Out of their Element

[littlest-lily]

@Olo 100%. Sometimes it feels weirdly selfish to say this, but my creative outlets are for me - I just wouldn’t feel motivated to do them otherwise. At least for now… we’ll see if I ever run out of ideas or want a change of pace I suppose!

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 70
Aiden

The sound of the small crackling fire is soothing. So is the gentle heat of it, the sight of the dancing flames, the smell of charred wood. Our bellies are full of flame-cooked sausages, foil packet vegetables and cast iron hand pies. Moira has her guitar out, and while initially this was for the purpose of everyone singing a few ditties around the fire, at this point all three of the Ignacios have left to check out the hot tub, so she’s just idly strumming some gentle chords in the quiet night air.

Evie’s cuddling up in my palm as I softly massage her back. She’s been a little extra clingy this evening - not that I mind. She’s attempting to offer me a light massage in return, pressing her toes into the skin at the base of my fingers. As time progresses, though, her movements are slowing down.

It’s hard to make out some of the details in the darkness, so I lift her closer to my face to try to suss out the state she’s in. In reaction to the change in elevation she slowly flips onto her back, blinking up at me curiously with heavy-lidded eyes.

“You’re looking pretty sleepy,” I remark with a smile, “Want to head to bed?”

“Noooo, not yet,” she whines, “You’re just too comfy, give me a sec… What time is it?” She pushes herself to a sitting position in my palm, stretching her arms out.

Moira had set her guitar down once she noticed we were talking, and she checks her phone now. “It’s just before nine.”

“See? Plenty of night left!” Evie beams up in my direction and wonders, “Think it’d be dangerous for me to check out the hot tub?”

I ponder this before answering, “Ask Diego what he thinks about the temperature, but I don’t think it should be a problem? As long as we don’t lose you in the water, obviously.”

“Ooo I have an idea,” says Moira before crawling over to some of the supplies that haven’t been cleaned up yet. She returns with a white styrofoam bowl, holding it up for Evie to see. “This should float, even if we put some of the water and you in it. Want to try?”

“Yeah!” The tiny woman in my hand doesn’t seem so tired anymore. I playfully dump her into her new tub, and she giggles as she slides against the styrofoam and the static makes some of her hair stick up.

“Are you not coming?” Moira asks me, though she’s mostly keeping her attention on the bowl and friend that she’s now holding.

“I will, I just need to put out the fire. I’ll catch up with you guys.”

It takes me a couple of minutes to get things wrapped up - once I’ve doused the flames, I prod at the remains with a fire poker to make sure there aren’t any smoldering coals left. I rather enjoy the glowing red of the parts that survived, so I linger as those last little bits die out. That’s when I hear the rustling of leaves. I look up to see a figure coming my way, hard to make out as they’re backlit from the light of the cabin. But a few seconds later I recognize Camila.

“Why’re you all alone in the dark?” she calls out to me, unnecessarily loud. I briefly frown at her demeanor when I notice she’s got a slight stumble and what might be a beer can in her hand. We’ve all had a bit to drink, but I’m thinking she’s had a bit extra.

“Making sure we don’t burn the forest down,” I call back with an amused smile. She looks so out of place in her fluffy bathrobe.

She plops down right next to me on the log to watch the glowing coals. I try not to laugh at how intently she’s staring at them. But I’ve taken long enough on this task, and I’d honestly rather be with the others. I reach down for a nearby water bottle so that I can finish the job and we can all regroup.

I startle at a sudden tugging at the hem of my shirt. I turn back to look at Camila and then go rigid as she abruptly leans towards me to rest her head on my shoulder. She shifts closer, so that the side of her body presses against mine. At first I naively think that maybe she’s just feeling dizzy or something from the drinking. But then she wraps her arms around mine with obvious intention.

"What are you doing?” I ask stiffly, too taken aback to move away.

"I can’t stop thinking about you,” she mutters, pulling me in tighter.

Fuck. There’s a sinking feeling in my stomach and the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. My mouth feels dry as I try to think of what to say. "Listen… I’m sorry but–”

"Are you truly happy with her?” she interjects.

This creates a spark of irritation amidst the alarm. I’m able to answer with a much more steady voice. "Yes.”

She squeezes my arm, fingers digging in hard, and mumbles, "I don’t get it.”

I take her hands to pull them off me, gently but firmly. She doesn’t resist and I’m able to get away from the heat of her body and slide a couple of inches to the side. Once I’m sure that she’s sober enough to hold herself upright, I pull back further and turn to face her. In the dim light that’s coming from the cabin, I look at her intensely and say, "You don’t have to get it. But I’m going to ask you to respect it.”

I walk away. Maybe that’s wrong of me to leave her alone like that. But I can’t think straight. It’s uncomfortably tingly at the spots where she touched me, almost painfully so where she dug into my arm. I feel nauseous. I knew there was a chance Camila might still have feelings for me, and she made that more and more apparent this whole trip, but I didn’t expect this, I didn’t expect her to try and make some kind of move, especially so suddenly like that…

I burst back into the cabin and have to catch my breath. It feels like the room’s spinning, the light inside feels too bright. Ugh, how the hell am I going to handle this? Do I just pretend that didn’t happen? Should I go back out there and make sure she’s alright? I just want to find Evie, I just want to see her–

“Aiden?”

I jump at the sound of Diego’s voice. He’s just stepped inside on the other side of the living room, through the door that leads onto the back patio. His shirt is damp in places and his hair’s still dripping, clearly from having just come out of the hot tub.

“You alright, man?” he asks, frowning.

I snap back into my composure, hoping I sound convincing when I say, “I’m fine. Did Evie and Moira…?”

I trail off and he nods, his brow still furrowed. “Yeah, they’re still out there. Moira didn’t want to go in the hot tub, but I think Evie still does. You should go see her. What did Camila do?”

He figures it out so quickly that I can’t suppress a twitch. He’s walking towards me now, confusion getting replaced by concern. I just stand there in silence, still trying to wrap my mind around the past few minutes.

“Come on, bro. I’m not an idiot,” Diego insists, “She’s been making everyone uncomfortable as fuck since we got here."

I look down at my feet for a few seconds as I try to breathe and think. I’m not sure what the right thing is, but all I know is I can’t bring myself to go back out there. Not right now. Maybe it’s alright to lean on my friend a little bit.

“Yeah, can you go check on her?” I finally say. “She seemed pretty tipsy.”

Diego claps both hands on my shoulders, bending down to look me in the eye. “I’ll talk to her. You go spend time with your girl, okay?”

Yeah. That sounds pretty good right now. “Okay.”

He straightens back up and grins widely before he walks past me and says, “We’ll be up in the loft after this so you’ll have looots of privacy.”

“Wh–” before I have time to say anything, he’s out the front door, making his way towards the campfire remains. I shake my head at him trying to be a wingman at a time like this. But he did succeed in making me feel just a little bit better. I’ll figure the rest out… later.

I go out onto the back patio to find the girls standing just outside the hot tub, and Star waves me over. “There you are!” she says, “Look, this works great!”

Once I step closer I can see what she’s talking about. It seems that Evie got the okay from our medical experts, since she’s currently drifting along the edge of the tub in her little styrofoam bowl. She’s dressed in her intricate red and white swimsuit, her hair fanned out over the surface of the water that’s also in the bowl, and she’s looking absolutely adorable half submerged in her contained little puddle.

