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Decided to post two in a day since this one was mostly epilogue-y. Hope you enjoyed this bit of smutty self indulgence! Also, in case it needs to be said… consent is important and manipulating someone’s feelings is not okay. The ending to this is intended to be a wee bit dark. This might be yet another set of characters that I might revisit, I feel like there’s a lot that could potentially be explored here. But at least for now, the end!

Chapter 46
Evie

For a second I’m blinded by a patch of sunlight that peeks through the clouds. I close my eyes and sigh contentedly, enjoying the extra bout of warmth on my skin. I love summer.

Oh, right, cards. Focus.

I blink a few times to help regain my vision and readjust my seated position. I’ve never been on something quite like this, a wooden picnic table. I’m used to the wood of the desk back home, smooth and flat and light in color. This material is very different, much more weathered and uneven and natural. It’s actually rather nice to look at, a display of swirling lines and patchworks of colors from where the surface is worn away. The grooves aren’t particularly comfortable to sit on, but leave it to Moira to bring a silk scarf as a soft cushion.

Being mindful of my still-healing leg, I scoot sideways along the fabric to get a better look at the Magic cards. As I move, Aiden pipes up, his hand suddenly swooping in above my head with a pointing finger.

“Watch out for that splinter there,” he says, “See it?”

“Yep, I got it,” I say with a little laugh.

He’s been perhaps a wee bit overbearing lately. I mean, okay… that’s not completely fair. He’s had to look after me so diligently since I hurt myself almost two weeks ago, it’s only natural that his habits now include being constantly vigilant. It’s a good thing. A kind thing. Not to mention the added bonus of him gracing me with his touch even more than usual to help me get around. But something about relinquishing so much control to him is also kinda starting to mess with my head.

Whatever, it’s fine. I care about him, and I trust him. And he had a point in that moment when he told me I need to learn to ask for help. I’m just trying to accept it, since the last thing I want to do is make him upset with me again. I’m already worried about the fact that he might get sick of dealing with me since I’ve been so extra helpless… And to be completely frank, the fact that I depend on him for basic shelter still isn’t lost on me. So I keep my mouth shut and follow his lead.

I flinch at a stranger walking by in the distance. The three of us are at a park on campus, a different one from the more secluded spot that Aiden and I would typically visit, and we’re not the only ones enjoying the lovely weather. We’re off to the side, though, at a lone picnic table, with the closest group of people at least twenty feet away. They all look like they’re in their own world too, either laying in the grass and reading, or sitting in a group on a picnic blanket. Even further is a bunch of guys playing soccer. We figured that since both Aiden and Moira are here, no one would suspect anything from them openly speaking to me, because it would just look like they were talking with each other. Mo’s put her purse next to me anyway, just as a way to block me from most views, and it’s open for me to duck into if need be.

Once the passerby is gone, I point at one of the cards that’s on the wooden stand. Aiden plucks it up and winces when he sees what it is. “Damnit, Evie,” he growls before placing the Fauna Shaman in the play area and tapping my lands for me.

“I’ve been getting really lucky with the draws this game!” I say, half apologetically. “That’s my turn, I’m done.”

“Craaaap,” Moira grumbles, drawing a card and then looking through her hand. “And she’s already got her Sneak Attack out and Mother of Runes? Evie’s dominating us this round…”

“Okay… hear me out, Mo…” Aiden says, looking through his own hand. “If you have anything that can help get rid of Mother of Runes, I have Banefire and can kill the shaman on my turn.”

“Umm, excuse me? You guys forming an alliance over there?” I scoff.

“Well, you’re the biggest threat right now!” the taller giant says, glancing down at me with a smirk. I find his choice of words very, very amusing.

“I haven’t agreed to anything,” Moira responds absently as she stares at the play area, deep in thought.

“If we don’t get rid of that shaman, you know we’re both dead when we get back to her turn,” Aiden insists.

“Alright, alright… Nothing ventured, nothing gained I guess.”

Moira spends her turn clearing off most of the board with Wrath of God - yep, that’s an actual card name. It leaves herself vulnerable, but it leaves me vulnerable too.

It’s Aiden’s turn next. He mechanically draws a card, but then he pauses and his eyes widen at what he’s just obtained. The corners of his mouth twitch, as if he’s not sure if he should be smiling or not. Finally he looks sidelong at our mutual friend.

“Umm… Please don’t hate me, Moira…”

She lets out an exaggerated gasp. “What do you mean? What about Banefire?”

“I… I mean, I could do that, or um… well, there’s only one winner in the end, so…”

He places down a card called Roiling Earthquake. It does indeed knock out my shaman, just as he had promised. But it simultaneously damages Moira considerably, enough to knock her out of the game.

“Traitooor…” I hiss.

“I didn’t know I was about to draw that card!”

Moira gracefully sets her cards down on the table, smoothing her fingers over them as she bows out. “Don’t worry. I don’t hold grudges. Not for very long, at least. Murder him, Evie.”

And I do. I have another amazing draw on my turn - Emrakul the Aeons Torn, thank you very much - and between that and my Sneak Attack I completely destroy my final opponent on my next turn. Moira celebrates my victory right along with me, and Aiden takes the defeat with relief, as I’m sure he would have felt guilty if he’d won after screwing his friend over so blatantly. Laughter fills the space between us. I feel giddy, not just from having won the game, but from the lovely weather and the wonderful company.

“Okay, I don’t know about you two, but I’m starving,” says Moira, ducking down underneath the table to rummage through her picnic bag.

“Yeah, let’s eat,” Aiden agrees, and he begins clearing off the table from our cards. I wish I could help clean up, I’m practically twitching from how restless I feel. I remain seated, though. My leg’s doing a lot better, I’m finally able to crawl and hobble around on my crutches now. But I’ve probably been overdoing it if I’m honest, even though I know it’s best if I just take it easy and let it heal.

We all decided to make a dish for the picnic today - including me. I had tried to think of something that would involve fine detail work and finally landed on steamed dumplings. I had Aiden’s help of course when it came to gathering what I needed and using the steamer, but otherwise I was able to cut and mix the ingredients for the filling and the dipping sauce, all on my own. Despite my leg, I was also able to individually fill each wrapper and fold up the edges into a rather elegant design.

My roommate opted for the much simpler task of making a few different kinds of sandwiches. And as Moira pops back up from under the picnic table with some tupperware of her own, she reveals a variety of salads that she prepped.

“Evie!” she gushes as Aiden opens up the box with the rows of dumplings I made, “That is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!"

I’m guessing she’s referring to the decorations. Before cooking them, I used a little bit of water to adhere black sesame seeds to the top of the dumplings and created a variety of intricate designs on them, from stars to flowers to hearts. I have to admit, I’m pretty proud of how they all turned out, considering my limited artistic ability.

“Thank you!” I chirp, “They were fun to make. Ooo, I’m so glad you made one of the salads a fruit salad, I didn’t think about dessert.”

I jump at the sudden motion of a massive arm shifting much closer to me, stopping right next to where I’m sitting. Before I can wonder why Aiden just did that, I see a blur of movement in the air, though my view is now mostly blocked. There’s approaching footsteps and I finally figure out that what I saw was an truck-sized soccer ball that got kicked near our table and someone’s coming to retrieve it. I duck even lower behind the arm wall, wondering if I should drag myself into Moira’s purse. But Mo smoothly continues the conversation as if nothing had happened, just to avoid any suspicion.

“Well, this is a hell of a feast,” she says eagerly, and I peer just over the dip of Aiden’s wrist to see a looming figure who’s passing by just a few feet away from the picnic table. “Now I want to do this every weekend.”

My roommate responds nonchalantly, “Well, I don’t have to work on the weekends soooo…” He casually, slowly pulls his arm away now, signaling that the coast is clear. It’s a tricky life we lead, but both of my large friends have gotten good at this whole secrecy thing.

I’m finally able to jump back into the conversation with a laugh, “Uh, I’m going to run out of recipes that I’m able to make myself if we do this too often.”

“Actually, I probably will too,” Aiden chuckles, his hands busy as he preps me-sized portions of food.

“Alright, one picnic at a time,” Mo acquiesces. She’s absently braiding her hair to keep it out of the way, and her eyes are bright with interest as she changes the subject. “So. Any big summer projects for either of you?”

