Out of their Element

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 56
Evie

It’s been a rather quiet drive today. I can tell by the sound of Aiden’s heartbeat that he’s a little anxious, and I’ve been leaning against his chest from within his pocket, rhythmically moving my hand over the fabric of his shirt in what I hope is a somewhat comforting pet.

The nerves are starting to get to me too. I even tried to dress up a bit, not only picking out one of my nicer dresses, but also wearing my first attempt at shoes - although since they’re made of fine yarn they’re closer to thick socks. I’ve even followed Moira’s example and tied half my hair back into something a little more elegant, using a bit of thread in lieu of a ribbon. I don’t think this is supposed to be a very formal dinner party, but it’s the closest thing I’ve been to one in several years.

“Pulling up now…” Aiden mumbles, and sure enough I slip forward a little as the car gradually slows to a stop.

“Everything will be fine, babe,” I soothe as I get to my feet, eyes aimed up.

“I know,” he says with a glance down at his chest. “I’m mostly excited. It’s just, you know… several people who are much bigger than you. I can’t help but worry about how you’ll feel. Pinkie squeeze if it gets too overwhelming, okay? I can make an excuse to leave.” As he’s talking he pulls the plastic shield out of his pocket and then reaches in for me.

“Okay. Thank you,” I say with a nod, gripping at the fingers that are currently pinching around my torso, “I’m not planning on that, though…" I feel antsy getting extracted from my warm and reassuring little cave, so I quickly add, "Kiss for good luck?”

He grins and I’m rewarded with a pair of enormous lips heading my way. I pucker up and then push my entire face into his upper lip, arms spread wide to hug as much of his face as I can. Aiden starts laughing at my overenthusiastic embrace and doubles down by knocking me onto my back in his palm.

“Gotta get the PDA out of our system,” I giggle, and when he starts twisting around to my neck I yelp, “Wait, wait, don’t mess up my hair!”

“Oops, sorry,” the giant relents, though he barely pulls away. He hovers above me, his large eyes captivating me for a moment as they look me up and down. “Don’t worry, you still look lovely.”

“Thanks. You too!” I chirp before playfully shoving at his cheek with my foot. “God, we’re disgusting… Let’s go, I don’t want to be late.”

And before the nerves have time to reclaim either one of us, Aiden gets out of the car. He holds me near his chest as he heads down the walkway to the Ignacios’ house, hiding me just in case any neighbors look in our direction. Then his palm flattens out as he reaches the door, and once he knocks I sit on my heels and smooth out my dress.

I hear some quick footsteps from the other side and brace myself as the door opens. An unfamiliar face greets us, bright eyed and breathless, sporting a big smile with its own touch of nerves. This must be Star.

She’s actually a little more… normal looking than I imagined? It’s just that the way Diego had described her beauty, I thought I was about to meet a supermodel. She’s not unattractive though, her gray-green eyes rather striking against her olive skin tone. There’s just the slightest edge of a punk rock feel to her appearance, her dark hair in a long and layered bob with a streak of bright blue near the front of it.

“Hiii!” she gushes softly but enthusiastically, and she’s zeroing in on me immediately, covering her mouth with one hand. “Oh my goodness, aren’t you just the cutest thing! It’s so nice to finally meet you, Evie – come on in, guys, make yourselves at home!”

“N-nice to meet you!” I manage to stammer out, blinking as if I’d just been blinded by a flash of light.

I’m abruptly reminded of something. Back when I used to be a nanny, I once had to take one of the kids I was caring for to the pediatrician. I’m sure they’re not all like this, but not only did the doctor employ an ultra-sweet, doting tone with the child, but for some reason she also talked the same way with me, the adult. That’s exactly the way Star talks. Like a kind and overly eager schoolteacher, and maybe this makes some amount of sense since she’s almost like a pediatrician, but for animals instead. Perhaps the borderline infantilizing tone should be bothering me, I guess, but… she just seems so genuine that I kinda get swept up in it. To my own surprise I find myself smiling right away.

She steps aside, revealing the cavernous interior of the house. This place looks gigantic, even compared to our apartment - the entryway opens straight out to the back of the house like one wide hallway, and it’s on the opposite end that I make out a dining table and chairs. It’s so colorful inside, the sunny yellow walls covered in photos and vibrant decorations. There are live plants everywhere, adding refreshing splashes of green to the warm interior. And the ceiling might as well be the sky… The area opens up into its full two-story space, with stairs off to the left leading to an upper landing that looks like the top of a canyon.

The giant who’s carrying me steps into the house, and Star puts a hand on his shoulder as she closes the door. “Aiden, it’s been too long - good to see you, man.”

“It really has! Thanks for inviting us over." Even he seems to be absorbing her energy, though I can tell he’s being careful to still lead by example in keeping the speaking volume from climbing too high up.

Speaking of which. There’s an echoing boom that makes me jump, and I immediately recognize this voice.

“Yoooo! Perfect timing, I just pulled the fish out of the oven!” Diego calls as he sweeps in from the other room, the scale and intensity of his presence making my heartrate tick up a few beats.

Either he noticed me flinching or Aiden shot him a look, because he quickly tones it down when he steps up to us. Even though his attention is on Aiden and I, his hand absently slips around his wife’s waist as he stands alongside her. I’m realizing she must actually be on the tall side, but she still doesn’t come up to his shoulder.

Diego’s eyes light up as he focuses on me and lowers his head with a wide smile. “Hey, Shrimp! How’s that leg doing?”

Star’s the one who reacts to the nickname this time, her eyes going wide as she smacks the back of her hand against his arm. “Diego!” she hisses with disapproval.

He straightens back to standing, holding his hands up disarmingly as he looks at her. “No, no, we’re cool! I’ve said it to her face before, she’s fine with it. Right, Evie?”

He glances at me hopefully, and I couple a quick eye roll with a genuine smile. “It’s good to see you, Kong. Leg’s been feeling better every day.”

“See?” Diego grins at Star, who maintains her scowl.

“Don’t let him push you around, okay?” she tells me and then nods to the dining table deeper into the house, “Come sit, we’ll grab you guys some drinks.”

Aiden and I manage to make quick eye contact as he carries me over to the table, checking in with each other. He runs a thumb over my leg and raises his eyebrows quizzically, and I reassure him with a nod. All of this is a lot, but I felt prepared and I’m doing alright. He takes a seat as the other two giants recede to the kitchen, their quiet conversation briefly reaching our ears.

“But it’d be soooo easy to push her around,” the taller of them jokes.

“Diego, I swear to all that is holy–” is the chiding response before the mumbles become undecipherable.

Aiden sighs but seems amused, and he gives me an apologetic look as he sets his hand with me in it onto the dining table. “They’re harmless, I promise,” he says.

“I know,” I laugh, trying not to slip with my new footwear as I step onto the slick wood. “I really like your friends, Aiden.”

He smiles, and since we’re not in the privacy of our apartment, he goes for the more subtle gesture of kissing his fingertip and touching it to the top of my head.

I take a quick look around to get my bearings. The table’s as big as a tennis court, and the plates and cutlery that are already laid out are just as colorful as the rest of the house. A large vase of fresh flowers sits in the middle of the table - the sweet scent is probably too subtle for anyone else but it feels like a special treat just for me. There’s a stack of napkins just ahead of us that would be at the perfect height for me to sit at and use as a table, which actually might not be a coincidence since I notice there’s a second stack a little further away that’s more central to everyone else.

The Ignacios make a couple of trips to bring out cups of water and bottles of wine, and they mention that the food needs to cool down so we can just chat while we wait for Moira to wrap up her shift at work. I had packed all of my eating and drinking supplies into a pouch that Aiden fishes out so that I can retrieve them now. I hand him a lid that used to belong to a soy sauce bottle, and he uses a pipette to transfer a couple of drops of wine from his glass to mine. I think I’m slowly getting more accustomed to alcohol and enjoy having some on special occasions.

Star takes a seat across from us and props her elbows onto the table, looking positively enchanted with the way Aiden and I interact. “Forgive me for staring,” she says gently, “I’m so fascinated. You just don’t even look real, Evie. I straight up didn’t believe Diego at all when he told me about you. It’s not until I talked to Aiden on the phone that I realized my husband hadn’t gone off the deep end.”

I finish my sip of wine and set my cup down on the nearby stack of napkins. “I don’t blame you at all," I say, “I wouldn’t have believed it either if I hadn’t… you know, lived it.”

“Gosh, that must have been horrible. And yet look at you, you’re so, like… confident! Like you’ve always been that size. You’re one strong chick.”

I blush and find myself walking towards her across the table. Star’s the first person who’s been quite this blunt and curious about my situation, but everything about her tone and demeanor is so authentic and disarming. Since this isn’t my first rodeo, putting it all out in the open like this is kind of refreshing.

“It took a while to get to this point,” I say with a shrug. “You’d be surprised what a person can get used to.”

