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“Mieshorum mentioned there was another human,” Sloane said. “Does she want to be here?”

This question put me on conversationally solid ground. “I made sure she did before the guys met her. I might've gotten them in a little trouble, but it all worked out.”

“Maybe I can meet her later,” Sloane said.

If that wasn't a suggestion to leave, I didn't know what was. “Sure. Whenever you're ready, just tell Mieshorum.”

Then I turned around and practically ran out of the room and away from one of the most awkward interactions I'd ever had.

One thing was for certain, I was never meant to be a therapist!

Chapter 27

Opal

After eight days of rest, I was going a little stir crazy in the suite. That led me to warning Tolly I needed a job to keep busy. He and the guys had plenty to do.

Mieshorum was taking care of Sloane, Lexarit and Narmuna were taking turns fussing over Cleo, and she was soaking up the attention. But I wasn't pregnant and was perfectly healthy. The inactivity was starting to get to me.

There were only so many hours I could study ship schematics and repair manuals.

I tried to rewatch my favorite Ugarian drama shows, but I'd seen them so many times I could recite every line. I even spent some time on the station's Unibase looking for something to read, but Talins didn't do fiction. They didn't even have an exciting creation myth to read about.

It made me look forward to the dinner the station director had arranged. When Tolly first told me about it, I was a little annoyed. Now I was eager.

Because I was excited for anything interesting, I took extra time getting ready. I even styled my hair in a way that had been popular where I spent a few years while growing up. After dividing my hair in half, I French braided each side. After tying them off, I made small buns with the braids at the back of my head.

Once my hair was done, I stared at my reflection in the cleansing unit mirroring display. My mom had some makeup when I was a child, but by the time I was a teenager no one had it any longer. Not only was human makeup hard to get, we didn't have spare funds to spend on luxury items.

Maybe that's what I could do with my spare time, develop a few basic makeup items. Eyeliner, blush, and lip gloss shouldn't be too hard, and I knew Cleo would enjoy it too.

“You look nice,” Cleo said, making me jump. I had left the cleansing unit door open because I'd gone back and forth trying on different outfits. I'd finally decided on a deep plum wrap and black pants.

I marveled at how wonderfully soft the fabric of both items was. Honestly, all the clothing I had was simply lovely. I had more clothes now than all the humans I'd ever known all put together.

“I feel pretty,” I sang, doing a twirl for Cleo.

She clapped at my show. “Perfect. I'm sorry I’m not going to the dinner with you. I feel horrible.”

“I've done this once already,” I said. “It's easy.”

She nodded then waddled over to one of the chairs in the room. Talins didn't tend to have chairs with backs so the guys had several human-style chairs specifically made for us.

With a sigh of relief, Cleo leaned back.

“I feel like all I do these days is eat and sleep,” she grumbled.

“You’re growing an entire human,” I reminded her, slipping on a pair of black slipper-shoes. “And you're due any day. I think you're allowed to take it easy right now.”

When I straightened up, I noticed an anomaly. Cleo was alone. “Where are Lexarit and Narmuna?”

She snorted. “I told them I needed to talk to you alone.”

“Do you?” I asked. “Or did you need a little time away from the guys?”

She picked at one of her fingernails instead of meeting my gaze. “I think I need to talk.”

I pulled one of the chairs over to sit in front of her. “What's going on?”