As I’m handed a heaping plate, I exchange glances with the giant who I’ve become particularly close with. We still haven’t mentioned anything about just how close we’re getting to Moira, not yet. Quickly I try to scan my brain for any other “projects” for the coming months.

“I’m really close to launching Bitty Forge,” I offer, referring to my mini-painting business. “Just gotta take the product photography and I’ll be ready…”

We slip into this subject for a little while, as I have so much that I’ve been working on - or at least have been longing to work on, since some of it has taken a backseat while I heal. I begin to eat and my spirits are lifted ever higher. Now I can add delicious food on top of the great weather and company. I just wish I was a little more mobile and the afternoon would have been perfect.

Well, almost. About halfway through our meal, I notice Aiden turn his head in a quick glance before going rigid. At the same time, I hear Moira gasp and both of the giants are quickly reaching for me. I cry out in surprise, the sight of two fast-approaching hands scaring the crap out of me. Mo gets there first and she cages her fingers above and around my body. A split second later, there’s a loud thump and Aiden winces.

“Oh shit! You okay, man?”

I have no idea what just happened. But I hear the unknown voice and can tell it’s approaching, so I quickly shuffle out from under Moira’s hand, ducking just past the entrance of the nearby purse. In the dimmer light I try to catch my breath, still a little freaked out, but I think I piece it together. What I heard was that same soccer ball from before hitting Aiden square in the back. From the angle it was flying at, I don’t think it would have landed on me, but he wasn’t going to take that chance so he chose not to dodge out of the way.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he grumbles, turning towards the strangers.

From where I’m sitting I can see the edge of Moira’s figure as she steps away from the table to pick up the ball. “You guys do realize the goal’s that way?” she says, gesturing off to the side. Her naturally friendly tone has a tinge of admonishment to it. Like a sweet school teacher who you’d never want to cross.

The dudes who very well could have accidentally killed me in a different universe are apologetic, and I think they move further away after that since we don’t hear from them for the rest of the outing. Once it’s clear that they’re not coming any closer and Moira leaves my line of sight to go hand the ball off to them, I hurry back out of the purse.

“You okay, really?” I call up to Aiden, having to clumsily crawl as I drag my leg behind me so that I can get closer to him. I put both of my hands on his, my eyes full of concern.

He turns to me and smiles. “All good. I was just wanting to play hero and impress the damsel,” he says in a low voice, reaching up to gently stroke the side of my face. “Did it work?”

I roll my eyes but nod anyway, and I reflexively plant a kiss on the back of his hand, forgetting for a second that our other friend is also nearby… She’s just about to sit back down at the table, and I quickly pull my mouth away. When I glance at her she doesn’t seem to have noticed anything.

“Thanks for covering me,” I tell her, making sure to show appreciation to both of my friends.

“No worries! Sorry for freaking you out… Uhhh what were we talking about?” Moira asks.

“You were just mentioning that new podcast you’re listening to?” I prompt, and we slip back into conversation.

It lasts for all of another five minutes. Aiden suddenly interrupts with a sigh as he looks past the both of us. “There’s a dog coming, no leash…” he mutters, “It’s small though - you’re safe, Eve. Hey, buddy!”

Moira protectively slips her hand over me again, just in case, as Aiden plays interference with the dog. I’m actually glad that I can’t see the beast from my perspective, I’ve yet to encounter an animal up close but the idea of it is pretty terrifying. I can hear the loud canine panting and cower in my little hand cave. I peer out at Mo and she has an exasperated smile when she looks back at me.

“Different park next time?” she whispers my way.

I nod in agreement. “Different park.”

Chapter 47
Aiden

I’m very excited about two things today.

For one, Evie’s walking has gotten so much better. We haven’t been wrapping her leg for a while now, she doesn’t need crutches nearly as often, and in fact I could hardly notice any kind of limp this morning. The cut is still quite visible, as I’m sure it will be for a while yet, but after almost three weeks of healing she’s nearly independent again. At least, as independent as she used to be.

The other thing is that we have a date planned. An actual, proper date. It wasn’t presented that way, but we both know that’s what it is. She’s the one who initiated it, actually.

“You know the Laid Back Camp movie?” she had asked me one day, pointing at something she was reading on her phone, “There’s a special screening in our area! Can we go?”

I perked up at the suggestion, having a soft spot for the show itself and for the fact that it was the first anime we watched together. “I’d love to! Except… do you think you can handle it? Isn’t the screen going to be, like, ginormous for you? Not to mention the sound.”

“I’ll bring something to plug my ears with. I think it’s worth a shot!”

And that was that. Now here I am walking around the movie theater lobby with a tiny girl hiding up near my shoulder, within the folds of the hood of my jacket. Not only is the hoodie nice for the theater, where they pump in way too much AC, but it’s easier to talk to her this way than if she were in my shirt pocket. We figured it’d be a little weird for me to pretend to be on the phone here, so we’ve gone back to the simple whispering tactic.

We got here nice and early, which means we have the time to look at some of the movie posters in a rather empty hallway to kill time. I gaze up at what looks like one solid black rectangle, until I notice that there’s a glossy texture on parts of it so that a pair of wide, demonic eyes appear under the right light, with a release date underneath. Freaky.

“What’s your opinion on horror movies?” Evie asks from near my ear. She’s more or less sitting on the base of the hood, which is resting on the downward slope of the back of my shoulder. I can just feel her elbows softly leaning on the skin near neck… Such a nice little spot to keep her in.

“I guess I’m neutral?" I answer quietly, "I don’t really scare easily when it’s just a movie. I tend to poke fun at it, the rare instance I’m forced to watch one. You?”

“I’m… a total scaredy cat. I can handle gore okay, but anything that’s too spooky and I’m a whimpering mess.”

“We should watch one together then! It’s a good time if you just make fun of it the whole time. You’ll see.”

“Nooooo no no no, I’m too scared. Forget I said anything.”

I won’t actually force her to watch anything she doesn’t want. But the idea of a girl fearfully snuggling into you while watching a horror flick is already kind of cute when she’s normal sized. Much less when she’s tiny and burrowing herself into your hands instead. I briefly imagine Evie trying to hide by scurrying down the front of my shirt, and I have trouble fighting back laughter.

“I’d protect you, little one,” I say soothingly, and she nuzzles against my neck in response. I keep moving down the hallway, to the next poster, feeling like I’m walking on clouds.

I can’t believe we’re doing this. I really am taking her out. Somewhere that’s not walking distance from my apartment, but someplace new. The first outing of many, I hope.

We had to drive to get here, which means I was finally able to acquire the new piece of protection to help keep Evie safe in my pocket. Moira has a friend she knows through work who’s really crafty, and I was able to commission what I’m sure sounded like a very odd request. I’d just met up with Mo yesterday so that she could hand it off to me.

“Here you go, try it out,” she said with an eager smile, giving me what looked like a thick piece of plastic about the size of a playing card. It was a roughly rectangular shape, with a top wider than the bottom, and the entire thing was curved through some kind of heat treatment. On the inside of the curvature there were a couple of layers of soft fabric adhered to the hard plastic.

I’d made sure to wear a shirt with a pocket for the occasion. I slid the plastic inside, and the dimensions were flawless. There was now a protective barrier lining the inside of my pocket, so that if the car’s airbag ever popped out it shouldn’t crush any tiny people inside, while still giving Evie a padded surface to crash into. It would give me a hell of a bruise, but I can deal with that. There’s enough of a gap formed by the curved plastic that she would have plenty of room, and the layer of cloth should help it still be comfortable. I can just store this thing in the car, and any time I want to bring her with me on a drive, I can easily slip it in and out.

And just like that, I felt the world opening back up to us. The possibilities were suddenly endless.

We’re both buzzing with excitement as we head into the darkness of the theater, and I make a beeline for the back row, wanting to get as far away from the screen as physically possible. I pick out a spot and cautiously sit down, glancing around myself. There’s one other couple on the far end of the row, but otherwise we’re pretty isolated. I set down our little bucket of popcorn - yes, I got some despite how overpriced it is. It’s a special occasion.

After a few minutes of waiting for people to trickle in, I silently creep one hand up to the hood of my jacket, and without having to say anything I feel Evie climb into it. I bring her around to the front of me, still keeping her close to avoid anyone seeing, holding her just around my collarbone.

