THERE WEREN'T A LOT OF places in Hoveton where you could go for a night out. That was one of the misfortunes of living in such a small town. However, on my eighteenth birthday I had discovered the three best places to go where you could settle down, talk comfortably for several hours with your friends while also receiving the best and cheapest service. Those three places were: the Richmond's Hotel; as explanatory as the welcome sigh above the door, set with an excellent lounge area near the bar as well as a dining room large enough to host a wedding reception; secondly was the small, cigarette-smoked pub called Knight's, run by a middle-aged couple who lived in the small apartment above; finally was another pub, more run-down than Knight's and also more favoured by those who were rowdy and loud-mouthed. I'd been to them all, and out of the three I preferred Richmond's by far. It was just by the beach, and had the best atmosphere out of the three. 

I found myself dragging Louis by the arm, straight towards the hotel with one goal in mind - to forget ever having seen David at the beach. I wasn't one to get completed smashed beyond words, but it felt like the only way I could feel free, if that was even the best way to describe it. 

I was hurt; hurt that he would still act so immaturely and also because after all the years of building up my defences and becoming tough, I had let his words get to me once again. I hated feeling weak, vulnerable. 

"Flora," Louis protested, trying to tug his hand back, "slow down!"

"You," I replied, "speed up."

"I thought you told me you were OK? This to me, doesn't seem to be the case," he continued, unexpectedly lunging forward to grab my upper arm. He hauled me backwards so we were standing face to face. "Talk to me," he begged.

In his eyes I could still see traces of desperation, only this time he was keen for me to talk to him. He wanted me to vent about it all.

I shrugged. "I don't know what there is to talk about. I had a run-in with my ex, things got a little bit nasty and now I want to have a drink."

"You told me alcohol makes people nasty."

"It does," I said. "Not all people though. It can make some nasty, some emotional, some funny. I've always been told that I'm a funny drunk so we have nothing to worry about."

Louis refused to let me head on, for his grip tightened. I looked to him with wide eyes, his strength quite alarming for a man his size. "I refuse to let you consume personality-changing beverages because an imbecile said crude things to you. You are a fighter, and you can ignore his comments."

I just chuckled. Not because of his sudden strict tone, or his determined scowl but because  of his speech. He was back at it, talking in a intricate tongue almost as if he had landed on the planet for the first time all over again. I just raised my free hand and patted his head. He wasn't going to change my mind. "Relax, little guy," I cooed. "It's not as self-destructive as you think."

"Tastes like it," he muttered. "Don't do anything you'll regret."

"I never do," I said with a smile. However, that wasn't completely true for the first thing that I thought of as I turned and started walking again was, you regret ever allowing yourself to be with David.

We made it to the hotel doors without another word. No longer were we holding hands as I pushed through the heavy oak door looked around. It was fairly busy inside, much busier than I had ever seen it before. Only when I heard the majority of the crowd to our left start to sing Happy Birthday did I realise why. 

"Someone turned eighteen I'm guessing," I muttered to Louis as I guided him over to a corner by the window. "I was in here for my eighteenth. Had my first drink with some mates."

"First drink? You only drank when you reached maturity?" Louis asked, astonished.

I just laughed. "I meant alcoholic drinks. You can only drink alcohol when you're eighteen. Not that the age limit ever stops the younger ones . Rebels. I had my first taste of alcohol when I was really young - eight maybe. It was only a sip of my dad's beer but still."

"Why is there an age limit?" Louis asked.

I just shrugged. "To keep the youth safe, I guess."

"Oh," Louis said suddenly, holding out his hand, "talking of keeping people safe. Give me your phone thing."

"My phone?" I asked. Why would he want that? "Why?"

"I'm going to contact Jack-"

"Jason," I corrected.

"-so I can get him down here. If you get all crazy because of the drinking, I'm going to need his aid to get you home. I won't be able to manage by myself."