“Ain’t that the truth. I guess it helped that you got rescued by this one,” she says, nodding towards my partner behind me. “Mr. I-Live-To-Help-Others. Ever seen him work a charity event?”

“I haven’t!” I respond, glancing over my shoulder at Aiden, who’s already starting to look self conscious.

Diego chimes in from his spot next to Star, “Then you’ve never seen him in his element! Always running around, making sure everyone’s drinking water or whatever. Like a fucking soccer mom.”

“Staying hydrated’s important,” Aiden mumbles, holding his water cup up pointedly before taking a sip.

I’m not particularly surprised to hear this, but the mental image is entertaining nevertheless. “What kind of events have you all done together?” I ask, now standing closer to Diego and Star’s side of the table.

“The pet clinic I work at partners with local shelters a few times a year," Star explains. “So for the most part it’s adoption events.”

“Oh yeah, you know the blanket I gave you on that first night, Eve?” Aiden interjects, “With the dog logo on it? It was from a shirt I got at one of those events.”

“Yes! I still use it all the time.”

“Aww, you cut up a tiny blanket for her?” Star gushes, leaning her chin against the heel of her hand as she gazes down at me. “That’s so adorable.”

“You should see the setup they have,” Diego chuckles at her, “It’s like a family of mice moved in and set up camp on his desk.”

“Heh, makes sense I guess. So how long have you two been living together?”

Aiden and I make eye contact as we do some mental math. “Almost five months now?” I suggest and he nods.

Diego shakes his head. “Man. And all that time you were keepin’ your girlfriend a secret from your best friend. Even when when I called you out on it. Never knew you could be such a liar.”

A massive wave of guilt washes over me as I watch a shadow pass over Aiden’s expression. I didn’t know he’d ever been “called out” for anything. Just how much has he had to deceive his friends for my sake?

“I wasn’t completely lying,” he grumbles, “I mean, we weren’t actually together yet when you said that…”

Diego lets out a hearty, booming laugh that brings both Aiden and I back down to earth. “I’m just fucking with you, bro. If I was in either one of your positions I’m sure I would’ve done the exact same thing. That’s why I left you alone about it - I could tell you were hiding shit this semester but figured it was for a good reason.”

Aiden smiles weakly, clearly relieved. My gaze lingers on him, guilt giving way to gratitude as for the millionth time I think about all that he’s done for me. I don’t know just how much of an effect I’ve had on his social life, but I’m glad that he no longer has to lie in this particular friendship, at least.

“Wait, wait, hold up,” Star interrupts, “Are you two dating?!”

Color floods my cheeks and I find myself at a loss for words, but Aiden sits up a little straighter, his expression brightening. “Yeah, we are,” he says proudly.

Star knocks her head back, putting a hand on her chest as if she’d been shot. “Be still, my heart! I can’t take the cuteness. I love that so much.”

“Yeah, congrats,” Diego adds, beaming, “You both look really happy together.”

“It’s been great,” I manage to say sheepishly, and I start making my way back across the table to my boyfriend.

“I have so many questions, though…” Diego muses, his mind very clearly inching its way towards the gutter.

“And we’re not answering any of them,” Aiden shoots back.

His abruptness creates a ripple of laughter across the table. I reach my giant’s arm and hop up into a comfortable seat near his wrist. Star watches me with that same enchanted expression before she looks up at Aiden.

“I always did think you’d end up with a little thing,” she says pensively. “You had me going with the last one. This isn’t quite what I had in mind, but still - totally called it.”

My ears prick up at this. I’m vaguely aware of the fact that Aiden has some amount of dating experience, but I still don’t really know of any details. Before anyone can say anything else though, there’s a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it!” Diego exclaims, jumping to his feet and hurrying to the entryway.

I put a mental pin in that conversation topic - I can be curious about past girlfriends a different day. I just want to enjoy the evening now, and having a familiar face join us can only improve things all the more. In the distance the door opens, and there she is, looking adorable as usual in her bright summer dress with ribbons in her hair. Jesus Christ, she looks like a little kid next to Diego.

“Moiraaaa!" the taller of them bellows, and he scoops her right up to spin her in a circle, “How you been, chiquita?”

Moira’s both laughing and actively trying to wriggle out of Diego’s bear hug, teetering a little when he sets her down again. “Dizzy,” she giggles, “But I’m good! It smells great, hopefully you guys haven’t been waiting too long?”

“Nah, not at all. I’ll start bringing in the food – no, you stay there, Star, I got it!”

Moira walks over to the rest of us in eager greeting, and Aiden stands up so he can meet her in a quick hug before Star joins in too. It’s almost comedic just how much the taller ones have to bend down to accommodate their friend. At least they’re able to, though…

Despite the happy voices filling the air, I feel a twinge of sadness as I watch everyone embrace from my perch on the dining table. I’m glad that I’m here. I really am. I’m so happy that I’m able to have a potential friend group again, to feel like I’m a part of something greater. And it’s better for Aiden too this way - he doesn’t have to lie to these people anymore, and he doesn’t have to keep from seeing them as often as he did before. I’m glad things turned out the way they did.

And yet… It’s like there’s still this invisible barrier, keeping me in a separate world from all of them. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to break through it.

I begin staring at my boyfriend in particular. Will I ever get the chance to put my arms around his neck? To feel what it’s like for him to hug me tightly against his chest? What I would give to truly be in his world again, just for a moment. Just so I can know what it’s like.

Moira smoothly steps over to me at the table, reaching her hand to cup around my back with a grin and just as enthusiastic of a hand-hug as she’s able to give me. I smile, grateful for her doing her part in making sure I don’t feel left out, and I cling to her for a beat longer than I normally might.

“This is tripping me out,” she says as she goes to take a seat next to Aiden. “How cool is it that we can all hang out like this?”

"Eeee, I’m so happy that we’re part of the secret club now,” Star chirps, sitting back down in her own chair.

Diego’s brought out the salmon and the sides at this point, and as the plates are passed around, Aiden and I take a little extra time so I can pick out tiny portions to put on my own dish. I notice that there are at least five full-sized servings of everything, and maybe that’s just what the Ignacios would always do to make sure there’s plenty of food, but the thought that they planned for me as if I was one of them warms my heart nevertheless.

We fall back into conversation and spend what turns out to be a lovely evening together. Moira catches the others up on her Florida trip and the animation panel she hosted. I ask Star and Diego how they met and get to hear all about the time they ran a 5k together, and how they were so engrossed in their conversation that they took a wrong turn and got lost in the middle of the race. They also tell us about the headaches they’ve been dealing with during some bathroom renovations happening upstairs. Aiden and I talk at length about our adventures since I’ve been shrunk. Two hours pass and we never run out of conversation.

Despite everyone’s best intentions, there are enough of us that it gets a little loud. On more than one occasion I get talked over by accident. On the other hand, unlike anyone else I’m also able to easily walk around on the table and can catch someone’s attention by my movements alone. The dynamics may not always be flawless, but they’re decidedly good.

Once we’ve all finished the tasty meal and the dishes are put away, I wander to Aiden’s hand that’s resting in a half-fist, palm down on the table. I settle onto him like he’s a chair, sitting on his thumb and leaning back against the side of his hand as his forefinger absently begins stroking my leg. He launches into a story from work, going on about one of his students that he’s particularly proud of, and I find myself staring up at him adoringly. I really am obsessed with this guy.

I don’t realize that I was daydreaming until I’m knocked out of my reverie by something that almost makes me fall over onto the table. Everyone else suddenly goes quiet, exchanging confused glances over the unexpected sound. The doorbell just rang.

[Olo]

@littlest-lily said:

What I would give to truly be in his world again, just for a moment. [Emphasis added]

Whoa.

[littlest-lily]

@Olo I couldn’t help myself, I have to make it just a little tragic sometimes

[Olo]

@littlest-lily “Poignant” is how they describe it in literary criticism.

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 57
Evie

Diego’s the one who moves first, frowning as he stands up.

“A lil’ late for solicitors,” he mutters, “I’ll go check.”

Not taking any chances, I hop to my feet, and Aiden’s on the same wavelength - he quickly plucks me up and guides me into his pocket. I catch both Star and Moira’s worried glances in my direction before I slip down inside the fabric shelter.

The only sound is Diego’s footsteps growing more distant as I settle into a seat and hug my knees to my chest. The door opens and his voice carries his surprised exclamation.

“Camila? Wha–”

“You weren’t answering your phone! What the hell,” a female voice responds, sounding flustered and frustrated. I curl further in on myself in reaction to the new voice.

"I’ve been busy, it’s in the other room… Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I’m just stressed out. I need your car."

“Huh? What for?”

“My roommate’s dumb brother’s coming into town. It’s a long drive to the airport so he doesn’t want to pay for a ride.”

“And you’re telling me this now? I could’ve been out tonight!”

“I tried to tell you half an hour ago but you didn’t check your phone. And you’re not out, so it’s fine. Right?”

Diego sighs heavily and the door creaks open further. "Alright, whatever. Come in for a sec. We just got our house keys replaced so they’re not in the usual spot, uhhh… Wait right here, I’ll go find them.”