“I can still feel the heat in here, but it’s not too much!” she yells once I’m close enough. “Want to come in?”

“Please,” says Star as she shivers profusely, “It’s really cold once you get out.”

“Yeah yeah, I’ve got her, you two get inside,” I tell them and they both scamper away.

Thankfully we’d thought ahead and I’m already wearing my swim trunks under my clothes. I begin stripping down, pulling my shirt off as I keep a close watch on the tiny boat.

“Look at you, little sailor,” I say with a laugh, “That looks fun.”

“I’m on the hunt for some sea monsters,” Evie responds matter-of-factly. “This lake’s kinda empty though.”

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” I chuckle as I finish yanking off my pants.

The hot water helps my muscles relax, and I lower myself down into it with a relieved groan. I rub at my still-tingling arm, feeling the urge to clean it, and then smile fondly as I notice my girlfriend gently drifting in my direction. I reach a hand out and touch my fingertips to the bottom of the bowl so that I can pull her in a bit closer. We decide to turn on a couple of the jacuzzi jets, on the lowest setting so that they’re not too loud and don’t jostle her around too much. But even this small amount of pressure against my back and my legs helps me unwind my tight nerves. I can almost pretend nothing out of the ordinary just happened. Almost.

I catch Evie shivering a tad, and I scoop a bit of water to carefully add to her existing bath in the bowl. Like a predator in waiting, she playfully latches onto my index finger as soon as it comes close enough and holds it tight. But… it’s a little extra tight. Just how she was being a little extra clingy earlier. A little extra quiet all day. I touch my thumb against the other side of her body, gently stroking its delicate curves.

“Are you doing okay?” I ask quietly.

She frowns. I guess this probably feels like it’s coming from out of nowhere. She leans her cheek against my hand, observing me for a moment. Finally she counters, “Are you doing okay?”

Welp. So much for pretending nothing’s up. I shouldn’t keep this from her anyway. I wasn’t particularly trying to hide it, it’s just that I haven’t sorted it out in my own brain yet. Evie and I have hardly had any time for just the two of us since we embarked on this trip - maybe we’re due for a little heart to heart.

I sigh. “Camila just came on to me.”

“What?” Her eyes widen as she lifts her head up. “Just now?”

“Yeah… I think she’s drunk. She didn’t, like, assault me or anything, she just got really touchy and… made it very clear that she still has feelings after all.”

Her grip tightens. “Any unwanted touch is not okay. I’m sorry, babe.” For a moment she tilts her head down, pressing her forehead against me instead, and laments, “Damn. This sucks.”

“Yeah, it definitely complicates things…” I mutter.

Evie lets go of me now, sinking herself back into the water. She pulls her legs up into her chest and gazes off into space before finally saying, “I have something to tell you about too.”

She recounts what happened this morning. About when all four of the girls had gathered to put on face masks and paint their nails. And about how Camila took an opportunity to misconstrue Evie’s offer of helping out and essentially shoved a foot in her face, knocked her down and laughed about it.

I grow more and more appalled. And I’m also increasingly angry. I’ve never been particularly close with Camila, but I’ve technically known her for a long time. Even though I didn’t consider her a best buddy or anything, I still would have referred to her as a “friend.” I’m learning a whole lot about her today.

I’m practically shaking by the end of the tale. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I growl.

Evie looks a bit spent as she hugs herself, legs still bent in, shoulders drooping. She looks so vulnerable in her curled up position. How can anyone bully someone who’s this harmless, this defenseless?

“The other two had my back,” she says, “Moira’s been awesome - she took me aside after we left the room to make sure I was okay, and she’s been staying close any time Camila’s nearby. I’m alright, but… I don’t think I really want to see her after this trip if I can help it."

“Uh, yeah, I don’t either. I knew she could be self absorbed, but I didn’t think she’d be capable of being so mean. That’s just unacceptable…”

My outrage is boiling more violently than the jacuzzi. Ugh, and here a part of me had been pitying Camila. I may not have ever understood why she was interested in me, but I did feel for her plight - unrequited feelings can be really hard to deal with. I’d been frustrated with some of her behaviors and really put off with how she approached me tonight, but I still couldn’t help feeling guilty about rejecting her.

That pity has evaporated. Now I’m more focused on the fact that she was hitting on me despite knowing that I’m taken. I’m remembering how dismissive she was about my girlfriend, how she said that she “doesn’t get it.” I know she said that while drunk, but… she doesn’t see Evie as a person, does she? What the fuck is wrong with her?

“Aiden, hold on,” my partner pleads, clearly seeing how restless I’m getting. “I don’t want any drama. Let’s just try to ignore her? We’re only halfway through this trip, I’d like to make the most of it. Not to mention that I’d rather not be on her bad side, not when she knows about my situation.” I look down and notice that the styrofoam bowl has started drifting away, its tiny passenger needing to raise her voice now for me to hear her. “It wasn’t that bad, she was just being immature. Hell, if we know she’s into you after all, then she’s probably just jealous, right?”

I sigh deeply, like a deflating balloon. I reach my arms out to bring her back towards me again, and I carefully lift the bowl out of the water to bring her closer to eye level. “Alright,” I relent, “Let’s make the most of our time out here. But… Evie, if she pulls that shit in front of me, I’m not sure I can hold back.”

She nods. “That’s fair. Hopefully it won’t come to that.” Since I’m holding her this close I’m able to notice how dejected she looks. She puts a hand over her face and her voice quivers. “I just… God, I just wish she wasn’t so… hot.”

I freeze, completely caught off guard by this. “What?! Babe, there’s zero competition here.”

Evie’s using both hands now, digging the heels of her palms in against her closed eyes. “I know, I know. I’m sorry.”

This fun little boat is starting to feel more like a barrier. I run my fingers along the rim of the bowl restlessly in the ensuing quiet while neither one of us knows what to say. Finally I break the silence.

“Can I hold you?”

She lifts her head at this, her eyes red from the sting of unfallen tears. She smiles weakly and inches forward towards the edge of the bowl. I cup some water into my hand before gently tilting her into it, and I cradle her little body with utmost care, trying to make sure she’s neither too hot nor too cold. I lower myself further into the water, kneeling in the hot tub, so that it almost reaches the top of my shoulders. Tenderly I kiss my beloved on the top of the head.

“I wish I could properly express to you how much I love you,” I murmur.

Evie’s smile is weak but earnest. “For what it’s worth,” she says, “Despite all the weirdness, I’ve truly enjoyed most of our time here. Last night with the group was so much fun. The hike today was amazing. I didn’t think I could ever want to see such large flames after what happened at the lab, but this evening and the campfire has been so nice. I’ve loved spending so much time outside, and I look forward to that foraging class tomorrow and everything we have left.”

I lightly grasp her tiny shoulder between thumb and forefinger and suggest, “How about next time we go on a camping trip, we make it a couple’s one. Just you and me."

“Yes please. I really want to try camping in a tent with you one day.”

“Deal.”

She tilts her head back, silently letting me know she wants another kiss. I aim for her neck and then she turns to press her lips against mine. The warmth of the hot tub heightens the pleasure, and as the minutes pass, the tender intimacy helps me stay in the moment with her, distracting me from everything else.

The water creates enough lubrication that she slides with ease against my lips as she gets to her feet in my palm, and in the process I feel all of her curves against my mouth. I kiss her with a bit more force, tilting my head to cover her whole torso. Pure affection overtakes me, and I want to completely engulf her in it. I constrict my hands around her, folding my fingers over her body, and break off the kiss so that I can hug her instead. I tuck my clasping hands against the base of my throat, bringing my chin down so that I surround her from all sides.