"Oh," I muttered as I rummaged about for my phone. My heart skipped a beat as I realised he was thinking ahead and looking out for me. He really did amaze me at times and I was thankful to be able to call him a friend. As soon as I dialled Jason's number, Louis had all but snatched the phone from my hands.

"Jason, hi," he began. "It's your prince speaking."

I just giggled and quickly told him I was getting us some drinks. I pushed my way out from the table and up to the bar to order. Vodka was the first thing that came to mind, so I ordered that along with two beers, one for Jason and one for Louis. If Louis didn't want his, I'd gladly down it for him.

To my left, the birthday chorus was being sung over and over, a crescendo that was beginning to give me a headache. No matter, I thought. After I'm done here, it will be the alcohol giving me a headache. I paid and thanked the barman as he handed me over the glasses on a round, black tray, a kind smile on his face as he watched me turn away.

I nearly bumped into a redhead. "Whoa, sorry!" I instantly gushed. "Are you OK?"

"Yes, it's all right. My mistake," she said, smiling at me reassuringly when noticing my apologetic grimace. "Had my head down."

"Sorry again," I said before heading back towards the table. I was shocked to find Jason already there, sitting and chatting to Louis as if they were best friends. However, when I reached the table and sat down did I realise that the two of them were actually bickering. "Guys."

"-doesn't mean you get to treat me like a peasant!" Jason was snapping.

"Well, guess what, Jacob-"

"Jason!" 

The entire pub fell silent and several heads turned to look in our direction. Jason turned red and smiled awkwardly at everyone after realising he had caused a bit of a commotion. He looked so embarrassed and I couldn't help but chuckle. He was quick to grab his bottle and down the first few tastes of his beer, without even saying hello or thanking me. Louis on the other hand, carefully reached out and took his drink, giving me a knowing look. You know I don't drink, it said. I just took a gulp, the burning of the alcohol making me wince.

After everyone resumed what they were doing, Jason turned to me and thanked me before asking, "Why did the alien call me? He said something about you being in danger but you look perfectly all right."

I just shrugged. "I'm good. Had a run-in with David not too long ago and now I want to bask in the glorious wonderfulness that shall soon be a drunken haze."

Jason just looked at me. "You already sound like you've downed a few drinks."

I just brushed off his comment with a giggle before sipping at my vodka. Louis took a sniff from the bottle and winced before carefully setting it down on the table while Jason took some more large gulps. In no time, Jason and I had finished our drinks and went up for more, Louis looking more confused than ever.

"Why do you do it?" he quietly asked me as I returned to the table. Jason was still at the bar ordering.

"Do what?" I asked.

"Drown your sorrows by consuming something so vile and self-destructive? Surely you humans are stronger than that?" He spoke with genuine interest, and I felt a wave of guilt rush through me when I realised that I couldn't give him a proper answer. It made me wonder why we did turn to things such as alcohol to help with troublesome times. Why did we do it? Perhaps it was to escape reality when things got to be too much. Was that why I was drinking? Of course it was. It was because I wanted to ride on the corrupted high that alcohol could provide, to escape reality for a moment - to forget having been transported right back into my teenage years when David had turned everyone against me and created the most miserable year of high school I'd ever endured.

But is knowing Louis not escaping reality? Is everything going on to do with the aliens, not reality-bending enough? The voice in my head made me doubt ever entering the hotel pub, but I knew that if I were to stop drinking because of David, I wanted to continue for a good night out with my friends. With Louis and Jason.

"I don't know, Louis," I told him. "It makes you forget things."

"But why would you want to forget things?" he urged. "Isn't that part of life, of nature? Learning from your mistakes?"

I just stared at him, wondering where his wise words had come from. I'd not taught him that, had I? Unable to say anything back, I just lowered my eyes to my nails and picked at them absent-mindedly until I heard Jason return with our tray of drinks. We'd ordered several different things, some sweet, some bitter. 

Louis eyed them distastefully. "What is all of this?"