My breath has grown shallow and I try to stay steady as I hear the door close again, this time with the girl now clearly inside the house. Diego hurries away to find his keys, and Star pipes up to make conversation.

“Hi Camila! How’s school going?”

“It’s going alright. Sorry to interrupt dinner… Oh my god, Aiden! You’re here too?”

I tense up. Hold still, I tell myself, attempting a steadying breath through my nose, You’ve done this a million times. Hold still and she won’t notice anything.

My nerves aren’t exactly settling as I notice the thumping of Aiden’s heartbeat growing faster. “Hey, Camila,” he says with a smile in his voice despite sounding a little tense, “Nice to see you.”

I hate that I can’t see anything, but I definitely hear footsteps, and then I have to keep from yelping as my giant partner suddenly stands up. For a moment I’m confused, and then I figure out that he doesn’t want to be sitting as she approaches, since she’s on her feet and might be able to look straight down at me in his pocket.

“It’s soo good to see you!” Camila’s voice rings emphatically, and it’s close. Too close. Aiden makes a small, strained sound in the back of his throat and I can feel all of his muscles tense as he shifts backwards. A second later I realize why - half the pocket suddenly buckles inward. There’s the sweet, floral scent of perfume and a warm weight of a second giant, pressing up right beside me, sandwiching one of my feet, but I don’t dare try yanking it away. I don’t know how tall this girl is so I don’t even know what exactly is pushing against me right now, but she’s clearly gone in for a hug.

Don’t move, I think desperately, holding my breath, Just hold still…!

“I haven’t seen you all semester,” the stranger says softly, having no idea this intimate moment involves a third party. “I missed you.”

Thankfully the pressure withdraws as Aiden carefully maneuvers his way out of her grip. “Yeah, last semester was rough… Eighteen credits on top of the TA gig. Never doing that again.”

With the slightest hint of urgency, Star interjects, “Come sit and chat while we wait. You know Moira, right?”

“We’ve met a couple of times,” Mo says warmly, “It’s nice to see you again."

“Yeah, you too.”

Camila’s voice recedes - it sounds like she’s going to park herself where Diego had been sitting - and I finally feel like I can breathe again. That was a really close call. A more direct hit and I could have been crushed, or more likely, Aiden wouldn’t have let her and I would have risked being discovered. I continue to hold as still as I can as the titans make small talk with the unwitting intruder.

The minutes pass and I gather that she goes to the business school, she’s younger than the rest of us as she recently turned 21, and apparently she’s known Aiden since childhood since she makes reference to some vacation their families had been on when they were kids. I remember that Aiden’s also known Diego since he was young and that their parents were friends. Maybe Camila and Diego are siblings or something?

It’s an agonizingly long ten minutes before I hear the triumphant jingle of keys as footsteps enter the dining area. The small talk wraps up and goodbyes are exchanged. My partner’s a bit more prepared this time as he stands up less abruptly, and he’s more deliberate in the way he gives Camila a side hug so that my hiding space is spared. I’m so tense and stiff that my muscles ache, but at no point do I budge in any way. My eyes do trail upwards, up towards the thin sliver of the pocket’s opening.

I glimpse the edge of Aiden’s face - an ear, some dark locks of hair, one end of his jaw. And as he pulls away from the farewell hug, an unfamiliar hand comes into view. It has a slender shape, honey tan skin, white and gold acrylic nails. It rests above me, on his shoulder, fingertips lightly tugging at the collar of his shirt.

“Let’s hang out sometime, yeah?” Camila says quietly, her voice once again far too close for comfort.

“Sure, just shoot me a text,” Aiden mumbles, tense and rigid.

She hums in agreement. And then her hand descends. Straight to me.

A lot happens all at once. Realizing what’s happening half a second too late, Aiden tries to back away. But Camila’s already pulling on the lip of the pocket. Like a prowling lion discovering its prey, I see the edge of her fingernail curl dangerously close to me, finding purchase against fabric right above my head. Light pours in and suddenly I’m looking at her face. It’s just for a split second, but I see dark brown eyes peering inside, an expression of curiosity mixed with amusement.

My stiff muscles are trembling like an overwound spring, and I react on instinct at the unexpected sight of this gigantic stranger. I gasp and scurry backwards in a panic, having nowhere to go, cornering myself into the side of the pocket. Camila’s countenance shifts in an instant, a look of horror passing over her. My eardrums burst into pain as she screams.

And now Aiden’s hurrying backwards in earnest, the face I’d seen for a brief moment is ripped away, everything breaks into chaos. I’m breathing hard in fear and in pain, ears ringing, head spinning. All sounds are fuzzy and distant as I hold my head in my hands and curl into a ball while the world shakes. There are multiple voices, all talking at once, and at first I can’t parse out any of it, still reeling from the explosive sound of a giant’s unreserved shriek at such close proximity. I vaguely realize that we’re moving, we’re going somewhere, I’m bouncing with each hurried step, the voices are fading away. The ringing starts to abate just enough for me to catch a few words.

"No – seriously, what the hell was that?”

“Camila, just hold on–”

“That was real, wasn’t it? What in the actual fuck is–”

A door closes, shutting the voices away, and things grow still. All I can hear is their faint drone in the distance, and the much closer sound of Aiden’s labored breathing. Gently he touches me through his pocket.

“You okay?” he asks softly, “That was so loud.”

I realize how bad I’m shaking when my teeth clatter the moment I try to speak. I choke out, “I-I’ll be fine. I can s-still hear.”

He sighs heavily, the soft pressure encompassing my entire frame. “Shit, Eve. I’m sorry… Let me think…”

After everything that happened, I’m starting to feel more trapped in here than safe. I get to my feet and poke my head out of the pocket, finally able to get my bearings. I think we’re in a bathroom, from the relatively cramped quarters and the fact that I’m looking out at a mirror right now. I take in the sight of my boyfriend, looking a little shell-shocked and pale as he leans over a sink, his gaze downcast and one hand laying over me against his chest. My motions make him look my way, our eyes meeting through the mirror.

“Was it because I moved?" I ask, whimpering breathlessly, “I tried to hold still, I… I didn’t think I…”

Aiden looks pained in reaction to my pitiful state. “No, no, you did nothing wrong. Aww, babe, come here…"

He looks straight down at the actual me now, reaching in to gingerly lift me out. He holds me in front of him, wrapping his fingers around me like a security blanket. “Everything’s going to be okay," he soothes.

I’m still trembling like a leaf, and I cling to one of his fingers as if it’s a buoy. My breath is coming in very shallow. “Sh-should we be here right now? If she’s freaking out, shouldn’t w-we be…"

Aiden’s face swoops down to meet me, and soon I’m surrounded by him. Everything becomes a little more still and the light grows dimmer as he touches his forehead to mine.

“It can wait," he rumbles, “Deep breaths, honey. I’ve got you, you’re safe.”

I sigh and let myself go limp in his hand. For the next few moments I try to focus on the air going in and out of my lungs and the feel of his skin. It’s difficult to ignore the din of the faraway voices, but I’m starting to calm back down.

“So who… who is that?" I finally ask.

Aiden takes a second to tenderly kiss my stomach before he raises his head again to answer me. “Diego’s cousin. I’m not nearly as close with her as with him, but I’ve known her for as long."

I nod and continue to fret, “Is this bad? She sounded so upset."

His jaw tightens. He glances towards the door before looking back at me and saying, “Don’t forget, for the other introductions we were able to prepare them ahead of time. Well, other than Diego I guess, but he was drunk and half conscious. Camila’s not as chill of a person and I’m sure seeing you was a bit of a shock. But she’s not a bad person or anything, she’ll come around. I’ll talk to her, okay?" A beat later, he adds, “Listen, see? It sounds like the others have already started to calm her down. I don’t think she’ll be unreasonable once we explain.”

He’s right, the noise level has lowered to a low hum. I take a couple more deep breaths to steady myself. The hand I’m in levels out, tilting to cup me in his palm. Aiden brings his other hand up to touch my arm, stroking it softly with the back of a finger.

“I know this wasn’t on your terms," he says. “I’m really, really sorry Evie.”

I shake my head. “Don’t be. It’s not your fault."

“I don’t know, there’s a reason she wanted to look in my pocket. I was trying not to be obvious, but maybe she noticed me glancing down at you. All of us kept looking over, she probably got curious as to why we were acting weird…"

Something about seeing Aiden’s intense guilt and concern brings me a strange calm. I manage a smile and place my hand on his finger. “It’s okay. Like you said, we’ll just… we’ll just explain."

“I can leave you here," he says with a knitted brow. “I’ll send Moira to be with you, you don’t have to come.”

“No, that’s alright. I should at least, um… say hi."

We spend another minute or so gathering our composure. I don’t want to go out there. But we really need to do damage control. And I have to be on my best behavior. I have four other giants on my side, it’s going to be okay. It has to be.

