© Sandra Corton 2015

Chapter 7 - Dating an alien

I met Ty at my front door after deciding on a simple denim skirt and a light, flirty lilac top. Watching him walk towards me in dark jeans and a t-shirt made it hard to believe that he was an alien from another planet.

"What kind of clothing do you normally wear on your planet?" I blurted out and he sent me a teasing grin.

"The first thing you ask me has already broken the no alien talk pact." He chided me with an amused tone.

"I know but you just look so, well normal." I accused, which only made him laugh.

"On my planet clothing doesn't exist." He explained as he held a hand out to me.

"And that's not distracting, being naked all the time?" I continued to humiliate myself with dumb questions.

"No, we are only attracted to our Mamishxan. You humans appear to be attracted by many different things so I can see the necessity for covering up." He told me as his fingers caressed mine, sending a shivery sensation through me.

"So do you find wearing clothes stifling?" I asked curiously.

"Yes, but I have gotten used to it after so much time of having to wear it." He tugged at the neck of his shirt.

He led me towards the car that had always been in front of his house without another word. I don't think I had ever seen the old clunker move in the many years that I had lived here. I sent a dubious look in Ty's direction but he simply returned a sly grin back to me.

"Trust." He said softly as he squeezed his fingers in mine.

I bit my lip, feeling a tad uncertain. I wasn't sure what Ty was trying to tell me. He opened the car door at the exact moment that I noticed the tyres were flat. I was about to point out that we weren't going anywhere when I glanced inside the vehicle.

Flashing, glowing lights illuminated the dash, it looked as though some advance space ship was inside an old, broken car. I turned back to Ty who sent me a smirk before encouraging me to sit down in the strange seat. I chewed on my lip, tempted to point to my car, which was reliable and definitely in a drivable condition.

"This takes trust Jillybean." Ty's whispered words wrapped around me then.

I had to admit to myself then that I now trusted Ty more than I ever thought I would. That's why I sat down in the oddly shaped seat in what appeared to be a dilapidated car. The moment I sat down, I felt myself sink into the seat feeling a comfortable heaven surround me. I heard a click and glanced to the noise to notice Ty getting into the door on the opposite side from me.

"Are you ready for something out of this world?" Ty sent me a gleaming smile.

"Ty, need I remind you that you are technically always out of this world." I said dryly and he laughed.

"True, true but this is definitely out of yours."

He sent me a wink and this time when I looked into his eyes, my thoughts remained my own. Sure his gaze made me slightly delirious with happiness but it didn't have that same mesmerising effect that it used to have. I was liking the fact that I could look at him more closely now.

"So what is this?" I asked, gesturing around to all the buttons and gadgets that I hadn't dared to touch.

"Gee I thought that would be obvious Jillybean." He rolled his eyes at me so I sent him a perplexed look. "It's what you would label as a space ship, though much more advanced than anything you've ever seen."

"Okay then." I murmured through my shock at his bland statement. "So why don't you travel home in this?" I asked as my mind cleared.

"I wish we could." He let out a depressed sigh. "It doesn't have enough power. Believe me I've tried. I can't get to the outer edges of your solar system, let alone to mine, which is far beyond yours." He sat dejected while my shock had returned to stun me.

"How...how long would it take you to get home in your actual ship?" The words stammered out of me.

"About a month in your time and that's flying beyond any speed that your race has ever recorded." He told me with a casual shrug as though it was no big deal.

"Now that's fast and that means you are awfully far away." I muttered to myself. "So you can return and it only takes a month?" I asked, hearing hope in my voice that I couldn't hold back.

"Jilly, I may never be able to return." He said it quickly even though his voice cracked.

"Why not?" I asked with a desperate keen to my words.

"I have broken the rules of our travel. We have a window of time that is allotted for us to come here and see the comet and return. We are beyond the simple excuse of being late. Punishment is normally a block on any future travels." He stated calmly but I could detect an underlying tremor in his voice.

"But you lost your ship, it wasn't your fault." I defended him quickly.

