I froze for a moment. I hadn’t been keeping track of that. Heck, I didn’t want to be reminded of something like that. “No,” I answered when I could feel his eyes boring through me.

“What’s your usual cycle length?”

“Can we not talk about this right now?”

“Okay,” Sang said way too easily, which usually meant he was going to say something I wouldn’t like next. “Then we can talk about it in an hour when we’re speaking to Dr Stanley.”

“Sang, I’ve been really happy since coming here. I’m in a good headspace and I’m actually excited to start my new job. Can we not talk about upsetting things?” Asking something of Sang was harder than asking Aubyn. Aubyn was nice and gentle but Sang was no-bullshit. I couldn’t even look at him as the words left my mouth.

“Do whatever you want, Zedikai. You always have a choice and I have already notified you of the consequences. If you are dressed, fix your hair and let’s get going.”

I looked in the mirror again and sighed. I hadn’t planned on going anywhere and my afro was not in the best state. I wasn’t used to paying so much attention to my hair and despite still wanting to grow it out, it frustrated me the lengths I had to go to care for it.

Sang grabbed my arm, pulled me over to a chair and pushed me down into it. “Sit. Stay.”

“I’m not a dog.” I looked over my shoulder when I heard rustling from behind me.

Sang had gone into my bathroom and come back with a few hair supplies. He’d only done my hair once for the departure party when we were back on Earth and I’d liked it so much that the only reason I had undone the style was that my hair eventually needed to be washed.

I sat still and let him do as he pleased. When he was finished, I mumbled a “Thank you” on our way out the door.

We left the building and took two buses to get where we needed to go. I didn’t think Dr Stanley’s office would be so close by. It was convenient since I was sure I’d be visiting a lot.

As usual, I was busy taking in the sights of everything and everyone around me the entire journey. Everything looked the same as on Earth at a glance, but it really wasn’t. The buildings, the food, the people… While back on Earth I was used to being on the taller end, in Karys, almost everyone around me was taller. Not to mention that on Earth, while there may be a stray dog or cat on the street here and there, there were none of those on Karys. Instead, there were animals I’d never seen before just walking among people. They looked like wild animals, but no one seemed bothered by them and they weren’t strays either.

It was nice seeing Dr Stanley again. Since the first time we met, he’s always greeted me with a warm smile.

“Seiruqofei, Haido-soh. So sov ni?” Dr Stanley greeted me with a slight bow of his head as he gestured for me to take a seat.

“I’m uh… Y ov mo,” I replied awkwardly before Sang could translate.

Dr Stanley seemed pleasantly surprised. “Moi’i, moi’i!” he said with brief applause.

We started by talking about how I was doing and my current situation living in my own dorm. He then asked how I felt about my upcoming first day of work and if I was feeling unusually nervous about it. That was how he transitioned into asking about my anxiety.

I had really bad anxiety and it wasn’t something I’d paid attention to or even bothered to acknowledge until Sang and Aubyn came into my life. I was on medication for it, and while it hadn’t been working for me that well before, I hadn’t had any problems with my anxiety since moving to Karys.

Dr Stanley checked my vitals and then he asked me about the same thing that I’d gotten pissy at Sang about earlier. I knew Sang was looking at me, but I purposefully didn’t meet his gaze.

“It hasn’t come back since I got here. Doesn’t this mean my body could be regulating? I mean, I don’t think this should be happening to me, to begin with.”

“We don’t know that for sure. Menstrual cycles can be fragile and vary from person to person. Anything can cause a disturbance in the cycle. Medications, a daily schedule change, stress, weight loss, weight gain, too much exercise, or even an increase in sexual activity. You are still sexually inactive, right?”

I frowned. “Unfortunately so.”

Sang hid his mouth with his hand as he translated and I had a feeling it was to hide his smile.

