Out of their Element

[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.”

[littlest-lily]

@foreverlurk Poutine is sooooo good! It’s so bad for you but so delicious heh

@Olo Oh my god that made my day

[littlest-lily]

@Olo I didn’t want that to be a mystery for too long. I’m generally not a fan of love triangles so I don’t want anyone to wonder if Aiden might get swayed

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 60
Evie

Now that we’re here… why does this feel like such a bad idea?

The four of us opted to meet up at Kleine Blume, the same beer garden that I think of as the place Aiden and I had our first kiss. I’m hidden away in a pocket, though I know we must have arrived at the right table when I hear Diego’s booming greeting quickly approaching.

“Whoa whoa whoa, precious cargo, precious cargo—!” Aiden hisses as he suddenly rears back and I get jostled. From the little that I can see as I look upwards, he seems to be fending off a hug from his larger friend.

“Oh whoops,” Diego mutters, and he pulls the pocket open to grin down at me, “Sorry, Evie.”

I figure there’s no one around from the way he’s openly talking to me, so I get to my feet with a weak smile to say hi. Aiden waits until he’s sitting down to fish me out, and he does it slower than he usually might. Clearly he’s trying to ease me into this, and as I catch a glimpse through a gap in his fingers at the dark haired beauty sitting across from us, I’m glad I have a few extra seconds to steady my nerves.

At least she finally smiles at me this time, a little bit. I was worried this girl was incapable of any kind of warmth, but the second I’m set onto the table, she gives me a gracious nod. I don’t care if it’s a little forced, or that I can see the flicker of discomfort in her eyes as she takes in my impossibly small frame. I’m just glad she’s not looking at me in open horror.

“Thanks for joining,” Camila says, glancing down at me but mostly addressing Aiden.

He hesitates for half a beat, and when I realize he’s giving me the opportunity to speak up, I take it immediately. “Thanks for having us!” I say with the friendliest demeanor I can summon. Her eyes meet mine for just a split second as she nods politely again.

We settle into casual conversation. Well… sort of. Despite having started things out as well as I could have hoped for, the more I sit here, trying to look like I belong amongst these three towering titans, the more awkward I feel. Unlike the time we had dinner at the Ignacios’ house, I don’t dare step too far from my boyfriend’s arms since we’re in public. And even though we’re behind the main building and no one else is around, there are enough people on the other side that there’s a steady stream of noise in the air. My voice isn’t so quiet that I can’t make myself heard in this setting, but… I’m still struggling to do just that.

At first I silently let the giants catch up about the mundane details of their week. Then Diego kindly asks me what I’ve been up to, and I try to join in and talk about my building projects. But I can’t help noticing that every time I open my mouth, Camila seems to disconnect. She’s suddenly busy looking at the menu, or is distracted by a bird at a different table. Sometimes she at least acts like she’s listening, but her smile is clearly plastered on her face as she never quite looks at me. Instead of trying to get to the bottom of it in any capacity, I just start talking less and less, letting the others converse as I gradually close in on myself.

This could be going way worse, I tell myself. I remember how hostile Camila acted towards me a week ago. I don’t want to write her off too quickly now, it’s not unreasonable that she’d still be uncomfortable around a shrunken person… Plus, unlike the last time, she doesn’t seem to be openly trying to flirt with Aiden. I should be thankful that she changed her tune so quickly once she found out he has a girlfriend.

Since we’re the only ones occupying a table back here, no one else approaches us, including servers. Once a good twenty minutes have passed since Aiden and I arrived, Camila finally looks around and lets out a subdued huff of irritation.

“I’m going to go find someone so we can order drinks,” she says, interrupting her cousin in the middle of a story. “Be right back.”

At this point I’m sitting on the back of Aiden’s hand, and I feel him tense up beneath me. “Hold on, I’ll come with you,” he says, and I look up at him in surprise. He meets my gaze to check in with me, wearing a smile but silently communicating acute concern for me through the look in his eyes. There seems to be intent behind him leaving the table, so I try to reassure him with a “go-ahead” nod and slide off his hand.

He then turns to Diego and the two exchange a significant look before Aiden gets to his feet. As he makes his way around the table and I look back towards Camila, I can’t help but notice her enthusiastic beaming at his approach.