“Well?” I whisper, glancing down in her direction. Her face keeps whipping around, this way and that, not just looking around for nearby people but also still taking in the sheer expanse of the theater screen. I wonder what it must be like for her.

“It’s hard to even look at all of it at once,” she marvels.

“Uh oh. Too much to handle?”

“Nah, since we’re so far away it’s fine. It’s like… watching a projection on a canyon wall, but from a quarter mile away.”

“Whoa. Well, just say the word if you change your mind. In the meantime, let’s make sure your ears are more protected…”

I reach into my jacket pocket to fish out a cotton ball and hand it to her. It was the only thing we could think of to use - it’s as big as a beach ball in her hands, but she’s able to tear off tiny pieces of it and stuff them into her ears. At least, I hope she’s having success, because the lights suddenly dim further, and as my eyes adjust I have trouble making her out.

“Whack me if you need anything, okay?” I murmur.

“What?”

Oh crap. Didn’t think of this. I glance around furtively before I try raising my voice at all, but a second later Evie laughs and says, “Just kidding, you’re still not exactly quiet to m–”

The boom of the speakers splits the air and I hear a tiny squeak of a yell. There’s a panicked shuffling against my palm, and as the theater screen lights up the room from whatever kids’ movie trailer it’s showing, I can see my friend’s small figure nearly tripping over herself trying to climb back onto my shoulder. Instead I quickly lift her higher, up by my ear, so that I can hear her response when I ask, “Should we leave?”

Evie leans heavily against the side of my face, trembling, but I can feel her taking deep, steadying breaths. She has to yell over the obnoxious noise of the trailer. “N-no. I’m getting used to it. It’s just like… a concert. No biggie, I just need a m-minute. The cotton’s much better than nothing.”

I cup her in both hands against me, hold her close, stroke her back with a finger. To be completely honest, this is a small theater and the sound system isn’t that great - for the average person it’s on the quiet side. But again, just like with the size of the screen, I can’t even begin to imagine what the experience must be like for someone so small.

The trailer ends and I hear a softer breath as she seems to unclench. She shifts against me, and it takes me a second to realize it, but she’s giving me a kiss on the cheek. “I’m good,” she says, and the strength definitely seems to have returned to her voice.

I still keep her in my hand for a bit, just to be sure, gradually lowering her to my chest level. Finally as the trailers end and the movie begins, I help her settle onto the armrest. She’s already come around in the past few minutes, having acclimated to the overstimulating environment, and now she’s getting excited again.

I’m distracted from the film as I continue feeling the need to watch over her. When the fireworks begin bursting over the introductory scene, she looks skyward to beam up at me, before pointing eagerly towards the screen, clearly indicating that I should be watching too. I chuckle and look ahead of me, she sits leaning against my wrist, and I’m just so happy to be here right now. My little secret at my side, unbeknownst to everyone else in the room.

We’re about twenty minutes into the movie before I suddenly remember that the popcorn exists. I nudge my thumb against Evie to get her attention before bringing the little tub into view. Well, anytime I think the word “little” I have to temper myself - to her the container is more like a koi fish pond. She straightens up, having also apparently forgotten about the treat until now, and nods excitedly. I put the bucket in my lap and pluck out one of the kernels to hand to her. She gives me a thumbs up and starts nibbling away at it.

I pick at the snack too, but I’m paying attention to the screen again so I’m not sure exactly what happens a few minutes later. Maybe the kernel I’d given her was burnt? Maybe it was mostly un-popped? Regardless, at some point she decided she needed another piece, and instead of getting my attention, she must have tried to reach out from the armrest to get it herself. I feel it more than I hear it, a slight shift of the container in my lap. And I look down to see a pair of tiny legs protruding from the popcorn and flailing wildly.

My breath hitches as I reach down, instinctively wanting to yank her back up by the legs. But in the dark I can’t tell which limb is which and I’m scared to touch the one that’s still healing. A second later, Evie wriggles into a seated position while managing not to sink deeper, her head popping out as if she was sitting in a foam pit. I’m surprised to see that she’s laughing, hard, completely caught in a fit of giggles. I can’t help breaking into quiet laughter myself, relieved that she seems fine.

“Why didn’t you just ask me for more?” I ask through a chuckle, digging a couple of fingers into the popcorn to fish her out.

“I felt dumb for having dropped the one you gave me!” she calls up. “I thought I had it… And now I’m covered in butter.”

My shoulders droop a little as I let out a slow sigh through my nose. She said the same thing the day she got injured. “I thought I had it.” Come on, girl. I know it sucks, but why can’t you just acknowledge your limits? When are you going to feel okay relying on me?

When I met up with Moira yesterday to get the reimagined “pocket protector,” this subject actually came up in conversation.

“How’s she doing?” Mo had asked, her expression turning a little more serious.

“Since you saw her yesterday?” I teased. She’s been at our apartment almost every weekday to be there for Evie while I’m at work.

“Yeah. She seemed kinda down - at least I think. It’s hard to tell sometimes.”

I became more serious too, both saddened and relieved to be reminded that I’m not the only one who sometimes feels unsure about what goes on in our friend’s head. “She’s alright,” I said, “Her leg’s doing a lot better today, after a couple of days of it getting worse, so she seemed in higher spirits this morning. Of course, if she stopped trying to do things by herself maybe it’d finish healing faster…”

Moira raised her eyebrows before prompting, “Sounds like that’s bothering you?”

I looked away, towards the window of the cafe we were at. “A little. I understand that she wants some amount of independence, this is nothing new. But… refusing to ask for help is part of why the injury was so bad in the first place. She was getting better about calling for me when she couldn’t walk at all, I guess she had no choice then. But now it’s like she’s going right back to her old habits.”

I hadn’t realized how much this was weighing on me until it all tumbled out. I sighed and leaned back in my chair.

“In some ways she’s gotten much more open with me since she moved in, and in others she’s just as closed off as ever,” I finally muttered, still staring out the window. “After all this time, I just wish she’d be okay leaning on me more. I’m constantly worrying.”

I felt a pressure on my forearm and turned to see Moira had reached across the table to give it a squeeze. She had a small, sympathetic smile on her face.

“I say this with love,” she gently countered, “Because I know how much you’re always wanting to help people. Aiden, you can’t solve all of her problems for her.”

My jaw clenched as my first thought was, Maybe I could if she’d let me.

But instead all I said was a quiet, “I know.”

I gaze down at Evie as she pulls herself out of the popcorn and onto my hand. Even now she’s acting so apologetic through her laughter. Almost… deferential. As if I was her superior in some way, not just her friend.

I wonder why we have such a hard time finding the right balance. Should I have a more serious talk with her about it? I’m not sure what I’d say that I haven’t already tried to say. I don’t know how much of it is just something I’m building up in my own head, making a mountain out of a molehill. Hell, am I the one fully at fault here? Am I not respecting her enough?

Or could it be that… she still sees me as a threat, on some level? Is she afraid of opening up to me? I’m still not over what happened that night after my final exams - I still have moments where I wake up in a cold sweat, haunted by her screams. Maybe it’s the same with her, maybe it affects her more than she lets on…

My chest feels tight as for a second I look away from her, trying to get a hold of myself, and I glance up at the theater screen instead. The character in the movie is looking towards a mountain in the dark, and the music swells as the sunrise peeks over the mountain and lights up the sky, making the valley come to life. The artwork really is beautiful.

Why am I thinking about all this right now? I need to stop overanalyzing every little thing. We’re on what might be considered a first date, I don’t want anxiety to get in the way. I just want to enjoy this.

“Do you want to go wash off?” I ask Evie, “I can take you to a bathroom sink?”

“I think it’s pointless, it’s all over my outfit too and I don’t want wet clothes. You just gotta deal with me being covered in oil and salt.”

I grin and lift her to my face to kiss her upper back. I can only imagine what the couple on the other end of the row might be thinking if they notice my movements - maybe that I just have a really weird way of eating. But it’s dark, and from the way that I cup my hand around her, I’m confident that I’m keeping her hidden at least.

“Well the bonus is that you taste delicious now,” I mutter, still holding her against my mouth. “Maybe I should keep you right here for the rest of the movie.”

“There we go, that’s how we can wash me off! Like a cat.”