For a while Evie welcomes the embrace. But then she takes some initiative and maneuvers her way between my fingers, until I feel her hands against my neck. She climbs onto my collar bone, and I slowly lean back to make the job easier, carefully regaining my seat and leaning the back of my head against the edge of the tub. I sigh and let my eyes close, savoring the feeling of my miniature girlfriend crawling around near the top of my chest. The tiny tickles are both relaxing and stimulating.

She reaches my shoulder and shimmies alongside it until she’s able to hoist herself up on the edge of the tub. Reflexively I bring one hand up to drip some water onto her frame, to protect her from the chill. She continues to climb up to my head, and I shiver indulgently as I feel her mouth against the edge of my ear. At this point I’m becoming short of breath and am covered in goosebumps from head to toe. I vaguely remember what Diego had said about giving us privacy.

“Aiden…” Evie murmurs, pausing to give my earlobe a little nibble that makes my heart skip a beat. “I’m not sure I can properly express how much I love you either. But… um… if you’re open to it, I… I’d like to try.”

[Olo]

@littlest-lily RELEASE THE KRAKEN

[Olo]

@littlest-lily Camila is a band-aid that is best ripped off quickly. Thank goodness for Kong.

[littlest-lily]

@Olo Yup, and at least they both know more of how Camila’s feeling. Which means they can completely avoid any and all issues regarding her now right

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 71
Evie

I lean myself against the side of Aiden’s head. The heat of the water and the rush of emotions are making me dizzy. But after the unfortunate moments of the day, after the frustrations and the fear and the questioning of my own self worth, I think we deeply needed this private moment. It felt good to talk things out. We’ve been able to reconnect and focus on just us, at least for now. We don’t need to think about the rest. It can wait. And there was something in particular that I had secretly hoped might happen during this weekend in the woods.

“Are you sure about this, sweet girl?”

My giant’s voice vibrates his skin and rumbles through me. I shudder with pleasure and try to return the unintentional favor by tracing the curves of his ear with a finger.

Softly I respond, “I know I’m ready. I’ve been wanting to venture down there for a long time… And hey, you’ve just taken a bath, you’re nice and clean. I just thought it might be a good opportunity.”

“Yeah… Maybe we’ve waited long enough. I think I’m ready too.”

Just then, a breeze passes through, chilling me instantly, until Aiden’s fingers cover me, pressing me against him with a protective weight. He suggests we go inside, and I heartily agree. I’m bundled up in the corner of his towel as he heads into the warmth of the cabin, and it’s a short journey from the back of the living room to our bedroom. We can hear voices coming from upstairs as it seems that everyone’s playing pool up in the loft. I even make out Camila’s laugh. Good. Maybe she’s so drunk that she didn’t realize what she was doing with Aiden, which wouldn’t be the worst outcome. Whatever.

It’s almost eerily quiet when Aiden shuts the door to our room. I feel like I can hear my own heartbeat - and his, for that matter. We stare at the bed awkwardly.

“Just go lay down,” I finally say, smiling up at him. “We’re gonna psych ourselves out.”

He nods and drapes his towel over the closet door before carefully climbing onto the bed. He holds me against his chest as he gets into position, so that I’m laying at an angle once he’s still again. I gaze down the length of his near-nude body, as I have time and time again. I’ve tried to imagine so many times what he might look like under all his clothing. I won’t have to wonder for much longer.

“If at any point you change your mind, that’s okay,” he mutters restlessly. “You know I enjoy it when we’re focusing on you.”

“Thanks, babe. But I’d really like to focus on you, for once,” I say, getting up to my feet. I pad my way down the center of his body, over his chest, his stomach. I approach his swim trunks with desperate curiosity, my cheeks feeling warmer by the second. I’m not sure what I’ll do, what I’m even capable of at this size, but right now I just want to see it.

I stop at the waistband and look back over my shoulder. My boyfriend really is like a landscape to me, in all its varied elevation. It’s unreal. But I find his body to be absolutely spectacular, despite it not quite being suited for someone of my size.

And I seem to be having more of an effect on him than I have any right to. His jaw and shoulders are tight, his arms are to his side as his fists clench at the bedsheets, and his eyes are fixed on my position. His voice is a little shaky. “Seriously, no pressure on doing anything that you don’t want to–”

“Aiden, I’m fine,” I interrupt, trying not to laugh at how nervous he is. I have to raise my voice considerably now that I’m this far from his face. “Are you not okay with this? We can stop.”

“No, I just… Um… Okay, here goes…”

He brings one hand up to where I’m standing and slips a thumb under the waistband of his swimsuit. He pauses, and I put my hand on his, trying to reassure him with my touch. I give him a gentle but encouraging little push, and it feels like we’re doing the job together when he finally pulls off the fabric barrier.

Perhaps normally there would have been a wave of warm air, maybe a musky scent or something. Since we both just came out of the hot tub, though, he’s just as clean and slightly damp here as everywhere else. The sight sure is something to behold, though.

There’s a sparse patch of dark hair that tapers into a trail leading to my feet. I have to blink a couple of times to fully make sense of the fleshy shape up ahead, as big as inflatable lawn decor. There it is in all its glory, already at half mast. His member looks so alive. Just another beautiful part of his body.

I can’t help giggling, and when I realize that might sound terrible, I quickly try to explain why. “I was starting to wonder if it was deformed or something based on how shy you were being,” I say, shooting Aiden a grin over my shoulder.

He’s looking very relieved to have gotten the reveal over with, and he chuckles too as he carefully finishes sliding off his swim trunks and tosses them aside. “Listen, just imagine if your privates were this magnified to your partner.”

“Sure, I’d probably be really self conscious too,” I acquiesce. “But you’re into this, right?”

“I am,” he sighs and he really seems to take in the sight of me down on his crotch. “Fuck, am I into this.”

I turn back to his manhood, approaching it cautiously. I can’t believe I’m finally here. It’s not that I was incapable of imagining what a man’s penis might look like from my perspective, but… seeing it in person is filling me with an unexpected awe. Even from a short distance away I can tell that it’s emanating warmth, like my own milder version of tonight’s campfire. Damn, despite it being half flaccid it already stands a little taller than me.

“It’s huge, Aiden,” I marvel.

“Heh. It’s average. You’re just tiny.” He bops me on the top of the head to accentuate his point.

I’m practically purring as he lets his finger slide down the length of my back. “I really am small, aren’t I?” I say with a teasing tone.

“So small,” he agrees, voice tight with arousal, “So, so small…”

I watch as his member moves before my very eyes, the shaft stiffening and elongating even more. I take a small step back as I watch him grow.

“Am I getting… even smaller?” I stammer with pretend fear.

I’m successfully poking at all the right buttons. Aiden’s breath hitches and I almost lose my balance from the way it makes his whole body spasm. “Staahhp,” he groans with a bashful smile, “I’m embarrassed enough.”

“Well you shouldn’t be, big guy. You’re magnificent.” I step closer to the warm pillar again, craning my neck back. It’s got to be almost twice my height now as it reaches its full stature. I’m easily eclipsed by its shadow.

Aiden’s hand is still right next to me, and it fidgets restlessly. He clears his throat. “Do you, uh… want to touch it?”

