As soon as school let out, Alessandra raced home.  She knew that Danny was picking her up at seven and wanted to be ready.  He had given her no hints about what they were doing so she had no idea what to wear.  On top of that, she wanted to eat something before the date, so she didn’t look like too much of a pig.  Showering, she washed her hair, shaved her legs twice, and allowed conditioner to sit in her hair so that it would be extra soft.  Towel drying, Aless rubbed in lotion while her skin was damp as to ensure her skin’s moisture.  Then she slipped on a sexy lace bikini underwear and a lace push-up bra.  Danny would not be even close to seeing them, but they gave her confidence.  Wrapping herself up in her bathrobe, she trotted down the stairs to eat.  Her hair was twisted into a bun so that when she took it down later her natural waves would be accentuated. 

Remembering that she forgot to grab the mail when she got home, Aless slipped on sandals and dashed outside to collect the mail.  Running back into her house, she gently brushed the door closed behind her with her foot and then made her way to the kitchen.  She played music on her phone radio loud as she danced around and cooked.  It had been a long time since she was excited about the date.  Just as she was scooping her food onto her plate and shaking her butt hard to the music, there was a soft noise of someone clearing his throat.  Gasping, almost dropping the plate, Alessandra turned on the spot. 

Behind her, standing in the kitchen doorway was the same delivery guy from the club.  He half-smiled at her then blushed violet as his eyes trailed down. Following his gaze, Aless saw that her robe had come loose during her dancing and she was standing mostly exposed in her undergarments.  With another gasp, she dropped the plate on the counter and secured her robe around her front.  The man blushed and averted his eyes apologetically.

“What the hell are you doing in my house?” she barked in chagrin.

“I have a package that needs to be signed for.  I came up to the front door and it was open. After what happened last time I was here, I was worried,” the man explained.

His voice was calm and melodic.  Aless noticed that without the loud club music, she could hear a slight accent.

“I know we are not supposed to enter people’s homes, but I guess I just have an overactive imagination and I was worried.”

Frowning, Alessandra analyzed his face to see if he was being truthful.  There didn’t appear any signs of insincerity and Aless could understand his concern after the last time he was at her home.  Sighing she relaxed only slightly. Studying him, Alessandra finally got a good look at the man.  He was six feet tall, maybe six-one, with a very oval face.  His nose was straight and lean with medium size mouth and a full lower lip.  His eyes were a rich blue with green flecks around the irises, almond-shaped and nicely placed on his face.  The spider Josӕng complimented his face structure and eyes.  Overall his face was pleasant but average.  Short mahogany-colored hair covered his head and, even in his uniform, Aless could see the muscles that Kay had referred to.

“Must be from lifting all those boxes,” she reasoned to herself. 

“Well, are you going to give it to me?” Aless said to him.

Jolting, the man appeared to have been deep in thought.

Blushing plum, the man stuttered, “Excuse me?”

“Apparently he watches too many pornos too,” she thought with mild humor.

Out loud Alessandra said, “You said you have a package to deliver that needs a signature.”

“Oh, right, sorry.”

Holding out the clipboard for her signature, the man studied her.  She pretended to ignore him.  In the light of her kitchen, he did look older than she had thought. Maybe twenty-six. Not a bad age difference but a large enough one to deter her from flirting.  As she signed, she felt her belt on her robe slip. Barely managing to catch it time, Aless cursed silk belts as the shoulder of her robe slipped off her shoulder, exposing part of her lace bra.  The man’s eyes darkened, and he couldn’t look away.

“I’m sorry,” she blushed soft periwinkle. “I hate robes.  They never stay tied.  Please don’t think this is on purpose.”

Forcing a laugh, she awkwardly handed back the clipboard and held her robe closed.  The man took the board, his eyes transfixed on her.  Coughing, she adjusted the robe and closed it tight, double knotting the belt.  Blinking, the man smiled softly.  Handing her the package, he excused himself from her house.  This time Alessandra made sure to lock her front door. She did not want any more intrusions. 