"Drinks," I told him. "Surely you've seen drinks before, Louis?"

He just looked at me and nodded. "You know what I mean, Flora." His tone was laced with bitterness which could have given the whisky I'd picked up a run for its money. However, I didn't understand why. Had I said or done something to anger him?

Jason looked back and forth between us, a brow raised in question. I just shook my head and took a drink from a clear and sweet-scented liquid. The after-taste was not so pleasant however, and I coughed a little as it went down the wrong way. Louis just watched me with bored eyes.

What's wrong with him? The thought crossed my mind several times during the evening, all the while Jason and I downed more drinks combined than we count count on our fingers.

By the time I was unable to form a proper, coherent sentence and my eye-sight had slightly blurred, did I decide that I was in the mood to dance. It had been such a long time since I'd danced with anybody, and the blaring music emanating from the room behind the bar soon had me from toe-tapping to standing up and bouncing on the balls of my feet. As time had flown by, the majority of the crowd had shuffled through to the other room, no doubt to continue celebrating the birthday shenanigans that was happening. 

As Jason had gone to use the toilet, I looked to Louis with a sly grin and soon I was clutching at his arm, tugging him out of his seat and towards the door. 

"What are you doing?" he asked. His blue eyes were glued to my face, a hint of worry in his voice. 

"C'mon," I groaned as I pulled him through to the conjoined room. It appeared to be the kind of room that was often rented out for birthday parties and wedding receptions every once in a while. The crowd which had been chanting Happy Birthday were now all dancing in time to the irritating yet catchy chorus of a modern pop song, and I just grinned like an idiot as I turned to Louis and announced, "I wanna dance."

"What?" Louis asked over the loud music. "Dance? I'm not the best of dancers."

I just ignored him and grabbed his hands. "Loudrix," I demanded, trying to look serious, despite having a little bit of a twitchy eye and slurred words. Inside I was groaning, disgusted with myself for having allowed such an intake of alcohol. I must have been quite the sight. "Please? Don't you want to dance once like a human before you go home?"

He seemed conflicted. His eyes darted nervously around at the dancers, a deep sigh falling from his lips when he realised he had no choice. "Fine," he huffed.

"Yay," I cheered, as I pathetically swayed my hips this way and that, more disorientated than I cared to admit. I could tell by the way he was looking at me that he disapproved and I just rolled my eyes at him. Finally, after gradually becoming more irritated, I said, "Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?" he asked, raising a brow.

"Like that," I sighed. "With those eyes."

"Oh, I'm sorry," he started, "these are the only damn pair I've got."

"Louis." I snapped unintentionally at him, and I could see the hurt mask his features for a brief second. "Sorry. I don't like when you're mad at me."

"Well, Flora that's your fault," he told me. "I thought you were showing me around today. No fear, you said to me this morning. 'We won't live in fear of the Councillors.' Funnily enough, you're scared by an ex partner who was nasty and completely out of place."

"I'm not scared of him!" I instantly said. However, the wavering in my voice gave me away.

"Yes, you are. You're afraid of your past coming back to haunt you. I may be of another world Flora, but the same principles rest all over the universe. Fear is something everyone endures, and I can tell not only by your eyes but by your voice that today has shaken you pretty badly."

I couldn't speak for two reasons. He was right and also because he was so wise. It shocked me just how well he had come to learn and analyse human emotions. Perhaps in my drunken state, I was more vulnerable, more easy to read? I didn't want that, I didn't want anyone to be able to see the real me so easily.

"Louis," I mumbled, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," he told me. "Do something about it. I tried to tell you that before you consumed all of that alcohol, but you didn't listen to me. I told you that you are stronger than giving into your emotions. Don't let your past happenings destroy your future, Flora. Don't let him destroy your future."

I didn't realise I was crying until I felt a tear roll down my cheek. His words really touched me, and I couldn't help but feel slightly taken aback when I realised that that was the first time Louis had ever seen me cry. I hated crying. It made me feel weak. However, as we stood there hand in hand, chest to chest, I found myself thinking how grateful I was to have him in my life.