Once he’s sure I’m ready, Aiden opens the door and retraces his steps through the parts of the house that I hadn’t seen. I breathe deeply as the world passes by - out of the bathroom, through the living room, across the kitchen… He pauses just before the threshold to the dining area and readjusts his grip on me so that he’s holding me to his chest, hiding me from view for now. Let’s go.

“Hey, Camila?" he says, stepping into the room, and all the other voices go completely silent. “Sorry I ran off.”

I understand the need to ease this new acquaintance into things, but never being able to see what’s going on is so nerve-wracking. I look out the side of the hand that’s holding me, and Moira’s in my line of vision. Her big green eyes quickly find mine and she tries to reassure me with an encouraging smile. I weakly smile back.

I flinch at the sound of Camila’s voice saying, “Is that…?"

“Yeah, I have her right here,” Aiden responds, “I’d like to introduce you. Is that alright?"

The question lingers in the air. The implication he’s layered on with his tone is a clear “you’re not going to scream this time?” There’s no answer, but I’m assuming she nodded because a gap begins forming between me and my boyfriend’s chest. He holds me just far enough so that we can exchange a look before he tilts his hand to reveal my tiny form.

“This is my girlfriend. Evie."

Finally I get a good look at her. I’d only caught the briefest glimpse amidst all the chaos, but her full figure now stands before me. Turns out I really was destined to meet a supermodel today… Camila’s beauty is staggering. She knows how to dress herself and apply makeup to expertly flatter all of her features. Her dark hair is long, lighter at the ends in a subtle ombre effect, perfect waves that rest gently on her shoulders. Her lips are full, her cheekbones high, her eyelashes dark. She has this innocent, youthful look about her, despite the fake nails and dyed hair and layers of makeup. She’s wearing a subtle frown and keeps her mouth shut as she fixates my revealed form.

I don’t waste time staring - I have an impression to make. I put on my best friendly smile and give her a little wave. Camila doesn’t wave back and she doesn’t return the smile. She’s not quite glowering but is still regarding me with a hard stare that creates sparks of anxiety at the pit of my stomach.

“I know it’s a lot to accept," Aiden continues, “but there’s nothing to be afraid of. We used to be classmates, actually, before an accident made her like this. She’s just like you and me.”

She looks up at him, then back down at his hand, still watching silently. She glances off to the side, towards her cousin, before her eyes briefly meet mine.

“I’m sorry I yelled," she says in a low tone.

I jump at the opportunity to speak. “Th-that’s alright! I get why you’d be freaked out. I was pretty freaked out too, when this all started." I don’t mention how freaked out I am this very second.

Camila’s frown deepens into more of a scowl. “Yeah, this… this is fucking insane…"

“Mila," Diego growls from off to the side, a warning in his tone.

I shy away, taken aback by the hostility in her voice. She’s mostly holding it at bay, but there’s an anger there. Or maybe a disgust.

My smile falters and there’s a tension growing in the air. Maybe Aiden was right. I shouldn’t have come here. I should have just let him talk to her first and make sure she was in an approachable state. I have no idea how to save the situation. Not when everyone’s towering over me like this. There’s too many gigantic people in the room and they’re all looking at me right now as I’m just sitting out in the open to cower under the glare of a massive stranger…

I’m snapped out of the moment by movement to my left. Moira’s approaching, her gentle presence a welcome interruption. She reaches a hand up to hover next to Aiden’s in an invitation to me.

“How about Evie and I go check out those house renovations?” she says calmly, “We’ll give you guys some time. Star, can you show us the way?”

Trembling, I slink onto her open palm, thankful for the opportunity to escape. Moira doesn’t wait for an answer, simply marching away to the nearby staircase with me in tow. Star trails along behind us as we go upstairs, and then she quietly leads the way through their main bedroom and into the newly refurbished bathroom. I didn’t even look at Aiden when we got out of there. I have to trust in his ability to take it from here.

As she closes the door behind us, Star lets out a sigh. “Damn… the night was going so well, too…”

Moira’s entirely focused on me. She walks across the room to sit on the edge of the bathtub, setting her hands down on the nearby counter. I don’t get off of her quite yet, it’s like my legs are refusing to work in the aftermath. I look up at my friend with tears welling up in my eyes, barely able to stop myself from breaking down.

“Th-thank you,” I whimper, “Thanks for r-realizing how s-scared I…” The sentence doesn’t finish as I struggle to keep it together, but she gets the gist of it.

“Evie,” Moira says intently, “She had already agreed not to tell anyone else about this before you guys came in. Okay?”

She knows full well about the things I’m afraid of and why. I nod slowly, taking shaky breaths and wiping away tears, and I finally crawl onto the counter. Her hand flips over so that her finger can touch my shoulder as she gives me a comforting smile, and I attempt to smile back gratefully. Star observes us and pulls up a stool as she comes to realize how much I need the reassurances right now.

“Yeah, it’s alright,” she says sweetly, “You don’t need to worry about her spreading the word. I’ve only really gotten to know Camila for a couple of years now since she moved up here, but I know she’s not a blabbermouth. She’ll understand. Just give her some time.”

I nod again and silently put my face in my hands, forcing one deep breath after another. I’m dizzy. In less than a week I’ve met three new giants unexpectedly. It’s too much. It feels as if everything’s started spinning out of control.

“Poor thing,” Star says softly, and for the first time she touches me, softly putting a finger to my other shoulder. “Hang in there, girl.”

“Do you need some space, Eve?” Moira asks quietly.

I take my hands off my face and shake my head, this time able to give them a more genuine smile. “No, I appreciate the support. Thank you. Um… I really was interested in seeing the renovations, actually…”

The change in subject helps distract me for a while. I truly am grateful to these two women and their kindness - all the more so now that I’ve seen what a less-than-friendly new acquaintance can be like. The freshly crafted details of the bathroom really are beautiful, and I marvel at all of the plants that they have set up in here. I even spend some time in Star’s hands for a change, to her absolute delight. She’s very gentle with me but has much more confidence picking me up than Moira did at the beginning. One of the perks of her job as a vet, I guess. I’m not as wriggly as most of the small animals she probably has to deal with.

Eventually we hear the front door opening and figure it might be okay to come back out now. I look over the edge of Star’s fingers, able to make out three figures past the dizzying height of the balcony, all standing in the entryway below. Aiden is off to the side while Camila and Diego are at the door, the two of them quietly conversing in Spanish. He puts one arm around his cousin’s neck and kisses the top of her head before opening the door wider for her to leave. Having noticed our presence, Camila briefly glances up to the second story as she steps a foot out the door. She gives me one last dark look and then vanishes into the night.

[Olo]

@littlest-lily said:

“This is my girlfriend. Evie."

Not:

“This is my accidentally shrunken friend. Evie.”

Not:

“This is my roommate. Evie.”

“This is my girlfriend. Evie.”

I get that Evie was shaken up, but if I were her I’d take the first opportunity to interrogate Moira and Star about Aiden’s history with Camila.

[littlest-lily]

@Olo YUP, that was a very deliberate choice on my end to make him say it like that lol. It actually gets brought up in a couple of chapters, but I’m getting ahead of myself~

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 58
Aiden

I scroll through my long line of text messages on my phone, hoping I haven’t said anything that might have screwed something up. Camila has grown more reasonable since a few days ago, thankfully. But I still feel like I’m walking on eggshells. We have one last quick exchange right now.

C : Sry, roommate’s bro keeping me busy. He’s leaving tonight, maybe we can do something this weekend?

A : Ok that works for me. I’m busy tomorrow but Saturday or Sunday should work. Group thing?

C : Sure

I sigh inwardly. There are a few reasons that I haven’t been close with Camila over the years, I don’t particularly want to hang out this weekend. But it feels like a precarious position now that she knows of Evie’s existence, like I have no choice but to include her in my life now. It’s not that I think she’s a horrible person or anything, but she’s nowhere near the top of the list of people I would have normally introduced my shrunken girlfriend to. She can be a little immature, a little self centered. I only hope she’s able to keep a secret. In any case, I’m feeling the need to keep an eye on her.

I think about the dinner party. The disaster of an introduction. The conversation that I had with Camila afterwards that was fraught with tension. I rethink about every detail and fret about every word.

We’d sat down at the dinner table once the girls had gone upstairs, and even Diego backed off and left the room to let us talk. The others had already told her the very basics, but I went ahead and recounted the shorthand version of all that happened to Evie, from the deception at the lab to the way she’s been living at my apartment ever since. Camila was generally quiet, her hands clenched in her lap, her frown never leaving her face. She occasionally asked a clarifying question, which I took as a good sign - gradually she was coming to terms with the impossible reality.

“No wonder you were so busy this semester,” she muttered, “So much happened…”

“Yes. It’s not that I particularly wanted to deceive you or anyone else. It’s been a weird situation.”

“I… I didn’t know you were seeing someone,” she said, her gaze falling to the floor.

“Oh. Yeah, it’s a recent thing,” I explained.

“Recent?” Camila looked back up at me, frown deepening with confusion. “You mean… Were you two not dating before she…?”