The gentle prompt encourages me to reach my arms out and lay my palms against his skin. It pulsates under my hands, my subtle touches causing not-so-subtle twitches. I stroke the pillar a few times, like petting some kind of large beast, and already I can feel that my gigantic partner is tensed up in an effort not to shake me.

“Ohhh… fuuuck…” he groans, briefly laying his head back against the pillows.

This feels wonderful. And I’m not just talking about the sensation of touching him. I’m talking about the unprecedented levels of pleasure I’m able to give him right now. It’s giving me such a thrill. I just hope it’s enough.

I circle the member as I look up at it, mesmerized. I’m struck by an idea as I make my way around and suddenly duck behind the tower, crouching down into a ball at the base of it. Its thickness dwarfs me, hiding me from the giant’s sight with ease.

“Look, I’m so little that you can’t even see me from here!” I call out, trying to continue emphasizing the difference in scale.

Aiden laughs, and his hand creeps in my direction as he protests, “Nooo, come baaack…”

As his fingers reach for me on one side, I escape them by circling around the other side, giggling playfully. I then try to hug my lover’s manhood, and although I press up against him, my arms aren’t able to fully reach around.

“It’s so warm,” I say, closing my eyes with a sigh.

Aiden’s hand catches up and he begins touching me too, drawing doodles on my back and across my limbs. I shiver with delight. He pauses once he finds the spot on my swimsuit top where I’ve tied off the fabric into a big knot. His too-large fingertips struggle to pinch the end of it, and I surreptitiously give him a hand, tugging at the edge of the knot myself to guide it into his grasp. All it takes is a little yank on his part for the garment to slip right off. He has a much easier time sliding my bottoms down my legs.

I feel that much more free with my clothes off. I writhe my nude body against him, reveling in the way it makes my partner moan. I reach my hands up high as I look skyward, up to the summit of the living tower. I stand on my tiptoes and stretch out my fingers.

“I can’t even reach the tip!” I laugh.

Aiden exhales heavily. “Should I be feeling bad for you? Or am I allowed to think that’s so hot?”

“Heh, of course you’re allowed," I say brightly, “Right now I’m really glad you have that kink of yours. It’s making my job a lot easier.”

I abandon my attempt to take up space and turn around so that I can face him as I press my back into the shaft instead. I love the way his eyes run over my frame, continually taking in the sight of me with a dizzied smile.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispers.

I swoon, smiling widely at him. Lighthearted antics aside, I’m starting to wonder how I’m actually going to accomplish anything here. I can’t just tease him to completion. But it’s a little hard to think in my own increasingly aroused state.

“Could I get a boost?” I ask, glancing back up at the tip.

“Mm-hmm.”

His fingers wrap around and lift me with ease, and for a brief second I’m hovering above his crotch, taking in the sight, shocked by just how exhilarating I’m finding this. Aiden lowers me back down to straddle the pillar from on top - it doesn’t stick straight up but is just angled enough for me to not slide off. It bends slightly under my weight, and since my new perch is curved I have to be careful not to topple over, digging in with my knees and gripping with my arms. The giant’s unintended movements jerk me around so hard that he ends up keeping his hand on me, just in case.

His palm replaces his fingers, flat against the back of my body so that only my head and shoulders are free, and I melt under the pressure of it as I fully lay down on his member. I put my ear against his skin and listen to the rushing of his pulse.

“Can I just hold you like this for a second?” he murmurs.

I’m beyond being able to yell my responses at this point, so I just reach a hand out with a thumbs-up and hope he gets it. He holds on to his manhood, and I’m sandwiched within, the heavy pressure feeling warm and loving. I start kissing whatever I can reach - the shaft underneath me, the base of a finger to my left. Just ahead, looming slightly above my head, is a smooth ridge, the mushroom-like curve of the tip I’d been looking up at minutes ago. I scooch forward so that I can kiss it too, and I’m surprised by the level of reaction this gets.

Aiden groans and moans as I run my tongue up against these increasingly sensitive spots. I get an occasional squeeze from moments where he briefly loses control. I can tell that if he could, he’d love to rub me all up and down him, and I’m grateful that he’s being so careful. Wanting to ramp this up, I silently communicate by pushing my back against his grasp, and he loosens his fist just enough for me to wriggle free.

I get up into a sitting position then, my legs splayed out to either side, as if I was mounting a horse. I rest my hands on the ridge that I had just been fondling with my tongue and I look up, up at the sprawling titan of a man ahead of me. At this point the immediate area is becoming slick with a warm fluid that will work great as lubrication, and I encourage it to spread with my hands. I stare into his distant eyes, hoping I’m not too small for him to look into mine, and I grind against him, smoothly sliding against the shaft.

His reaction is immediate as his grip around my waist tightens. His eyes widen as if with startled realization. I undulate my hips again and he gasps.

“Whoa– Oh, wow–”

Oh wow indeed. I’m stimulating myself too, and seeing the direct effects of my small movements on this mountain of a man is insanely hot. Soon this becomes more like bull riding as the giant’s manhood pulses violently beneath me, rendered all the more challenging since it’s also very slippery. I struggle to find a rhythm, thrashing and gripping and sliding. His breath gets more and more ragged, and I revel in that wincing smile of his as he closes his eyes and basks in ecstasy. It’s hard to stay steady, and this lasts for several minutes until my clenching legs are sore and I’m gasping for breath.

His hand isn’t just holding on to me, it’s holding on to himself, and eventually he starts pumping behind me as I thrust, and I come so close to falling off of him. I can hardly breathe as I’m overtaken by heat and lust, my voice is weak as I gasp his name. I find myself wishing he was being a little rougher with me. I throw myself down onto him again, embracing him, writhing and pleasuring him with everything I have. I feel his finger slide onto my back, the pressure making me sink into him as I lovingly submit.

He finally crosses the threshold, his voice reverberating through me with one final groan, and I’m thrusted upwards as he bucks his hips and pushes his head back. I lift my head to watch as the beast I’m riding shudders and sprays, and I break into a joyous grin at the sense of victory it brings me.

I feel amazing, but I’m also exhausted. As Aiden hurries to sit back up after his release, I waver dizzily on my precarious perch. He scoops me into his hands and whooshes me up to his face.

“Are you good?" he asks breathlessly, looking my naked form over, “Can I help…?”

Oh, right. I’d sort of forgotten about my own orgasm in the midst of everything else. I feel as worn out as if I’d had a release, but it got a bit lost in the excitement. That doesn’t mean this experience hasn’t been intensely pleasurable and gratifying, though. Besides, I really didn’t want to focus on me this time.

I easily wave him off with a “Nah, I’m great. All done." Then I collapse backward into his palm.

Aiden kisses me tenderly, thankfully on the stomach as I’m still lacking in air. “Such a little trooper," he whispers, his words tickling my abdomen. “Thank you, honey… That was fantastic. Like holy crap, how did you even do that?”

I giggle and pat his upper lip as I sigh, “Eh, you did most of the work."

He lowers me down to give me a look. “That is a false statement and you know it. Now flip over, you’re getting a back rub.”

I acquiesce, not needing to be convinced, rolling onto my front and laying my cheek on crossed arms. I close my eyes and just enjoy the little massage that follows, my lover’s fingers carefully kneading at my body. After a couple of minutes, I decide to say what’s on my mind before I become too relaxed to talk.

“I appreciate you finally letting me go down there,” I say. “I know it might have been a vulnerable thing for you. But I loved it. A lot.”