The two head off and, even though I’m feeling a little naked out in the open now, I let out a sigh of relief at the break from all the awkward conversation. I stay mindful of my positioning by stepping up to a candle, hiding myself from view if anyone were to head in our direction.

Diego seems to catch on to my intention and slides along the bench to better block me from any prying eyes. Then he startles me when his elbows land on the table’s surface just ahead of where I’m standing, and he crosses his arms. I take a quick step back, craning my neck to look up at his looming form. He didn’t quite slam his arms down, but his bulk still made the table shudder.

“Alright. It’s just you and me, Shrimp,” the giant rumbles with a playful smirk on his face, and then he leans in closer, casting a shadow over me. “So tell me… What are your intentions with Aiden?”

My quickened pulse starts calming down again as I can now clearly tell that he’s messing around. But I still blink in silence for a few seconds, not knowing how to respond.

“He’s my oldest friend, y’know,” Diego adds, “I gotta watch his back, make sure you’re not about to break his heart.”

Jeez. He really doesn’t understand just how huge and intimidating he can be. He’s lucky I’ve gotten used to being small and that I can take it in stride. But I’ll be honest, I can’t help being endeared to this guy. Even if he’s joking around and clearly not actually threatening me, I think this protective gesture in Aiden’s regard is kinda sweet.

I slip on a sly smile as I lean into the joke. “I’m afraid I only have the most devious of intentions… Stealing every left sock. Misplacing his keys. Tying his shoelaces together. I mean, the man only showers me with love and care, it’s up to me to bring the chaos.”

Diego laughs, “Fine, you pass the test. I approve of chaos.” He straightens back up and shoots a quick glance over his shoulder. When he speaks again it’s with a much more subdued tone. “Real talk, though… I’m so glad he’s with someone like you. I really don’t get the vibe that you’re manipulating him, which I can’t say about some of the other women throughout his life. I’m not sure if you can tell, but Aiden’s the kind of guy who people tend to take advantage of.”

For a moment I’m stunned. I almost get emotional, I’m just so incredibly touched by his candid words of support. Diego doesn’t even know me all that well yet, and I’m about the most unconventional girlfriend that he could have been introduced to. He might not always be the most considerate when it comes to my situation, but he’s brought me into the fold so quickly and enthusiastically, and I don’t take this kind of open acceptance from Aiden’s friends for granted.

But I couldn’t even begin to figure out how to properly put my appreciation into words right now, so I just stutter out a simple “thanks, man” and quickly turn my focus to what he said at the end there about people taking advantage of my partner’s good nature.

“That’s interesting,” I say, my tone becoming more serious to match his. “It makes sense when I think about it. I guess just based on how we’ve always had to be, I’ve only ever seen him as this, like… all-powerful person. He’s always been my protector.”

“Heh. Yeah that’s funny because meanwhile, I’ve always felt like I’ve had to protect him. He’s technically a month older than me but I’ve always seen him as a lil’ brother. He was a real soft boy as a kid… And sure, he’s grown up and has tougher skin now or whatever, but sometimes he’s still too damn nice for his own good.”

I look off to the side, towards the empty space that Aiden left behind. My voice wavers with sincerity when I say, “I want to give him the world. I don’t know if I’m able to make him as happy as he deserves. But I really, really want to try.”

“And that’s exactly why I’m glad he has you,” Diego says brightly. He shifts towards me by an inch and then suddenly stops, and a look of intense concentration settles onto his face.

“What’s up?” I ask at the abrupt shift in demeanor.

“I’m thinking.”

“Don’t hurt yourself, Kong.”

“It’s just… I’m a hugger. We’re having a tender moment. I don’t know how to hug you.” He leans further back, as if having given up on this line of thinking and ultimately deciding to give me space. Maybe he has some understanding of how intimidating he might appear to me after all.

I smile and step towards him, reaching an arm out. “Here, give me your hand.”