I shook my head. “No, I hardly knew her before she got shrunk.”

I didn’t really like the detour this conversation was taking and carefully tried to redirect it. I summoned every last scrap of empathy that I could and poured it into making my tone as gentle as possible.

“I know this is a lot. I hope you understand how important it is to keep quiet about this? The guy who did this to her had really bad intentions. If people find out–”

Camila tsk’d her tongue and sat back in her chair. “No, no, I get that. You guys can stop harping on it, I’m not going to tell anyone. As if anyone would believe me… I don’t want people to think I’m crazy for no good reason.”

“Thank you.” I reached my hand out to touch her shoulder, making eye contact as if to seal the deal. “That means a lot. Thank you so much.”

I retracted my arm and wished I felt better about the look on her face. She still seemed very preoccupied and finally mumbled, “It’s just… it’s weird, isn’t it? I mean, it’s like… she looks just like us but–”

“She is just like us,” I interrupted, a bit more firm than I meant to be. I couldn’t help it.

For the first time Camila looked sheepish, surprised at my tone. “No, I know, but I mean… The two of you…”

She trailed off and after a moment I shrugged. “Maybe it’s because I saw the before and after,” I said, “but I’ve never been that weirded out by it. We get by just fine.”

She let out a frustrated huff. “I just don’t understand how it would even work. Don’t you have to do everything for her? How can anything even get romantic? I don’t get how you two can physically do anything that counts as–”

“Camila, that’s… honestly none of your business,” I cut in with a frown. I felt shocked that she was so hung up on this. I can understand the confusion and curiosity around a multi-sized couple, but it’s moments like this that remind me of the age gap between me and her. That hint of immaturity in asking such inappropriate questions at a time like this.

She flinched in response to my scolding, catching herself. “I… I’m sorry, I’m just… worried about you, that’s all. It sounds like a lot for… the both of you to deal with.”

“I appreciate that,” I said, forcing a smile. “And I get that this must be overwhelming to find out about all at once. It’ll feel less weird over time, I promise.”

Now that I can think about this conversation in retrospect I’m seeing things a bit more clearly. I’m not a complete idiot - Camila was being incredibly obvious with her flirty looks in those first ten minutes that she had been with us. It was honestly rather frustrating to deal with. I thought I’d made my feelings clear years ago. This might make things a bit more complicated.

I drop my phone onto my stomach and lean my head back onto the couch’s armrest with a subdued groan. I just want to keep my beloved little girlfriend safe. Is that too much to ask?

“You okay?” Evie’s voice calls from behind me, on the desk. “You’ve been sighing a lot.”

I don’t want to worry her with more talks about Camila. I’ve already been drowning in guilt for how bad I fucked up the other night by letting this whole things happen in the first place. But I’d also rather not lie outright. “I keep reliving moments from the dinner party drama,” I lament, “I need to snap out of it.”

“Oh… Glad I’m not the only one who was kinda traumatized by all that…” she says sympathetically. “Actually no, I’m not glad. I’m sorry, babe.”

I let my eyes close, lulled into a more relaxed state by her voice alone. “All good, love. I wouldn’t call it trauma. Not compared to what you went through.”

“At least it all turned out sort of alright in the end, thanks to you.” After a pause she eagerly adds, “Need a distraction? I could actually use your help, if you’re free!”

I immediately feel energized by the request - I still get excited every time she openly asks me for aid like this. “Sure! What do you nee–”

As soon as I’ve turned and tilted my head in Evie’s direction, I trail off and then bolt upright. I wasn’t sure what exactly she was working on since this morning, making some sort of vertical structure out of balsa wood with her staple-nails and clay at the base for stability. But apparently since I’ve been laying on the couch for a couple of hours, reading a book and texting Camila, the structure has doubled in height and looks more like miniature scaffolding now. And of course, Evie’s perched right at the very top.

I get to my feet and try not to startle her as I quickly step to the desk, even though she seems preoccupied with whatever she’s working on. She’s a good ten inches up, straddling a strip of wood as if she were sitting on a two or three story tall jungle gym.

“Y-you need help down?” I assume, my hand already outstretched.

“No, I was just hoping you could grab the package that should be outside the door, according to my notifications.” She points her foot towards her phone down on the desk, without looking up at me since she’s currently hammering a nail into wood.

“Oh. Um…” It feels agonizing to pull my fingers away from her tiny form sitting in such a precarious spot. I find myself unable to move my legs as I stare anxiously. My nerves are already shot from the text messages and I ultimately decide to say what’s on my mind. “It just makes me so nervous when you get up high like that…”

Evie looks up from her work then, big brown doe eyes searching my face. She seems hesitant to respond, but musters the courage to say what’s on her mind too. “You realize I’m way higher off the ground when you’re walking around with me on your shoulder, right? We do that all the time.”

I frown. “True, but I always have a hand at the ready to catch you if you fall.”

Her reassuring smile is quickly becoming a smug smirk. “So you trust yourself to catch me more than you trust me not to fall?”

I blink and stutter, “That’s… I… Well…”

Evie laughs. “I’m just giving you a hard time, Aiden. I appreciate you worrying about me. Look.”

She holds up a piece of string that’s fastened to the beam that she’s sitting on, tugging it taught. I notice that the other side of it is tied snugly around her waist. Like a rock climber, she’s knotted the rope off at multiple places throughout her ascent, only once she was confident in the stability of the next part of the structure. My shoulders droop slightly with relief at the realization that she’s being perfectly mindful of her own safety. I really do need to be better about trusting her more. We’ve been through enough scary situations now that I’ve gotten so paranoid, but the only time she’s ever truly gotten hurt was a freak accident that I don’t think we could have avoided.

“If it makes you feel better,” she adds, “I actually have fallen before, when I was dusting off the mini fridge. I slipped when I was climbing down.”

My eyes widen. I glance over at the fridge in question, seven or eight inches tall, over twice her height. “Really?! When did that happen?”

“A while ago, back when you were studying for finals. I didn’t say anything because it ended up not being a big deal, I just had a couple of bruises is all. I think it makes a difference that I’m a lot lighter now that I’m small, I think I’m less susceptible to injury from falling. I don’t exactly want to test the theory, I’m sure I’d really feel it if I fell off the desk or something. But I just wanted to reassure you.”

Well, her reassurances are working. Huh. I guess that actually makes sense from a physics perspective, since gravity accelerates at the same rate for everything, regardless of its mass. I had long abandoned trying to figure out exactly how physics applies to her shrunken state, but this at least works in her favor.

“Thanks, that does make me feel better,” I say with a nod, “Okay, I’ll go grab that package.”

I turn and walk to the apartment entrance, and sure enough, there’s a small box right outside my door. With a foot in the hallway, I suddenly hear the buzz of an incoming text message and check my phone. It’s from Diego. Seeing what it’s about, I frown and linger in the doorway to have this quick written conversation in private.

D : I think you know but Camila wants to hang out Sunday. Were you going to bring Evie?

A : I wasn’t planning on it.

D : Maybe you should

A : You really think that’s a good idea?

D : They’ve gotta talk at some point right? Camila sounded open to it, I think she’s coming around

D : It’s up to you guys though. Check with the lil shrimp and see what she thinks?

A : Ok I’ll ask. I’ll probably wait until tomorrow though. She’s planning an outing for us, I don’t want to stress her out beforehand.

D : Np! What are yall up to??

A: No idea, she wanted to surprise me

D : OOO SOMEONE HAS A CRUSH

A: …Yeah no shit

D : YOU KIDS HAVE FUN Y’HEAR

An amused exhale escapes my nostrils and I just send a thumbs up emoji before I click my phone off. Regardless of what happens when I talk to Evie about this, Sunday should be interesting… But I don’t want to think about it right now. I finally bend down to pick up the package and head back inside.

“So what are you making right now, exactly?” I ask as I come sit at the desk and carefully set the cardboard box down on its surface. In the time I’ve been gone, my little partner has already set up another cross beam.

“This is that packing station upgrade I’ve been talking about!” she says brightly, “I’ve always just used ramps and stuff to slide the minis around, but with this I’ll be able to lift them up vertically. It’ll make it easier to put things in boxes and bags in the right order.”

She starts making her way back down the scaffolding, down some tiny ladder rungs built into the side. She’s gradually unknotting her safety rope at a couple of key places on the way and I watch from a respectful distance. Until the words she just said sinks in.

“Lift them up?…” I mutter, and my eyes wander back over the length of the structure. There’s a lot of wood and string, with globs of stabilizing silicone clay at the bottom, but then at the top I now notice several tiny wheels of some kind. I lean in, eyes widening. “Holy crap, are those pulleys?”

“Yep! I ordered them along with the last batch of unpainted minis. They’re supposed to be wheels for model trains, but they’ve been working great for these pulley systems.”

Evie’s still climbing her way down, but she pauses to look up the way she came with a swell of pride. She points one hand up towards one of the pulleys I’m examining.

