She Is Not Human

Chapter 5

Once everyone was gone, Grandpa Joke finally snapped back to reality and called up a repair company. Poor door—it had been kicked to pieces just days ago when Max rushed home, and now it got kicked again by some woman!

The old man grumbled under his breath, clearly annoyed as he complained all alone.

"Have you seen enough?" Max pulled his hand back.

In that quiet little room, there was just a bed and a table—so simple it almost felt sickening.

This was his space. Right then, Maya was looking at him seriously with those bright blue eyes of hers—no trace of past anger or resentment left in them anymore.

Her direct gaze felt almost too intense for him; he found it hard to meet her eyes directly, so he turned his head slightly away.

"Are you leaving again?" she asked.

"Don't worry; I'm not going anywhere," Max said softly when he saw her hopeful expression.

He pushed down his doubts because honestly? He couldn't figure out why Maya seemed so unusually close to him lately.

Maya nodded. "Good."

With that, she walked out. Max sat on the bed, a bit puzzled.

If you said she was cold, she'd come to him on her own.

If you said she was warm, she'd barely want to chat with him.

Even Max, who usually figured things out quickly, couldn't make sense of what this girl was thinking.

When dinner time rolled around, Maya still hadn't shown up.

Grandpa Joke guessed she was sulking about something related to Max again.

He'd seen it before and decided to sneak over and knock on her door while Max wasn't paying attention, but there was no answer. He couldn't help but chuckle softly and shake his head—when this girl got in a mood, she wouldn't talk to anyone.

Grandpa Joke asked Max if Maya was sulking again, but this time even he wasn't sure what was going through her mind.

So they both ate dinner in silence.

While those two were busy talking about Maya, she had just finished up her latest project.

She picked up the boxy thing she'd made and frowned at it—it just didn't meet her expectations.

Unfortunately, there weren't any good materials around here; plus, her body couldn't handle using her mind to combine metals effectively.

She rubbed her sore arms that felt weak from working too hard and thought about how much stronger she needed to be.

Her bones and muscles felt so fragile—definitely below normal human levels—as if she'd been hit by some serious radiation or something.

If only she could get hold of a big chunk of energy ore!

Then she'd focus on upgrading herself first.

When Maya opened the door to Max's room, the sight that greeted her was his calm face as he slept peacefully—a handsome guy for sure!

His black hair fell casually across one side of his face; he hadn't changed into pajamas or covered himself with a blanket—just lying there in his clothes with two buttons undone at the collar, showing off a little bit of chest muscle.

In the soft light of the room, he looked like one of those beautiful paintings you'd see in an art gallery.

For a few seconds there, Maya just stood quietly staring at him.

Honestly, Max had woken up the second she walked in.

He was super alert and would never doze off around other people. But when he peeked through his eyelashes and saw it was Maya, he just shut his eyes again.

What was this girl planning?

He didn't want to break the quiet or mess with whatever she was doing. So, he kept his eyes closed and focused on her movements.

Then, out of nowhere, a sweet scent wafted over, and suddenly—click! His wrists were locked!

He had no clue what she used to tie him up, but when he tried to move his hands, they were stuck tight.

Sure, there might be a way to force him free, but honestly? He was getting really confused about what her deal was.

Was she pretending to be nice all along just to get back at him? Was she still holding onto some grudge from that first guy she liked?

Just because of that dude?

She hated him so much for it?

Every time these thoughts crossed his mind, Max felt like he couldn't breathe; it had been bothering him for years.

Suddenly, he felt her weight shift as Maya straddled him.

Her cool fingers poked at his eyes first before moving down to his nose and mouth.

Max swallowed hard and squeezed his eyes shut even tighter.

Maya tilted her head and watched him for a bit.

Oh wow—so waking someone up from sleep mode is tough!

If she'd known that earlier, maybe she wouldn't have done whatever it took to lock him up.

So now she calmly started unbuttoning Max's shirt—one button... two buttons...

With his eyes still closed, Max relied on touch instead.

And weirdly enough, everything became clearer: the sound of fabric rustling as she pushed it aside; her soft breaths; how her fingers traced across his chest; that slight chill creeping into him as more skin got exposed made him shiver just a little.