“Right back atcha. You have no idea how much this meant to me, Eve. And don’t thank me yet. You’re gonna regret it, now that I’ll be tempted to stuff you down my pants at a moment’s notice.”

“Challenge accepted,” I giggle.

Honestly, as long as we’re safe about it, the idea of hiding in his underwear while he’s wearing it doesn’t sound all that bad. It gets me thinking about the future. And I have a sobering realization. I’ve finally reached the end of the line… so to speak. As long as I’m three inches tall, this is as far as I can go with Aiden in terms of having sex. Sure, we can explore things a little more, we can try out different positions and techniques. But I can’t go any further.

I eventually pipe up again with a rather sad tone. “I hope this is… enough. I know it’s not my fault or anything, but… I’m sorry I can’t take you inside me.”

Aiden pauses at this, and although I’m not looking at his face, I can sense the weight of that pause. I can tell he’s not taking what I said lightly. He turns his wrist to readjust me and lowers his head to the side so that he can look me in the eye. I try not to cry from the emotion swelling up in my chest. The connection we share in this extended gaze is so much deeper than any sort of closeness that I’ve felt with another man, physical or otherwise.

When my partner speaks he opts to keep it light, giving me an encouraging smile. “Conventional sex is overrated.”

There’s loud, muffled group laughter coming from the loft upstairs, echoing in the vast space of the living room. But we completely ignore it. We don’t give the rest of the world a second thought, unwilling to let go of this very moment. This moment’s ours.

[Olo]

@littlest-lily Gonna wait until after work to read this one.

[littlest-lily]

@Olo I hope it doesn’t disappoint

[Olo]

@littlest-lily Well, that was certainly worth the buildup! Too bad Camila wasn’t watching; it might have helped her “get it.” jk

the fleshy shape up ahead, as big as inflatable lawn decor.

I won’t be unable to unsee that whenever I look at a neighbor’s holiday display.

Peek-a-boner was terrifically cute. Just excellent emotional and physical immersion. Hope she gets to see it out when she’s on the floor and he’s standing over her.

“I’m sorry I can’t take you inside me.” “Conventional sex is overrated.”

This was a tough exchange. I hope Aiden finds the poise at some point to acknowledge that Evie, too, is missing out the pleasures of penetration.

One final note. A former co-worker once confided to me that an old boyfriend of hers had, more than once, exclaimed “What a trooper!” at the moment of climax. I thought it was the perfect thing to say to one’s tiny lover after they had just survived copulation, so put it in my next (F/m) size story.

[littlest-lily]

@Olo HAHAHA I love the term “peek-a-boner”

This was a tough exchange. I hope Aiden finds the poise at some point to acknowledge that Evie, too, is missing out the pleasures of penetration.

If I may peek back the curtain a little bit… I actually agonized over that last little exchange up until the minute of posting it. Because Evie’s entirely worried about Aiden at the moment, but that “weighty pause” on his end was processing that exact thing you mentioned, at least to some degree (after all, he’s the one that has the kink, not her, so he’s not so bothered by the lack of penetrative sex). It felt like a natural thing for her to worry about after such a major “first”, but then I kept wondering if this was the point where they should have more of a serious conversation about it. But it wasn’t quite working and felt like too much, so both Aiden and I figured we’d put a pin in that lol. I figured I’d let them just have their moment now, and I found a spot in part 4 that I think will work better (hopefully! I have it mostly planned out but haven’t written it yet soooo)

Hahaha, it’s so much work for the tiny in these sex scenes, they are a trooper!! I actually don’t think this is the first time I’ve used that term either lol, I feel like I had Leo say it at one point too

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 72
Aiden

I move slowly and rhythmically as I pull on the oars to push the rowboat through the water. I noticed a few minutes ago that Evie has drifted off to sleep in my pocket, so I hope my movements are akin to gently rocking her. I keep glancing down to check and then feeling smug about how she’s still snoozing away against my chest.

It was a pretty rough night last night. Not the part right before we went to bed and things got intimate… That part was stellar. But it got really windy once we had turned in for the night, and the foliage just outside our window was rattling pretty heavily against the glass. I woke up several times, so I can’t imagine what it was like for Evie. I’m glad she’s getting a nap in now - I’ll probably take one myself once we go back to the cabin. We’ve been taking it pretty easy today as a result.

I smile at a brief memory from this morning. We were admittedly a bit nervous to rejoin the group after what happened last night. But in the end it was fine since we were the first ones in the kitchen and never ended up seeing Camila, who was apparently sleeping off her hangover. I left Evie on a counter on one side of the room and was rummaging through some cabinets on the other side when a yawning Star wandered over, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

“What’s Evie doing with that banana?” she whispered to me, nodding towards the kitchen counter with an arched brow.

I glanced over my shoulder. “Picking off the stringy bits for me,” I chuckled, “She likes to do her part once I’ve peeled it.”

Star suppressed a laugh, and then she smiled widely as she let out a soft sigh. “You two are perfect for each other.”

I freeze into stillness as Evie stirs from within my pocket, the boat drifting slightly off course. I bite my lip and stare at her as I wait it out, but it seems she’s just turned over without actually waking up. I carefully resume rowing to turn the vessel back around towards shore, and I fall back into thoughts about the day.

“Do you have a favorite kind of rock?”

Evie and I spent a good hour this morning laying in a hammock in the woods. She sat cross-legged on my stomach, enjoying the gentle breeze that was playing with her hair. I’d pulled up some music on my phone to help me stay alert as we phased in and out of conversation.

“Hmmm. Maybe opal?” I responded, propping the back of my head up with an arm as I gazed down at her. “No, wait. Geodes. You never know what they’ll look like on the inside until you crack them open. So it’s like a Christmas present every time.”

She tilted her head. “Isn’t that a cop-out? There can be all kinds of different crystals inside a geode, right?”

I smiled, touched by the fact that she’s paid enough attention to my interests to know that. “Yup, I’m cheating. Why do you ask though?”

“I’ve been mulling over the idea of designing my own board game, just for fun. I’m trying to decide on a theme. If I make it about rocks, then I get to bug you with more questions.”

“No problems here!” I suddenly wrapped my arms around myself, pinning her against my abdomen in a hug. She yelped and laughed as she wriggled in weak protest, but I held her fast and told her sincerely, “That’s so cool, Eve. I can’t wait to play your game.”

I slow my rowing again as I get closer to the dock. There’s a family of ducks on a trajectory to intersect my path, so I sit back and watch them pass. I briefly consider waking Evie up so that she can see the little ducklings. But I want to let her rest, I’m sure we’ll get another opportunity down the line. Besides, we’ve already witnessed plenty of birds today.

“I see a chicken!” she exclaimed, leaning over my ear excitedly. I could just make out the blurry shape of her pointing hand in the edge of my vision. Despite being tired, we had still decided to check out that mushroom foraging class that the campground was offering. Both of us had been unreasonably amused by the fact that most of the edible mushrooms in the area had names like “Shrimp of the Woods” or “Chicken of the Woods.”

“Nice, good eye,” I whispered back as I located the fungi she had spotted. I reached for it with gloved hands and added, “Want me to put you down?”

“No, I’ll stay here,” she said, pulling back a little deeper under my hat. “That other group’s too close, it’s making me nervous.”

I went ahead and extracted the mushroom before muttering, “I’ll go a bit further from them so you can come out if you want. Although you’re still plenty helpful up there, you’re good at spotting these.”