“See how there are divots where they’re supposed to be sitting on the railroad tracks? Perfect for threading string along.”

I continue to marvel, tracing the ups and downs of the system of ropes her little engineering brain came up with. It’s truly surreal, all at once resembling a miniature version of a factory under construction, while also clearly made of little everyday items instead of lumber and steel.

“And you put all this together in a day? Amazing,” I marvel.

“Don’t say that yet, I still need to test it,” Evie giggles as she finally reaches the desk surface. “I’ve been planning and making the pieces for a while, today was just putting it together. Alright, here goes nothing.”

She reaches a dangling bit of string and grabs it with both hands, wiggling it slightly as she looks up to gauge the way it catches on the pulleys. I try to figure out where the other end of the rope is, and it’s attached to a playing card-sized platform that’s resting on the desk, in the middle of the scaffolding. The tiny woman yanks down on the rope and sure enough, the platform rises up by half an inch. Evie continues pulling, hand over hand, and the target rises up and up and up and my jaw drops at how smoothly everything’s working.

“Yayayayyy!” she squeals, letting the rope zip through her fingers so that the platform gently descends back to where it started. “It actually works! I’ve never made anything quite like this. I’m so happy!”

“Congrats!” I exclaim, beaming as I celebrate alongside her. “That’s so cool, Eve. Seriously, that is so badass!”

She drops the rope to stretch her arms out, clearly sore after so much manual labor, and she sighs. “What a relief. Things will be a whole lot easier this way. And I made sure to put in enough pulleys to lift a decent amount of weight - I plan on painting some larger monsters next. The bigger I can go, the more I can charge per figure. Some of the dragons can go for hundreds of dollars on the current market.”

I glance over at the box I’d gone to fetch and point at it curiously. “So what’s in here then?”

Evie glances over and suddenly she looks a little nervous. “Um, most of that is just more plain figures but… I also got some tokens in there. Just very small pieces of plastic, really.”

“Oh? What for?” My question is tentative as I try to get a read on why she’s acting a bit dodgy.

“So… This might not work at all, I’m not going to push it…” She fidgets and gives me a rather pitiful look. “Plus I finally finished those work gloves, I’ll be careful…”

“Careful with what?” I’m frowning now.

“I just… I really want a saw. I use sandpaper for everything, even for trimming or ‘cutting’ these bits of wood. It takes forever, this whole station was weeks in the making. And the result is never quite right.”

Oh. I can see why she’s so hesitant now. That conversation we had about the full-sized scissors she used once feels like such a long time ago. And yet the idea of her wielding any kind of blade, especially after her leg injury, does set me on edge.

“Okay…” I say slowly, “So what do tiny bits of plastic have to do with that?”

“Well, I completely understand why sharp metal is a bad idea at this point. Trust me, I especially realize that now, I don’t want to cut myself again. But then I thought… what if I had a saw made of plastic? I was going to try using the tokens and see if I can heat them up with the hotplate for my bath, just enough to thin out the edge and make little dents. It shouldn’t be all that sharp, but I think it would still be more helpful than just the sandpaper.”

I ponder this for a moment before asking, “And what’s wrong with you just asking me to cut pieces of wood for you? I can get a saw. Hell, some of these pieces of balsa I could probably snap with some scissors.”

Evie’s staring down at her feet and goes very still. I bite my lip. The sight is making me worry that she’s starting to shut down the way she has in the past. I open my mouth to say something else, but then she raises her chin to meet my gaze.

“Sure, I can be better about asking you, for some of the bigger pieces. But… I’d rather not have to turn to you every time I want to trim a toothpick. If that’s okay.”

I mentally take a step back. If we were having this conversation a month or two ago things would be going very differently. I don’t want to take the progress she’s made for granted - I’m thankful she’s telling me her thoughts instead of pushing her desires aside. And we’ve come so, so far since that day with the scissors.

“I hear you,” I finally say, “You can do what you want, I won’t stop you. Just do me a favor and maybe save the sharp stuff for when you’re not home alone? And careful with the hot plate. I’d rather you not get burned either.”

My little partner breaks into a relieved grin. “I won’t. Honestly it’ll probably either not melt at all or I’ll have just made a lumpy mess by the end. But I promise I’ll be careful.”

This is hard for me. Again… I just want my beloved to be safe. And yet, I was so determined to empower her, and I know that I can’t - shouldn’t - control her every action. It’s not easy for me to just trust things will be okay. But I have to do my best to let go, just a little.

Having said that, I’ll allow myself a bit of affectionate clinginess in exchange. I reach my hand up and pinch my forefinger and thumb around Evie’s ribs. Her eyes widen a little as she reflexively takes a step back and I don’t let her, holding her in place. She tilts her head to the side in confusion.

“You better untie that string,” I demand with a budding smile, using my pinkie to flick at the safety rope that’s still tied around her waist.

Her shoulders immediately relax at my tone. “I need to clean all this up!” she laughs,
motioning to the bits of clay and wood shavings scattered all over the desk.

“Not now you don’t,” I say, my grin solidifying. “You spent all day working hard and building something awesome. And now you’re coming with me to the couch, and I’m going to destroy you with snuggles. Whether you like it or not. Hop to it.”

She stands firm, looking at me with an almost defiant smirk. But while maintaining her stare, her hand finds the end of the safety rope, and she gives it one firm tug. It smoothly unravels and falls to her feet in a heap.

Damn. Something about that was incredibly sexy. I waste no time in whisking her away.

[Olo]

@littlest-lily said:

There’s a lot of wood and string, with globs of stabilizing silicone clay at the bottom, but then at the top I now notice several tiny wheels of some kind. I lean in, eyes widening. “Holy crap, are those pulleys?”

[miss-lillipants]

@littlest-lily said:

and I’m going to destroy you with snuggles.

Better not be the only thing you destroy, Aiden.

The whole thing with Camilla has me so on edge the alarm bells have not stopped ringing.

[littlest-lily]

@miss-lillipants Sorryyyy, the alarm bells might be ringing on and off for a while yet

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 59
Evie

I use two hands to expand the map that I’m looking at on my phone. I’m trying to move quickly. It’s Friday morning and Aiden only has to work an hour of lab credit before he’s done with his job for the day, so he should be back by 10am.

I’ve been staying particularly busy this week. It’s in part to keep my mind distracted after what happened at the dinner party this past weekend, but then I started truly enjoying myself once I got the idea to plan this little outing today. I know where we’re going and what we’re doing there for the most part… but I still haven’t fully decided on where we should go for lunch. I’m running out of time.

Out of desperation, I open up my messaging app and tap on Diego’s name. He and I have been texting quite a bit, actually. It started out with him becoming my virtual physical therapist to help my leg heal, but eventually we started discussing nutrition and exercise in general, and he’s now well on his way to becoming a personal trainer instead. I’m sure if I was my old size he would have already dragged me to the gym by now.

I type a message to him with the hope of getting his help.

E : Hey hey hey Kong

D : Heyheyheyhey Shrimp

E : Do you know if Aiden likes poutine?

D : No clue

D : Wtf is poutine

E : Don’t worry about it

D : Oh I just googled it, that looks amazing

D : Omg are you planning your date right now???

E : Ah he told you about that?

D : Shit

D : NO I don’t know what you’re talking about

D : But okay, if you’re looking at the poutine truck that’s about 10 miles north of you, I will mention that he’s shown interest in checking out that entire food truck area… for what it’s worth ; )

E : Ok thanks!

E : Also I don’t care that you know, Diego. Wish me luck

D : Good luck!!!

Alright. That settles it. Everything’s fully planned now. I just need to wait for my boyfriend to get home.

I go sit down against my stuffed lion with a sigh, eyes glazing over as I run my fingers through its fur. I haven’t really paused to breathe much at all these days. It’s not in a bad way… Well, hopefully. I’m still not always fully in touch with my feelings, my learned tendency being to push away anything that’s painful. I force myself to close my eyes and take a few quiet breaths, seeing if anything comes up.

Sure enough, there’s anxiety simmering at the base of my stomach. Part of it might just be the nerves of having planned this date today and hoping it all goes well. But I also see a flash in my mind, the image of a person… The latest of my too-many acquaintances. Obviously I’m not over the frightening first encounter I had with Camila, almost a week ago now. I’ve thought about it a lot, and Aiden and I have discussed it on multiple occasions. He’s helped me process the fear of that night and has reassured me that she’s not a threat.

But that’s not quite where the anxiety’s coming from right now. The flash in my mind was not of Camila’s face glaring at me, but specifically her hand. The view that I had from within Aiden’s pocket, the feminine fingertips gently tugging at his collar. The memory feels like an icy claw around my heart.

I’m snapped out of my thoughts by the door opening and I hop to my feet, happy to take a break from the ruminating. My giant partner slips inside and looks particularly cheerful as he sends me a wave. He sets his bag on the counter and then hesitates before settling in any further.

“Should I keep my shoes on?” he calls, “Were you ready to head out right now?”