"Thank you," I sobbed, lowering my head into the crook of his neck.

"For what?" he asked, seemingly bewildered at my sudden thanking. 

"For everything," I continued. "For landing here, for trusting me, for telling and showing me all these wonderful things... I guess I'm just thanking you for existing, to be honest."

Louis chuckled and unexpectedly wrapped his arms around me. I inhaled his scent - the cheap shower gel I owned and his natural, unearthly musk - and allowed a small smile to creep onto my face. Despite the chaotic situation we were in, I managed to find comfort in being held by Loudrix, the way his arms held be securely and made me feel safe. No man -  no human man - had ever held me in such a way and made me feel so secure. And so, in my drunken stupor and slightly desperate need for affection, I kissed his cheek.

He looked shocked when I pulled back. His wide, blue eyes seemed to scan my face as if searching for something - regret, embarrassment? But no, he would not find anything of the sort. Drunk I may have been, but not enough to consider my actions foolish or silly. 

"Flora," he spoke softly. It was difficult to hear him over the loud music, but I read his lips perfectly. He'd said my name. 

"Sorry," I instinctively blurted. Perhaps he was the one who felt awkward? Not that I blamed him if he did feel that way - he was a prince after all. No doubt he would be used to being obsessed over, but it's not as if any of his adoring admirers ever got close enough to do what I'd just done. Maybe he wasn't used to random people kissing him? Plus, he was betrothed. As soon as I remembered Klaru, I felt myself flush. "Oh, my God, I'm so sorry, Louis."

"Why?" he asked.

All I could do was shake my head. It had been such an innocent thing, and yet I was instantly regretting it after remembering his love life, if you could call it that. He was in a relationship - a weird, and rather unfair relationship, but that didn't mean that it was OK for me to kiss him, no matter how small a gesture it had been. What annoyed me most, was right then, in that moment, I realised that despite being a taken man, I found myself undeniably attracted to him.

"I - I need some air," I blurted. My stomach coincidently churned and I unfortunately knew what was coming. "I'm going to be sick."

"You feel ill?" he asked. "Do you need some medicine?"

"No, not that kind of sick. I mean physically sick and - oh, never mind. I need to get out of here, Louis," I said, my eyes darting left and right to try and locate the closest exit. I found a fire exit by the back of the hall, and I instantly tugged Louis with me, rudely pushing people aside as I hurried towards the door with one thought on my mind: get outside. I refused to vomit inside, in front of so many people. Once I'd successfully managed to leave the building, I frantically ran over to the railing on the banking and threw up.

"Flora!" Louis gasped, running to my side. He rubbed my back carefully while telling me that it was all OK. And I believed him.

"Don't look at me," I choked, my eyes slightly watery. The repulsive after taste lingered in my mouth as I coughed and remained hunched over with my hands on my knees. Louis refused to leave my side however, for he helped me stand straight and guided me over to a half-rotten bench that overlooked the ocean. I sat down, content that the spinning and illness had subsided, even if only for a moment. "Thank you," I said quietly.

"It's OK," Louis said as he sat down beside me. I found myself leaning into his side, the body heat radiating off of him allowing me to once again feel comfort.

"I'm sorry for kissing you," I slurred, looking into his eyes. "I didn't mean to. Well, I did mean to. I just didn't mean to mean to kiss you. Then there's your girlfriend-princess-alien-girl person back on Junito and I'm sorry..."

All throughout my ramblings, his eyes focused on nothing but my own, and I eventually found myself trailing off as I realised how stupid I must have looked. I cleared my throat, hoping that he would simply brush aside my gibberish speech and pretend like I had never opened my big mouth in the first place. But he just laughed, which surprised me. Why was he laughing?

"It's all good, Flora," he said. His hand moved to flick a strand of hair from my clammy face. "I do not mind at all."