With an amusing level of unprecedented shyness, the titan follows my lead, setting the side of his hand on the table beside me. I spend a second steadying myself as I take in the size of his palm alone, bigger than a king sized mattress. Then I guide him from there, so that I end up standing just on the inside of his enormous thumb, hugging the digit to my front as I feel a couple of other fingers curl in against my back. This is just as much a trust exercise for me as a lesson in interaction for him.

“Then I hold here, and you just, um… make a very gentle squeeze.”

His fingers draw in, and I hold my breath. But there’s nothing to worry about. He already proved to have great hand control when he had examined my leg, and that hasn’t changed at all. There’s a good amount of warm pressure closing in, but it doesn’t hurt, and I catch myself grinning at the fact that I’m getting a taste of one of his signature bear hugs. Diego is just as excited, practically giggling with childlike glee.

“You’re really fucking cute, you know that?” he laughs as he loosens his grip again.

“Hey, you hitting on my girl?”

Aiden’s hand is suddenly on the side of Diego’s head, giving the giant a playful shove as he rounds the table to regain his seat. I reflexively make my way back to him as he sets down two tall, colorful glasses, while our larger friend feigns fear with an “Uhhhh, you’re back early!”

The relief of my boyfriend’s return is mildly overshadowed by the fact that Camila’s back too. But I can already tell something’s a little different about her as she sits down with her own drink. There’s a more concentrated look on her face, and once everyone’s settled back into a rhythm and we’ve all partaken in some alcohol, she seems to gather her resolve.

“So, Evie…”

I flinch as for the first time Camila addresses me directly. She’s still not quite looking at me, but I make sure to stand at attention anyway. She fiddles with the straw of her drink, swirling it in circles as she continues.

“Aiden’s mentioned you guys used to have a class together. Were you a geology major too?”

I now see why my partner went with her to order the drinks. He must have privately encouraged her to be a little more sociable with me. Hopefully he didn’t annoy her too much in the process… Okay, now it’s up to me to do my part. I can do this.

“Oh, no, that class was kinda peripheral to our majors. Although, I guess I never ended up officially picking a major, but uh… I knew I wanted to do some kind of engineering.” I laugh self consciously, “Not that it matters now! Studying wasn’t really my thing anyway.”

Camila nods and then frowns a little. “So what do you, like… do all day?”

“Uhh… lots of stuff! I do a lot of sewing and crafting, and there’s always things to clean. And I actually started my own business not too long ago where I paint miniatures, stuff that’s typically for tabletop roleplaying games. So that keeps me pretty busy.”

“Oh, okay. So you’re into that nerdy stuff too?” She smirks towards Aiden as she says that and then addresses him directly, “Did you convert her?”

He’s in the middle of bringing a Mai Tai-filled straw down to where I’m standing to offer me a sip, and I gratefully reach for it. But he glances up once addressed. “Nope. In fact, she was the one who started talking to me about card games at first. I never really played TTRPGs, though, just Magic. Well, I guess I have played Pathfinder once…”

I pull back from the straw and wince internally. Stop, I think in his direction, Clearly she’s not into the ‘nerdy stuff,’ stop talking about it…

Diego pipes up just then. “OH, speaking of Magic! Bro, I wanted to show you - I won a booster during a draft the other day and you won’t believe the Foil I got.” He retrieves his card deck from a pocket, and he’s sitting across from us so Aiden leans forward on the table to take a look.

I take the opportunity to focus on Camila and let the men branch off into their own conversation. Truth be told, I would rather talk about Magic cards. But this is my chance to make some kind of significant contact with this girl. I walk a little closer to her across the table.

“So what’s your major, Camila?” I ask with a curious smile.

I’m not sure she’s jazzed about her cousin abandoning her like this, but she responds anyway. “International Business.”

“Ohhh that’s so cool! And it’s perfect, since you’re bilingual,” I say, remembering how she and Diego were speaking Spanish at his house.

“Trilingual, actually. I’ve been studying French since high school, I’ve gotten pretty fluent. Working on Mandarin now.” She’s gone from messing with her straw to examining her nails as she speaks.

I press on with maybe a hint too much enthusiasm. “That’s amazing. I took a German class in high school but I was hopeless. I’m terrible at languages.”

Camila lets out a breath of mirthless laughter through her nose. “I don’t think anyone’s ‘terrible’ at languages. We all managed to learn to talk when we were young. It just takes a lot of time and energy to learn a new one is all.”

