Once everyone in the house was asleep, Yulian went out to the backyard and saw Thiago waiting for him there. Even before he could grab a hold of the other alien's shirt, Thiago had already grabbed on to his.
"Was it you?" Thiago spat angrily. "Did you do this?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing," Yulian shot back as he reached up to pull loose from Thiago's grip.
"Do you know that you've ruined everything for Skye? He was going to spend the last few months with Bowen and be happy. Whether he is able to fix things or not, at least he'll give Bowen some good memories to remember him by."
"Bowen won't be happy without Skye. Memories will only break Bowen. Trust me. I know." Yulian paused for a moment before continuing. "I saw him crumble."
"So, it really wasn't you?" Thiago wanted a confirmation.
"No." Yulian shook his head. "I've already messed up things once. I won't hurt Bowen again."
"If it was neither one of us, then who?"
"I guess it's time for me to introduce myself." An additional figure showed up in front of them, taking them both by surprise.
"Who are you?" Yulian inquired.
"Apologies," he said politely. "Where are my manners? I'm Zander."
"You look familiar." Yulian focused on the male's face and recalled. "You're the waiter from that restaurant."
"Good memory," Zander praised. "Yes, I pretended to be a waiter at the restaurant you attended."
"You're one of us?" Thiago was curious.
"Yes," Zander affirmed. "I've been watching the two of you."
"Invisibility doesn't work amongst ourselves, so why didn't we see you?" Thiago queried.
"That's because I'm equipped with the newest technology that goes beyond our innate alien abilities." Zander showed them the watch-like gadget on his wrist and pressed it to turn invisible. "This technology is able to hide me even to the alien eyes." Reappearing in front of them, Zander smirked. "You'll each get one once you've earned them. Then again, by the look of things, you might not. You've kind of made a mess of things here."
Without another word, Yulian leaped forward and grabbed Zander by the collar. "Why? Why did you...?"
Pulling loose from Yulian's hold, Zander proceeded. "The headmaster found out what you two did and sent me to carry out this punishment," he recited. "I didn't have a choice. If I did, I would rather be here on earth to check out all the pretty girls. Instead, I'm stuck here spending time with a pair of male aliens. One," he averted his gaze toward Yulian, "even consummated with a human man."
"You were watching?" Yulian threw him a look of disapproval.
"Don't worry. I only watched a little of it from my gadget and shut it off." Zander reassured and turned to look at Thiago. "As for you, you're overly attached to your human. I'm rather intrigued by these two humans. How did they manage to make you two disclose so much about yourself?"
"Skye is a kindhearted, selfless person who will go through lengths for those he care about," Thiago informed.
"Bowen is as well," Yulian added.
"You two are becoming more and more human," Zander derived. "If this continues, you might end up being trapped on earth."
"That isn't so bad." Yulian smiled.
"I agree with Yulian," Thiago added.
"Anyway, your humans have close to a week to solve their problems. Remember, you two are not allowed to intervene with their choices. They must figure it out by themselves. I'll be watching and if I see any wrongdoings, I'll have to report them to the headmaster. All right. It's late. Have a good night." With that, Zander turned around and vanished into thin air.
Yulian and Thiago glanced at each other worriedly.
***
"Version 5 of 'Heaven's Clouds' is a big success," Jensen voiced. "We should celebrate."
"Why don't we throw a party for Bowen's birthday?" Sion suggested.
"That's a wonderful idea," Jensen concurred. "I'll be in charge of the food."
"I'll help you, Jensen," Yulian offered.
"That will be great, John," Jensen accepted Yulian's offer.
"I'll put up the decorations," Sion announced.
"I'll get the cake," Skye notified.
"All right." Jensen nodded. "Bowen, you tackle the invitations, since you know a lot of people."
"You five are the only people I want to invite," Bowen stated honestly.
"Kid, are you feeling okay?" Jensen noticed that there was something troubling Bowen. Usually, he would be thrilled to have a party with tons of people.
"I...I'm fine." Bowen pretended.
"Um...Bailey, can you help Bowen with the invitations?"
"Of course," Bailey responded. "I'll ask Kido and Ben to help."
"Sounds great." Jensen gave him a nod of the head.
"I need a drink." Skye got up from his seat. "Does anyone else want a beer?"
"Ge, you're going to drink beer?" Bowen queried.
"Our game did very well, so yes. I want a beer."
"I want a drink too," Sion leaped out of his seat. "Ge, do you also want a beer?"
"Sure," Jensen answered.
"John, how about you?" Sion asked.
"No!" Yulian and Bailey shouted in unison.
"H-He shouldn't drink alcohol," Bailey blurted.
"Why?" Sion blinked in confusion.
"B-Because..." Bailey sputtered as he searched his mind for a reason.
"Because I want tea," Yulian supplied.
"Whatever." Sion wasn't going to question what others wanted. "Do you also want tea, Bailey?"
"That will be safe, I mean, that will be good. Yes, I want tea."
Sion twirled on his heels and headed toward the kitchen with Skye. Why is everyone acting so weird tonight?
Yulian stole a glimpse at Bailey and thought. Thank goodness, Bailey doesn't have to suffer like Skye and Bowen.
Indeed, everyone seemed to be dealing with things that were overwhelming, especially Skye. Sion found his best friend seated alone in the backyard, so he joined him on the bench. "Why are you out here by yourself?" His eyes widened in surprise when he realized that Skye was crying. "What's the matter?"
Bowen saw Skye and Sion outside but decided to stay put.
"Why are you standing by the door?" Jensen gave Bowen a pat on the shoulder. "Why aren't you outside with Skye?"
Emptying the bottle of beer in his hand, Bowen slurred. "I had too much to drink."
"Goodness, how many did you have?" Jensen quickly supported the lad's slanting body. "I thought you were going to drink water."
"Our game did great, so...beer it is..." Bowen hiccupped. "I think I'm drunk. I should go to bed."
"Come on, I'll help you to your room."
"Thanks, ge. I can always count on you." Bowen chuckled drunkenly.
YOU ARE READING
From the Beginning
RomanceWould things be different if there was a chance to change it all? Disclaimer: This story and all of the characters in it are created by me. None of what's written is connected to anyone in real life, or should be taken as such.