“Mmm, careful with your suggestions. You’re tempting fate,” I murmur, choosing not to actually use my tongue but still continuing to gently kiss her frame. Evie has residual giggles, and from the way she writhes against me I think I’m tickling her when I reach her waist. But she’s not pulling away, if anything she’s leaning into it.

And with that, I’m right back in my happy place, the anxiety dissipating. After all, the things I cherish about this girl far outweigh the parts that bother me. I adore her laugh. The ways she shows affection. The way she fits in the palm of my hand. I appreciate the sweet moments, and the silly ones - the times where we learn from each other or have fun together or relax in tandem. It’s all so worth it.

I’m a patient guy. Whatever reservations she has, I can wait for her to figure them out. All I can do is reach out my hand and open my heart. It’s up to her to decide what she wants to do with that. And I have every hope that we will find a balance.

Chapter 49
Evie

My boyfriend stands at the end of the bed, a crooked smile bringing a gentle warmth to his face. His brilliant blue eyes trail across the length of my body, hungry and eager. He was just in the middle of getting changed, so he’s currently shirtless, every toned and bulging muscle in his upper body on full display. I match his smile from my position sprawled on the bed, marveling at the sight of him. I’ve always thought that if he just let those platinum blonde locks of his grow out a little bit that he’d easily be able to pass off as a movie star.

And yet he’s the one looking at me with quite the lustful stare. “You look like something out of a painting,” he observes with a soft, deep voice. “My very own piece of art.”

These days the average person might think I’m a little bit underweight, actually. Up until not so long ago I’d been on my feet all day for my job, and I also didn’t have much opportunity to eat while working so… I’ve lost some weight in recent years. Of course I happen to be aware that my man prefers me slender, so I’m pretty careful about my diet anyway.

“You’re not so bad yourself, sir,” I say, stretching my arms over my head languidly and further tangling myself in the sheets.

He strolls around the corner of the bed so that he can reach me. He sits on the edge of the mattress and lays a hand over my abdomen, fingers splayed. Then he leans in, his head hovering above mine.

“How about you and I play a little game of dress up, hm? You still haven’t tried on that green dress.”

I laugh quietly at how excited he’s getting. “Can it wait until after dinner?” I ask, “It’s getting late.” I’m trying not to call him out too blatantly on how it was already 7pm when he got home from work.

“Oh… Darling.” His fingers grip me a little tighter, digging into my skin ever so slightly. “Are you really going to let me down like that?”

My blood turns to ice in my veins.

~~*

I had a nightmare last night. A series of them, really. They’re a bit of a blur now, but I can still remember bits and pieces. Our old apartment. The lush, secluded forest. The diner I used to work at.

I wouldn’t dare mention anything about the dreams out loud, but they have been haunting me throughout the entire day. For better or worse, though, I’ve been spending a whole lot of time alone today. Aiden had his TA class in the morning, extended office hours in the afternoon, and right after that he’s going out for a friend’s birthday. Moira was going to at least be here during the day, but then she ended up sick with a stomach bug. I insisted to my roommate that he should still go out and enjoy himself, that even though my leg has actually been hurting a little worse recently, I’ll still be fine on my own. He ultimately agreed but reassured me that he’d be back right after dinner.

Despite making some progress on painting minis and successfully packing up two new orders, I’m struggling. I don’t have much appetite. I startle easily at the slightest noise outside. It feels like an old ghost from my past has settled heavily onto my shoulders, deciding to haunt me relentlessly. It’s probably a good thing I’m by myself, actually.

"Hello, little girl. Are you lost?”

"Heh, come on, stop that. Hey, I’m almost legal now! I’m so excited. Then we won’t have to be so secretive on date nights like this.”

“Mmm, but I kind of like having you as my little secret… Here, let me get that for you. Shall we, darling?”

I chase the memory away, feeling nauseous. I toss my paintbrush onto a towel and go to my phone. Just gotta stay distracted. Keep the lid on. The background on the device is one of the pictures Aiden and I took together. Focus on him. This is who I’m with now. It’s nothing like back then. We genuinely care about each other, this is real.

My gaze slips to the picture of myself, standing there next to his face. That’s really how I look to the rest of the world, isn’t it? So small and pathetic…

Not that he minds.

Tears fall over my cheek out of nowhere. I wipe them away furiously. I haven’t allowed myself to think about this particular fear since I first found out about Aiden’s kink… Stop it, stop it. I’m more than just my size to him. I know that. Why can’t I trust it? I turn away from the phone.

“Wait, please… stop…”

“Oh. I’m sorry. Is that not to your liking, princess?”

“It… it hurts…”

“Hmm, that’s a shame. How about this then?”

“Ow, ow–!”

“What was that? Don’t tell me you’re not enjoying this. Are you really still so sensitive, darling? Do I need to toughen you up?"

“N-no… no. It’s fine. I’m fine.”

“That’s better. There’s a good girl.”

I clutch the sides of my head. “Stop,” I hiss out loud. That’s enough. Just because some old memories came back to me in a dream doesn’t mean I can let them dominate me like this. It’s all from so long ago, it’s so far away. That part of my life is over, and I can’t let old fear poison my current relationship… I go back to my old mantra. Don’t give up. Fight back. Work harder.

I turn on some music, go back to painting. And I continue to desperately shove all of my anxiety as deep underground as I can. I’m fine.

I’m so relieved when Aiden finally returns. I’m feeling pretty exhausted at this point and all I want is for him to hold me. I silently tell him as much, tugging on his forefinger as soon as it comes within my vicinity, and then pushing his hand open so that I can climb into it for him to pick me up. He happily greets me with a warm touch and a soft kiss.

“How was it?” I ask him, “Were things winding down by the time you left?”

“Nope,” he laughs, nuzzling into me with a happy sigh, “They’ll be out drinking for hours yet.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to go with them?”

“I’m sure. I love Diego like a brother, but he can be way too much sometimes. I’d rather be home with you.”

I ask him more about his day and he tells me. With a smile I’m reclining in his hand, my back leaning against the wall of his fingers as I listen and let my mind escape for a little bit. I figuratively walk through his schedule with him, posing the occasional question to lengthen the process.

By the end of it he’s holding me a tad lower, and then he looks me over. “You doing alright?”

Damnit. I wasn’t even saying much of anything, but he can already sense that something’s up. “Just a bit tired,” I say evasively.

“Oh… Did you want to get some sleep then? I don’t want to keep you up.”

Aiden’s lowering me further, back down to the desk, and I’m starting to think he might have a point. As much as I enjoy him, maybe some rest would do me good after the stresses of the day. I slide off his hand with a stumble, flinching at the pain in my leg from stepping on it weird. That certainly doesn’t help things. I just wish this damn injury would be over and done with already. The lingering pain has recently been making us worry that it’s not healing right, or that it might have some hidden infection after all.

I sit onto my bed with a sigh and when I look back up, I freeze at the sight of the giant’s face. He’s looking just past me, eyes unfocused, with an expression that I’m not sure I’ve ever seen before. Not from him, at least. But it’s clear as day. Disappointment. He was looking forward to coming home and spending time with me. And now I’m failing him.

The heavy ghost of my nightmares tightens its grip on me. I feel a pain in my chest and my breath starts coming in more shallow. I can’t… I can’t let this just…

“I said I’m a bit tired,” I suddenly remark, catching his attention again. He perks up and it draws more out of me. I’m not even sure what I’m saying, it’s as if someone else is in the driver’s seat. “I got a lot of business stuff done today, it was more work than I thought it’d be… Maybe I just need some TLC.” I lay back on the bed, looking up at him suggestively.

Aiden smiles, reinvigorated and intrigued. “Well… I think I can help you there. If you like.”

He brings a finger up to gently brush the side of my face and the length of my neck. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. This is… nice, really. After the day I’ve had, maybe this is what I need after all. And it’ll make him happy, which is necessary. Er… I mean… it’s important. Important to me. Because I care about him. Obviously.

Anxiety continues to swirl at the pit of my stomach. My body starts moving of its own accord. I turn on my bed to encircle my arms around the me-sized index finger and kiss the lines of his fingerprint. His other hand joins in to softly massage my back, and I manage to let out a genuine sigh of pleasure. I’m still holding onto his finger and start wrapping my legs around it too.

Aiden chuckles. “Whatcha doing there, little monkey?”

