Freshen up? Didn’t he just say she smelled nice?
“I’m not trying to get you naked,” he clarified, his face rippling from ultraviolet to maroon.
Was that the Oslieth version of a blush?
“It kind of sounds like you are,” she said, pursing her lips into a smirk.
What in the world was coming over her? Yeah, he was cute when his face flushed like that, but she shouldn’t be teasing someone who was just trying to help. Or getting any ideas in her head.
“You’re welcome to keep those clothes on if you’re more comfortable that way,” Apodis stammered, and she chuckled lightly.
“Oh, no. I was just kidding. A bath… Or whatever, would be nice.”
Zenith let out a relieved chuff, and she stifled another laugh as Apodis nodded, lifting her into the air once more.
In the light of the cabin, she could fully admire the way his arms bulged out of the sleeveless top he wore, dark blue and with a neckline cut so deep she could see the firm muscles of his chest. It was almost like a vest, nipped in at the waist and then fanning out over baggy pants of the same rich color. Chic, yet comfortable.
He walked her through the kitchen to one of the doors in the back, letting it whirr open before entering a bathroom as gorgeous as the rest of the house. A glass shower took up one corner of theroom, while a sleek tub sat on the other side. The ambient light was calming, and everything was clean and tidy, so different from the portable bathing units she’d been using at camp. There was a large mirror with glowing tiles and a sleek chair sitting in front of it which Apodis grabbed as he carried her to the shower.
“This will probably be easier with your injury,” he explained, setting the chair in the shower and seating her lightly upon it. “I wouldn’t put too much weight on that foot. It should be feeling better, but it still needs time to heal. You can put your clothes in the chute, and I’ll leave a clean outfit out here.”
He pointed to a small, circular chrome door next to the shower and dug through the cabinet under the sink, pulling out neatly folded garments.
Apodis gave her an awkward smile.
“Just shout if you need anything.”
Lewd thoughts rushed through her mind of all the things he could help her with, but she silently reprimanded herself. Though she’d be back at camp tomorrow, this wasn’t the typical one-night stand opportunity. She couldn’t escape on the midnight hovertrain if things got awkward.
And besides, Apodis was like a statue of a Greek fucking god, and she was… well, she was a total mess.
When the door shut behind him, Gemini took a deep breath, testing her ankle and feeling a twinge of pain as she put weight on it. She hobbled to thelaundry receptacle, quickly peeling off her sticky clothes—panties and all—and dropping them down the chute.
Was this how people used to meet each other? Before digital dating had taken over and everyone barely made eye contact in public? Was she the damsel in distress, like in a romance story? It kind of felt like it with Apodis rescuing her like he was a handsome alien prince.
It was certainly more romantic than swiping on apps all day, just to get ghosted by potential dates before they’d even gotten a chance to know her. She’d all but given up, putting all of her energy into her work instead.
And when someone finallyhadgiven her a chance, oh, it was worse than being ghosted. Her stomach still churned anytime she thought of Kenny, her asshole ex who’d become so enamored with a virtual chatbot that he’d all but dumped her, hiding away in his home office all day chatting with his “girlfriend” and jerking off.
The fact that she’d put up with him for as long as she did before kicking him out of their shared apartment said something about her desperation. But she’d gotten there eventually. If he wanted a person who agreed with everything he said and never pushed back on his bullshit, then he could enjoy fucking his own hand for the rest of his life.
Apodis seemed like a decent guy, but there wasreally no way of knowing. He’d saved her ass, that was for sure, and at the very least, she was grateful for that.
She limped back to the shower, closing the glass door behind her and scooting the chair up to the control panel, trying to figure out how to turn the thing on.
“GIVE INSTRUCTIONS,”a robotic voice said, startling her for a moment before she regained her composure.
“Uh, turn shower on?”
“TEMPERATURE AND SPRAY SETTING?”
She had to think for a moment.
“100 degrees. And what are the options?”
“PAUSE, FULL BODY SPRAY, FULL BODY SPRAY WITH MASSAGE, FAST MASSAGE, AND SOFT DRENCH SPRAY.”
“Full body spray.”