Just as Alessandra was finishing her makeup, the doorbell rang.  She skipped down the stairs, her stomach full of butterflies.  She couldn’t wait to see Danny again.  Reaching the door, Alessandra paused.  Straightening her dress’s hem, Aless took a deep breath and then open the door. To her dismay, it was Tyler, not Danny.  His eyes were red, and she could smell kettle beer radiating off him from a foot away.  Holding her nose, Aless felt confused.

“Tyler, what are you doing here?” she inquired.

Leaning past him, Aless glanced up and down the street. 

“I wanted to see you,” he slurred, taking half a step forward.  “You look nice.”

His eyes roved her body.  She had chosen to wear a sundress, despite the fall weather. Standing a few inches taller, Aless wore cute wedged sandals. 

“I told you at school, I have a date,” she said coolly.

“Yeah, with some mystery man,” he scoffed.  “I asked around and no one in school knows who it is.”

“I told you that he doesn’t go to our school,” Aless sighed.

Aless did not have time for this. Danny was going to show up any minute and she didn’t want him to get the wrong idea.  Not to mention, Aless had no patients for drunks.

“I think you are making him up to make me jealous.”

He took another half of a step closer.  Backing away slightly, Aless shook her head to deny his accusation.

“I think you were waiting for me because you knew I’d be by.”

“No, Tyler.  I do not like you that way.  I have a real date with a guy named Danny.  Please leave.”

“You know most girls love going on dates with me.  They say I’m exciting and a good kisser, but you wouldn’t give me even one kiss.”

“I am not interested in you.  You are not my type.”

“I’m every girl’s type.”

“Not mine.”

“If you are really going on a date, why are you dressed so sexy when you wore jeans for me?”

“If you must know I only went out with you for Kayla and John. I had no interest in dating you.”

“Liar.  You let me kiss your neck and you held my hands.”

“I only held your hands to keep you from fondling me and I didn’t want to cause a scene by slapping you for kissing my neck.”

“You’re a lying bitch. You liked it.  It excited you.”

He grabbed at her and she slapped his hands away.  Lunging, he grabbed her wrists and she yelped in surprise, demanding he let her go.

“I am just going to take one kiss to prove I’m right.   You want me to kiss you.  You like when I kiss you,” he snapped.

His words slurred, and his eyes were glassy and blurry.

“Let go, Tyler!” she ordered.

Struggling to pull away, Aless cursed her heels. 

“You heard her, Tyler,” a voice cut in.

Once again someone had come to Alessandra’s rescue.  Her pride stung as Aless scolded herself.  She was a damn Pakido student and a good one.  Why couldn’t she defend herself in real life? Footsteps signaled that her rescuer was approaching. Looking up, Aless felt her face flush. It was Danny.

“Who the hell are you?” Tyler growled.

His grip only tightened on Aless’s wrists.

“I’m her date,” Danny replied, his voice like ice.

“Oh, so you are real.  I thought she was lying.”

“She wasn’t, so I’m asking you nicely to let go of my date.”

“She and I have unfinished business. You can have her when I’m done with her.”

“That is not how this is going to work. You may have had to share her on your date, but I don’t share.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that while you were rubbing yourself off in the theater, she was hiding from you in the hallway, talking to me.”

Eyes flashing, Tyler looked at Aless for signs of the truth.  When she flushed periwinkle and wouldn’t meet his gaze, Tyler roared and slapped her across the face.  Grunting, Aless felt her face sting as she flinched in surprise.  Outside of Pakido, no one had ever struck Aless.  She was in shock. There was a crunching sound and Tyler’s grip left her wrists.  Opening her eyes, Aless found Danny standing next to her and Tyler sprawled on the ground near them.  Danny had punched Tyler in the face.

