The Artistry of Love

by C. J. Scarlett

  “You know humans aren’t just a whole bunch of idiots that need handholding and coddling, right? I get that you’re the one running the show, but we’re more than that,” she told me.

  “I’ve seen what emotions do to people. Remi seemed almost affected by the emotions of humans, and frankly, after that debacle, emotions have been something I’d rather not involve myself with,” I told her.

  She shrugged. I drank another sip from the concoction that was given to me. I looked at her, and she seemed to be almost studying me.

  “You’re not what I expected,” she said.

  “What, did you think I was going to be some very happy alien or something? Unlike Remi, I don’t act childish. I have my own work, and that’s what I’ve dedicated myself to. I’m sure you can relate,” I said.

  “I can. I mean, I’m an artist, and that’s what I should be doing, but… I’m not happy,” she said.

  I didn’t really have the energy to deal with this sort of thing, but, was it right of me to just push her away? Was it better to humor her? I guess it was.

  “What do you mean?” I asked her.

  She looked at me, her eyes glistening. For a moment, I felt a small thump in my heart. Perhaps I should try to understand humans. Maybe I should open my heart a bit more. Of course, those thoughts were soon gone the moment she spoke.

  “I just feel so alone now. My best friend is gone, and while I have a successful job as an artist, I feel like I’m missing something. Something that I don’t truly get. I feel like my heart is missing a part of something, but what it is, I don’t know,” she said.

  “Sounds like that’s your problem,” I said to her.

  “It is, but I figured you’d at least be decent enough to listen to me,” she muttered.

  “I told you, I’m not here to get involved with humans. I’m here for business, to run this place in the correct fashion. I don’t have time to worry about this,” I told her.

  I then got up, paying for my drink, and when I looked at her, she seemed so angry with me. I then turned to the bartender, smiling.

  “Put hers on my tab as well,” I said to him.

  “Wait, you can’t just act like a total dick to me and pay for my drinks!” she said.

  “I can and I will. I mean, it’s the least I could do for keeping me busy. I mean, usually I spend my nights talking to Remi about his love life. I didn’t even know what I’d do with myself tonight had you not shown up. So, thanks.”

  I paid for the drinks, watching as she tried to fight me on it. She continued to argue as I walked out the door and over to my car. There was something almost satisfying about getting her riled up.

  I mean, if I didn’t know any better, I would think she was kind of cute. She’s definitely a spitfire, not usually the type that I go for, if I went for a human at all, but she was fun to tease, fun to poke fun at, and it seemed like she enjoyed it, even if her face said otherwise. Oh well, at least I got some entertainment for the night. I didn’t know what I’d do with myself now that Remi was gone, and this certainly helped.

  I went back home and fell asleep that night, smiling to myself. There was no way I would get involved with a girl like that, especially a mere human girl. But, there was something almost fun about pulling her strings, getting her riled up, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like seeing her like that, that’s for sure.

  ~Tracey~

  I couldn’t believe that bastard! First, he acted like a cold piece of shit to me and then he had the nerve to pay for my drinks? What the hell? I didn’t get this at all.

  I sat there at the bar, fuming over that man. Why did he do that? What was the meaning behind it? I looked over at the bartender, who was laughing at me.

  “You seem to have an admirer,” the woman said to me.

  “No way. He doesn’t like me like that. He’s just some big, stupid alien who probably gets off on teasing people like that,” I told her.

  “I don’t know, he did leave you quite a bit of extra cash, so if you choose to drink a bit more, it’s all covered,” she told me.

  I didn’t like this. I didn’t need some billionaire alien patronizing me, if he was a billionaire that is. I mean, I don’t know, maybe he was just rich. I sat there, annoyed by the whole mess, drinking my drink like it was the only thing that mattered. Which was kind of true. I still felt unsure of what to make of the whole thing with that guy, whatever his name was, but I guess it did help me get my mind off it.

  Still, there were many considerations. For one, I didn’t feel the connection I’d had with Brad anymore. Although I disliked this alien a lot, I felt more at ease around him than I did around Brad as of late. He seemed funny, smart even, and while he did seem to get off on harassing me, I kind of enjoyed it in a strange way. Plus, it did help with my stress.

  Ugh, this was already proving rough. I continued to drink for a bit longer, until it was time to go home. Then I walked over to my apartment, which was near the studio. When I got there, I saw that one of the lights was on. Occasionally Brad would show up to say hi. He did have a key to my place, even though we didn’t move in, and I had his. But I was kind of relieved I didn’t have to see him. When I got inside, I closed the door, heading to bed to pass out. That night, I dreamt about the whole situation with the alien, and while I was fuming mentally, there was a strange part of me that enjoyed the whole mess, and a part of me wondered if it would actually lead to anything, whether it be friendship, or something more.

  Who was I kidding? That guy was balls deep in his work. He probably just did that to make fun of me. He probably hated me and stuff. I didn’t think he had any sort of feelings for me. Not at all. I slept that night though dreaming about what might be going on, what might happen, and the potential that was there for something more.