“Just trying to touch you with as much of me as I can,” I say, clinging to him tightly. The pressure against my back strengthens and I sigh contentedly again.

“How can I make you feel good?” the giant murmurs. His tone is relaxed but clearly edging on seductive.

I’m not quite sure how to answer right now. “How can I make you feel good?” I counter, turning my head to look at him with my best attempt at a smirk.

“I asked first,” he laughs, “If I can help give you any kind of pleasure, that makes me feel good.”

Great. As kind as I know he’s being, now I have performance anxiety. Mechanically I take a slow breath, loosening my grip on him so that I can settle onto my back again. There’s a part of me that knows I should stop this. We’ve never gone farther than kissing and I’m pushing too hard, clearly forcing it. But I can’t really hear that part of me right now. Before I realize what I’m doing, I’ve pulled the hem of my shirt up a couple of inches, revealing a thin strip of bare skin. Aiden follows my cue and carefully touches the space, creating a tickling against my stomach.

I close my eyes. Take the finger between both hands. And I start pulling the digit up. Along the length of my abdomen. Slipping under my shirt. Covering up more of my skin.

“Wait, hold on.”

My eyes fly open, and the pain in my chest tightens. I look up to see Aiden’s brow is slightly furrowed. “You’re really tense. Are you okay, am I hurting you?”

“No!” I say quickly, plastering a reassuring smile on. “Not at all, I’m fine. Come on.” I try to pull his finger again but it holds firm.

“Is… something wrong, Eve?” He’s still frowning. Shit.

“No, really, I’m fine! Please. I want you…”

Trapped in a vortex of anxiety, I yank on the giant digit, try to press it against my breasts, anything to get his attention again. Anything to please him. But it has the opposite effect - Aiden pulls his hand away completely. My arms grasp at air for a second, and I shoot up into a seated position on the bed.

He settles his hand right next to the bed and leans in a bit closer to get a better look at me. His brow is still creased, he looks worried. “We don’t have to move so quickly. Clearly you’re uncomfortable, Evie. What’s up? Talk to me.”

Panic is blooming inside me, as much as I’m trying to maintain a calm facade. That quiet, more rational part of my brain is admonishing me. Of course it wouldn’t work with Aiden. He’s nothing like the ghost of my past. What was I expecting? But then the louder, more primal part of me is very insistent.

“I thought this might be part of your… fantasies?” I try, again forcing a smile. “Aren’t you into this?”

His frown deepens, each misguided attempt making things worse and worse. “I’m not into you forcing yourself,” he says plainly.

My hands have started shaking. Every alarm bell is ringing.

“Please… I’ll do anything," I say quietly.

“What do you mean? What’s wrong?"

“It’s not… Nothing’s wrong. I’m sorry, it’s fine. Please just let me–”

I slide off of the bed, reach out for his nearby fingers like it’s my salvation. But before I can reach him he pulls away again, sliding his hand all the way to the edge of the desk. This time when I look up at him, the worried expression also holds an edge of frustration.

"Stop,” he says, “I’m sorry, but… I’m not buying it. Not this time. Can’t you tell me what’s on your mind? Did I do something?”

I kneel there on the table, fidgeting as I sit back on my heels. I don’t know what to do. I’m not even sure how to begin talking about the complicated emotions swirling inside me. And there’s no way I can tell him why I’m feeling this way, he can’t know about all of those memories that I’ve been fighting all day. But right now, I’m ruining things. It feels like I’m on the edge of a precipice. As if everything’s about to fall apart. I’m not thinking straight, consumed by a fear of losing everything. Our relationship, my everyday life, the shelter and care that I so desperately need, it suddenly feels like it’s all in jeopardy.

“I’m sorry,” I gasp, my voice getting weaker by the second, “I’m sorry. Please, I don’t mean to be a problem… I can be better, I just… just… please let me… stay…”

“What? That’s what you’re worrying about right now?” His voice makes me flinch and I struggle to meet his gaze. There’s something in it that’s frightening me. “I don’t understand why this keeps coming up,” he says with growing agitation, “Are you really afraid I’ll kick you out? What, abandon you on the street, is that what you think?”

I shake my head desperately. “No! No, no, no… I… I know you wouldn’t. I know we’ve got this good thing going. Especially since you like me small like this, I didn’t mean–”

“Wait,” Aiden interrupts in a low voice. “What did you just say? Especially since I…"

What do I do, what do I do, what do I do.

With one shaky breath… I try. I try to share the thing that deep down has been such a source of anxiety for me since he first told me about his fantasies over a month ago.

“I guess I… Sometimes I wonder if you like me… or if you like the idea of me…”

“What?!” I cower at the raised volume, still struggling to look him in the eye. He’s hard to read - he looks confused, shocked, a whole slew of things. But right now, all I can interpret is… a look of disgust. A resentment for me accusing him of such a thing. A sense of betrayal for having taken information that he had been scared to tell me and turning it against him.

I furiously backpedal. “I don’t know, I don’t know! Forget I said anything. M-maybe I should just go to bed…”

The giant shakes his head, his tone more and more intent. “No, hold on, that’s important. We should talk about this!”

“It’s okay, that was stupid, I didn’t mean it. It felt dumb the second it left my mouth.” I look to his hand, resting a dozen feet away. I start crawling forward to reach it, employing as soothing a voice as I can, “Please, Aiden… Everything’s fine. Let’s just–"

And that’s when I can tell he’s clearly irritated. He pulls his hand right off the table before I can reach it, leaving emptiness in its wake. “I wish you’d stop that,” he growls, “Just stop… placating me all the time.”

“I’m not… I mean… I…”

It’s too much. I stare across the gap at his chest, so far from where I’m sitting near the edge of the desk. It’s hopeless. I can’t reach him, physically or otherwise. I’m too small… and too weak of a person.

I start to shut down. I kneel there, my facial features smoothing out as I stare into space. I feel numb. Aiden notices my shift in demeanor and moves his chair further back, so that he has the space to lean forward, lowering his face to try to pull in my gaze.

“Why don’t you want to talk?” he asks, “Do I scare you? Is that… Is that why you never want to ask me for help? Is the fact that I’m bigger still intimidating? Especially after some of what’s happened - like when I grabbed you, or the time I hit your head?” He’s gone back to sounding concerned, but there’s a tension underneath.

“No,” I say, my tone more detached now, “Those were accidents. We’ve learned from them. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

“Then why? Why won’t you lean on me more? Why won’t you just… just confide in me? Clearly I must have done something.”

“No, you haven’t.” I let my chin lower, looking past him. “I’m the problem. I’m always just… worrying you’ll eventually see me as a… burden…”

His frustration rushes right back in. “Well, stop! I’ll say it a hundred million times, you speaking out or needing help doesn’t bother me. You know what’s a burden? Never knowing what’s actually going on in your head every time you close up like this!”

My face lowers further and my eyes squeeze shut. No matter what my best efforts were… I’ve caused trouble for him after all. Figures. Being vulnerable with someone used to be the problem. And now not being vulnerable with someone is the problem. There’s no winning.

With a herculean effort, I keep tears from falling and look back up at Aiden, eyes shining. My tone is harsh with the tension in my body as I ask, “What do you want from me?”

He sighs heavily, looking pained. “I just want you to be honest. I want you to stop bottling up your feelings and just tell me when something’s bothering you…” He puts his face in his hands and I can practically hear him gritting his teeth. “God, Eve, you know every last dirty little secret about me. But I feel like half of the times you’ve opened up to me it’s because I’ve had to pry you open.”

“I’m not… I’m not hiding anything.” This is the first time I’m blatantly lying. I’m overstimulated and this is me lashing out, as useless as I know it is. Aiden lifts his head, and for several long seconds we’re at a stalemate. We glare at each other in silence, neither one of us knowing how to handle the pent-up emotions that the other has been suppressing for so long.

But even this is hopeless. I’m trying to stare down a man who’s as tall as a skyscraper. Who could obliterate me with zero effort if he wanted to. Of course he wouldn’t, but I don’t actually know what he’s capable of if pushed too far. There’s no way I’m not going to feel intimidated by the thinly veiled anger of the titan before me. And it’s not like I can walk away from this conversation either. I’m at his mercy and I know it.