I stiffen, forcing myself to continue smiling. Stay steady.

“So what got you interested in it?” I ask, moving a little closer still.

Her eyes have now settled on my boyfriend and stay there as she talks, making my muscles clench. “I’m just really into learning about other cultures,” she explains, “I think it’s interesting to see how different people live. Languages have always been my thing.”

I take another step towards her as I nod with interest, opening my mouth to respond. But Camila seems to suddenly notice how close I’ve gotten as her gaze lands on me and she visibly recoils. As if she’d seen a bug.

“S-sorry!” I yelp, backpedaling by a few steps. I’m breathing a little faster, taking in the full sight of her, from how her jaw is clenched to the way her fingers are fidgeting with her necklace. Her dark eyes are definitely looking at me now, the subtlest of glares towards my feet. I’m deeply uncomfortable but try making an attempt at sounding considerate. “I guess… Am I still freaking you out?”

“No,” she mumbles, “It’s just…”

The tension in the air is palpable. Even though Aiden is still leaning over the table and at least pretending to look at what Diego is showing him, I can tell that he’s on edge and listening in.

Finally Camila says, “Maybe I’m just self conscious. You’re not exactly looking at me from the most flattering angle.”

I blink, genuinely surprised at this confession. “Oh. Please, don’t worry about that at all,” I say, waving it off with a smile, “I’ve gotten so used to looking up at people. I think you’re gorgeous.”

There it is. Finally she’s looking me in the eye. Her gaze softens a little, the tension dissipating, just a tiny bit. She gives me a sheepish half smile. “Thanks.”

Well, all it took was a bit of old fashioned flattery, apparently… Alright, I’ve come this far, I might as well keep shoving this olive branch at her.

“Oh, so, I’m remembering - you guys have all been on vacation together when you were kids, right?” I ask, “Have you ever been camping together?”

Pivoting to this new subject gently brings the two guys back into the conversation again, and this time I’ve firmly set myself as an active participant. I’m not going to lie and say that Camila and I are becoming best friends in this moment. But I do think some progress is being made today. If she and I can just be polite acquaintances, I’ll be happy with that.

Fingers crossed.

[Olo]

@littlest-lily To be fair to Camila, I’m sure a lot of people would have trouble believing their eyes when confronted with a shrunken person, no matter what their friends told them. Part of Camila probably still thinks Evie is some sort of automaton with a small speaker being remotely voiced by one of Aiden’s confederates.

The only solution I could suggest would be to let Camila handle Evie briefly.

[miss-lillipants]

Oof, the tension in this one; I was holding my breath til the end. Sometimes there’s just no point in trying with some people IMO, just way too much effort for something so exhausting (or I’m just getting old and impatient). But maybe there’s some hope here with Camilla.

[littlest-lily]

@Olo I intentionally did not make Camila likeable, but I did attempt to have her not be completely unreasonable if you really think about it. I’m sure many people would be really weirded out be a small person.

Though at this point I don’t think Evie (or Aiden for that matter) would feel comfortable with Camila picking her up.

[littlest-lily]

@miss-lillipants I agree with you! The only reason they’re trying so hard with Camila is because she knows of Evie’s secret existence, and they want to stay on her good side.

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 61
Aiden

I’m standing in the Hispanic section of the grocery aisle, staring down a variety of mole sauces. I reach a hand out to point my forefinger at one of them.

“No no, next row up.”

My hand drifts higher. Why are there so many varieties?

“Two to the left… Yes! That one, perfect. This stuff is so good.”

I smile at the little voice near my ear as I pick the jar off the shelf and put it in the shopping cart. Evie and I have never gone grocery shopping together, but we felt like giving it a shot today. And we’re attempting something different so that we don’t have to try and communicate with each other while she’s in my pocket. Instead, I’m wearing a slouchy black beanie and she’s held snugly against the side of my head, half perched on my left ear. Not only is she completely hidden from sight, just barely peeking her face out, but this should also keep her protected from the absurd amount of AC they pump in here.

“What should we make with this, though?” I mutter, acting as if I’m pondering to myself.