"You should," I retorted. "After all, you're a prince, someone special who shouldn't have to put up with idiots like me-"

"You are not an idiot." His tone was final, and I looked up in shock. Those moments when he sounded almost dangerous always managed to leave me surprised. From being such a pathetic, whiny man when I had first met him, suddenly to a tough, clever and authorative gentleman in the space of weeks was incredible.

I didn't speak again. Instead, I looked to the stars. They shone brightly over the small town, like diamonds, like Louis' true complexion and I just smiled. The chilly night air didn't faze me as I giggled quietly and then let out a deep sigh. 

"The stars look beautiful tonight," I commented. "Don't you think?"

Louis just went along with it, though I could sense the reluctance in his voice. "I agree. Rather pleasing. Makes me think of home, they do."

Home. The mention made a great wash of guilt hit me like a ton of bricks. He missed his home, I could tell. He'd missed it from the very beginning though I had never heard him constantly moan or cry about it. He was strong and I admired that of him.

"Do you miss it? Home?"

Louis nodded and I could see the longing in his eyes as he looked skyward. The stars twinkled above us, and I could only stare, transfixed by their undeniable beauty. Perhaps one of the fainter stars was in fact Louis' home, billions of miles away? It made me wonder if the stars were sacred to Junites the way religion was to believers. Maybe the stars were a God-like significance to Junites?

"Of course," he said. "Home is where the heart is, after all. Home is where everything lies, is where everything I know remains."

"Yeah," I agreed, leaning my head upon his shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to see this. Me, I mean by the way. I'm such a mess."

"Yes," he said, "you are." There was no criticism in his voice, only mere agreement. All I could do was laugh at his straight-forwardness. 

"It'll be fun to see your home, Louis," I muttered. "Just as you've seen and experienced mine."

"Yes," Louis said. "You'll have to be patient with my people when we land on Junito. They may not be the most welcoming of people to begin with, especially since they have never seen an Earthling before."

"But we practically look the same, minus the skin colours and sparkles," I noted. "Why is it such a big difference?"

"We are species of unimaginable differences. Here is where destruction lives. Home is where peace lives. You being from such a destructive planet may cause an uproar."

"And your people honestly think that one little human being will ruin a whole planet?" I laughed. "Wow."

For a few moments we sat there in silence, looking to the sky. It was a beautiful night, peaceful with the waves crashing in the distance. If it had not been for muffled cheers of drunken bodies inside the hotel, it would have been almost romantic; sitting there with another while looking out at the sea. But romance was not something happening between Louis and I.

"Flora?" Louis suddenly spoke. 

"Mm?"

"I believe I've not thanked you properly."

I looked up at him with a cocked brow. "Thanked me for what?"

"For helping me out during my time on Earth," he began. "I was so scared when I first landed; I didn't know where I was, or what was happening. Can you imagine that? Imagine yourself waking somewhere new, somewhere completely out-with your comfort zone. Then when I first saw you and, well, you can remember how I was."

"Oh, yes," I chuckled. Only after I'd spoken did I realise how parched I was. "I'm thirsty."

"You're thirsty?" he asked in disbelief. "It seems you've had quite enough to drink tonight."

"No, no, no," I argued. "I mean, I'm parched. My throat is sore. I need water."

"Would you like me to go and get you a glass?" he politely asked and I just nodded. It's all I could manage, and as he stood and left to get me a drink, did I finally release a sigh that I'd not realised I'd been holding.

I instantly began to regret ever having turned to alcohol. I knew from the beginning that it would be stupid, but I was only human, and humans were stupid. At the end of the day, no matter the good deeds, and shared pleasantries, we're just a dumb species who turn to bad decisions when the world gets shit.

It was funny when you tried to think back on all the wrong decisions you've made in your life; either you're one of those people who can recall every single one or you can't remember any at all. I was a mixture of both - I could clearly pick out the worst mistakes I'd ever made, not that there were many. Louis' words kept on coming back to mind, learning from your mistakes, he'd said. It was just a shame that I'd gone and made another.