"We are also returning without our full contingent. That is perhaps worse than anything else." He looked to the floor and whispered something that I couldn't hear.

"Who did you lose?" I reached across and touched his arm.

"My parents and my grandparents. They were the ones that chose to come here." He gulped as his fists clenched in his lap. "They couldn't stand taking more life force. They gave up on life. When a Xyllenion gives up on life, they simply vanish. That is what happened." His voice was raw and I was upset at his obvious distress.

"So you lost your family with coming here?" I asked softly, feeling terrible for his loss.

"Yes." He admitted quietly.

He said nothing for a long moment and I had no idea what to say. Sorry seemed like such a useless statement. I stroked my hands down his arm to thread my fingers through his, hoping to soothe him. I had never lost anyone close to me so this was difficult for me to comprehend.

"It's why Terrilian and I need to leave. I can feel that need to give up, coming to life in me. Taking from innocent humans...I just can't keep doing it." His distress was almost palpable.

"We'll find your ship Ty." I tried to reassure him but felt that I was quite useless. When he smiled at me, a small but sad smile, I felt relieved.

"You already did Jilly." His awed voice had me puzzled.

"Huh?" Geez I sounded so eloquent.

"Those numbers on the last page of your two days of writing, that's the coordinates for where our ship is." He said with certainty.

"Then why aren't we out there looking for it?" I asked frantically and he smiled genuinely this time.

"You asked me on a date. That takes precedence over anything else." His grin was so addictive as his sadness washed away. "Are you ready for this?"

"I'm in a junk heap of a car that appears to be some sort of space ship. I don't know what to be ready for." I reminded him with a flap of my arms.

"Good point." He leaned over me then and I almost forgot to breathe. "First let's get you all safe and sound."

He reached for the straps that I hadn't noticed behind my back. His fingers slid in a tantalising caress down my sides as he looped the straps around me. He connected them together at my stomach so I was harnessed in very firmly. He left a small kiss on my nose before reaching for the straps on his seat.

"Now I don't want you to freak that you can't breathe in the vacuum of space and all that. Your ears are going to pop now and you'll feel a bit odd for a minute or so." He advised.

He pushed something on the console in front of him. He was right. My ears popped like a detonation in my mind, creating the most hideous of sensations. My eyes blurred and watered. My body felt both numb and then energised with tiny pinpricks of pain at every nerve ending. Then abruptly it all ended leaving me perfectly fine but rather shaken.

"Did you make it through Jillybean?" Ty encouraged me though anxiety hid in his words.

"That was the weirdest thing I've ever experienced." I tilted my head to the side and blinked trying to rid myself of the odd sensations.

"You are now fine to be in the earth's atmosphere." He rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"You are so weird." I muttered, not able to keep the smile from my face.

"Yeah but you know you're starting to like my brand of weird." He winked at me and my insides melted into happy bliss.

"Maybe." I admitted softly.

"I would say close your eyes but you will miss the best part of the trip."

I felt a deep rumble from beneath me that turned into a massive explosion of movement. One second we were on the ground, I blinked my eyes and we were in space. My mouth dropped open in astonishment and I was utterly speechless at where we were.

Ty glanced over to me seeming unsure with how I was going to react. He released the straps holding him in and he stood. That had my mouth gaping open even further. How come he wasn't floating around like I'd seen our astronauts do?

"I'm just going to say that its technology that you guys haven't discovered yet. That will explain most of what you see today." He told me with a nod.

"Are we seriously in space right now?" I asked looking out the window in front of me in amazement at what I was seeing.

"Yes you are."

"You made that look so freaking easy Ty." I said in rather a daze.

"C'mon let me show you." He sounded so excited that I became caught up in his enthusiasm.

He reached for the straps holding me in. I was unbuckled and standing up before I could fully comprehend anything. I felt weightless but I wasn't floating around. Walking was like being on a cushion of air.

I stepped over to the window to find the moon passing us by quite lazily. Half of it shone with a powerful silvery beam while the other half was so dark that it melded into the surrounding space.

