Thankfully, she gives me a smile. “I want you to know that she really enjoys talking to you. You indulge her creativity andshe always comes inside in a really good mood when you’ve taken the time to chat with her. Thank you.”
Relieved, I smile in return. “She’s a smart girl.”
Skylar’s mother sighs. “She is. Some days, I’d like to relieve her of that burden so she can simply be a kid.”
“I don’t mean this offensively, but it sounds like she’s in a lot of advanced courses? She could slow down a little?”
She smiles. “Trust me, we’ve tried that. Skylar doesn’t like to be bored, and she craves answers to all of her questions. Don’t let her fool you into thinking that we force her into the classes she’s in.”
“Oh, no!” I say, shaking my head. “I didn’t think that. I just meant?—”
“I understand what you meant,” she interrupts. “I also know information can get lost when she’s not speaking English.”
I laugh. That’s so damn true.
“Skylar has never found a way to simply relax and turn her brain off. We always encourage her imaginary world because we’re afraid she’s missing out on being a kid. Still, those moments usually only last for a short time before she’s ready to get back to work. I think her mind is always going in so many directions, and the imaginary world is simply one of those directions that’s always on. Until she met you last week, her breaks have always been very, very short. The first day she spoke to you for several hours was the very first time I’ve seen her take an extended break. You don’t know what it means to all of us that she has had you for that outlet.”
“I enjoy our conversations and her company. My… uh, roommate is away a lot with hockey and it gets really quiet and lonely here. My family and friends live on the other side of the world. So it’s been really nice having Skylar to talk to.”
This woman studies me with a lingering smile. “Good. Please know that you two are welcome to chat any time through thewall. Not all adults appreciate the mind of a child and she’s often written off as a kid talking nonsense, not understanding that she’s probably far more intelligent than they are. People are quick to judge a kid. It’s a relief that there are people in the world who are willing to see beyond her silliness to the brilliant young girl she is.”
“I knew she was smarter than most people from the moment she started speaking in tongues,” I admit. “I thought she was divine.”
She laughs.
“Mom! We’re going to be late. Stop stealing my friend.”
She smiles, rolling her eyes like I’ve seen Skylar do many times. “It’s good talking to you, Arush.”
I nod, waving as she disappears. I should have asked her name. For now, I suppose ‘Skylar’s mom’ is going to have to do.
In the silence of the world around me, I spend a while searching online for different engineering career paths, looking for the one that excites me the most. There are aspects of both environmental and aerospace that are really exciting, but I’m not sure which I want to spend my life in.
I’d been going to school for aerospace engineering and accidentally took an environmental engineering class, which is where this conflict arose from. I didn’t expect to enjoy it quite as much as I did, but at the same time, Ilovespace. There’s nothing more fascinating to me than perhaps being involved in a project that facilitates life on another planet.
In a way, environmental engineers are directly tied into that. Remedies, restoration, sustainability, waste, air, water, and soil—all things that need to be taken into consideration when colonizing new planets.
But I really need to choose a direction before I continue. I’m still heavily leaning aerospace, but the fact I felt a pause at all in that direction is what made me stop to consider the alternative.
However, after a while, I get bored with this. It’s not entertaining at all and leaves me no closer to truly making a decision on the direction I want to direct my future.
With Skylar gone, I head inside and decide to take a shower. Julian could be home in half an hour or an hour or longer. There’s no set time for conditioning. Even practice can fluctuate depending on whether he stops at the gym before or after.
I close my eyes under the spray of water and let the heat of it wash over me. It wasn’t exactly cold out, but the heat of the water and the steam surrounding me feel good. Like my bones are cold and need to thaw a little. I’m so ready for warmth.
After a while, I wash my hair and then my body. When my hand runs down my slick skin to wash my dick, I’m reminded of just how long it’s been since I’ve gotten off. I’ve been in Chicago for what, two months? It’s been longer than that since it’d been a while even before I left home.
My dick reminds me of that as it immediately fattens with my touch. I’m prone to ignoring my morning erections because I find them frustrating. There’s almost always no reason to be hard as soon as I wake up. What kind of biology decided that was necessary?
However, right now, the need floods my body. I give in and stroke my cock with a soapy hand. Eyes still closed, I lean against the tile wall and concentrate on the feeling. The heat that floods through me, pooling in my core. Making my entire body clench.
It’s been a long time.
I let go of myself and rinse off. Drying quickly, I drop the towel on the counter in my bathroom and choose a dry one to bring into my bedroom. The bed is made. I haven’t been on the bed in… weeks. Not since I first slept in Julian’s bed.
I grab a pillow and stick it under the comforter, urging it down toward the end of the bed. Then I smooth out the blanketand lay the towel over it. From my sock drawer, I pull out a bottle of lube, my medium dick, and my magic wand.
I arrange it all on the bed and then climb on, sticking my ass by the lump of the pillow in the blanket. With a lube covered hand and my wand in the other, I close my eyes and begin stroking myself again.
