Jake lets out a big sigh as he stretches out on the couch. "I now understand what it means to be full," he says. "I don't like it."

"You've really never eaten too much?"

He shakes his head. "Our food isn't very good. I've never had a desire to eat more than necessary to feed myself."

"What does it taste like?"

"Nothing, really. Our coffee is about the only thing that had flavor, and that's because we got the plants from your planet as a gift. The bitterness is something I find even more unpleasant than our food. I think we all grew to like it because of what it does."

"Does it affect you the same way it does us? By giving you more energy?"

He shrugs. "I guess, but I think it's more in our minds. Everyone wants to believe we got an energy drug from Earth. I didn't notice much difference, so I stopped drinking it."

I try to imagine life without good tasting food, and it makes me sad. "We should have given you something much better."

"Like fish." He lets out a moan of pleasure. "I may become obese."

I chuckle as I remember how he didn't drink more than one complete glass of wine, even though he was getting tipsy enough to let his guard down. "I doubt it. You don't strike me as the kind of person who loses control."

"No. I'm a bit straight-laced, aren't I?"

I smile at his choice of words. Eroscians spend a lot of time using American television to practice their language skills, and their slang expressions come from shows that were produced over a span of decades. "I wouldn't say that. But I do think you're a rule-follower."

"I am." He sits up and leans toward me with a mischievous grin. "But I can think of one rule I'd like to break."

He places a hand on my cheek, and I lean into it. "Gee. I wonder what that is."

"Let me refresh your memory." Jake kisses me and tempts me as my insides melt in his touch. My alien is very good at this, and I'm filled with a warm glow that makes me want to drown in him. I'm the one who stops us this time, though, because while I'd like to break the no-sex-before-marriage rule, I heard about the consequences. Being whisked off to Eroscian prison doesn't sound worth it.

I ask, "Would you like to watch a movie?"

He shakes his head. "I want you to tell me about Hannah. What were you like as a little girl?"

I chuckle. "I was a strange child. I spent a lot of time playing in my own little world. You know how many little girls get in trouble for talking in class? I got in trouble for singing to myself as I stared out the window."

"You would sing to yourself in school?"

I nod as Jake chuckles. "I was the kid who raised his hand first."

"An overachiever."

"Yes."

I think about how all the aliens I've seen have hard bodies like the athletes on earth. "Is every Eroscian male as built as you are?"

He nods. "We're required to be physically fit and strong. It's not optional like it is here."

Working out is definitely something I do, but not to an extreme, and I don't think I'd like having to maintain top physical condition at all times. I say, "Don't get me wrong. I appreciate your body like this, but if you decided to cut back on exercise and soften up, I won't mind."

"You want me to get fat?" Jake grabs at the slight roll of skin at his stomach from sitting down and grins at me. "Maybe get a beer belly?"

Trying to picture an out of shape Jake is like trying to imagine him leaving dirty dishes in the sink overnight, and I shake my head as I slide my hand up his arm to squeeze his bicep. "Forget I said anything. I like you the way you are."

"Whew. Because there are some things a man can't change." He flexes his chest. "Being strong for you is something I want to maintain."

I smile. "I'll try to manage, but what's inside you is the part that matters most in a relationship." An idea comes to me. "You researched this city, didn't you?"

"I did. I could probably give you a tour."

I stand up and walk over to my phone. One of my favorite ways to recharge my creativity is to walk around the city while blocking out all the noise by listening to classical music. At night with the buildings and billboards lit up, it will be even more visually pleasing. Colors shift, and often my perspective does too. I have an urge to rock Jake's black and white world a little by letting him experience it too. "I'm going to give you a different kind of tour."

I unravel my ear bud cords as he stands up. "What do you have in mind?"

"Do you like classical music?"

"I do." He glances at what I'm doing. "Hold on." Jake goes to his room and returns with his own earbuds and phone.

"C'mon," I say as I lead him out of my apartment and down to the street. As we stand on the sidewalk, cars honk and a siren blares in the distance. I hand Jake my phone that is playing Vivaldi, and he plugs his earbuds in. "Your job is to just see. Got it?" I crank up the volume as he nods. I grab his hand and walk him toward the section of town where the department stores are. We weave in and out of the people as if we're dancing, and whenever I glance over at Jake I find his head is swiveling around as he takes in the sights and he's smiling.