  I doubted it would get me anywhere. I woke up the next morning, noticing that Brad didn’t even leave me a voicemail or anything. I mean, did that mean he wanted to see me? I didn’t believe so. I walked over to my studio to work on a few projects. It did take my mind off how shitty my love life was, and how I was considering a change.

  A change. I wonder what it would be like to change something such as this. I mean, maybe fate had something else in mind for me. I painted the commission that I had, and then, I started to work on my own work.

  It was an image of a woman and a man in an embrace, but the woman was looking out the window at the world beyond. As I finished it I begin to wonder whether this was what I needed? Maybe the cheeriness of my relationship wasn’t as good as I expected it to be? I began to wonder if this was indeed possible, or maybe I was just overthinking it. I doubted that I could change that, but maybe I would be able to when the time was right.

  After finishing the work, I set my paints down, keeping that picture as a personal memento. Maybe it was a self-portrait. I don’t know. After that though, I went over to my phone once more to see if he had messaged me. Nothing.

  “What the fuck?” I muttered to myself. Brad didn’t even bother to call me or anything. What the hell was he doing? Why didn’t he try to say anything? I called him a few times, but there was no answer.

  I went over to the studio and, when I got there, I noticed that he just finished up work. He looked at me, and I grimaced.

  “There you are,” I said.

  “Oh, sorry. I was in the middle of work,” he said.

  Right. “So into your work you never bothered to message me?” I asked.

  “Hey, I have a lot going on. I have so many commission pieces that it’s driving me mad. Plus, I have a new agent I’m working with,” he told me.

  I paused. “Agent?”

  “Yeah. Her name is Lila. I got signed onto her team, and she’s helping me get gigs. She’s done a lot for me. Sorry, I haven’t been as vocal as I normally am,” he said.

  “Well, it would’ve been nice to know that you have a new agent,” I said.

  “Hey, it’s not like I have to tell you every goddamn thing going on in my life
!” he said.

  “It would be nice if you actually respected the fact that I’m your girlfriend, not just some fleeting thing. I don’t like being regarded as such,” I said.

  I was angry. I was fucking pissed at the way he was treating me. I walked away, and then I heard him finally retort.

  “You know that the world doesn’t revolve around you, right? You’re not the only one here. I’m trying to make this all work, not just for you, but for both of us. Maybe you should think of someone else other than your-goddamn-self,” he said to me.

  The nerve of this man! I flipped him off, slamming the door. I couldn’t stand the fact that I’m seen as nothing more than just a secondary option. The fact that he didn’t even bother to tell me that he had a new agent, the fact that he led me on like this, it all pissed me the fuck off. I needed a break.

  I went over to the bar once again to drink. I didn’t see the man there this time around, which upset me, but I guess you can’t always get what you want. Of course, after that I went back home, trying to get my mind off things by sending out some work emails. But, there was that nagging feeling of dread in my body, the realization that Brad might not care about me as much as I thought, and the fact that he acted the way that he did towards me really hurt. Did he even care about me?

  Did anyone care about me? I waited for a call from Audrey, but nothing. She seemed busy, off in her own little world with Remi. The whole situation was turning me bitter, and I didn’t like it. I’d never felt so alone before. I was with a guy who didn’t respect me, lost my best friend ‘cause she’s off in another fucking galaxy, and the only person who’s even been remotely nice to me over the last couple of days was that damn alien from the wedding. Ugh, what do I do now?

  I guess the only answer was to hope that the answer to my problems would eventually come. Maybe there would be a sign along the way, something that would dictate to me what to do next. Because right the fuck now, I felt completely out of sorts, unsure of where to go, and mostly worried about what to do next. There were still many problems that I had regarding this whole mess, but maybe, just maybe, it will all work out when the time was right. I was just sick of feeling alone, sick of feeling like I’m nothing, and I’m sick of being treated like this when I know I could have so much better.

  ~Jives~

  After that night, I pretty much glued myself to my desk for the next week or so. That was the first time in a long time I’d ever even spoken with someone of the female sex, let alone a human. My job is to take care of the intergalactic affairs, and I knew that was what my mind was focused on.

  The day after that was a meeting between the president, myself, and one of the heads of the labor department from Klanden and one of the other labor heads from Earth. We all sat down, and the first thing I wanted to discuss was the future plans for earth.

  “I have a group of men coming, headed by Vrishna here, to take care of the work,” I said to the president, pointing to my alien comrade. Unlike me, who looked humanoid, he was much different, with blue skin, a couple of tentacles, and piercing green eyes. The president looked slightly worried, especially with the way the other looked.

  “I see. Well, can he prove he can follow the instructions we laid out, and your own? I have the proposal for the plan. You want to rebuild the city, and from there, we can work on building better factories and industries of trade, and the people of Earth will send a few girls over to Klanden to help them there,” the president said.

  “Correct. He can follow instructions quite well. I’ve already briefed him on what I desire from him. I want him to work on fixing the mess Remi created first, and from there we’ll go into how we can expand the facilities here. The shipment with potential laborers should be here within the next three days, but I’ll be rounding up the men that we already have to get started. Does that sound fine?” I asked.