“I was thinking enchiladas! We have that leftover chicken to use up.”

“Mmkay, sounds great. Tortillas are in the bread aisle–”

“Aiden!”

I flinch and my stomach does a flip, though I’m careful not to jerk my head too sharply towards the voice. At first I’m frustrated that the second we try something new like this I just had to run into someone I know, until I process whose voice that is.

“Hey, man!” Star exclaims as she hurries down the aisle towards me. “Fancy seeing you here. Are you uh… alone?” She glances towards my pocket before looking around as if searching for another full-sized person.

I give her a secretive smile and reach up to pretend I’m tugging the edge of my hat. In reality I’m just pointing out my little passenger. I can feel her stick her head out a bit further as she peers over my ear and gives our friend a tiny wave. Star’s eyes widen and she suppresses what would otherwise be a very enthusiastic greeting. She’s having to press a fist against her mouth to keep from squeeing, clearly finding the setup adorable.

“Yeah, just picking up a couple of things,” is what I say out loud. “Are you here alone?”

“No, Diego’s around here somewhere…” she says, glancing over her shoulder. “He really wants to make tamales so he’s probably meticulously picking out peppers right now.”

There’s a family coming down the aisle at this point so we just make small talk for a bit. I ask about some of her colleagues from work, old coworkers of mine from when I worked at the vet clinic’s front desk. She asks about the classes I’m planning to take in the fall and what my schedule will look like. A couple of minutes later we wrap it up.

“Oh hey, when you get home, can you tell Evie…” Star’s clearly directing her eyeline just a tad to my left. “Moira and I were wanting to start getting brunch on a regular basis, just some girl time every other week or so. She’s totally invited if she’d like.”

“Okay, I’ll let her know,” I respond, trying not to laugh as I feel an excited wriggle against my head.

“Eyyy, party in aisle three!”

A few strangers startle at the imposing figure that suddenly swerves around the corner. Diego’s not one to really worry about what people around him think, and he’s really exemplifying that now with the volume of his voice.

“Hey bro! What’s on the menu for you guys?” he asks, drawing his cart up just behind mine.

“Enchiladas.”

“Ohhhh shit that sounds so good right now…”

“But you wanted to do tamales for dinner!” Star protests, “Now I’m craving them.”

“Mmmm, I know what I really want for dinner,” Diego retorts, cocking an eyebrow at her suggestively. He gently takes his wife’s hand to ease her towards him, and then suddenly scoops her up in his arms to dump her into the grocery cart. She’s laughing hard as he whisks her away.

“See ya later, dude!” my shameless friend calls over his shoulder.

“Bye,” I laugh with an eye roll.

“I love them,” Evie giggles.

The rest of the grocery trip is uneventful and we successfully get through it with tonight’s dinner ingredients in tow. I’m glad to take the beanie off once we get back to the car since summer’s in full swing and I can tell I’m about to start sweating. But still, my girlfriend assures me she was comfortable in there, and it’s good to know we have another hiding option in our toolkit.

Later we’re both in the kitchen as Evie helps direct me through the cooking steps. We get about halfway through, and then she seems very eager to help fill the tortillas once I’ve laid them out, so I go ahead and take a shower while I leave her on the counter to work at that.

It’s as I dry myself off in the bathroom that I check my phone and notice I have a few new texts from Diego. I read them with a frown, feeling a little conflicted about the proposition that I’ve just received. He’s given me an invite to something and I’m not sure if it’s a good idea or not… I’ll need to talk to Evie about it.

I’m surprised at how much she’s gotten done when I come back from the kitchen. I’d already laid out the shredded chicken on the open tortillas, but she’s gone through and covered each one with cheese. She’s also cobbled together a platform from an old pasta box that I’d left lying around, so now she’s standing at the edge of the baking pan with a miniature spoon the size of a tennis racket in her hands. She’s been scooping out mole sauce from its jar and turns to me excitedly once I step back into the kitchen.

“I just talked to Moira!” she chirps, nodding towards her phone that’s nearby. “First brunch session is next Saturday - we’ll do it picnic style as long as the weather’s nice. I should be back by two or three.”

