Please check the author's note at the bottom, guys! x

JASON FINALLY TOOK the hint and gave me the space I needed – the space I had been asking for since returning from Junito. When he'd eventually messaged me back, he had first expressed how worried he was about me and then apologised for being so intrusive despite how many times I told him I was doing alright. However, we both knew that was a lie considering the break-down I'd had on birthday.

I was still mad at the comment he'd made about Louis but I knew deep down that he hadn't meant it in a malicious way. He was upset and so was I; we said things we probably shouldn't have. We'd spoke for an hour on the phone, agreeing to give each other some time to process everything in our own time. So that meant he wasn't allowed to constantly spam me with texts and calls every day. I'd made it very clear that I wanted things between us to go back to how they were – casual check-ups, the occasional meet for a coffee.

"You're my best friend," I'd reminded him, "not my mum."

"You know I'm only trying to look out for you."

"I know, Jase."

And that had been that. We'd met up for coffee a few times in the last three weeks. He told me about his day (uni meetings and grading papers was a bitch) and I told him about mine, which strayed no further than the usual wake-up, go to work, sleep and repeat.

I'd left out the part where I wandered out to the clearing where Louis' ship had crashed. Several times. I'd found myself sitting at the lakes edge, talking aloud to the water as if he was below the surface in the escape pod. I'd taken the galaxy notebook Jason had given me for my birthday and began scrawling anything and everything I could remember about my time with Louis into it. I was already a good third of the way through, recalling the night we met and the first few weeks we'd spent together.

Jason had been right – writing about it was therapeutic in a way. At least by jotting everything down, I was able to let everything out that had been crippling me during the last few months. Albeit not to a person but it was a start and it was working. I did feel better and part of me was enjoying being able to write our story, write all of the things that nobody else knew apart from Louis and I.

It was Thursday afternoon and I had just hauled my shopping to the door and locked the car when a moving van turned the corner and parked at the house at the end of the street.

Jeremy had come knocking on my door the morning he and his family had moved, to wish me farewell. I'd wished them all the best at Mr Valentine's new job and for moving into their new home. Jeremy had even given me a drawing of his bike which I'd secured to the fridge with a magnet.

Though part of me was still envious of the Valentines for moving away, I couldn't bring myself to dislike the town like I once had. There were too many precious memories in Hoveton for me now and the only reason I'd ever consider leaving was to pursue opportunities.

I emptied my shopping bags hastily once I was inside, my fingers already twitching at the thought of sitting in front of the TV and flicking absentmindedly through the channels to my leisure. I placed the bottle of wine to the side for the following evening, along with the new copy of Heat. The main thing was that my cupboards were no longer bare and I felt like I was finally back to a healthy routine. The fridge was relatively full, more eggs than one needed filling nearly half a shelf. That's what happened when you indulged in some baking to pass the time.

I stuffed a piece of banana loaf in my mouth and headed upstairs to change, tripping on my way.

Things were finally starting to look up and I couldn't have been more pleased. Genuinely, I thought it would have taken me a lot longer to feel even remotely like myself again. Jason had been right about me wallowing in my grief – Louis wouldn't have wanted that. Sometimes I couldn't always help it but I wasn't about to let myself feel like I had during those first few weeks. Now, I was allowing myself to think only about the good times.

It had taken some time, a few bottles of wine more than I'd needed and many boxes of tissues but I could finally look round my home with a smile. No longer did I let stupid things like the mail upset me or the untouched box of pancake mixture sitting in my cupboard. Those were happy memories, not sad. I found that the more I wrote down in my notebook, the easier it was for me to realise that those times were full of nothing but happiness.

Damn you for being right, Jason.

I jogged down the stairs and into the kitchen to prepare dinner. From the kitchen window, the moving van caught my eye once again though more so did the strangers who jumped out of the vehicle. I leaned to the side and watched the four people wrestle a sofa out of the back and to their front door. Three of them were tall while the fourth was short. An educated guess led me to believe it was another family moving in. I thought of Jeremy and his beloved bike and in that instant, I missed the Valentines.

I glanced at the clock. It read five twenty, dinner time.

My gaze travelled back to the newcomers and their attempt to lug the accompanying arm-chairs to the door. I sighed and put the ingredients back into the fridge and moved to put my shoes back on.

Louis had been all about helping people, his own and others. He'd want me to do the same.

Once I'd stuffed my feet into some flats, checked I had the necessities - keys, phone – I made the last-minute decision to grab the sultana cake I'd made the day before and, more hesitantly, the bottle of wine I'd intended to enjoy myself. I couldn't go over empty handed.

Fuck it, I thought as I shut the door behind me.