“Your type is the scum of the earth.  You don’t listen or care what women want.  And on top of that, you would strike a woman.  I don’t ever want to see your face around Alessandra again,” Danny snarled, his teeth bared. 

He swiftly approached Tyler, who was struggling to get up. Shaking, Aless followed him, grabbing his arm and pulling him away.  Glancing at her, his expression softened, and he touched her purple cheek.

“Let’s get you some ice,” he whispered.

Turning his back on the cursing Tyler, Danny escorted Aless to his car before Tyler could even stand again.

Taking her to a gas station, Danny bought some ice for her face. Sitting at one of the lunch tables out front, Danny tenderly held the pack to her face and cursed Tyler.

“So that was the loser you were out with last week?  No wonder you escaped to the hallway,” he fumed.

“He wasn’t like that last week.  Handsy yes, but not physical.  I would never have tolerated that,” she explained as she winced from the cold.

“You are too nice, Aless.  That guy was a creep and he deserved what he got.”

“I know.  Is your hand alright?”

“It’s fine.  Don’t worry about it.”

Ignoring his protests, she pulled his hand towards her and looked at it. Seeing his knuckles, Aless sucked in air.  His knuckles were purple with mild bruising.  Yet what had surprised her were the large thick scars that covered his knuckles.  They looked as if the skin over his knuckles had been torn away and now knotted scars covered them.  It looked painful.  She knew better than to pry into his personal life on the first date, but the scars worried her.  Taking the ice pack off her face, she laid it on his hand.

“Aless, I don’t…” he began to protest, but she shushed him.

“Your knuckles are bruised, and my face is just a little purple.  Tyler must have a really hard head.”

She laughed, but Danny did not.

“Don’t worry.  I’m going to use the restroom.  I don’t want this ice pack off your hand until I return,” she lectured him.

Half smiling, he agreed.  Walking to the bathroom, Alessandra thought about Danny.  He had to have been in a serious fight before or maybe it happened at a job he had.  Hitting Tyler must have hurt those old injuries, but he had done it anyway.  Heart fluttering, Aless knew that she liked Danny a lot already.  The idea scared her.  She wasn’t good at relationships. In the bathroom, Aless moistened a paper towel with cold water, holding it to her cheek.  Analyzing herself, Alessandra sighed.  Her waist-length hair had lost its composure and now looked like a hot mess around her.  Her face looked drawn and the hot purple of the contact spot was impossible to miss.  Her eyes, flashing in anger, radiated aqua blue and silver. Whenever she mad or sad, Aless’s eyes seemed to gain more aqua blue and blazed brightly as if a lantern shown from her eyes. People always told her that her eyes at those times looked like the Sǐwáng Moon, or the Death Moon, which marked the beginning of the cold season.  

Looking down, Alessandra adjusted her dress.  It was one of her favorites because it accented her small waist while deemphasizing her large hips.  She didn’t mind her large hips, but she didn’t like making them look any bigger.  Sighing, she once again wished her chest was as big as Kayla’s.  She was a solid C cup, nice but nothing to brag about.  Altogether she was proud of her figure, most days at least. Taking a deep breath, Aless left the restroom and returned to Danny. 

The rest of the date ended up being the exact opposite of the beginning.  They had a wonderful time as Sᴔmian circus that was in town.  Danny’s family attended it every year and, while Aless did not speak Sᴔmian, she enjoyed the acts and feats that were performed.  Danny tried to translate as he explained that his family had only immigrated to Mᴔjin shortly after he was born. Afterward, they went for ice cream.  At the dessert restaurant where they got their ice cream, Danny stopped to talk to several people.  He seemed well known and liked. On their way out with their ice cream, Danny nodded seriously at an older man with simple Josӕng in the shape of sideways Ms.

“He is very popular here,” Aless thought with a smile. “Everyone seems to know him.”

Heading outside, they decided to go for a walk while they ate their ice cream. It was a warm fall night and it could not have gone better.