I smile at her enthusiasm. “Take your time, spend all day with them if you want.” I then pause as I notice that her eyes are shining. I crouch down by the counter, leaning in closer to get a better look at her face. “Everything okay?” I ask.

“Uh huh.” She props the spoon onto the edge of the jar so that her hands are free to wipe away the gathered tears. “It’s just that it means so much to me that I was invited to something like this… I’m so happy I have a friend group again.”

It’s so strange how used to her I’ve gotten. It’s not like I ever actually forget about Evie’s size, but I do sometimes forget the extreme level to which it impacts her life. Seeing this amount of gratitude over just having a couple of friends is enough to get me choked up for a second. I clear my throat to keep my voice from wavering.

“I’m glad you do too… Um, I think I’ve noticed something, actually. Just from hanging out in a couple of group settings now. Are you an extrovert, Evie?”

She abandons her oversized spoon to come sit on the edge of the pasta box so we can be face to face. “That’s actually a very good question. I think I might be. I’m comfortable being alone, or rather I’m used to it, but when I was younger I would always surround myself with people at school. Over the years I ended up isolating myself a lot more… But I’d still be happiest and most energized when I was working and interacting with my coworkers.”

Damn. It’s taken me way too long to realize how much of a people person she is. We both spend so much time shut away at home that I just kind of assumed that she’s more of an introvert like I am. But that’s not right. She’s just having to suppress her natural tendencies.

“If there’s anything I could do to help you have a fuller social life…” I say tentatively.

“No, it’s okay babe, you’ve done enough. I already so appreciate what I have, I don’t need any more - even if it felt safe to do so. In fact… I don’t know if this makes any sense, but I think the fact that I’m extroverted might be what makes me able to handle having even just a couple of friends who are so much bigger than me. I know I don’t have a lot of them but they’re still… a lot. Know what I mean?”

“I can only imagine. I guess it would be rough trying to hang out with, like, a dozen people."

“Exactly. Secrecy aside, it’d be so overwhelming.”

“Well… this actually kinda segues into something I need to talk to you about… Here, do you mind if I keep working at that?” I motion to the pan with the thin puddle of sauce.

“Go for it, I’ve had my fun. I was getting to the point where I couldn’t reach deep enough in the jar.”

It feels considerate, somehow, to continue the task by reaching in with my own spoon instead of dumping the sauce straight from the jar. This gives me the time to explain the texts that I’ve gotten.

“So… Every year, the Ignacios’ extended family all get together for Thanksgiving. They’re spread out across the country, so it’s become tradition for the family to rent a big cabin in the woods and everyone travels there. Well, for various reasons this year, it’s not happening with the family. Diego just texted me – they decided they still wanted to rent a cabin, but do it more locally and invite a couple of friends instead. Aka us.”

“Ohhhhhh my god! Aiden, that sounds fantastic! We can finally go camping, or glamping or whatever.”

“Hold on, there’s a catch. You and I are invited, and Moira. But Camila was the one who came up with the idea. Meaning she’ll be there too.”

“Oh…” Her energy level drops notably. “Well… that makes sense. She’s an Ignacio too.”

At this point I’m done with the sauce and I shift my attention to Evie standing near my waist, trying to get a read on her. But her face is downcast.

“Thoughts?” I ask as I start to transfer the filled tortillas to the pan. “How are you feeling about that whole… thing?”

She sighs. “I don’t know. I’m still a little uncomfortable around her, I guess. But the second meeting went infinitely better than the first one… How do you feel?”

“Hrrmmm, I still think she was being kinda rude to you last time. But it was definitely better. Also, on the plus side, I’m starting to wonder if I might be wrong about her still being interested in me.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. I was relieved that she seemed to back off. And I mean, it’s still only been two meetings, and it’s not like she’s been downright horrible to me or anything…”

Evie continues to mull it over in silence, and I give her the space to think as I pack the tortillas into the pan and pour the rest of the sauce on top. I’m crouched down and opening up the oven when I hear her pipe up again.

“I think, ultimately… I don’t want to miss out on this opportunity. I’d still like to go.”

I close the oven and pop my head up over the counter to smile at her. “Awesome. We’ll make it really fun, babe. And I’ll have your back.”