  “Sounds good to me. What about you though, Jives? Are you interested in female companionship?” the president inquired.

  I stiffened. Why did people assume that I want a female? I shook my head, staring directly into his eyes.

  “No, sir. I have my work to do. I don’t have time to entertain females,” I said.

  “Fair enough. I do appreciate that from you, Jives. Unlike your leader, you seem to care a lot more about the future of this place, rather than just a romance with a human,” he said to me.

  “Thank you. I want to make sure that all relations go according to plan, and nothing is amiss,” I said.

  “Good. I’m glad you want to help,” the president said.

  The two of us discussed the trade options. According to him, there were a few promising inventors here on Earth that had already indicated they wanted to go to Klanden. I spoke with him about some of the laborers staying here for a long time as well. Both of us agreed not to force any relationships with any of our people unless they came forward and said they’d like to court someone, which was fine by me. Less work to worry about.

  The meeting went smoothly, and after that, I went over to my telefaxer to send the results of this meeting over to Remi. I hadn’t heard much from him, minus the fact that he was happily married, doing what he wanted, and was overall successful.

  I mean, I wanted to be happy for him. Despite his very immature nature, both he and Audrey had managed to work on bettering Klanden already. It had only been about a week, but already Audrey was hard at work getting the men ready to come here. She seemed dedicated to her job, something that I did wish Remi appreciated a bit more, but what could I do? I was just his former babysitter, in a sense. Or advisor, whichever name you preferred.

  After I finished that, I sat back, realizing that I didn’t have anything to do. I had finished up everything, I was ahead of schedule, and there weren’t any problematic situations I needed to rectify. What did I do now? Do I go to explore the city once more? I began to wonder if maybe, just maybe, I should do that.

  I shrugged. It probably was a good thing to see what other humans did. It would help with my understanding of them, and perhaps I could assist those who decided they wanted to take their relationship with someone further. I mean, I was the ambassador here, the one running the show since Audrey and Remi are gone. I guess it wouldn’t hurt.

  I walked out to the hovercraft, punching in on the little screen places of interest. One of them that showed up was the Moon. I looked at it, pursing my lips and trying to figure out why the devil people would want to go there.

  “It seems like it’s a popular location. I’ll see what’s there,” I said.

  I started the engine, immediately feeling the thrusters increase. I slowly drove over to where the parking station was, and when I got out, I noticed that all of the other patrons were in very regal attire, almost like they were about to go out for a night on the town.

  “Quite interesting,” I said to myself. I walked to the elevator, stepped on, and soon I was skyrocketed all the way to the top.

  Wow. It was utterly amazing. Normally, I didn’t pay mind to this, since I could see sights like this from my ship, but this was astounding. The fact that it took me all the way to the top floor, the ease of it, and the way everyone left, seemed almost surreal. I stepped off, and soon, I saw a gigantic shopping area.

  There were people hustling and bustling about, some of them young, a few of them old. There was a restaurant there, but it seemed like everyone wanted to go to the club. I followed them, stepping inside, and soon my ears met the thumping of the base.

  This was very different from my home planet. We didn’t have fancy sights like this. Clubs didn’t exist. Most men, when they wanted some time alone to let loose, would go train somewhere. We had obstacle courses, and normally if I wanted to unwind I’d just hit up the small bars that we had laying around the various cities. But this was astounding, and when I got inside, immediately people stared.

  I probably looked like a fish out of water. I awkwardly smiled, shaking my hand up a little bit and then walking over to the window. There w
as a gorgeous view there. I marveled at the way Earth looked down below. We weren’t that far from there, but the giant orb seemed to almost reel me in.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” a voice said.

  I turned, unsure if I was hearing things. However, right in front of me was that girl from the other day. That woman named Tracey.

  ~Tracey~

  I went to the club a few days after the mess with Brad, who didn’t seem to even want to make things right. I tried texting and calling him, but it all went straight to voicemail. I tried to go by his studio, but he seemed to be gone every time I was there. What the fuck ever. In anger, I went over to the club on the Moon, the one where I normally would let loose. That might help me figure out what I want.

  I didn’t want to sleep with anyone. That wasn’t what my intent was here. I wanted to let loose, try to figure out my feelings, and understand what the fuck I was even doing. I walked into the club, feeling the energy of the atmosphere, and I immediately began to relax.

  This was nice. I started to move my body to the music, but then, out of the corner of my damn eye, I saw him. What the hell was he doing here? I noticed it immediately, and when I saw him awkwardly try to move past the crowds, I rolled my eyes. Seriously, he didn’t even belong here. He seemed lost. I wanted to talk to him though, at least to give him shit for this stupid as hell decision he made.

  This club wasn’t for people like him. He was too proper. I mean, it was only a matter of time before someone would offer him drugs. Sure enough, when I got closer, I noticed that there was some girl here, high as a cloud and holding some pills in her hand. I didn’t even like this guy, but I wasn’t going to let some tramp take advantage of him.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” I said.

  I watched as the girl scurried away, followed by a confused expression on the other man’s face. I looked at him, slightly surprised.