"Wow." I pressed my face against the window and simply stared at space that I had never dreamed of seeing up so close.

"It only gets boring after days and days of travel." Ty said as he came up behind me and clasped my shoulders in his hands.

"This is amazing Ty." 

"You haven't seen the best bit yet."

He turned me around and a gasp escaped me. This ship was huge with a long bare deck where a simple picnic blanket had been set out. I had no idea how he fit such a gigantic structure into what had seemed a normal car. Lights blinked from panels against all the surrounding walls creating a rather fairy light, flickering effect. It was surprisingly romantic and welcoming.

I looked to Ty who was smiling softly at my wonderment. He steered me over to the picnic blanket where he sat me down before sitting behind me. He wrapped his arms around me and nuzzled my neck while one of his hands pressed a button that I hadn't noticed.

I watched as the rear of the ship we were in opened up exposing windows. A full panoramic view of space had me gasping repeatedly as we continued along. The light of the moon gave an ethereal glow to everything making me feel so filled with wonder.

I was mesmerised by the beauty and magnificence of space around me. We moved again and I could see my country, Australia glowing in the warmth of the sunlight with only a few clouds obscuring my vision. Tears filled my eyes at being allowed such a stunning glimpse of my world at my feet.

"So what do you think?" Ty's voice made me remember that he was there with me.

I threw myself around on his lap and kissed him soundly. Nothing could have been better for a first date than coming here and seeing such glory. This was unbelievably unique and perfect.

Ty kissed me back, threading his fingers through mine again so I could feel his heart racing. He stretched out next to me, encouraging me to do the same. I pushed my body against his, loving the little contented noise that filled his throat.

"I want to meld with you so bad Jilly." His words were a throaty caress against my cheek.

"Hmm what?" I murmured in my delirious being kissed by Ty moment.

"Meld. Tell me you want it." His lips captured mine again, blocking out his words until my mind caught up. I pulled back to see a disgruntled look on Ty's face.

"You need to tell me what melding is before I agree to anything." I told him and his face turned sober instantly.

"Sorry Jilly, I got a little carried away. Kissing you is...mind blowing." He told me appearing quite abashed.

"That's nice to know." I smiled to myself feeling quite the seductress.

"Melding is...well the best way to explain it is that it's our version of what you call sex." He told me the last half quickly but I still gaped like a fish.

"I'm not the type to have sex on the first date." I pointed out feeling quite panicked. I'd only ever had two kisses previous to this and definitely nothing more advanced than that.

"I know that Jillybean. This is kind of a strange situation. Let me explain. When Mamishxan's first meet, they don't touch but they stare at each other feeling rather mesmerised. There is no physical contact whatsoever. We are not a touching people as you are.

"That's why kissing you overwhelms my senses. On my planet we only touch in complete privacy. To touch in public is considered indecent, uncouth and the worst possible behaviour. It can lead to being shunned from society. They will shove you out of the dome to live in the oxygen rich world of the plants and normally you die." He told me all this in a calm matter of fact tone as though this was completely normal.

"You live in a dome and can't touch each one?" My voice rose at the absurdity of what he told me.

"That sums it up pretty good." He nodded and I just sat there trying to take in his words.

"Then why are you always touching me if it's so taboo?" I asked in confusion.

"I'm not sure. Sometimes I think it's because I've been here too long but mostly it's due to how addictive touching you is. You make me feel so much Jilly." He told me as his hands snaked around me again.

"I see. You ah didn't explain the melding thing properly." I pointed out, trying to wrap my head around the differences between us.

"I know, I was getting there Jillybean. Be patient." He told me as he casually flipped me beneath him.

"You really don't kiss or touch?" I asked again, not able to help myself with his body on top of mine.

"I know how contradictory that sounds but I just can't stop touching you." His hands skimmed down my sides and back up again. He splayed his fingers over my ribcage. His huge hands covered me from my stomach to just under my breasts. "I can feel your heartbeat." He sounded deep in infatuation.