“Wait!” I was about to get to my feet when my girlfriend pipes up with a reminder from our instructor. “Don’t forget what she said. Tap the cap!”

I pull up to the shore, and it’s a painstakingly slow process to get out of the boat without startling my small passenger awake. But even though Evie was only conscious for half of this little excursion on the pond, I’ve certainly enjoyed it nevertheless. I sit down on the dock as I struggle to figure out which of the included ropes I should be using to tie the boat to its mooring post, when I hear distant rustling.

I glance over, expecting to see a squirrel or rabbit. But with a cold dread I realize it’s Camila, a couple dozen feet away but heading straight towards me. I haven’t seen her at all today, not since that moment by the campfire last night. I know she was going to take a car trip with the others to visit some waterfalls, but I guess they haven’t left yet.

Well, no point in pretending I didn’t notice her, so I give her a wave as she approaches. She shyly waves back, and I finish tying off the boat by the time she reaches me. She lowers herself into a seat beside me on the dock. On the outside I’m calm and collected. But internally I’m already nervous as hell.

“Where’s Evie?” she asks, looking down at her own feet dangling just above the water.

“She’s taking a nap,” I say shortly. Actually, at this point I’m sure that’s not true, now that we’ve started talking. But I doubt Evie would want me to bring attention to her right now, so I don’t give any more details.

“Listen…” Camila sighs. “I’m sorry I was acting weird last night. I had a bit too much to drink.”

I nod indifferently. “It’s fine. I figured.”

She’s fidgeting with her hands quietly for a few moments as we sit there awkwardly. Finally she presses on. “I still wanted to talk to you, though. Um, take any of my feelings out of it for a second… Seeing how the two of you are as a couple, I’m just… I’m worried about you.”

I frown as I finally turn to look at her. “About me?”

She moves a little closer, her hand sliding towards my leg. “Yeah… I just want to make sure you’re happy.”

I move further back to keep her from touching me, taking her in. There’s a pouting look in her dark eyes, a nervous tension in her jaw. But it sets me on edge. I don’t buy the “worried” tone one bit. This entire interaction feels completely false.

I find myself glaring at her. Hackles raised. I try to stay aloof but my voice comes out in a growl. “What part of ‘please respect it’ don’t you get?”

Camila’s eyes widen in surprise. “I’m just saying that–”

“I appreciate the concern,” I interject, “But it’s not necessary.”

I see a moment of heartbreak on her face, unexpectedly genuine. Her eyes glaze over with a thin sheen of tears that don’t fall. But a split second later, her gaze hardens. Cracks begin forming in her unassuming facade as her temper flares.

“Aiden… come on. This is weird. We’re all just pretending that everything’s normal. But it’s fucking weird.”

I tense up at her shift in demeanor. I can see the storm coming. Shit, I’m probably the one who screwed this up by immediately going on the defensive. But that doesn’t matter right now as my thoughts immediately go to Evie, who I know is listening to all this. I want to protect her from the outburst that’s clearly about to hit us.

“Stop,” I say, and I get to my feet. “I don’t want to talk about this right now.”

She’s right behind me, insistent even as I start walking away. “You haven’t been the same. You used to be so fun and laid back, but now you’re stressed out all the time. And no wonder when you’re dating someone like her! You have to feed her and carry her around and do everything for her! How are you supposed to relax when you have to watch where you step all the time, or worry about dropping her? And what can she even do for you?”

She’s quickened her pace and wheels out in front of me, blocking my path off the dock. Desperately I try to speak, to stop this. “Camila–”

“You have to think about the long term!” she plows on, practically yelling over me at this point, “There’s no way she can truly make you happy in the end. This is so stupid, you can’t convince me this isn’t some kind of weird charity case! It’s just like you to take pity on a little freak who–”

I finally snap and raise my voice, “Camila, that’s enough!”

She stiffens, breathless from her tirade. She stares defiantly at me for a moment. And then her eyes begin trailing down just a tad, until they land on the subtle lump against my chest. Her scowl deepens and her nostrils flare as she comes to a realization.

“She’s with you right now, isn’t she?” Camila sneers.

I don’t answer, just hold my glare. I watch her warily as a series of expressions dance across her face. She looks back up at me.

“Figures,” she spats as she turns to leave, “You don’t even get a second to yourself.”

With that she marches away, heading back towards the cabin. I watch her go, still on my guard, though my shoulders are lowering as I sigh dejectedly. My hand automatically hovers up to rest loosely against the outside of my pocket. All of that happened so quickly, and my mind is all over the place. I feel unsteady on my feet as the throbbing anger and stress fills my body.

“You okay?” There’s a shifting against cloth from my little passenger. Her quiet voice is hesitant, as is her touch as she reaches out to put her tiny hand on mine, her eyes wide and worried.

I look down at her, stuttering, “A-am I… Evie, are you okay?” I reach in with finger and thumb to pull her out, quickly yet carefully placing her in my palm. “I’m so sorry you had to hear all that… You know it’s all a load of bullshit, right?”

She sits down and looks a bit disoriented. Probably because she just got woken up. Woken up to a series of insults, no less. Her gaze drifts. “She was… talking out of anger. And she didn’t know I was here.”

“That doesn’t excuse anything,” I murmur with a gentler tone, my concern for her upstaging my residual wrath. “She shouldn’t have said any of it.”

The emotions seem to be catching up to her. Evie lowers her head, one hand over her brow to shade her eyes as she wavers in her seat. My heart aches at the sight. I let her process for a few moments, but then I’m getting nervous at her silence and I gently kiss the top of her head.

“Talk to me, honey,” I breathe. “You know none of it’s true, right? I’m so much happier with you in my life.”

She nods stiffly and then hesitates, fighting against her natural tendencies to close in on herself, before finally managing to speak. “But, um… What about the… the part about you not being the ‘same’ anymore? Do you think that’s true?”

I shake my head and firmly say, “No. Camila doesn’t know me. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”

“But still,” Evie sighs, “What if she has a point? I’m sure you’re more stressed out about my safety than you were with your last girlfriend.”

I have to sit down. Thankfully there’s a stone bench nearby so I take the couple of steps over to lower myself onto it. I rest my arms on my knees, both hands cradling my little one as I think very hard about what to tell her.

“Every relationship has its challenges,” I say. “Like… Imagine if Star needed a wheelchair. Or she started dealing with seizures, or was going blind. Do you think Diego would be better off without her?”

She shakes her head as tears start sliding down her face. I move to try and dry them, touching my thumb against her cheek, and she leans against me, crumpling against my fingers, holding me tight. She presses her face into my skin and mumbles, “You have to deal with all of my emotional baggage too, my panic attacks… You do so much for me.”

I lean forward emphatically. “And you do so much for me. I hope you know that… You’ve done more to make me happy just today than Camila has over all the years I’ve known her. So please… please don’t take any of that stuff to heart. Okay?”

Evie lets go of me, nodding as she shakily but dutifully wipes off her own tears. “Okay. I trust you, I know we’re good. That was just… really painful to hear.”

I smile with weak relief mixed with a heavy dose of sympathy. We sit out there for a while yet, soothing and supporting each other as we calm back down. Eventually I see in the distance that all of our camping companions, Camila included, get into Diego’s car and drive away. At least the coast is clear, for now.