Thank goodness he could hold it together though. Pushing down all those strange feelings made his breathing pickup slightly.

Maya was staring at Max's bare upper body—his solid chest, toned abs, and that sleek build that suggested he had some serious power.

Among guys in their early twenties, Max was definitely in top shape. She poked him with her hand and then went quiet.

Her silence made Max feel uneasy.

Maya was kneeling next to him in shorts, and every now and then her smooth thighs brushed against his skin, sending a little spark through him each time that seemed to gather lower down.

Max shut his eyes and took deep breaths.

That's how he tried to keep his emotions in check, but still, he could feel himself getting warmer by the second.

Maya noticed that his body temperature was rising a bit, but got lost in her thoughts and didn't really pay attention to it.

It felt odd to her; she couldn't sense any core like a robot inside Max's body, yet there was this strange energy flowing within him.

Was this why she thought he was special? Maybe that's why she picked him out right from the start.

She'd dealt with plenty of humans who wandered into mechanical spaces—killed them and even dissected some.

Sure, strong humans could condense energy too, but it wasn't quite like what Max had going on.

Not being able to figure it all out for now just meant she'd have to set it aside for later. Like water hitting a dam: if it can't break through, it'll just flow back for a while until there's an opening.

Next step.

Just when Max sighed with relief, thinking Maya would get up and leave, he felt her hand on his belt followed by the sound of it coming undone—and suddenly his heart raced as everything exploded inside him.

"What are you doing?"

His voice came out strained with mixed feelings as Maya turned towards him.

Her gaze met his deep black eyes, which were lit up like an ocean ready to boil over.

With a look that said "You know," Maya replied flatly like a machine: "Take off your pants."

"Do you even know what you're doing?" Max asked, each word coming out slowly. His voice was low and had a rough edge to it.

Maya acted like she didn't hear him and kept her focus on checking the last little detail.

Before Max could finish his sentence, she yanked his pants down to his knees, her eyes locked onto the one thing that makes guys unique, watching them go from weak and shaky to fully erect in just a few seconds, way faster than anything she'd seen in her data.

He's definitely healthy. Maya thought.

The room was eerily quiet.

Seeing himself exposed in front of Maya made Max's breath hitch, and he froze for a second.

Then suddenly, he raised his arm, knocking away the metal that held him down; it hit the wall with a loud clang and even sparked a bit.

He stood up, pulling up his pants with one hand while lifting her off the ground like she weighed nothing with the other.

His face showed mixed emotions as he looked at her and said slowly but firmly, "I'm your brother."

When a guy gets this worked up, he will be pretty dangerous for a woman.

But Maya? She just kept her eyes cool and indifferent.

She met his increasingly intense stare and asked, "What's it like being treated this way by me?"

"Hmm?"

"When I touch you, what do you feel? Do you want to cuddle or get more intimate?" Maya thought for a second before adding, "So, would that be what humans call 'love'?"

Max's eyes narrowed at her words; it felt like his heart was being slowly squeezed, and even the rhythm of his heartbeat slowed down. Did she really just ask him that?!

The silence stretched on with an awkward tension hanging in the air.

"Get out!"

He roared in anger as he threw Maya out of the room without mercy. He had never been this furious during their previous arguments.

She paused at the door for a moment; the light from inside cast a long shadow down the hallway—a feeling of desolation and loneliness washed over her before she disappeared from sight as he slowly closed the door behind her.

Inside, Max leaned against the door and slid down to sit on the floor, his expression shifting rapidly between emotions.

Fifteen years ago, he could still vividly remember holding Maya while desperately running through rain and wind—her pale little face stained with blood haunted him in nightmares even now.

Back then, he was just ten years old—too weak to protect anyone at all. His parents were gone; everything they built crumbled overnight—all he had left was her back then. The way she looked at him was so innocent back then too.

But suddenly here she was—grown up into a young woman who could sit on top of him and tempt him like crazy.

The soft sensation of her body lingered on him like electricity coursing through his veins—the faint scent of girlhood clung to him everywhere: fresh yet impossible to shake off—it only made things hotter instead of cooling them down.