Finally I cave. My scowl deepens and I choke out, “I don’t know… wh-what you want me to tell you…”

Aiden doesn’t say anything for several seconds. Out of nowhere, piercing the air like the sound of breaking glass, there’s a buzzing sound. The giant tsk’s with annoyance and pulls his phone out of his pocket, but he dismisses whatever it was trying to tell him, and the buzzing stops. I’m knocked off kilter from the distraction when he looks back at me and immediately speaks.

“Why don’t you want to go to the police?”

I go very still. Any anger that I was feeling completely vanishes. “W-what?” I stutter.

“Why are you so afraid of getting outside help?” he insists, not backing down in the slightest. “You’ve clammed up every time it’s come up. And you should’ve seen yourself after we ran into that police officer at the lab.” His eyebrows curve with concern. “Are you in some kind of trouble?”

“N-no!” I yelp, “I’m not… I mean… I’m not in… It’s not what you think…”

“I don’t know what to think!” Aiden’s hands are suddenly back on either side of me. He clearly isn’t sure whether touching me would be a good or bad thing right now, his fingertips hovering so close that I can feel their warmth. “Evie, whatever it is, you can trust me. Don’t you trust me by now?”

I shake my head, close to hyperventilating. I stare at the ground and say, “I can’t do this…”

“Why not?”

“You think you want to know… they always say they want to know, until…”

“Please. I’m begging you.”

No, no, not those words… I sit in terrified silence. Keeping my head down. Refusing to look at him.

“Just talk to me, goddamnit!” Aiden snaps. The massive hands that surround me land on the edge of the table, causing it to shudder and for me to almost lose balance. I gasp - he didn’t quite yell that, but it’s as close as he’s ever come. I whimper and cower and come no closer to looking at him, only curling in on myself further.

And then there’s the buzzing sound once more. It’s his phone again, receiving another call. He pulls his hands away, sighing with frustration.

“I need to take this real quick…” He takes his phone out again, swiping at it. He doesn’t manage to mask his tension as he answers, “Hey. Everything okay?”

I slowly raise my head with a small shard of curiosity, though my breath is still coming out ragged. This is accidentally providing me with a bit of a break. A welcome diversion. I can’t quite make out what the person on the other end is saying, but it’s a male voice, and rather loud. There seems to be a lot of commotion in the background too.

Aiden frowns, a new kind of annoyance blossoming. “Sorry but I told you earlier, I can’t tonight. Listen, man, this really isn’t a good time–” He falls silent as the other voice interrupts him and speaks for a while. “No, I hear you, um… Have you tried calling Steve? Or Moira? Wait, no, she’s sick… Okay, well you’ll just have to get an Uber or something, then, okay? I’m happy to pay for it if it helps. Happy birthday.”

The voice on the other end continues to insist and Aiden looks increasingly exasperated. I slowly get to my feet, and the motion is enough to catch the giant’s attention. “Go,” I mouth at him. His frown deepens, and just in case he didn’t understand, I speak out loud this time. “Go.”

He holds my gaze for a moment. “Hold on a sec,” he finally says, and he taps the mute button on his phone. “You really want me to leave right now?” he asks me, the hurt plain on his face. “Seriously?”

Despite the tears running down my cheeks, I manage one last calm sentence. “I think I need some space.”

Aiden’s jaw clenches and his eyes shine with tears of his own - I don’t know if they’re sad or angry ones - before he unmutes his phone. “Yeah, okay, fine. I’m heading over.” And without even looking at me, he gets up… and leaves the apartment. The door closes a bit more forcefully than usual, the sound reverberating like thunder until everything fades into unnerving stillness.

There had been no point in me standing up. I’ve collapsed right back onto my knees, and then my hands, and then I let my head fall onto the ground. The tears continue to fall, though I’m not quite crying. I don’t make a sound. I just hold very, very still as I slip into a state of unadulterated, mind-numbing fear.

~~*

I’m in a lush green forest, hardly noticing the chill in the air or the distant call of birds singing. I’ve been to these woods a couple of times, but we’ve never been this deep before. There’s no sign of even a path, much less any other people, just thick foliage as far as the eye can see.

My boyfriend, if I should still call him that, is on his knees in front of me. His hands are wrapped around my wrists, his head lowered with his brow leaned against my stomach. He’s shaking. Crying.

"Please,” he gasps, “I’ll be better… You have to believe me, I’ll change… Just please don’t do this. Please, I’m begging you…”

My face is covered in tears too. "Brock,” I say dejectedly, “I’ve heard that too many times. I always tell you that it’s fine, but… it’s not. We can’t keep doing this. We have to end it.”

His hands tighten their grip, squeezing me so hard it hurts. And then, in a blur of movement, he’s on his feet, suddenly looming over me. He reaches to his waistband and I gasp as he pulls out a handgun. He looks at me manically, his eyes wide as he puts the gun to his own temple.

"Then I’ll end it!” he yells, his cries echoing and halting all birdsong. “Is that what you fucking want?! To have another life on your conscience?! I’ll end it right here and now!”

I shouldn’t be surprised that he’s carrying some kind of firearm. But I’ve never seen him pull it out like this. No wonder he brought me so deep into the woods. My heart is racing and my mouth opens but no sound comes out.

Brock steps closer, looking crazed as he breathes hard. "And then? What are you going to do without me? Think about it for two seconds. You have no money. No schooling. No skills to offer other than, what – fucking waitressing?” He takes another step, coming alarmingly close, his face inches away from mine. “And what about your mother’s death? Forgot that little detail, did you, darling? Do you really think anyone will believe you if I’m not there to defend you? You think they wouldn’t have hauled you off in handcuffs the first chance they had?!”

I’m afraid to make sudden movements but I can’t help taking a step back, and I feel my shoulders hit a tree. Dizzily I begin crumbling to the forest floor, collapsing into a seat. I lower my head submissively, trembling from head to toe. I can’t face him. I don’t know what he’s capable of anymore. My only option is to wait. Wait… and then run. Just have to get past this.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Brock’s arm drop back down. With much more calm, he puts the gun back into its holster, and then he crouches in front of me. I hold my breath, unable to look at him as he puts his hand to my cheek.

"Never forget that,” he says icily, the cold composure filling me with even more dread than when he was yelling. “Without my testimony you’re nothing. You’ve got no future. Come on, baby… don’t you get it?”

His hand moves to my chin now. His fingertips press against my jaw as he forces me to look up at him.

“You. Need. Me.”

~~*

I have no idea how much time has passed. I’m just collapsed on the desk for hours on end. I have nowhere to run to. No choices at my disposal. It gets darker and darker around me as the setting sun gives way to the night, but I don’t get up to turn the desk lamp on. I just sit there in a heap. Frozen. Paralyzed.

Until I hear a sound. I’m not even sure what I’ll do when I see Aiden again, I haven’t thought through anything at all. But that’s not what I’m worrying about right now. I can tell even before the door opens that he’s not alone.

Operating on pure instinct, I skitter backwards as the key goes into the lock and then I see the silhouette of some monstrous shape that lumbers into the room. I hide behind my bed, peeking over it to realize that my roommate is there, yes, but there’s someone else who’s slumped onto him, one arm draped over his shoulders. And… the other person is huge. I’m not just talking normal levels of huge in comparison to my three inch frame. He looks to be a head taller than Aiden and nearly twice as broad. I duck down behind the bed again, not daring to look any longer.

I hear the two men stumble further in, grunting with effort. Then I jump at the booming sound of the stranger’s voice.

“Oh yeaaaah! I forgot you had a washer an’ dryerrr,” he says, slurring his words, “You ‘member when I’d mooch off of you last year, bro? When our washer broke? Good tiiiimes.”

“Yes, I remember,” Aiden’s voice is both very tired and clearly on the brink of his patience. “Oh, come on, Diego!”

There’s a loud, resounding thump as I guess that the new guy has just fallen to his knees. “I jus’… restin’ for a sec…”

The more familiar giant sighs. “Okay, just… don’t move. I’ll go change the sheets on the bed and help you in. Just stay here.”

“Mmkaaaay. Thanks for lettin’ me staaaay.”

“Don’t mention it. Please.”

There’s the sound of footsteps and I can’t help stealing another glance, this time from past the side of the bed. Sure enough, I can only see the drooped form of this unfamiliar behemoth in the living room now. I quickly hide again - he’s closer than I realized.