"Ty focus." My words were breathless but he caught their meaning. He let out a breath and went to pull away from me. "Stay, just tell me what melding is." I held his hands against me, loving the sensations that ricocheted within me.

"Melding is done in private because we touch. We join our palms together until our hearts beat as one. I've been told that your mind and body fill with glorious feelings and images." He told me as his fingers crept over my breast so I could feel his heart beat pounding in his palm.

Erotic excitement shivered through me threatening to engulf me in its decadent heat. I whimpered as I tightened my hand around his one splayed on my chest. How could one touch feel so absurdly wonderful?

"You...You want to meld with me?" I stuttered out the words and the sensations within me abruptly ceased.

"Oh Xankaba! Ishkan, I can't believe I almost did that!" Ty had moved away from me, a horrified look on his face.

"What? Huh?" I was totally confused and once again left wanting.

"I...I...I can't do that. I won't do that to you. Melding creates a bond between us that connects us forever. I'm leaving soon and I refuse to abandon you with no hope of finding another to love. We can't meld." His last words were stark and full of angst as he chopped a hand through the air.

"Ty?" I reached out to touch him but he flinched away.

I felt cold and alone at his obvious rejection. It hit something inside of me that was immensely sensitive to the loss of him. Tears flooded my eyes and ran down my cheeks uncontrollably. Sobs, deep gut wrenching sobs clutched at me. He turned to me with a visible wince before sorrow and regret filled his face.

"It's too late. I've already started something that I can't stop." He told me, seeming at a loss for what to do.

I curled into a ball of pain and anguish that was so powerful as to completely overwhelm me. Blackness, thick and nasty threatened to clutch me whole. Suffering, misery and deeply cutting hurt tightened my body into an inconsolable mess.

"Shhhh Jillybean." The voice of an angel brought light back into my world. I felt warm hands against my skin making the light appear more golden. "I wasn't rejecting you Ishkan. I was giving you a chance to find love when I'm gone."

I blinked my eyes open to find Ty's warm, grey eyes looking at me filled with worry. I snuggled against him feeling the world right itself around me and my despair vanish. I had no idea what had just occurred but that had been the worst I have ever felt in my life.

"What happened?" I whispered.

"You thought I was rejecting you as my Mamishxan, which I wasn't." He assured me quickly.

"I did?" I asked uncertainly.

"We can and will meld but it's not going to be right now." He told me seriously and that bright light expanded happily within me.

"Okay." I replied simply.

"Jillybean, what the hell are we going to do?" He clutched me to him tighter as my breath calmed.

"Take each day as it comes I guess." I lifted my shoulder into a shrug.

"That's very good advice." He tapped my nose. "In that case, perhaps we should finish or date." Ty gestured around us to where we seemed to be circling a red planet.

"Is that Mars?" I asked as I saw the swirling gases on the planet expanding and contracting.

"Looks like it." He answered with a smile in his voice.

"Wow this is beyond awesome." I stared out at the vista above me, unable to believe what I was truly seeing.

"Lie down Jillybean." Ty's voice dropped low and I did as he asked.

As I went to rest my head back against the blanket, Ty scooted his body beneath me so that I rested on his thighs instead. The view then both of Ty and the amazing cosmos was not to be believed.

"That has to be the single most spectacular sight that I've ever seen." I said with utter amazement.

"Yes it definitely is." Ty sighed and I glanced up only to find him peering down at me." I blushed at his unexpected compliment but he just smiled. "I've waited for so long Jilly. To have your here touching me with ease is indescribable. I don't ever wish for a Xyllenion Mamishxan. You are perfect for me." His fingers brushed over my ever red cheek.

All I could do was stare into those stunning grey eyes of his then. I've never had anyone make a first date so special and unique. I decided then that I was going to take whatever this was with Ty and run with it. I looked forward to the extraordinary memories that we would make. I could only hope that they would get me through the hardship of him leaving, which was inevitable.

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So I would love to know if there is anything you want to know about Ty and his planet? I have a ton of things I want answered but are you guys curious about anything? If i was writing interview questions what are you most curious to know?