I know he can’t hear me from across the room, but this wouldn’t be the first time - I hold one hand high with a thumbs-up so that he can see my tiny figure lengthen out, our go-to nonverbal signal for “yes.” With that he makes a beeline to where I am, all smiles as he leans down and scoops me up.

"So what’s the plan then?” Aiden asks with anticipation, pausing only to plant a kiss on my neck and shoulder. His warmth has completely thawed away my anxieties, and I giggle as I give him a brief peck in return.

“Real quick,” I say, pointing towards the desk below, “Can you bring my phone and that little box with you? And then I’ll be your pocket GPS.”

“Oh, so we’re driving somewhere?”

“Yup. I wonder if you’ll figure it out on the way.”

“Let’s find out!"

And with that we’re off on our adventure. He does catch on that we’re probably going to do some sort of nature hike based on the roads I lead him to, but he has no idea where we are once we pull into the parking lot twenty minutes later. He steps out of the car and I stay in his pocket, taking furtive looks around so that I can direct him further. There’s a clearing ahead of us - a massive field to me - with a children’s playground and a wooded area in the distance. There’s a bit of a crowd since it’s so nice out, so I point out the general direction for him to go and then duck out of sight.

Aiden manages to cross the clearing and move past the many families without issue. Once we’re beyond the playground, the herd of titans begins to thin as voices gradually recede into the distance. I figure the coast is a bit more clear when I hear a whisper above me, “So what is this place? A park I guess?”

“Yeah, I think there’s some walking trails if you want to check those out too,” I respond, taking a quick glance over the lip of the pocket. “But just past those trees, can you hear that?”

The giant pauses from walking so that he can listen. “A stream?”

“Uh huh. And it runs right next to an old rock quarry.”

“Whoa, seriously?” he says, immediately lighting up at the mention of anything geological. He starts making his way down an unmarked path that winds through the grove, heading towards the sounds of rushing water. “How do I not know about this place?”

I grin to myself. I’d mostly expected that he had heard about it through school or work, but I’m really glad that he hasn’t. “It just opened to the public last week,” I explain, “But I honestly wasn’t sure if you’d already been here somehow…”

“Nope! What a great surpri– oh.”

Aiden steps out into an open area only to stop abruptly and lose track of his words. Now that he’s crossed through the patch of trees, the din of other voices has all but vanished. There’s only the gurgling sound of the nearby brook, so I tentatively poke my head out and sure enough, no one’s around this area. Instead I see a wide clearing, framed by the trees on one side, and by the stream running alongside a tall cliff on the other side - the quarry in question. But that’s not quite what I brought him here for.

Scattered throughout the clearing are a wide variety of bulky rock structures. It looks almost like a little outdoor museum, with some areas dedicated to carved statues, others displaying various cross sections of geological formations. There are signs everywhere that explain what the different mini-exhibits are, and occasional larger placards contain mounted sets of much smaller samples of crystals and minerals. The website called this an “educational rock garden.” Even to me it looks really cool.

“Oh no…” Aiden mutters.

“What?” I say, looking up at him with concern.

“You’re going to be so bored. I have to look at all this stuff.”

I grin again as I feel the underlying excitement in his voice. His whole body’s practically buzzing with anticipation and it fills me with joy.

“Babe, that’s exactly what I brought you here to do!” I gush, “Let’s go explore! Tell me what I’m looking at, I’m excited to learn about it all.”

“Ahhh, okay… Man, where to start… Oh, you see this sample right here? This is columnar jointing. It’s the coolest thing, this was formed by a lava flow. See how the cross section is a hexagon? That happened because of the way the lava cracked when it cooled…”

We start winding our way throughout the clearing, and even though I’m only half following what Aiden is saying most of the time, I’m thoroughly enjoying listening to him talk about his passions. For whatever reason there aren’t any other rock connoisseurs out here at all, so eventually we take the risk of me coming out of his pocket so that he can hold me and give me a better look at this stuff. For the next hour and a half I’m either sitting in his hands or on his shoulder as we examine everything from agatized coral to limestone extractions from this very quarry to a miniature solar system carved out of marble.

Once we’ve made our way through everything, we find a spot near the stream to sit and relax for a bit. I want to be careful about not falling into what is more like a raging river to me, but there’s a quiet nook where the water forms a shallow enough pool that I can walk around in without issue. Aiden’s rambling to me about a time he visited a cavern, and I make him promise to take me with him the next time he goes spelunking.

“You definitely picked the right major,” I laugh, kicking some water his way. I only manage to splash the edge of his wrist, and he doesn’t flinch, smiling down at me as he leans overhead. He flicks some water in my direction and I giggle as the droplets rain down right in front of me.

“I can talk about this stuff forever," he says, "You sick of it yet?”

“Nope.”

I wander to the edge of the pool and start looking around at my surroundings. We’ve been looking at all sorts of fancy geological samples, but I’m now taking greater notice of all the pebbles and boulders that litter my immediate vicinity. I start wondering about these more mundane specimens.

“So can you identify any rock just by looking at it?” I ask.

“Not any rock. But probably quite a few.”

“Alright… what’s that one?” I point to a thin, jagged stone that’s sticking out of the dirt several inches away.

Aiden glances over and his answer is immediate. “That’s a type of shale. Makes sense for the area we’re in. This probably used to be a bigger river once upon a time and sediments got deposited down here.”

I nod and then look for the next rock, eyes scanning the ground. I see something glinting on the shore and hurry over to hoist it up. It’s heavy and about the size of a football to me. “What about this?” I ask, marveling at the yellow-orange sheen. “Whoa, this looks like some kind of crystal!”

“Yeah, this… I don’t think it’s meant to be here.” Giant fingers approach to gently pinch the shard out of my hands, and he lifts it to his face so he can squint at it. “Yeah, it’s not amber… I think it might be citrine? My guess is that it probably ended up here with the rest of the imported stuff from the rock garden.”

Enjoying this game, I skitter over to the other side of the pool. “What about this one?” I chirp, pointing to a veritable hill of gray from my perspective.

Aiden snort-laughs. “That’s a chunk of concrete.”

I do a double take, looking back at the hulking rock. Oh. Yeah, I probably could have identified that one too.

Once we’ve hung out and enjoyed the stream for a little bit, we decide to check out one of the walking trails since it’s still too early for lunch.
My partner plucks me right out of the water and brings me to the hem of his shirt to help dry my legs off against the cloth. Before he gets to his feet I ask him to take out my phone so that I can reveal the next thing I had planned. I perch on his wrist as he holds the device and lets me navigate the menus on the screen.

“So I had Moira’s help on this part, I hope I got the right thing…” I say as I click, “You know the latest Brandon Sanderson book?”

“…Yes?”

“You haven’t read it yet, right?”

“No, I didn’t preorder this time.”

“Want to listen to the audiobook with me?” I pull up the book that I bought ahead of time on the phone and turn to grin up at my boyfriend excitedly.

He laughs, and the subtle shake of it makes him bring a hand up to ensure I stay stable on his arm. “What is this?” he asks, “Aiden’s-favorite-things day?”

“That’s absolutely what this is! I know I’m not the biggest reader, and I can’t promise I’ll get into it. But I’d love to try, and I think I’d have an easier time with the audio format. We can listen on the hike! Sound okay?”

With a grin he lifts me up to his face to nuzzle into me before depositing me by his neck. “Sounds perfect.”

Soon I’m laying down on Aiden’s shoulder, having slipped under the collar of his shirt so that I’m mostly hidden from view. He’s put in headphones and I’m holding on to one earbud like it’s a teddy bear, the sound of the narration more than loud enough for me even though it’s not right up to my ear. We stay among the trees, opting for the shaded walking paths, and despite me having to duck my head out of sight from time to time as we run into passerby, it’s such a nice time.

The book itself was definitely something that I picked out for his sake, but I’m finding myself getting sucked into the story more than I thought I would. It’s not that I think we need to have everything in common, but I’m finding it fun to take an interest in the stuff he likes. I’m so warm and comfortable from being bundled up against my giant’s skin that I start feeling a little sleepy, but the way his body shifts as he walks keeps me on alert since I constantly need to maintain my balance.

After about half an hour or so, I’m roused into a sitting position when Aiden silently runs a finger along my side to get my attention. He points at a nearby bench and table that’s alongside a patch of wildflowers, and it’s just tucked enough into the treeline that it seems like the perfect spot to take a break. I nod in agreement before he heads in that direction.

“Are you getting hungry or anything?” he asks as he softly sets me down onto the table. “I could go either way.”

“I’m still okay,” I respond, stretching my arms over my head and taking a few steps across the wood. “I do have lunch options planned, though, if you want to start heading back soon? Oh! In the meantime… How does dessert first sound?”

“What do you mean?” Aiden asks, crossing his arms on the table as he watches me. He’s clearly getting such a kick out of all the little things I’ve planned out today.

“You still have that box I told you to bring?”