There’s a brief shuffling near the couch, I think he’s messing with a cushion or something. And then there’s more noise… it sounds like he’s getting to his feet… and the single thing I was most afraid of happens. He’s shambling towards the desk.

I have to hold a hand over my mouth to keep from crying out at a sudden, brief earthquake that would have knocked me over if I was standing. I don’t know if the titan has kicked the desk or hit an elbow on it or what. But clearly he was drawn to whatever tiny odd things he noticed sitting on the table’s surface, visible even in just the dim light of the street lamps outside. I can hear his breathing and catch the smell of booze, the proximity absolutely terrifying. There isn’t really space for me to get underneath my bed, but I crouch down and press myself up against my hiding spot as I hold as still as I possibly can.

Diego seems to chuckle with amusement and I hear something fall over less than a dozen feet away - one of my clothing shelves, I think. Aiden, where are you? I wonder desperately.

No sooner do I have that thought when out of nowhere I’m knocked backwards. I wince involuntarily from falling onto my butt and then watch in horror as my bed is lifted up into the sky. My breath comes in shallow as I take in the scale of this monster of a man. I can’t be much taller than his pinky finger.

I don’t know if it was the sound that I made or if he’d already realized I was there, but… he’s looking at me. There’s no avoiding it, our eyes have met and his are widening with shock. I’ve been discovered. By a very large and very inebriated giant.

Diego blinks a couple of times and wavers slightly on the spot from his kneeled position. Finally he thunders, “What the fuck?” and his free hand is reaching for me, quickly taking up more and more of my vision. I can’t process the nightmare. The built up stress has turned me into a wreck and I’m not in control of my body when I fly into a full-on panic. I scream.

Chapter 51
Evie

It was a dreamless sleep, thankfully. No more nightmares. I’ve done enough reliving the past.

I jolt awake, thrown off by my unfamiliar surroundings. I’m on a surface that’s way bigger than the bed I normally sleep on, green cloth stretching in every direction. There’s an edge to the fabric, and beyond that is a darker shade of green that… oh. I see now. Aiden must have put me on the pillow on his bed. I don’t even remember going to sleep last night. We had that long talk, and I think at some point I crawled into his outstretched hand… I guess I drifted off in the middle of a conversation. I was so exhausted that I must have just slept through getting relocated to this pillow. He’s even cut out another scrap of fabric so that he could lay a blanket over me.

Aiden’s still here, sitting on the floor by the bed, to watch over me I suppose. But he must have eventually dozed off too, he’s doubled over forward with the side of his head sitting on the mattress, a hundred feet away from where I am now.

He’s still… here. I mean, obviously he’s here, physically, but… Wow. I haven’t lost him. I can’t believe I told him everything last night. It’s so surreal, I have to remind myself that it wasn’t a dream. I’m still a bit wary - in the past the negative effects of me talking about my story weren’t always immediate. But from his reaction and what I know of him, I really believe things will be different this time.

There’s a lot of sunlight in the room, it’s almost blinding actually. I’m not sure how late we were up talking, but we must have been reaching the wee hours of the morning, so maybe now it’s late morning? I’m not sure. I’m still feeling pretty drained, truth be told.

I sit upright and wince at a soreness in my side. I rub my eyes groggily and push my hair back, feeling like a total mess. Yesterday was so stressful, and I did so much crying and screaming and hyperventilating that my throat still hurts now. I’m nowhere near as anxious anymore, but I’m still in the midst of recovering from all that drama. I just need some time.

With a budding smile, I scoot a little closer to the edge of the pillow as I gaze out at my favorite giant. He doesn’t exactly look comfortable with his back hunched over and his neck bent at an odd angle, but it still feels rather peaceful to see him quietly dozing. Which is an interesting thought considering what happened the last time I saw him fall asleep. It’s like I should be scared, but I’m just not. So much happened last night and tensions ran high, but none of my affection for him has gone anywhere. If anything I care about him more than ever.

I flinch at the sound of a muffled thump through the wall. Oh… shit. How on earth did I forget that we have a guest?! That’s the entire reason we’re even in this room! It suddenly all rushes back to me, and I realize where the soreness in my side comes from. Unfamiliar tree trunk like fingers plucking me roughly from where I sat, hurtling me into the air and enveloping me into the darkness of a fist… I shudder. I should actually be thankful that Diego was as careful as he was, considering how clearly drunk he was. But regardless of anything else, we now have to deal with the fact that my cover is blown.

There’s more shuffling outside, though from the location of where the noise is coming from I think the other titan is still on the couch. But he’s definitely stirring. I carefully climb off of the pillow and make the trek across the mattress so that I can reach Aiden. It’s like walking through sand as I sink slightly into the sheets with every step. Thankfully he’s not too far away and soon I’m feeling the breeze of his slow, deep breath roll over my feet.

Being careful not to wake him up too suddenly, I decide to approach the sleeping giant’s forehead and gently touch the dark hair of his bangs. He feels the slight tickle and frowns, his eyes squeezing tighter shut before relaxing again - he’s twitching a little but still asleep. I reach out a second time, placing my palm directly against his skin. The reaction is surprisingly different this time. He goes very, very still, but his eyes slowly start blinking open.

I smile and kiss his forehead. In one smooth motion, he both tilts his head up and pulls it backward to catch sight of me. He smiles sleepily and mutters, “Hey, you.”

“Good morning,” I say, sounding pretty out of it myself. “Um… I think your friend might be up.”

“Oh. Right.”

Aiden brings a hand up to the mattress so that he can push himself upright with a groan. He rubs at the nape of his neck, shaking his head as if trying to dispel the sleepy haze.

“I’m sorry I brought him here,” he says, keeping his voice particularly quiet so as to not be overheard. “He lost his house keys while we were out, I couldn’t think of what to do… I should have called up a different friend or something…”

“That’s alright,” I assure him, “I don’t blame you for wanting to help a friend out. And he didn’t hurt me, but… he did see me.”

Aiden nods, eyes unfocused for a moment as he also recalls what happened right before we retreated to his bedroom. When he looks at me again he seems conflicted. “What do you want to do? I can try to convince him that he was just seeing things.”

“Ugh, I don’t want to make you lie to him like that… Plus he’s seen all my stuff too, that’s harder to explain."

I don’t like someone else finding out about me. It took a whole lot of convincing to get me to meet Moira, and that was in a much more controlled situation. But now I’m feeling like I don’t have much of a choice.

“He’s not a bad guy, right?” I say, trying to convince myself more than anything.

“Right. I’m really annoyed with him at the moment, but he’s a good person. He’s just a lot.”

I can’t help smiling wryly. “You know, you’ve said that more than once, but I always thought you were referring to his personality. Didn’t know you meant it literally.”

“I meant it both ways,” Aiden says with a sigh.

“It’s weird, I don’t remember him being that tall in class.”

“Well, I suppose you have a bit of a different perspective now.”

There’s another thump from the living room, and this time I would guess that it’s from Diego getting off of the couch. Sure enough I can hear it from past the wall… footsteps.

“You don’t think he’ll try grabbing me again?” I ask nervously, hurrying forward on the mattress to get closer to Aiden.

He notices where I’m heading and leans in, offering me an open hand. “No, no, I won’t let him. He’s not–”

There’s a knock at the bedroom door, and the sound makes me feel jumpy enough to quickly scurry onto my protector’s palm. A male voice booms from just outside, and even though it’s muffled it’s still so all-encompassing.

“Hey, Aiden? You in there, bro?”

Well… Here we go. The hand platform I’m on lifts up and up as Aiden gets to his feet and holds me up to his chest. I both hear and feel him take a deep breath in and out to steady himself, and I imitate him in turn. Then he’s walking over, reaching out to unlock the door.

“Yeah, I’m still here,” he says, “I actually, uh… I have someone to introduce you to. Just chill, okay? Don’t get too loud.”

My heart’s hammering hard against my sternum as he opens the door, and the colossus that I’ve only briefly encountered waits on the other side. He looks even more exhausted than either one of us does, and from the way he squints at the slight influx of light, I can tell that he’s sporting quite the hangover. He’s not so terrifyingly monstrous looking in the light of day, now that I’m no longer in as much of a vulnerable state. I’m recognizing him a little better from when I saw him in class - deep dark eyes, warm bronze skin and thick black hair, currently in a state of disarray. But even though he’s looking more human he’s still very… very large. Despite Aiden holding me up, I have to tilt my head way back to look at him.

