About halfway through the movie, Freyja went and grabbed a blue liquid for me to try, surprisingly it tasted like lemonade with a hint of watermelon. Once again to my surprise, this was Bevusian water. 

Water. 

It had something to do with a mineral that was plentiful in their oceans but not found on Earth. Whatever it was, it tasted delicious and had zero sugar in it. Now, I may not be in marketing but damn, this would be a best-seller. 

One thing that was a bit out of character for Freyja, however, was the fact that throughout the movie she inched her way over to me. To the point where her yellow thigh brushed against mine.  

Not only that, but it was evident that she was rather new to the whole ‘flirting’ thing. Indicated by how she leaned back onto the couch, while yawning, and placed her top left arm on my right shoulder. Classic. 

I’m ashamed to admit that I flinched away from her touch for a second, not only was I still dealing with last night. But she did scare the absolute hell out of me even though I knew she wouldn’t beat me into a bloody paste. 

On the other hand, my fears were mitigated by the fact that her physical attempts at flirting were downright adorable, so I let it go. Still, her arm was heavy, and I’d have to remove it before my arm fell asleep. 

“So, Dean,” Freyja said over the movie, removing her arm in the process, and eliciting a silent sigh of relief from me. “Have you relaxed enough to where you would feel comfortable opening up to me?” Direct, way too direct. No matter how sincere she was, the girl lacked tact. What she had going in her favor was that she said it with a smile. 

Her tits wobbling in my face as she leaned over to speak to me got her some bonus points as well. 

I cleared my throat and nodded.  

“I guess I’ll start with the fact my girlfriend left me, because of you? Ah, shit that came out wrong. Not because of you, just...your people in general and how I ‘defended’ you. The whole college thinks I’m a species traitor.” I threw my hands up for a bit of flair before slinking down onto the couch. Freyja tilted her head in concern. 

“Yes, you were quite upset about it on the phone,” she paused for a beat, “D-Did you mean what you said? That you never wanted me...to intervene I mean!” she said as she pulled her arms into herself, slouching slightly.  

“I won’t lie to you, Frey, I did come here with the intention of telling you to screw off, not sure for how long though. Couldn’t bring myself to do it.” She turned to me and placed a hand on my upper thigh.  

“Why did you not then?” She eyed me curiously, hope in her voice.  

“It’s hard to explain it, but when I’m with you...it’s relaxing. Being near you fills me with a sense of security. Fucking weird right? I’ve known you for about three days, cringe right?” When I looked at her, her pupils had dilated and were glowing fiercely, her mouth was slightly ajar and her lips curled up into a smile. I jumped up and pointed a finger at her. “See! That shit right there! Why are they glowing?” Freyja blushed. 

Then it clicked. 

“Freyja, do you...like me?” I hesitantly asked, my heart thumping in my chest. I sat down next to her and asked once again to get her to speak. 

“Yes and no,” she finally blurted out.  

“What do you mean yes and no! It’s a basic question.” I huffed. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath to calm herself, collecting her thoughts no doubt. 

“Bevusian women do not find mates in the traditional fashion as you humans do. To find the best mate possible, our bodies developed highly sensitive pheromones that are constantly being thrown into the air around us.” 

“Okay...”  

“And when we find a compatible mate, said pheromones return to us, causing our eyes to glow, filling us with a sense of peace as well. And feelings of security and warmth in our mates when they are near to us.” She fidgeted for a moment. “T-There’s one more thing.” I gestured for her to go on. “It makes us...desire our mate. Even if we are not ‘in love’ with them yet.” 

“I beg your pardon?” I raised an eyebrow. “You’re telling me you want to jump my bones?” Freyja groaned and stood up, shaking her head as she paced back and forth across the living room. 

“I know! For me, a Bevusian princess wanting to be defiled by a lower species is just...scandalous! What would my father think?” Freyja rambled. I, on the other hand, shot up like a light. 

“You’re a princess!? Okay, back that up for a minute. And don’t think I didn’t notice you call me a lower lifeform.” My eyes narrowed to her. Freyja apologized for her comment, crossing a pair of arms under her bust, the other arms behind her back. 

“Dean, you must understand. If my father knew that I wanted to debase myself with a human...he’d lose his mind! It’s one thing for Bevusian commoners to wed other species, but royalty? It’s unheard of!” As frustrated as she was about the whole situation, her eyes betrayed her feelings, glowing brighter than before. 

“Okay, classist. Did you care about my feelings, or was this some sort of test to see if you truly had a thing for me?” Her lip quivered at my question. 

“Both. I want to get to know you, I do. I’ve never experienced this before, and I figured I could help you out as well. It would be like getting two stones with one bird.” Aside from her butchering the saying, it was hurtful to hear what she had said.  

“So, all this flirting tonight, that was just to see if you actually wanted to get it on with gutter trash, right?” She rushed over to me and grabbed my shoulders. 

“That’s not-” I looked up at her, a touch of hate in my gaze, freezing her mid-sentence. 

“If you don’t feel anything for me, then you probably don’t care that I was also almost raped by one of your people, right?” I said with a shaky voice.  

“Oh Gods, I had no idea. Please, Dean, things have spiraled out of control. Let’s recenter and start over. Okay? I had not intended for this night to turn out this way. Talk to me, please, let me help? Something so horrible should never have happened to you. I didn't want to make it worse tonight...I had no idea.” She held me close, putting my head between her breasts. as her arms firmly wrapped around my body. It was tempting to stay there, but I was becoming extremely tired of every interaction with a Bevu turning out this way. 

Gently, I removed myself from her grasp and put my hands up in mock surrender. 

“My life is a mess, Freyja.” I laughed, tears falling down my cheeks. Sitting down, I began to sob.  

The dam had finally broken. 

My father, my girlfriend, my assault, the death of Uncle Andres. A whirlwind of emotions finally burst forth as I accepted the pain in full. Amid my ugly crying, Freyja sat next to me and hugged me, rocking us back and forth. 

We stayed like that until the movie ended, and a little while longer until my eyes finally dried up. She only left my side to get some tissues before holding me again. 

“I really would like to try you know?” She whispered to me. “I have no experience with boys, or men aside from my father and some servants. And... regardless of our respective social standings, I am not repulsed by you.”  

“Funny, your words said otherwise.” I joked after blowing my nose.  

“True. I know we’ve gotten off to an incredibly rough start, but I think we can help each other out.”  

“Let’s hear it.” 

“We can go on an official d-date, to see about our compatibility, and to learn more about one another. And let us not pretend that you were any more in love with me than I was with you, yes?” I suppose she had a point. "At the same time, we can discuss what plagues you, think of it like therapy. But with a princess." She smiled. 

“Fine, you win Freyja. Frankly, I’m sick of crying and this seems like a good alternative to that. I’ll do my best not to debase you further than I already have.” She clicked her tongue at that. “Sorry, couldn’t help it, it’s how I cope.”  

With an agreement reached and the night sort of ruined, we agreed to go on a date in two days. What we would do wasn’t set in stone, but we agreed to at the very least meet up at my dorm to decide when the time came. And so, I bid her goodnight and walked home under the soft golden glow of the hundreds of ships flying overhead. My head filled with doubts, concerns, and what I was certain was my last shred of hope.  And I was determined not to let it go. 

Enough was enough.