“I know you will. We’ll be sticking together even more anyway, right? For safety, since we’ll be spending a lot of time outside.”

I stand back up so that I can set a timer on the microwave. “Right. Plus it’s not like we’ll be in one giant tent or anything, this’ll be a cabin with multiple rooms.” I start putting a couple of things away with one hand while laying the other one on the counter to offer my girlfriend a ride. “If things ever get too awkward we can always excuse ourselves from the group."

She doesn’t miss a beat and has already hopped right onto my palm. Since I’m still tidying, I wasn’t even looking her way when I felt her little feet against my skin, but I’m instinctively closing my hand around her body. I hold her up to my heart as I finish up.

“I can’t wait to finally spend that weekend in the woods with you,” Evie croons before burying her face in my shirt.

Now that the prospects of this trip actually seem like a potential reality, I’m starting to feel really hyped about it. Camping is like a meditation retreat for me, and it’s been almost two years since I last spent a night under the stars. I’m all the more looking forward to spending it with my little love.

I turn around towards the kitchen island, still operating with just one hand, to put a few dishes in the sink, all the while rubbing Evie’s back with my thumb and dreaming aloud about what’s to come. “You’ll get to try out the classics! We’ll sit around a campfire and eat s’mores and go on hikes. And because it’s a cabin instead of a tent, we can bring board games and other stuff too!”

“Do we know exactly where we’re going yet?”

“Nope. I’m sure they’ll appreciate help researching that, actually. Want to join me while the enchiladas bake?”

She agrees emphatically, and I head to the other side of the living room, grabbing my laptop from the couch along the way. I carefully set my tiny companion down on the desk before taking a seat myself. Now that there’s miniature scaffolding in the way, I have to move a couple of office supplies aside to make room for the computer. Evie watches me thoughtfully, waiting until I’ve turned on the laptop before revealing her thoughts.

“So, umm… the desk is getting a little crowded,” she says as she glances around, “It’s not that bad yet, but a lot of the pieces I’ll be ordering in the future are going to be bigger.”

The laptop’s still booting up so I turn my full attention to her by my arm. “Well that’s exciting, your business is growing! Hmmm. Maybe we get a second table? A smaller one alongside the desk?”

“Yeah, that works. I can look into table options and order one. But I did have another idea…”

She’s looking way off to the side, and I notice she’s taken a couple of steps closer to me so that she can gaze over the edge of the desk. I bite my lip as I realize where her mind is going.

“Ladders?” I ask.

“Yeah. I mean, there’s plenty of room on the floor, you know? I’ve already looked up some wooden ladders meant for parakeets that I think might work. I’d set up a safety rope system and we can put a cushion for me to land on at the bottom just in case I fall.”

I can see that she’s thought about it and that this is the option she’d prefer. The image of her miniscule figure scaling a comparative cliff makes me nervous as hell. But she just went through all the precautions she plans to take, I don’t think this is unreasonable. I decide not to make a fuss about it.

I smile and place my hand just behind her on the desk, fingers cupping in an arc around her body. “Then let’s do that,” I say, “I think it’s about time you had better access to the rest of the apartment anyway.”

I think she was expecting for me to put up more of a fight. Her tiny brown eyes are intense with affection as she steps away from my fingers, instead walking towards my face with clear intention. I still get butterflies in my stomach around this girl, and I move automatically, my hand quickly catching back up to assist her forward movement, scooping her towards me. Not needing any more words, we fall into a passionate kiss.

In the back of my mind I’m reflecting on our journey. I feel so comfortable around her. I partly mean physically comfortable - the casual way we’ve been interacting all evening exemplifies that. But we’re at the point now where I feel like we can talk about anything, where we know we won’t judge each other or assume the worst or be anything other than patient and supportive. I feel like I can be myself around her, more than anyone else in my life. And we’ve finally reached a point where I deeply trust that she feels the same.

~~~

There’s still a good chunk of Part 3 left, but I’m going to take a little break! Which is perfect because we’re about to enter a time skip~ See you in about a week or so. Thank you so much for reading. I don’t know if I say it enough, but the comments and messages mean a whole lot to me, I really appreciate you guys.