But the uneasiness never leaves the pit in my stomach. I’ve told Evie the absolute truth, yes, but maybe not the entire truth. I don’t want to admit, to her nor to myself, that the stress about her wellbeing does wear on me sometimes. It doesn’t feel worth fully addressing that right at this moment.

Because our relationship is worth it. And I’m not going to let anyone get in the way.

[Olo]

@littlest-lily

that “weighty pause” on his end was processing that exact thing you mentioned . . . But it wasn’t quite working and felt like too much, so both Aiden and I figured we’d put a pin in that

I figured as much. It’s a natural consequence of the one-sided perspective mode you’ve chosen, and Aiden’s instinct (and yours) was correct. It wasn’t the right time.

Aiden’s also grown up a little, in that one of the hardest things to do in a relationship is let someone else do for you (especially when it revolves around a secret kink you’ve been ashamed to share for so long). Concern for Evie’s physical safety aside, he finally gave in to the moment. That was nice to see (as Evie would readily attest).

Speaking of secrets, I’m worried sick that there might be no way to prevent Camila from venting her frustration by blabbing to others about Evie’s condition. If she were a more mature and empathetic person, Aiden might have been able to explain his kink to Camila and thus assure her that there’s no need to worry about him, but she’s proven that her “concern” is wholly insincere and self-serving and that attempting to appeal to her better nature is futile. If only Diego had some kind of leverage over her…

“What’s Evie doing with that banana?”

“It’s not a banana, I’m just happy to see her.”

[littlest-lily]

@Olo It’s funny you mention Aiden giving in to the moment regarding his kink. This was definitely a big step for him but he’s honestly still got some work to do there hehe, I’m excited to write some of those parts!

Yeah Camila’s a bit of a liability ain’t she

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 73
Evie

“Alright, so it’s almost 5pm… If we were to leave now, we could get home before nine. Just saying.”

I’m pacing back and forth on the nightstand, deep in thought. “We should at least wait for Moira to come back, though,” I respond, “There won’t be enough room for her in Diego’s car with all the bags.”

“Okay, then, we’d get home by ten or eleven. Still not that bad."

“But we had such a rough night and you’re exhausted, Aiden. I don’t think that option’s safe. We were already planning to leave tomorrow, maybe we just go a few hours early, first thing in the morning. For tonight, if we don’t want to see her we can just, like… conveniently decide to have dinner up in the loft or something.”

I’m restless and jittery. I’m feeling so self conscious about the fact that we’re considering changing our vacation plans just because Camila’s said a few nasty things about me. Ugh, what a mess of a trip this is turning out to be.

“Well, you do have a point about driving safe,” Aiden sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. He leans back on the bed’s headboard and runs a hand through his hair, pushing his bangs up on top of his head as he stares into space. “How about this… I was meaning to take my own nap now. I’ll try to get some shuteye. And then maybe we can make a decision about a late-night return later.”

I turn to face him, feeling honestly rather thankful about ending this conversation. “Alright, sounds good. Think you’ll actually be able to sleep?”

“I’m pretty beat, so I’ll at least try.” He kicks off his shoes and lays down onto the mattress, not even bothering to get under the covers. He turns his head to smile my way and asks, “You going to be okay over there?”

“Yeah, I’m good, I’ve got my phone. I’ll wake you up if I need you.” I give him a smile and try to lighten the mood by blowing him a kiss. “Sweet dreams, babe.”

He shifts his head onto the pillow with a heavy sigh. And then within a couple of minutes after his eyes close, I notice his breathing becomes slower and deeper as he drifts off to dreamland. Good. I’m sure the lack of sleep wasn’t helping with the stress levels. I’m glad he’s able to get some rest.

There’s just one issue. After about twenty minutes of distracting myself on my phone, I realize that I’m both thirsty and apparently out of water up here on my nightstand setup. I could honestly go for a snack too… I should have thought this through before he started his nap. I briefly wonder if the discomfort is enough for me to “need” Aiden, though. It doesn’t seem worth it.

But my stomach complains loudly, and I look over towards the ladder that leads to the floor. Come to think of it, I bet I could scavenge something up for myself… It doesn’t hurt to try, right? The house is empty, and we haven’t encountered a single bug inside the cabin for the entire stay. I’ll take a quick trip to the kitchen, and if I can’t reach anything then I’ll just come back and either wait it out or maybe consider waking my boyfriend.

It’s an easy journey to the floor, and it’s very quiet as I walk down the cavernous hallway. I can’t quite decide if it feels peaceful or eerie. But I reach the kitchen soon enough and look up and around me as I get a lay of the land. The pantry door is cracked open, and between some cargo-like containers on the ground and the snacks stored on the lowest shelf, I can already tell I’ll have no problem climbing up for something to eat.

Getting a drink might be a challenge, though. At first I consider the sink, but not only would it be impossible for me to get up there, I doubt I’d be able to turn on the faucet. And even then there’s no way I’d be able to reach the stream of water without getting trapped inside the sink itself. But I remember there’s another water dispenser, a smaller standalone one. It’s meant for bringing outdoors, but it’s currently stored on a low side table by the kitchen counter. There’s a handle on the spigot that I think I’d have a better chance of budging. Maybe I could loosen it just enough for some water to slowly drip out. But can I get up there?

I take a closer look at the duffel bag that’s right next to the side table - Star’s, I think. The thick fabric exterior is loose enough that I could probably find handholds to climb up on top of it… That’ll get me most of the way to my goal. There’s another ten feet or so on top of that, but what the heck. Maybe I’ll get a better idea when I’m up there.

I drag over some napkins from the pantry to put on the floor at the base of the bag - if I happen to slip and fall, I’d rather land on a padded surface than the tile. And then I begin my climb, using fabric folds and zipper pulls to hoist myself up. It’s pretty hard work, especially since I’m dehydrated, but there’s something kind of fun about this. I feel like a little explorer, an adventurer, setting out on my own.

Several minutes later I successfully make it to the summit. I wander around the top of the bag for a while, gazing out towards the rest of the kitchen, and then focusing up towards the ledge that’s still a decent distance above my head. I’m going to need some kind of tool if I want to get up on the table. I start to wonder what’s inside the bag that I’m standing on. Feeling a bit guilty about infringing on my friend’s privacy, I head over to one end of the main zipper so that I can pry it open, just a tad. I take a brief peek inside. Okay, good, no sex toys. Looks like some extra toiletries, maybe. Actually…

“Jackpot,” I whisper with a grin as I tug the zipper a little further. “Sorry, Star, I hope you don’t mind.”

I reach down past a rolled-up towel and grab hold of what looks like the top of a ladder rung. With considerable effort I pull, pull, pull… and manage to yank the wide-toothed comb out of the depths. I drag my makeshift ladder to one of the nearby table legs that the duffel bag is leaned up against, and then I push the comb up until it reaches the tabletop’s surface. I use a thread that had been fraying off one of the bag’s straps to tie the comb to the table leg, so that it’s nice and stable. A lot of effort to create a path, but now the climb becomes an absolute breeze.

I stick my arms up in the air once I’ve reached the top, feeling quite proud of myself. I’m starting to feel dizzy from the thirst, though. Almost there. The water dispenser is looming ahead of me, I just need to get up to the spigot. There are small paper cups nearby that I can drag over and climb on, shouldn’t be an issue–

I startle at an unexpected sound. A very distant boom. It takes me a second to piece it together… was that a car door closing? But the others were estimating they’d be gone for at least two hours, and it’s only been one. Are they back early?