It was a rather pleasant evening, humid with a slight breeze in the air coming over from the sea. There were pros and cons of living by the coast: when it was cold it was fucking freezing and when it was hot, it could be overbearing. When that lovely in-between weather settled over the town, it was perfect. I looked up at the clear sky to find some seagulls watching me, their beady eyes on the cake in my hand. I darted across the road with a scowl.

By the time I reached the house, there was no one in sight. I could hear a scuffle inside – no doubt a battle with the suite – so I decided to knock on the open door.

I'd never been the type to welcome new neighbours to the area. It seemed overly formal and very much like something that only happens in the movies. Hell, I hadn't even rehearsed what I wanted to say. My only hope was that they were as kind as the Valentines had been. When I'd first moved into my home, they had been the welcoming neighbours for me, offering to give me a hand if I needed anything at all and Jeremy had even helped me move some boxes inside.

A middle-aged woman with dark hair and blue eyes rounded the corner. She offered a smile when she saw me standing on her threshold.

"Hi," I said, waving around the bottle in my grasp. "I'm Flora. I live at the end of the street."

"Hi, nice to meet you," she said. "I'm Janice."

"Hey, Janice. I just thought I'd pop over and welcome you and your family to the neighbourhood." I held up the gifts in my hand awkwardly, feeling like I'd just recited something from a script. "Just thought I'd bring you a little something. A housewarming gift, if you want."

"Good heavens, lass, you didn't need to go and do that!" She smiled wider at me as I handed the items over. "Hell, it's been a long time since anyone's welcomed me to a neighbourhood."

I knew it was too formal, I cursed myself.

"It's not something I usually do," I admitted. "Then again, it's been a long time since I've had any new neighbours to introduce myself to."

"Well, it was very nice of you. Thanks again. I'm sure we'll see you around sometime. We could always use some recommendations about where's good to grab a bite to eat or have a drink."

"Yeah, of course. Just give me a shout if you see me and I'll let you know." I said. "Also, while I'm here, I was wondering if you needed a hand at all? I saw you and your family struggling with the couch earlier so if you need another set of hands..."

Janice contemplated for a moment, her eyes darting from the back of the van to the room behind her. Finally, she nodded. "Actually, that would be brilliant. If you could just give me a second and I'll put these in the kitchen and I'll get my kids round to give you a hand."

I nodded. "Yeah, of course. I'll just wait by the van."

"I won't be two ticks," she promised before darting back into the house, her footsteps echoing off the polished floorboards.

I made my way over to the back of the moving van and took the opportunity to peer inside. Several cardboard boxes were stacked to the left labelled 'kitchen' and to the right were some more boxes with the name Lacey scrawled across every side in bold pink ink. A few framed photos were carefully lined up by the kitchen boxes and the garden tools were haphazardly sprawled across the floor of the van.

Janice returned a few minutes later with a girl who looked no older than seventeen, her blonde hair scraped back in a high bun. She was chewing loudly on some gum.

"This is my daughter Lacey," Janice introduced and Lacey just smiled and said hello. "Lacey, this is Flora. She lives just up the road from us. She's offered to help so don't be too much of a pest."

"Am I ever?" Lacey asked with a scoff.

"Always," Janice chuckled and handed her daughter a box with her name on it. "I'll leave you to your own things. You know where you want them." Janice turned to me and said in a hushed voice, "She's awfully cranky if you touch her stuff."

"Aren't we all?" I offered and Lacey just nodded curtly to me when her mother wasn't looking.

"Mum's a hypocrite. She's always poking around in my room and borrowing my things but when I borrow something of hers ... it's like a war."

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is."

"Lacey, stop overreacting. Here, could you take these garden boxes through for me please, Flora?" Janice asked me. She dragged two boxes towards the edge of the van and patted the top of them. "This one goes on the patio and the other you can just dump wherever. It's only some flower pots and garden décor. This one is fragile, the other you can just launch. My husband, Thomas, he's got a rather ... peculiar taste in ornaments. So, for all I care, I hope they break. Hell, if they got damaged on the journey it wouldn't be the worst thing."

"I'm telling Dad you said that," Lacey called from the door.

"Don't you dare!" Janice warned.

"I promise to be extra careful," I laughed and heaved the first box from the van and made my way around the side of the house.

The houses at this end of the street were the exact same layout to those up where I lived. There was a side gate that led round to the garden and I followed it until I came out to the patio. It was a little smaller than my garden area and unlike mine, there wasn't a maple tree at the far end but some untrimmed rose bushes. I carefully dropped the first box down and turned to fetch the other.

Only, I nearly bumped into someone on my way.

"Shit, sorry," I said when my shoulder bumped his. "I wasn't looking where-"

Suddenly, Louis' voice was ringing through my mind. He was always on my mind but I could hear his words so perfectly it was like he was whispering them right into my ear.

I'd like to think it's true, that there are doppelgangers out there. How interesting would that be?

I couldn't stop myself from staring. Could it be? I barely recognised my own voice as I whispered, "Louis?"

