I was both very hungry and very curious to learn more about Alan and this "Noah," who had invoked great rage in him outside his apartment. 

In my experience, consuming food together was a wonderful way to talk and make amends on any planet, not just Tau Ceti. My motto had always been to bring a bowl of delicious soup or pastries to a sparring match victim after biting off their finger so that no negative feelings remained between us, and I think it had ensured my long survival this far. 

Alan drives us to a late-night restaurant called In-N-Out on the other side of Rosewell, though I am not sure what getting in and out of there so many times has to do with retrieving food. And since the lobby was closed and I still had not gotten a proper human form, we ended up using something called a drive-thru and eating in Alan's car.

"Dun-dun-dun! I present to you the best food in the whole entire universe! Prepare to have your extraterrestrial mind blown out of the water!" Alan hands me a cup of something called a milkshake and a big white bag filled with food across the seats with a dramatic flourish. "It's called a double-double and fries. You have to try dipping the fries in your milkshake—it's the best thing ever, I swear to God."

"Everything is wrapped in individual papers!" I tell Alan excitedly as I paw through the bag, "On my planet, we gather food from the forest, butcher it ourselves, and eat it raw at a big table during mealtimes. If you don't make it there in time, you either have to fight for a portion or get nothing!"

"You're kidding me, right?" Alan laughs until he realizes that I am indeed not kidding.

I slip my hand into the In-N-Out bag to pull out a massive item wrapped in white, crinkly paper. Upon unwrapping it, I'm fascinated to see a burr-garr (burger) similar to the ones I had seen earlier when I visited the King of Burr-Garr.

Grease dribbles down my fingers a little when I turn it this way and that to inspect it. It appeared to be made of some kind of animal material pressed into a flat shape and cooked very deeply. The humans then proceeded to decorate it with vegetable matter and a bright yellow topping that made me wonder if it was truly edible or just for show.

Alan sucks on his milkshake in the seat beside me and proceeds to nibble on golden little squares that he called french fries. He seemed content to eat in silence, and I felt comfortable sitting beside him in the clothing he'd let me borrow, not in any way intimidated by his size. 

I felt that this would be the ideal opportunity to learn more about him.

"Who was the human male who you were arguing with earlier?" I ask him as I proceed to tear a piece of the burger off and inspect the contents inside. "You seemed very upset when he left."

"Okay, this is going to be a lot to put on you since you're an alien and we barely know each other." Alan sets down his milkshake and sighs. He combs his fingers through his short hair and then glances out the window for what seems like a full minute. "The human's name is Noah Kennedy, my ex-boyfriend. Remember I told you I was going through a breakup earlier?"

I shoot him a quizzical look.

"Humans do something called dating before they get serious about starting a life together. They go out to eat, hug each other, and share stuff that they might like together." Alan explains gently. "It's how we get to know each other and find out if we're a match. With Noah, I was with him for almost a whole year. We were even coworkers for a while at the bakery I'm running before he started getting weird and secretive on me. And that's when I really knew something was up."

I was so absorbed in Alan's tale that the urge to eat my burr-garr had all but dissipated. In a way, I sympathized with him because he truly seemed to have feelings for the human Noah and had intended on making plans for the future with him.

"Anyway, to make a long story short, he cheated on me." Alan looks down and picks up his burger. "I wanted to surprise him on our anniversary by giving him a set of keys to my new place. Instead, I caught him in bed with another guy. You pretty much heard the rest. He won't take a hint. He keeps showing up, asking to pick up this or that. It's more annoying than anything."

"You should destroy him in combat," I tell Alan straightforwardly. 

"W-what!?" Alan flinches against the door a little. "That's not how it works here, Luna. I mean, I could destroy him, but I would probably end up in jail for beating someone up."

"Noah would be easy to take down and kill with your strength," I tell him, raising my sandwich to my lips after dipping it in my pink milkshake. "You are quite impressive in size, Alan."

Alan becomes as shy and reserved as a Nul rodent, hiding in the forests of Hadar. He appears to avert his eyes even more and stare intently at the food resting on his lap. "I don't want to hurt anyone," he admits. "I don't like hurting people. I just punched that cab driver earlier because he was grabbing your arm really hard and making you cry."

I stare across at him for a moment, and then I look away for fear of him reading my emotions, my hair falling into my eyes and shielding my expression from view. "I give my thanks to you," I tell him quietly. "I do not think anyone has ever done that for me."

We fall into a comfortable silence after that, and Alan finally takes a bite of his food. Of course, I follow suit, finally tasting In-N-Out for the first time in my entire existence.

"Stars above!" I squeal, "What IS this, Alan!? The flavors are astounding! I feel the grease and sugar being absorbed into my star as we speak!"

Alan almost spits out his food on the spot and bursts into loud laughter.

It was truly one of the best nights I had ever had in my twenty-four rotations alive.