"Hey."

The voice was unfamiliar, and I jumped ever so slightly. When I looked up, I found the redhead I'd bumped into from earlier. She was smiling ever so slightly and all I could do was smile back.

"Hi," I said.

She looked me over briefly and asked, "Are you OK? You seem awfully ... vacant."

I just laughed again. "It's the alcohol. Never seen a person get drunk before?"

This time, she chuckled ever so slightly before tossing her long red hair over her shoulder. "Oh, I have. Though, never to this extent. It appears, you may have gone way past your limit. You look simply dreadful."

I just gave her an incredulous look. Talk about breaking the news lightly. I eventually shrugged my shoulders and flatly told her, "Thanks."

"You're welcome," she cheerily replied. "May I sit?"

I followed her out-stretched hand as she gestured to the empty side of the bench and I just nodded. I couldn't help but notice how her tight, black dress hugged her body in all the right places, and how beautifully long and slim her legs were. I found myself wishing to have been built like she was, when instead I was short, lean with no curves and frizzy red hair. She was more like a model whereas I looked like a couch potato. 

She was deadly attractive, and I instantly found myself drawn to her. Whether it was because I was horrifically drunk, or I craved affection or because she was just so God damn gorgeous, I knew I wanted to kiss her. But to do so would be inappropriate, which I'd learned from kissing Louis' cheek. In addition, I didn't know the woman.

"I, er," I began, clearing my sore throat. It almost felt like I had swallowed sandpaper. "I'm sorry. I'll warn you now that I won't be the best company when I'm in a state like, a messy state like this."

"Oh, it's perfectly all right," she mused. "It would not be the first time where I've encountered one who cannot carry a good conversation. It would appear that there are many souls who have that trait."

"Why call it a trait?" I asked. "More like an unfortunate mishap. A bad habit. A mistake. Bleh, so on."

She tilted her head to the side, her eyes almost glowing a fluorescent yellow under the moonlight. I had to blink twice to make sure I wasn't seeing things. Ever so slowly, she shuffled closer to me. She smelled like vanilla and...

"Louis," I blurted, the scent triggering something within me. I could recall dancing with him and inhaling his natural, Junite scent. The woman before me had a very similar, if not exactly the same, smell to her.

"Louis?" she asked, confused. "Who's Louis?"

I just shook my head, the beginnings of an ache starting to form. I groaned as I realised I'd not brought paracetamol with me like I usually did. One stupid thing after another, I thought to myself as I took a deep breath. 

"He's a friend of mine," I answered. "I'm sorry about that. I wasn't implying that you ... that you were called Louis. It's just - eh, nothing. Never mind. I'm sorry about that ... um. What's your name?"

I felt myself flush as I made the conversation even more awkward than it already was. Drunk, I would never be again. My vision was still swirling slightly, and the echoing of the loud music sounded closer than it actually was. The morning was going to be a long and painful experience... However, everything seemed to snap back into reality, back into a sober world as a sharp pain hit my upper arm out of nowhere. 

I groaned. Looking down at my arm probably wasn't the best thing to do, for what I found left me utterly bewildered. A syringe was sticking into my skin, a bright blue liquid being injected into my system. Holding the syringe was the redhead who wore a poker face so well that I questioned whether she had been the same woman who had smiled and asked to sit beside me only a moment ago. With a sharp tug at my arm, she pulled the syringe out and everything was becoming dizzy once more. 

"What the hell?!" I gasped, trying to stand up. It was like fighting a losing battle, for the strange blue liquid and alcohol combined, made me topple over and hit the ground hard.

She stood over me, now with a wicked grin. When she bent down to crouch by my side, her eyes glowed yellow. "We've not officially met. I'm Klaru."

Everything went black before I could call for help. 

Thank you for reading! x
Space joke: What do astronauts wear to keep warm? Apollo neck jumpers!
Cazza