'Sacmis' (formerly 'Alien Abduction')

Chapter 63: Dinner date

“Do you mean like…a date?”

“Um - yes,” said Teo, “I think that’s exactly what I mean. Is it possible you might cancel your other arrangements?”

“Let me see,” said Laura solemnly then, after pausing for a second, “OK. It’s done.”

Teo smiled. “Will you meet me in the Observatory at - say - 19:00 hours ship’s time?”

“Alright,” she said. “See you then.”

She wiped the screen and Teo’s face disappeared.

This is so weird, thought Laura. Weird but…all the same…really quite …nice.

Teo would have had no idea what a flurry of activity his invitation had triggered. Laura had paid little attention to her wardrobe since the day she’d been captured, sticking to jeans and simple tops, just like the others. Now she went through the wardrobe again, rediscovering the choices Teo had made. While the smart girl’s school she had once attended had prepared her for most of the social occasions a young lady might face, How to dress for a date with an alien had for some reason not been covered.

He’s just a guy, she reminded herself. But all the same, she needed to strike a balance. Too sexy would send out all the wrong messages but, equally, too plain would be no fun at all. As her fingers picked their way through the rack, pulling out different items and throwing them over the chairs, she was reminded again what a good eye Teo had for what suited her. The crux of the decision hung chiefly on one starting point: skirt or trousers? 

The answer to that wasn’t difficult: after two weeks in jeans she longed to wear something more feminine and less…constrained. In the end she plumped for a pretty, sleeveless dress by Karen Millen in a striking bold print. It showed off her neck and shoulders and - hanging just above the knee - flattered her long legs. That’ll do nicely she thought, turning this way and that in front of the mirror.

A few minutes after 19:00 she stepped out of her quarters and headed for the Observatory. Her route took her inward from the large wheel into the ship’s central core and she was relieved that this would take her away from the common areas where she might have bumped into the others. She had debated with herself whether or not to call and tell them - and it wasn’t something she planned to keep secret anyway - but decided that telling them afterwards would be better than before.

So she couldn’t believe it when, moments after she stepped onto the central walkway and headed rearwards, she heard voices behind her. Female voices.

“Hey, Laura, where are you sneaking off to?”

Laura turned to see Kate and Amisha heading towards her from the direction of the bridge, grinning broadly. Sighing to herself, she stopped to let them catch up.

“Love the dress, Laura,” said Amisha sweetly, “Going somewhere special?”

Realising the game was up, she told them.

“A date with Teo? Cool.” said Kate. “We shall look forward to hearing every detail tomorrow.”

They turned and walked away giggling, leaving Laura to continue on her way. So much for keeping that quiet.

When she reached the hatchway to the observatory, instead of walking straight in, she paused first to look inside. Teo was standing on the opposite side of the glass dome with his back towards her, looking out into space. He was dressed as she hadn’t seen him before, in loose black trousers and a high-collared tunic-shirt, also black. Most of the central space was taken up by the telescope, but to one side there was a small table set for two people and two chairs. There was food on the table and what was unmistakably a bottle of champagne and two glasses.