The man I'd bumped into looked mildly confused. "It's Lucas, actually. But nice try."

It was Louis. But it wasn't Louis at the same time. I could feel myself ogling impolitely, feel my jaw hanging slightly open as I gawked at him like he was a celebrity. He had the same facial features, the same cocky smile, the high cheekbones. And those eyes. They were the same eyes I'd been dreaming about for the last three months. The same eyes I had missed and cried about.

I wanted so desperately to reach out and touch his face.

It's not Louis.

"Lou..." I trailed off and cleared my throat. "You... I'm sorry. You look a lot like someone that I used to – that I used to know."

He cocked a brow. "Ah. I'm assuming he was called Louis?"

"Yeah, he was." I finally dragged my gaze away from his face and to my hands which had begun to sweat profusely. My heart felt like it was about to beat right out of my chest. "I'm Flora, your neighbour. I offered Janice a hand with unloading some things."

"Yeah, she mentioned you were round here. Thought I'd come see if you needed a hand."

"I think it's just a couple of boxes," I managed to say. "Nothing I can't handle."

He just grinned at me. The resemblance was so uncanny; I could hardly believe my eyes were seeing what they were seeing. It wasn't Louis - not my Louis - but physically, Lucas was almost identical.

"So, Lucas," I started, unsure where I was planning to take the conversation, "what do you do?"

He turned to look at me over his shoulder and my heart stopped for a moment. "I'm a teacher. I'm starting a class at the university in a couple of weeks."

"Oh? What do you teach?"

"Science."

I came to an abrupt halt. "Fuck off," I laughed in disbelief. "Really?"

He frowned at me. "Er, yeah?"

"Sorry," I blurted, realising how awkward I was making things. Why couldn't I just keep calm? "The guy I knew, he was a scientist and I just thought it was a funny coincidence."

"Sounds like we're practically twins," he sarcastically said and turned to lead me back towards the van.

"I'd hardly say twins," I muttered, despite how eerily similar he looked to Louis. Practically identical apart from Lucas being a foot or two taller and his skin was darker, like he'd just come back from a holiday abroad.

"So, what do you do?" Lucas asked me when we stopped at the van. Lacey was just hurrying away with another box as we arrived and she grinned at me on her way past, still chewing on her gum.

"I just work in retail. Nothing as interesting as being a teacher."

"There's nothing wrong with retail. I used to work in a shop when I was younger and I found it rather enjoyable. You get to meet lots of interesting characters on the job."

"Technically, so do you," I pointed out.

"Ah, but they're youngsters. Kids. Imbeciles."

"Youngsters. You say it like you're an old man."

"Twenty-six is relatively old, is it not?" he chuckled as he heaved the last garden box into his arms, the one Janice had told me to throw if I so wished. "Was that all for the garden?"

I nodded. "I believe so. And twenty-six is not old. I've just turned twenty-three so you're almost calling me old too."

"Well, I certainly wasn't trying to offend you," he promised. "You lived in Hoveton for long?"

"All my life. I've had my own place for about four years though."

"Sounds like you have your life all figured out."

I snorted. "I wish that were true. There's so much that I want to do but up until now Hoveton has been rather restrictive for me. I'd like to be a writer of some sort and there's not too many opportunities in a town like this to pursue a dream like that."

"You could try the local paper?" he suggested.

"It's a start, I dare say. I was thinking more like a novelist."

Lucas paused and spun on his heel to face me. "Am I in the presence of the next Shakespeare?"

I laughed. "Not quite."

I followed Lucas like a puppy back through the gate to the back garden. He dropped the cardboard box on the patio rather unceremoniously and something inside rattled. "Moving is such a pain in the arse."

"Sure but just think, when all the hard work is done, you can relax."

"Yes, well Hoveton sure seems like the place for that. The view of the beach as we came along the high street was stunning."

"Where did you live before?"

"Bristol. Nice enough place but my aunt on my dad's side lives here in Hoveton and she's not doing too well so we were planning to come and spend the summer with her. Then the offer for the house showed up around the same time the opportunity at the university did so, to kill two birds with one stone, I'm here with my parents until I find a nice little place to get for myself."

"Sounds like the best kind of coincidence. I'm glad you got the job and that you can spend time with your aunt while you're here. My friend, Jason, works at the university actually. Maybe if you ask him nicely, he'll be your tour guide?"

Lucas lowered himself down onto the patio and crossed his legs. He dusted his hands on his trousers and took a deep breath before saying, "That would be good actually. I'm terrible at finding my way around new places. Funny that, because I love travelling."

Shut the fuck up, I wanted to say but instead I went with, "Oh, really?"