He produces the little container from his shorts pocket and opens it up curiously. Inside is a small, lumpy ball, not much bigger than a grape to him. Over the past week, every time I was on the kitchen counter I began smuggling over some ingredients to store in my own mini fridge bit by bit, focusing on a flavor combo that I’ve noticed is one of Aiden’s favorites - peanut butter and chocolate. This morning I mixed the nut butter, oats, and chocolate chips together with some honey to make a truffle-like treat. The giant stares into the box for a few seconds before setting it down on the table.

“How did I get so lucky?” he mutters, and he takes a quick look around to check that the coast is clear. Then he slides his arms onto the table to circle around me and brings his head all the way down to where I’m standing. He kisses the side of my body, his lips moving against me as he whispers, “Thanks for all of this, sweet girl. I’ve been having such a good time with you today.”

We kiss in earnest then, and I happily drown in my boyfriend’s body as he simulates a tight hug by coiling his arms in closer. A couple of minutes pass as we cuddle, and it’s only when he pulls his mouth away that I realize I’ve been pushed snugly into the crook of his elbow. Being tiny can be really disorienting.

I use the narrow space between forearm and bicep to shimmy my way up until I’m sitting on the elbow itself. “Planning this stuff was fun for me!” I finally respond, a bit out of breath, “It’s the least I can do as your girlfriend.”

Aiden lays the side of his head on the table and moves his free hand behind me, carefully rubbing at the back of my head with his fingertips. “I don’t think you realize how special you are,” he says, holding my gaze adoringly. “You’re so thoughtful - and you pay attention to my likes and dislikes more than anyone I’ve known. More than any other girlfriend I’ve had, that’s for sure.”

I stiffen. There’s a sudden cold feeling in my chest that takes me aback for a second. My anxiety from earlier this morning has returned in an instant, and I debate internally about how I should handle these unwelcome emotions… I don’t want to ruin the moment, but I also know that if I don’t address this it’s going to continue to weigh on me.

“Oh really?” I respond, trying to sound nonchalant. “I guess we haven’t talked much about your past relationships. You know about my exes, um… is it okay if I know about yours?”

My partner seems to clock the subtle shift in my behavior and lifts his face back up to look more alert. He stops touching me with his free hand and uses it to support his head instead.

“Yeah, sure,” he says, “There’s not all that much to tell. Let’s see… I had a couple of quote-unquote ‘girlfriends’ in grade school that honestly didn’t really mean much, none of them lasted for more than a few months. And then I had one long-term relationship during my undergrad. That one lasted a little over two years.”

I nod, absently kicking my legs that are dangling over the edge of his arm. I look skywards, summoning a relevant memory from a few days ago. “At the dinner party, Star mentioned that you had her going with the last girlfriend. Something about thinking you’d end up with someone short?”

Aiden chuckles. “Yeah, just ‘cause my ex was pretty tall. Almost as tall as me, actually.”

“Gotcha,” I say with a smirk, and I joke, “Is that why it didn’t work out? You realized you preferred a girlfriend that could only be measured in inches?”

“Ha. No. Although come to think of it, none of my exes were particularly short. You definitely take the cake.”

I squirm quietly for a second before asking, “Mind if I ask why it actually didn’t work out?”

The giant’s eyes unfocus and then stare out past me as he revisits a time from years ago. “Mmmm, to be perfectly honest… I think we both just saw each other as little more than friends. I mean, it was exciting at first. But in retrospect, once we actually became a couple, there wasn’t that deep of a connection. We just sorta stayed together because it was convenient and we got along fine. She was a year older than me so she graduated first, and when she got a job on the other side of the country we mutually decided we didn’t want to do long distance… and that was that. I’m glad it wasn’t a big, messy breakup or anything, but it is a little weird that I dated her for as long as I did.”

The cold claw squeezing my heart tightens as I finally summon the courage to come out and say it. “If she’s older than you then… I’m guessing her name wasn’t Camila?”

A look of shock passes over Aiden’s face. He lifts his head off his hand, raising back up to a normal sitting position as he frowns and says, “No. Nonononono, I never dated Camila. Oh god, have you been worrying about that?”

“Not… excessively,” I assure him, although despite myself I’m feeling something unclench inside of me. “Just from what I was hearing from inside your pocket that night, I had a bit of a weird feeling about it. Maybe I’m wrong, but it really felt like she was coming on to you.”

“Um, no, you’re… spot on, actually.” Aiden sighs. “So, uh… sorry, I probably should have mentioned this before, but… Camila did tell me she had feelings for me, a couple of years ago. It was really weird, we were never that close and she had only just moved out here, so it felt like it came out of nowhere. I told her that sorry, but I don’t see her that way, and she backed off after that. We’ve just stayed casual friends since then, if that - before the dinner party I hadn’t seen her in, like, half a year. But I agree, she… uh… wasn’t exactly being subtle the other night.”

I nod thoughtfully. I can’t deny that I feel relieved about the fact that he never shared a deep connection with her. But regardless of how he feels, I don’t think I’m out of the woods quite yet. Unrequited feelings can get really messy. And the situation was already pretty messy to start with. I shakily get to my feet and start padding my way down the length of his forearm, deep in thought.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have introduced me as your girlfriend right off the bat,” I finally say.

Aiden’s gaze drops to the ground. “Yeah, I think you’re right. I was trying to… humanize you, I guess. To really emphasize the fact that you’re just like the rest of us. But that was probably the wrong move in the moment.” He lets out a frustrated groan. “It doesn’t make any sense, I seriously have no idea why she’s at all interested. I’ve known her for forever, we’ve always gotten along fine, but I’ve only ever seen her as a family friend. She was just ‘Diego’s cousin’ to me. We have nothing in common.”

I look up at him with a helpless shrug. “You’re really good looking. And you’re literally the kindest man I’ve ever met. It could be that she looked up to you as a kid and then those feelings eventually matured.” I pivot and start walking in the other direction on his arm. “Though maybe I’m not the right person to ask. I don’t understand how anyone could not fall for you.”

The universe finds it very funny for me to lose my balance right as I say that. I throw my arms out in an effort to regain myself, and I would have jumped right off his arm, but his reflexes are quick and his hand darts just behind my body to catch me. The instant I realize that, I let myself fall into his cupped palm. Aiden takes the opportunity to lift me right up to his face.

"Don’t worry,” he murmurs, snuggling into me, “There’s zero interest there on my part.”

From this proximity I can let my voice be soft. "Thanks. I think I needed to hear that…” I lean into the space where his nose meets his cheek, closing my eyes. My voice hitches and I press myself further against him as I add, “Sorry, I don’t mean to get jealous. That’s not a very attractive quality.”

"No, you’re fine! It’s okay to feel insecure, I appreciate you telling me. Whenever you need it, I’m always happy to reassure you that I only have eyes for you.”

We hear voices just then, my partner growing quiet and still as he keeps me out of view, and so we hold the embrace for several long moments. Having to hide all the time is usually annoying and nerve-wracking, but sometimes the forced extended proximity can be really nice. Once the two passerby have come and gone, I straighten back up and Aiden gives us some space, holding me out in front of him.

“Since we’re on the subject of Camila…” he says slowly, “Maybe now’s as good a time as any to bring this up…”

He tells me about the fact that he’s planning to meet up with Camila and Diego in two days, and that there’s an open invitation for me to join. To my own surprise, I’m not immediately freaked out by this and hear him out without protest. He doesn’t pressure me in any way, and after we discuss it for a little bit and go through the pros and cons, I finally come to a conclusion.

“I think Diego’s right,” I say, “I should probably meet with her at some point, if she’s okay talking to me this time… I’d like to give it another chance.” I set my jaw, summoning my own determination. “I’ve spent so much of my life running away from things. I want to try and face this head on. Who knows, now that she knows what to expect, maybe we’ll hit it off… I’d at least like to be on her good side if I’m able.”

Neither one of us is completely convinced that this is right. Especially if Camila sees me as the one who took her crush off the dating market. But Aiden nods in agreement, smiling at how resolute I am. “Alright. You’ve got my full support, and I know Diego will have your back too. I’ll let them know that we’re in.”

And with that he finally picks up the peanut butter ball from its tiny box, and he extends it towards me so that I can take a crumb of it off for myself. Then he pops it into his mouth and sighs with pleasure.

“Hey…” he says as I nibble at my own portion, “Can we do an Evie’s-favorite-things day soon?”

I grin, overflowing with affection, and chirp, “Deal!”

[foreverlurk]

@littlest-lily I haven’t caught up with that chapter of your story yet, but you should know that simply mentionning “poutine” is enough to summon a Québécois… Annnnnd of course now I want one!

[Olo]

@littlest-lily Well, that’s a relief. Not only did I share Evie’s suspicion about Aiden’s past with Camila, I was even worried that he might have confided his size kink to her. Of course, Camila can always do online research on her own…

Evie’s event-planning and Aiden’s embrace of it simply sustain me.

[Olo]

@foreverlurk A friend of mine tried to order some in Montréal, but with his high school French of course it came out “putain.”