Evolved(54)

He beamed a smile. “Yes!”

I chuckled and he snuggled in closer, so I traced my fingers through his hair the way I knew he liked. “I would like that too.”

Too tired to fight sleep, we went to bed. I drifted off quickly and I slept well, regardless of the worry on my mind. I woke at six thirty in the morning to find Shaun showered, dressed, and ready to go. “Perhaps we could go in early?” he asked, excitement radiating off him, like he’d been waiting for hours for me to open my eyes.

I croaked out a sleepy laugh. “Perhaps we could.”



Shaun was very curious about the android who drove the car. And very curious about riding in a car, and curious about other traffic. He was curious about buses and trams and traffic laws, and he was most curious as to why one particular woman walking on the footpath chose to wear two differing shades of yellow that didn’t complement each other in the one outfit.

Oh boy. He was in for a real treat when he saw uni students. “Promise me you won’t comment on the fashion of my students.”

“Of course.”

“University students embrace diversity and self-expression, and for the most part, that includes what they wear.”

Shaun nodded, and for a moment I thought he was going to give me definitions of student or diversity or self-expression, but he didn’t. He simply smiled and looked out the window at the campus and people milling about as we arrived.

He really was enjoying this, and I regretted not bringing him sooner. The university had no restrictions on android assistants. I was only concerned with what people might think, knowing he was an A-Class and a fully compatible unit, it was a given that we were fully compatible. Meaning, they knew I had sex with him. Well, they would assume and that was enough.

But his safety was my primary concern. And if that meant he could come to work with me every day and thoroughly enjoy himself, even better. The car pulled into my usual spot and Shaun waited for me to get out. I held the door for him and got to see the look of wonder and excitement on his face as he saw the buildings, the people.

“You like it here?” I asked.

“Very much.” He grinned as he looked around, just as a gust of wind rustled his hair and his coat collar. He looked so handsome, so human, and when he aimed his smile at me, it took my breath away.

“Your pupils are dilated and your heart rate is elevated,” he said. He gave a wry smirk. “I would assume you are either in the early onset of a mild cardio infarction, or you find me attractive.”

I fixed his collar. “I think we both know my heart is fine.”

He chuckled and turned to face the tall buildings. “Thank you for bringing me, Lloyd. I’m very happy to be here.”

I slung my messenger bag over my shoulder, fixed my coat, and took his hand. “I’ll show you my office first, then there’s someone I want you to meet.”

He took in my small office like it was some kind of shrine. Of course it was neat and tidy, but it was nothing amazing. Unless you were Shaun. “It’s incredible,” he mused, taking in the dark wood furniture and wall of bookcases. “You get to come here every day?”

“I’d much rather be at home with you.”

He scanned the books. “Or I could come here with you every day.”

I really liked the sound of that. “Sounds good to me.”

“You would like that?”

“Absolutely.”

Shaun’s smile was immediate and his eyes sparkled. “There was also someone you wanted me to meet?”

His excitement was contagious. “Yes, come on. We’ll go see if he’s here yet.”

On the walk to the IT department, I explained a brief history of the university and campus, but Shaun quickly took over. “Founded by Hugh Childers two hundred years ago…” And he then gave me a whole rundown of buildings, faculty, and a list of famous attendees. As we walked into the IT building, he stopped talking and did that cute head-tilt thing. “Did I say something amusing?”

“No, I just forget sometimes that you have an encyclopaedia for a brain.”

“I can pretend to not know something if you’d prefer.”

I barked out a laugh. “That won’t be necessary. Don’t be anything you’re not.”

He smiled at that and took in the newer building. “The Faculty of Arts department interiors could benefit from the IT budget.”

I laughed again. “You really do understand universities, don’t you?” I pointed to the corridor. “This way.”

It had been years since I’d seen the inside of any other department than my own. Jae hadn’t mentioned changing offices, so I hoped he was still in the same room. His office was an open plan set-up which he shared with a few other IT people, and I was suddenly very grateful for the older-built rabbit warren I called my office because at least I had my own.

A woman was just settling into her seat while tapping away at her personal holographic device. I knocked on the open door. “Excuse me. Is Jae in yet?”

“He just got in. You’ll find him at the closest coffee machine,” she replied. Then with a smile, she nodded further down the hall. “Second door on your right.”

I found Jae at the kitchenette with a coffee cup in each hand, taking a sip from one. Wearing his usual brown pants and shirt and his thick-rimmed glasses. “Good morning,” I said.