“Don’t expect it to just stop permanently. If this started when you were fifteen and only stopped because you were underweight, then there is a chance it will return. Your move here could have disrupted your hormones as it does with many people who have travelled to Othanai. Because of the difference in how time flows on Othanai, your usual cycle may not be the same. Please listen to your body, stay alert, and remember to track it if it does come back.”

Dr Stanley also touched on my medication and how they were affecting me. After weighing and measurements, he informed me that I had lost a good amount of weight in the past month and recommended being more mindful about my new diet.

The rest of the appointment went smoothly and soon, Sang and I were back on the abnormally clean bus. I’d noticed from the first day I got on one how clean it was for being public transportation.

“You can laugh, you know,” I said.

“Laugh? Was something funny?”

“Yes, my sudden lack of sex life and the fact that you’re always right.”

“I think I’ll spare you the extra blow to your pride.”

I slouched in my seat. “I’m sure you don’t have to worry about that with Milan.”

Sang glanced at me from the corner of his eye. “I’m not discussing my sex life with you.”

“Milan would tell me.”

“Stop taking advantage of his naivety.”

I rolled my eyes. “Why are you being like this when you packed that huge box of you-know-what in my luggage?”

I’d only noticed it after we’d landed and I’d gotten sick. I’d just finished showering and was looking in my suitcase for a change of clothes and slammed my luggage shut when I saw the box. Aubyn was instantly alerted and I had to stuff it underneath a pile of clothes to hide it, faking a cough so that he’d keep his distance.

Condoms. Assorted variety pack. One hundred. Also included were several free finger condoms. There was no chance of anyone but Sang having packed them. I was far from innocent, but my discovery of them had been an ambush.

“I bought them so that you would practice safe sex. Condoms are harder to come by here.”

“That’s gross… and dangerous. How can you not use condoms?”

“Maybe because Earthlings use condoms to prevent the spread of diseases and act as contraception. For as long as I’ve been alive, I’ve never heard of sexual infections or diseases among the people of my country. As for preventing pregnancy, vacura birth rates are low because it’s not as easy for us to have children. That also goes for the people of the islands of Daun’ton. Sex is primarily used for bonding, reproduction or as a consummation ritual.”

“Am I supposed to know what all of that means?”

Sang exhaled heavily and shook his head most likely in disappointment. “Bonding is when one person’s soul comes into contact with another. It allows the people involved to become more intuned with each other. It can result in such a deep connection that is similar to that of people in a romantic relationship. Reproduction is when-”

“I know that one,” I said quickly.

“That leaves consummation. Consummation is having sex to make a relationship… legit. A way to seal the deal like what typically happens on the night of a honeymoon. In ancient times, a marriage could be annulled if consummation was put off for more than two years without a good enough reason and consent from both parties.”

“Can you choose not to bond with the person you’re having sex with? I can’t imagine bonding with every Tom, Dick and Harry I’ve slept with.”

“It isn’t something that can be controlled, which is why one-night stands are so rare and almost unheard of depending on where you go. Plus, culturally, most people don’t like too much physical contact with others who aren’t close friends, family or romantic partners. And yes, it is unpleasant accidentally bonding with a one-night stand. Depending on the strength of the bond or how many times it has been reinforced, it could take months or even years to wear off.”

How unfortunate.

I mentally struck a line through “reproduction”. Bonding or consummation, huh? I began to wonder if that was why Aubyn wouldn’t have sex with me. We weren’t technically in a relationship yet and there was a chance he didn’t want to risk getting too attached to me. He might want to make sure he liked me enough to risk it. I wouldn’t mind getting attached to him. Actually, I’d want to. If I were ever presented with a chance to stay by his side for the rest of my life, I’d take it.

“Thanks for the condoms,” I said, suddenly becoming very aware of how we had been casually discussing sex on the bus. We were the only ones on board, but it was still weird.

“I’m sure you know the importance of using them.”

I pressed my lips together for a moment. “I do.”

When we got back, I went and curled up in bed, forgetting that I hadn’t even had breakfast. My empty stomach growled for my attention, reminding me that half the day had already passed without me eating anything.