The back entrance of the living room is within my sights. The door swings open and in strolls a single figure. Of course it’s Camila. I hear the other three discussing something outside briefly while the door’s open, but then it slams shut behind her as she walks inside… and heads straight towards the kitchen. Fuck me.

She’s on her phone, so she’s distracted, maybe I can just hold still and she’d pass me by. But because she’s texting, that means she’s looking down, and I guess she noticed me out of the corner of her eye. She stops in the middle of the room, a towering beauty with a stone-cold gaze. She stares at me blankly, and I stare back. God, I feel so stupid for having left the nightstand. I’m so tired of having to deal with this girl. And I’m insanely tense from the fact that everything’s out in the open now. I know exactly how she feels about me, and she knows that I know.

Camila lowers her phone and smirks as she finally says, “Uh oh. Someone better call pest control.”

Alright. You know what? That’s it.

My hands clench into fists as something snaps inside me. While I tend to react towards stressful situations with fear, I’m somehow beyond that at this point.

At this point I’m pissed.

“What is your problem?” I call out towards her. I take a few steps towards the edge of the table I’m on, glaring at the giantess. “I’ve only ever been nice to you. Why do you hate me so much?”

She crosses her arms and takes a couple of steps towards me. I’m not much higher than her knee level but she doesn’t crouch or anything, just looks down her nose at me with disdain.

“I guess I’m just tired of being the only one who has any sense around here,” she sneers. I refuse to take any steps back, holding my ground defiantly.

“You think I asked to be this way? Seriously, how do you think I feel, Camila?” She lets out a breath of mirthless laughter as she rolls her eyes, but I plow on. “Look, I know you’re hurting. I know you’ve had feelings for Aiden for a long time. I’m sorry. Rejection is hard. Especially since he’s with someone you see as below you. But that doesn’t give you the right to treat me like shit.”

She sets her jaw, glaring daggers down at me. “You’re a shackle to him. You know that?” she hisses, “Oh sure he might be all… weirdly… infatuated with his new little puppy right now. But he’s going to be miserable in the long run. And he’s probably too nice to break up with you, he’s just going to keep dating you out of pity. Don’t you see that? You’re not good for him.”

“Oh and you are?” I say incredulously. “I’ve never once seen you take an interest in what he likes or do anything nice for him.”

Camila looks like she wasn’t expecting that response and falls into silence, eyes glazing over. Still overcome with anger, I don’t relent.

“You have no idea what our relationship is like. Aiden’s an adult. It’s not up to you, or to me for that matter, to decide what’s best for him.”

I take another step forward, craning my neck to continue looking her in the eye.

“And he chose me. So back. Off.”

To my shock and indignation, Camila breaks into cruel laughter. “I can’t even take you seriously right now. So much talk for such a pathetic little–”

“Fuck you!”

As soon as I shout, she lunges. I tense up at the sight of her suddenly bending down, maintaining a half-amused smile on her face as her head swoops in like a fighter jet, coming so close that I catch the scent of florals from her perfume. She purses her lips and I’m abruptly knocked backward by an intense gust of air. I collapse onto my back, hitting the table hard and wincing at the impact, before quickly propping myself up on my arms as I look up at her in sudden terror.

Camila slowly rises back up, looking perfectly smug. “Didn’t even need to lift a finger,” she hums, and she thunders away from me, continuing through the room to turn a corner and head up the stairs.

I’m shaking with panic. Breathless from the yelling I was doing, and from the mind-numbing fear that grips me now. For a moment there I thought she was going to actually hurt me. I’m reminded of a time from many years ago, from something Brock did once, when I was trying to stand up to him and he suddenly got in my face before he grabbed me by the hair and ripped me to the floor.

I hear the sound of the door opening again and I jump violently, whimpering uncontrollably. But it’s just Moira. She comes in through that same back door, and she has a frown on her face as she hurries into the kitchen, her eyes aimed towards the staircase. She probably would have walked right by if she didn’t purposefully take a quick glance around the room. She notices me and rushes over, taking in my crumpled state with sudden distress.

“Evie? What are you… I thought I heard… Oh my god, did Camila just…?”

I’m still not quite in control of myself. Camila crossed a line just now, I know that. But I feel trapped. I don’t want more fights, I don’t want more attention on this. I’m just too scared. I shouldn’t have antagonized her like that, what was I thinking? Besides, it was my own stupid fault for wandering around the house on my own, I’m sure Aiden would have wished that I had just woken him up instead. I don’t want to upset him, nor anyone else. I just want to get through to the end of the trip, and then maybe I can put all of this behind me. For a moment I fall back into my old habits. I plaster a smile on my face.

“I’m fine,” I say shakily, trying to reassure my worried friend. “She didn’t touch me.”

Moira frowns, confused and unconvinced. She doesn’t insist quite yet, first offering me a finger to help me back to my feet. I take it gratefully as I try to think of what to say. Fuck, what am I doing, I think, Stop it, don’t start again with the lying…

“We, uh… We had an argument,” I finally admit with tense anxiety. “It got a little ugly…”

And I finally push myself to tell her… most of the truth, at least. I detail what happened between Camila and Aiden last night, what happened with the three of us by the pond, what happened here in the kitchen… and I just leave out the part where she blew on me to knock me down.

“I am so done with her,” Moira growls with frustration once I’m finished. “For someone who’s apparently so interested in learning about other cultures, she sure lacks in empathy. I don’t care if she thinks you stole her love interest. How can anyone be mean to you?”

I blink up at her, a little taken aback. “I, um… Thanks, Moira.”

I hear distant laughter from the remaining Ignacio couple, causing me to startle but with less panic now that my friend is here with me.

“Did everything go alright?” I ask, remembering the fact that they should be in the middle of visiting waterfalls. “Why are you guys back so early?”

“Diego’s car battery was having issues halfway through. Thankfully there was someone there who kindly helped him jump the car, but we decided to head straight back. That’s what they’re working on right now, trying to figure out what’s wrong with it.”

Yikes. Here’s hoping it’s fixed before we have to leave tomorrow. Damn, this trip is cursed.

Moira hesitantly adds, “So, Evie… Even before you said anything just now, Star and I were texting in the car. We’ll keep Camila entertained, alright? I’ll be honest, she’s made some passive aggressive comments about you, she and Diego have gotten into a couple of spats about it. But she still seems fine with us overall. We won’t let her get near you.”

I fidget restlessly and lower my gaze. “Thanks. You shouldn’t have to do that. But… Aiden and I will probably just stay up in the loft for the evening, away from everyone. I’m so sorry, Mo. I hate all this drama, and I hate for any of you guys to get sucked up in it.”

She smiles sympathetically. “Listen. Just for the record, we’re all trying to keep the peace and not openly show preferences or whatever since we’re all stuck in one house together. But know that all of us are on your side.”

I take a deep breath. I’m glad I just confided in her, it feels so much better to have Moira be there for me. Gosh, I almost feel bad for Camila. Even her own family is in my corner.

Moira is looking at the water dispenser now, then she glances down at the comb that’s on top of the duffel bag.

“Can I get you some water?” she offers.

I sigh and lower my head. “Yes please.”

[Olo]

@littlest-lily So you know all of us were screaming like a horror movie audience, “Don’t get off the nightstand!”

Of course it’s Camila.

I had to pause several times after reading those words, and my pulse still hasn’t returned to resting.

Am I a bad person for wanting some fanart of Camila sneering at Evie?

I’ll be in my bunk.