Chapter 18 #2
Lily was practically vibrating against me. If we weren’t currently pretending to be other people in front of this android, I was fairly certain my clothes would be mere afterthoughts and hoped this counter was made of solid material.
"I see." The android smiled and gestured for us to continue with the form. It appeared that while it was trying to keep up some level of conversation, it was just polite programming rather than anything meaningful.
I scrawled my signature at the bottom, and Lily did the same.
"Now that these are complete, please come this way. I do hope everything works out for the better," the android said sweetly, and I was once again curious what we were walking into. It wasn't like I could ask.
"Unfortunately, the doctor is running a little over, so you might have an extra five or ten-minute wait," the android apologized as she led us back to the patient rooms.
"Oh, I'm sure that'll be fine. Right, Lily?" She bobbed her head and sat down, dropping the heavy duffel bag. It made a noise that caused the android to peer at it curiously.
"Just some items for after," I said, trying to dispel any curiosity.
"Of course." The android smiled and disappeared out the door and down the hallway.
The second the door latched, Lily was in my lap, her lips on mine with a frenzy. Her hands ran along my body, and her nails dragged through my hair with pure need. “Lily Valcrest,” she said, taking a breath and then diving back in before I could utter a word.
I desperately wanted to explore this later, but a doctor was going to be coming in soon, and I, regretfully, had other priorities. "How long will it take you to get started?"
"I already have, partner." She smiled at the word and hummed to herself as she slipped her foot into the duffel bag. Black mycelial networks began oozing out the side and burrowing into the thin, easily cleanable carpet.
"Hopefully, he doesn't notice that," I commented.
“I am far more efficient than that, Captain," she grumbled, as if annoyed I would doubt her.
I kissed her on the cheek. "There’s no doubt. You will do fantastically. It's just that sometimes there are aspects you don't think about."
"Of course, because I'm too busy being concerned about you." Lily crossed her arms, and I felt like she was talking about something else.
I decided it was time for a change of subject. "How long is that going to take?" I asked, glancing at the bag.
"As long as it takes," Lily said, dismounting me and settling into the chair next to me as the door swung open.
Hopefully, my hair wasn’t too crazy from her running her hands through it.
"Sorry about that. We do try not to leave couples alone in here for too long.
" The man chuckled. "One time we did that, and there was a fire.
" He picked up the records, barely glanced at them, and then smiled at both of us.
"So… why are you two starting couples therapy today? " He folded his hands over his lap.
I processed the words he had just said.
Couples therapy.
I must have misheard, so my brain replayed it again.
Couples therapy.
That couldn’t be right. I paused, giving Lily a look out of the corner of my eye, wondering how she was going to take what was happening.
"You were aware this was a therapy practice, were you not?" he pressed, watching us closely. "Ambushes," he said slowly, "are not something I work with." He looked at both of us for our consent.
We needed to be in here for a while for Lily to work her magic. Which meant playing along. I plastered on a big smile, waving a hand. "Of course. This isn't an ambush; it's just… we've been sort of discreetly calling it something else."
"Ah, well, there's no need to feel guilty. Many couples struggle. It's not just you two. Relationships require effort to maintain." He folded his hands. "So, what seems to be the problem?"
"Yes, dear." Lily put the softest smile I'd ever seen on her face. "Why don't you tell the good doctor what our problems are?"
I paused, trying to decide what to say, knowing that the best lies were those with a little truth in them. "Well, the relationship has been a little sudden," I said, doing my best to talk with a straight face.
"Sudden? You should definitely take relationships at your own speed, rather than letting anyone tell you what pace it ought to take," he stated.
"Well, what felt sudden to him felt glacial to me," Lily stated. "It might be a difference between our species."
The doctor nodded, waving a hand. "I've heard those sorts of comments before, and I will tell you that love has no boundaries.
Not species, not race. Those are arbitrary constructs that we impose on love, and not the other way around.
Love is a mental state that all sentient species are capable of feeling. "
"Interesting," Lily said, crossing her legs, a smile on her face.
"This goes for every race, with no biases, though it may look different in how it's expressed. I guarantee you, everyone is capable of love,” the doctor replied.
“Even, say, a race that is feared?" Lily pressed.
I hissed at her to watch it.
She turned to the doctor. "This is a wonderful example. He obviously has some preconceived notions about what is and isn't possible."
"It's not that," I said to Lily. "It's just that I'm worried about potential failure. After all, if something were to go wrong between the two of us, we could very potentially be stuck together in the middle of space on the same ship."
"So you two are co-workers?" the doctor asked.
"Yes, we serve on the same ship," I answered.
"Ah." He tapped his pen. "And your roles?"
I nodded to Lily. "She's the chief security officer. I'm the captain."