.
Tonight, Winston stared at the ceiling. He couldn’t ignore the fact that there was a person… not a person. A person-like thing in the corner of the room.
Calvin’s docking station gave off the faintest glow. A subtle blue light lit him up just enough for Winston to make out the shape of him.
The idea of someone standing in the corner of his room all night made his skin crawl. No matter how Winston tried to convince himself that it was fine because Cal wasn’t a person, his brain rebelled at the idea of letting his body sleep. He felt watched.
Winston got out of bed and crossed the room to where Calvin stood like a toy soldier. He leaned in close and squinted in the mostly dark. Calvin’s eyes were shut, and he appeared to be in rest mode. He wasn’t watching Winston. It was all in his head.
Satisfied for the moment, Winston got back into bed, but sleep refused to come. Winston stared at the ceiling. He could have Calvin go to a different room, but then he’d be worried about him.
“Calvin?”
“Yes, Winston?” Calvin answered right away.
Winston might regret this later, but he was so tired, and he just wanted to sleep. He’d been tossing and turning for hours now, lying awake in the dark thinking about the robot across the room.
“I can’t sleep with you standing over there. I feel like I’m being stared at.”
“I can assure you that my eyes were closed,” Calvin said in that flat, emotionless tone of his.
“I know, but it just feels that way. It’s a human thing, I think. Anyway, will you please get in the bed and lie down?”
Calvin drifted across the room and climbed under the covers. Winston cracked his eyes open and saw Calvin laying in the bed, looking like a mannequin. He was stiff as a board with his arms down by his sides. His eyes were closed, and he was on his back, face turned toward the ceiling.
Strangely, it did help Winston relax to have Calvin in bed with him. The feeling of being watched went away.
“Thank you.” Winston yawned and wriggled around, trying to get comfortable.
“You’re welcome. Good night, Winston. Pleasant dreams.”
If Winston pretended hard enough, he could almost imagine that Calvin didn’t sound as robotic as he had just hours ago when he’d first arrived.
It still bothered Winston that his dad would rather buy his affection than try to earn it. Over the years, it was something he’d tried to make peace with but hadn’t been able to wrap his head around it.
“You are still awake,” Calvin said. “Why?”
The question caught Winston off-guard. “Why am I still awake?” Winston rolled over to face Calvin. “It’s weird that you’re here. In my bed.”
“You asked me to join you, but I can leave.”
“You can stay. It’s just weird. You’re lying there like a corpse.”
Calvin turned his head toward him. The room wasn’t fully dark, and Winston could just barely make out the slant of his eyebrows when he furrowed them.