We make our way to the nightclub section, where the voices of the people we're walking past are louder and their steps more erratic. The pulse of the neon signs seems to reach inside us, and Jake slips an arm around my waist as we walk. He stops me when we get to the end of the street and turns off his music to say, "Let's walk that street again. But this time you do the listening.” He pulls out his phone and taps it. I hadn't thought about what they listen to on Eroscia, but considering their language is composed of sounds we humans can't pronounce, I bet it's interesting.

When he hands his cell to me, I attach my earbuds and begin listening to something melodic made up of notes I've never heard before. I stare at Jake in awe as the song reaches into me. He smiles as he slides his hands down my arms slowly. My skin tingles from his touch and he mouths, "Feel it."

I close my eyes and focus on the way the music seems to weave its way through my being. "Wow." I gaze at Jake, and he grins before he grabs my hand and tugs me back through the club section of town. It's a whole different experience than before, and I realize it's beyond sensual. He guides me through the people as desire builds inside me. The experience is sexual as well as sensual. It's as if Jake is reaching inside and caressing my soul. I lean into his body, and he grips me low on my hip. We move more slowly, and I'm filled with the warm glow of my growing feelings for Jake. Simmering passion is mixed in, and I want to feel his body against mine.

As we approach a club I know well, I lead us through the door. Bills are crisp in my fingers as I pull them from my pocket and press them in the hand of the bouncer. Jake's music fills my ears as the damp heat of the people in the club engulfs us. I take him to the dance floor and let the sounds in my ears dictate the way my body sways.

Jake grabs my hips and moves with me. His hands travel over my clothing, pressing against me, making my body tingle. I wish we were alone, because I want to feel his bare skin on mine. He turns me so that my back is to him, and he leans down to kiss my neck as he holds me tight. I shiver with my need as the music from his planet strokes my insides. Every cell in me is pulsing, and my breathing gets heavy as the intensity becomes almost too much.

Sweat is slick on my skin, and it trickles down my chest as I reach up to thread my fingers through Jake's hair as his mouth descends up on mine. Our tongues entwine as our movements slow, and I turn around to mold myself into every nook and cranny of my alien. The warm sensation of something wrapping around my heart and pulsing through my veins is strong, and I gaze at my alien, convinced he's making it happen. I'd read that they can get inside you like this. I put my mouth to his ear. "You're touching my heart."

He pulls back and smiles. "Do you like it?"

I nod, and he turns up the intensity. The only thing keeping me from stripping him naked right now is the fact we're in public, and I think Jake must be feeling the same way because he breaks contact with me, his chest heaving. The fire I see in his eyes practically scorches me on the spot, and I discover I'm trembling.

Jake takes my hand and leads me back outside. We stand for a moment in the coolness of the night air, but I don't stop listening to the music from his planet. Jake takes the phone from me and switches to a different song. It's a haunting mix of sounds that draws me in, and while I can't sing it, I'm sure it will stay with me by the way it fills my head. His thumb strokes mine as we walk slowly, and I lead him to the park. Hundreds of tiny lights illuminate the trees as we make our way along the path toward a pond. When we get there, we go sit on a bench. It's cool on my thighs as I listen to the end of the song, and tears fill my eyes with the beauty of its sound. When it's over, I turn off the phone.

Neither of us speak as silence surrounds us. Slowly the sounds of the night creep into my consciousness, and the cicadas are a low buzz that mimics the hum of my feelings for Jake. I stare into his eyes as I place my hand on his cheek. I see love in my alien's gaze, and my heart swells with what I realize are more than just feelings of affection. I love him. "Jake."

"I know. I love you, too." He leans in and kisses me tenderly.

I gaze at the alien I ordered to be delivered to my door. A man who is my opposite, with his orderly ways, and who will likely be frustrated by my chaotic ones. But tonight he showed me he's also a man who knows how to feel, and he wants me to as well. I place my hand on his chest, and his heart beats against my palm. "How did you know?"

"When I was inside you earlier, I saw your heart. Will you marry me, Hannah?"

Tears of joy spill from my eyes as I realize this is something I want. Something I'm afraid I'll ruin, but before I can talk sense into myself I answer, "Yes, Jake. I will."