"Yeah. I'm just back from Bulgaria. I spent a week there just enjoying some time off. That was my first real holiday in years and if I don't say so myself, it was well-earned." He looked over his shoulder and back at the house as if checking to make sure we were alone. He dropped his voice. "Between us, I've been working hard all my bloody life – my dad is kind of hard on me sometimes so everything I've done has been to please him. And my mother obviously but she's more lenient."

My stomach suddenly erupted into butterflies and before I could even think twice, I said, "Let me take a guess."

Lucas crossed his arms across his chest. "A guess at what?"

"At you. At your interests, things you like, so on."

He chuckled quietly and it sounded so like how Louis used to laugh that I had to fight the urge not to let myself cry. "I'd like to think I'm not too much of a cliché but go ahead."

I sighed, hoping to God that I was wrong. It was just too strange, all of it. To find someone so much like Louis not only to look at but, from the sound of it, in every aspect. "Alright. Growing up, your dad had expectations for you – he wanted you to go down one path career-wise but you were too stubborn to do that because you wanted to pursue something you actually had an interest in and that was science. So, while you studied the thing your dad wanted you to, you were also studying science after some encouragement from your mum because that's what truly captured your attention."

Lucas looked perplexed, like I'd caught him off guard. Perhaps I had and that worried me because there was no way in hell that this man before me could be that similar to Louis, to my Junite, and yet it looked like that was the case.

"You're a psychic or something, aren't you?" he speculated. "If not, then that's a little weird."

"Are you saying I was right?" I implored. "Please tell me I wasn't right. At least not about all of it because if so, I'm going to be a little confused."

"You and I, both. I'm sorry to tell you that you pretty much got it spot on." He cleared his throat. "I don't suppose that friend of yours happened to have that all in common with me?"

I could only stare at him. What was I supposed to say? Probably that I was a psychic after all, that would have be more believable.

"Tell me more about him," Lucas gently urged. "Only if you want to. I've noticed that you're referring to him in past tense which leads me believe he's no longer with us?"

Past tense. It had been so difficult to speak of him in the past while I'd been on Junito. I'd refused to refer to him in any other way than the present. Lucas pointing out that I had finally come to acknowledge his passing was a sign that yes, while it had taken time, I was finally healing.

I nodded. "He's not."

"My condolences. He sounds like he was a really special person."

"I loved him," I blurted before I could stop myself. "I – he was such a big part of my life."

Luccas nodded and took a deep breath. "That sucks. It sucks when those we love pass away. Do you want to talk about him?"

Up until then, the thought of speaking about Louis had been the last thing I'd wanted. I didn't want to talk to anyone about him because it was difficult for me to think of him, let alone speak about him without crying. Not even Jason, my best friend, had I wanted to speak to. Lucas was someone I had known for maybe ten minutes and I felt like I'd known him for much longer. Almost, like we'd met before. How was it possible to feel so comfortable around a stranger?

"I don't know if I want to talk about him," I admitted. "However, I can tell you some more things about him and then you can tell me if you have anything else in common? As if this isn't already kind of weird."

"I like weird," he said with a shrug. "Go for it, Flora."

We spoke non-stop for nearly an hour, discussing each other's interests, families and the similarities between him and Louis. It turned out that the rocky relationship with his dad wasn't the only thing Lucas had in common with Louis – he loved to travel and had been many different and exotic places around the world despite his strict schedule. Sometimes he'd even went away for a weekend if he could afford it. Learning the cultures and languages of the places he'd visited had been euphoric for him, and it was like a drug – he longed for new adventures.

He had found science interesting from the moment he had been given a taste of it in primary school. Even at that young age, he'd known he wanted to pursue it as a future career, not only for the outstanding opportunities but for the chance to contribute to such important work – work that could potentially lead to the discovery of life-changing cures and medicines.

In his spare time, he enjoyed reading about new things and places as well as taking some time to spend with his friends.

As I listened intently to him speak, there was no mistaking the fact that he was undeniably human.

"There's one last thing I want to ask you," I said as the sun finally began to set.

Lucas nodded. "Of course."

"Do you like pancakes?"

All Lucas had to do was grin for me to know the answer.

And that's (almost) a wrap! There's just the epilogue of Alien to go now, guys! I'll be posting it as soon as I can, hopefully in the next few days, so definitely keep an eye open for that.

If you're familiar with some of my other works, you'll remember the Q&A section that I always post at the end of my stories, so if any of you have questions about Alien -whether it be the writing process, questions about the characters or events or even just about myself and what I'm like, then make sure you post those questions in the comment section of the EPILOGUE when I publish it and I'll be sure to answer all of your questions there!

If you have no clue what I'm on about, head on over to one of my older works - Incomprehensible, Lucifer, Messages or I, Spy - and go to the end of the story to the part titled THANK YOU & FAQ and that'll give you an idea.

Thanks, everyone! Enjoy the last joke of the book!

Alien joke: How did the alien break its phone? He Saturn it!

Cazza x