Whoever said space was cold, never found love from the stars ... Some people never learn. This is the tune playing once again in Alex Beaumont’s head when he sees a vision in white attracting odd glances in the quiet little seaside resort of Padstow. He came to get away from it all, to bury himself in work, to forget every man he ever falls for eventually needs to get away ... from him. Adrift in the universe, Mani searches for a place to call home. The planet he finds is cold and inhospitable, not at all what he was expecting. He feels lost and alone, until a stranger’s smile warms him. And with that smile comes another kind of heat, one he’s never before experienced. Love is not what Alex ever imagined it to be. They say space is infinite, but the distance between what Alex wants and what he has experienced romantically seems to be growing ... until now. Like a shooting star, he’s about to fall long and hard. Will he crash and burn, or find the love he’s always dreamed of when looking at the night sky?

Space, Man

The situation was hopeless. If he kept Mani around, one single moment of weakness would shatter Alex’s resolve. He had to send Mani away or accept the inevitable. Alex was further dismayed to realise he still dithered between either outcome. Whatever transpired, Mani deserved a better explanation.


“On Earth, most people choose a partner of the opposite sex. You should have that freedom of choice as much as anyone should, but until you’ve spent some time here, I don’t feel you can choose. You’ve nothing to base the decision on. I’m afraid that my preferences have influenced you.”


Chapter 18