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“Is it anything I can help with?” I ask.
Nilt and Quin say, “Oooo.”
Laughing, I shake my head, but Cinq jumps in with, “No, thank you. I have serious work tonight. Definitely next time.”
He walks away but the other three men are staring at me as if I’m the alien. I have no idea what to say to move their attention from me. “So, how about those Mets, huh? How do you think they’re playing this season?”
The small group cut their eyes back and forth, trying to figure out what I’m talking about. I stand, too. “Never mind. It’s an Earth joke. Do we have chores, games, criminal acts to do around here?”
A slight click echoes as the bedroom door closes. S’Tou goes over to his tablet. “I have something but it’s not sharable. Single player.” He settles into a beanbagish chair in the corner.
“Don’t mind him. He’s an introvert,” Nilt says. S’tou looks up with a grin before going back to his game. “Meanwhile, us normal people can do something fun.”
“Like what?” I ask, hoping he doesn’t mention some sort of complicated card game because I suck at everything but Go Fish.
“Usually, we play this exploration game,” Quin says, going to a shelf and retrieving a rolled-up cloth. He spreads the fabric out on the table. “Every few days, we switch up the land versus the oceans. Then, we battle over who owns what until one of us compromises.’
I examine their game board, smiling. “I suppose the blue areas are water with various brown, green, and gray areas are land?”
“They are.” Quin turns to Nilt. “You should grab one of your rocks for her to play, too.”
“I’m kind of tired right now. Give me a,” I begin to say raincheck but am sure they’ll have no idea what I mean. “How about tomorrow night for sure? I’ll settle in on the couch and listen in.”
“Sure,” Nilt says. “We can finish up letting Quin lose and you can conquer both of our lands tomorrow.”
Quin scoffs, pulling out a chair to sit at his place in the game. “Whatever you think but I plan on owning the world tonight.”
I grab one of the blankets draped over the sofa’s crude cushions, rolling it up into a pillow of sorts. Another, thicker covers makes a great comforter to cocoon in. “Is it cold in here or is it just me?” I ask while getting settled.
“It is not just you,” Nilt says, staring at the game. “I live in this jacket.
Quin nods. “Blame his reptilian blood. Keeps him warm enough to stay alive but not enough to be comfortable.”
Nilt moves a piece. “If we moved our habitat further into the tube, we’d all be a lot warmer.”
“But then I’d be too claustrophobic.” Quin frowns, staring at the game. “It’s bad enough as it is but at least I can spread my wings.”
“Jessica, what are you doing?”
I open my eyes, not realizing I’d closed them, to find Cinq in the bedroom’s doorway. “Sleeping, or trying to. What’s going on?”
He comes over and kneels. “I’ve moved some things around and created us a bed for the night. You don’t have to sleep out here at all.”
“A bed together, huh?” Quin says, distracted by his turn at playing.
Nilt snickers, not taking his eyes from the game board. “That’s not going to be a problem with all of our excellent hearing abilities.”
“Lovely, and thanks for letting me know,” I mumble, throwing off the covers and sitting up.
Cinq stands and reaches out his hand. “Come on and tell me what you think.”
I let him help me to my feet and we go into the bedroom. There are still four beds, but one is bigger and at the far end of the room. A divider created from crude shelves hides most of the larger bed. I walk closer to find he’s really made up everything as pleasant as possible. “I like it. Thank you. But are you sure you want to share with me? I can be a restless sleeper.”
He pulls me into his arms, kissing my forehead. “I’m positive.”
S’Tou snorts and we both look at him as he stands in the doorway. “Remember, we all have sensitive hearing.”
“And probably even better sight,” I add. “Got it.” I ease back from Cinq and go to the bed he created for us. “I was caught making out with boys way too often as a teenager to be comfortable with getting caught as an adult.” I sit on the bed to test the comfort. “Bondmates or whatever, we’re not doing anything intimate when you all are around, I promise.”