Diego’s eyes find me quickly. It’s not quite the same level of shock as yesterday, just a moment of frowning and staring as I sit there, feeling tense in anticipation. But then to my surprise, his features relax and he lets out a deep sigh.

"Shit, you have no idea how relieved I am that I wasn’t hallucinating,” he says, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, “I’d already sworn off alcohol.”

“Still probably not a bad idea,” Aiden responds with an edge to his voice.

“Well, I guess this explains all that stuff on the desk.” Diego looks at me again and this time he smiles and crouches down a little, lowering his head to better address me. “So what are you supposed to be then, some kind of little elf?”

I can feel the hand I’m sitting in tense up, the fingers curling slightly around me in a protective gesture. “She’s a person, Diego,” Aiden growls.

Of all things, this is what sets me at ease. I glance up at my giant and I’m finding myself suppressing laughter. He’s like my own oversized guard dog. Down, boy, I think, giving his thumb a comforting tap, and then I turn my attention to our guest.

"I’m Evie,” I say, raising my voice more than I usually might. “We used to all be in biochem together.”

Diego balks at this. “Wait, what? You’re–” I inhale sharply as he moves closer to get a better look at me, staring into my face with more discerning eyes. “Holy fuck, what happened to you?!”

“Easy,” Aiden interjects, reaching an arm out to stop the titan from getting too close. “Not so loud, remember?”

"It’s a long story,” I pipe up shakily, not knowing how else to explain it right now.

Hardly noticing the hand that’s pressing against his shoulder, Diego keeps his eyes glued to my small form as he stands back to his full height. "That’s gotta be some story. Have you seen a doctor? You, uh… you might want to get that checked out.”

I hear an intake of breath above my head, a small gasp of sudden realization. "Wait,” Aiden says slowly, “You’re in nursing school.”

"Okay, fair point, I’d have no idea where to start with this, not really sure what a doctor would do…”

"No, it’s… I think we could use your help.”

Ten minutes later, I’m back on my own bed again, oddly enough. Prone on my stomach, I’m letting my leg get examined by someone who’s actually somewhat qualified to evaluate how it’s doing and whether the continued pain I’ve been dealing with is normal. Aiden had briefly left the room with me to make sure I’d be okay with the exam, and yes I’m a little nervous turning my back on a gargantuan stranger, but I think it’s worth making sure it’s properly healing.

“How long ago did this happen?” Diego asks, peering through a magnifying glass at the long, still visible cut. I can’t believe how easily he was able to switch into business mode, he’s honestly been taking the idea of a shrunken person remarkably well. I feel the side of his thumb against my calf, tugging slightly on the skin.

“About a month ago, I think?” I say, trying to think back.

There’s the click of a phone button as Aiden checks a calendar. “Yeah, just over four weeks,” he confirms.

“Gotcha,” Diego muses, “This is looking pretty good for four weeks, actually. No signs of infection either - and you’d know by now. You really would’ve benefited from sutures though, this is gonna leave a scar. Lift your leg up for me?”

I obey, bending my leg and raising my knee. The nurse-in-training slips his fingers underneath, carefully taking my calf in a pincer grasp. His skin is even warmer than what I’m used to, something I didn’t notice last night. I try not to imagine how tiny my limb must look to him, and I talk some more to keep my mind distracted. “Aren’t I too small to get stitched up?”

“Nah, not if it’s this sizeable. Microsurgery is a thing,” the giant sounds unperturbed as he slowly moves my leg around, this way and that. “Modern medicine is amazing, man. Okay, does this hurt?”

There’s a pressure in the back of my knee but I tell him that it’s not painful. He continues to poke and prod as he checks for sensitive areas, and I’m starting to feel more and more impressed. Judging from his overall demeanor, I thought he’d be a lot rougher than this. I guess he likely has a lot of experience doing delicate tasks, considering his intended profession, so his hand control is pretty amazing for his size. Thank goodness.

I feel the edge of his thumb roll over the sole of my foot, and then there’s a pinching around my ankle as my leg is suddenly lifted a little higher.

“Hehehe, look at that,” Diego chuckles, “Such itty bitty feet.”

“Dude… Focus,” Aiden sighs, “And be careful, please.”

“Aw come on, it’s not every day I get such a miniature patient. I’m as careful as can be.”

Another minute or so passes, until my leg suddenly spasms from whatever pressure he just put on it. It doesn’t hurt, but I still yelp, “Ahh, I definitely feel that.”

"Got it. That’s actually a good sign, you should feel that. I’m going to lift your hips now, okay?”

His fingers move to pinch either side of my waist and Aiden jumps in, "Wait a sec, careful with the–”

"I know, I got it. Yeesh, I get that she’s tiny but she’s not nearly as fragile as you think, bro.” There’s a warm nudge against my ribs. "Does he always treat you like you’re made of tissue paper?”

I smile against my pillow before responding, "Well, I did manage to handicap myself…”

"And look how well you’re doing now, just a few weeks later with no stitches. You’re a hardy lil’ thing. Alright, can you flip back over?”

I roll onto my back, and while I was getting used to Diego’s presence, now seeing him looming overhead like this is making me feel intimidated all over again. He pushes my knee up towards my stomach, then pulls it out to the side, and Jesus Christ his fingers are as big as mountain lions and one wrong move could snap a bone with ease– I shift my attention to the more distant face in the background, calling out to him as I try to stay distracted.

“Hey Aiden?" I yell, "Would you mind checking on Moira? She said she’d swing by today but if she’s still sick…”

“Wait,” Diego interrupts, and he suddenly sits up straight. “Moira? Our Moira?” He swings his head around to look at the other giant. “You told her about this but you didn’t tell me?”

Aiden’s already pulled his phone out to do what I’d asked, but then he pauses to give his friend a look. “Think about it.” He holds both hands out and gestures with the one holding the phone. “Gentle, sweet little Moira…” His other hand then motions to Diego. “…versus King Kong over here.”

“Alright alright, fuck, I get it,” the larger titan grumbles, turning back to me, “The little shrimp prefers littler people. Although I’m doing a pretty good job being ‘gentle and sweet’ - aren’t I, Shrimp?” he quips, leaning in to give me a lighthearted smile.

I can see Aiden looking positively murderous at the choice of nickname that was just used. But before he can say anything, to my own surprise, I just start laughing and quip right back. “You’re doing great, Kong.”

He laughs too, though his attention is back on his work as he finishes up one last leg stretch. “I like this girl. Sit up for me, Evie?”

I push myself up and turn to let my legs dangle over the edge of the bed. For the next minute or two he asks me to do a series of movements with both limbs - lifting each knee in turn, straightening each leg out, curling and spreading my toes, and so on. Finally it seems the exam has come to a close.

"I’m not an orthopedist,” Diego concludes, “but as far as I can tell, you’ve got good range of motion, and I don’t think there was any nerve damage. My guess is that the recent pain’s just from overdoing it without properly easing back into things. I’ll write down some exercises for you to build that muscle back up, ‘kay? At the rate you’re going, I bet you won’t even feel anything two weeks from now.”

"Thank you,” I say, with a relieved sigh.

"Don’t mention it! That was fun! Got my mind off this damn headache. Oh, by the way…” He rolls the chair back and glances between both Aiden and I while pointing over to the side of the desk. “I was looking through your first aid stuff earlier. We should probably get you guys some liquid bandage for emergencies, that’d be easier than using these kinds of dressings. Even Star uses it on some of the smaller animals.”

Damn. Having someone who’s actually knowledgeable about this stuff is really coming in handy. But I’m distracted as I frown and look past Diego. “Who’s Star?” I mouth in Aiden’s direction.

“His wife,” he explains. “She’s that friend who’s a vet at the place I worked at.” I’m still a little confused about the rather unusual name, and it’s clearly showing on my face because he adds, “Her actual name’s Estella. We call her that because–”

“Because she’s the star of my life!” Diego interjects, sweeping his arms out dramatically, “The most beautiful, wonderful woman I could ever ask for!”

“…because he read her name wrong when he first met her,” Aiden continues with a growing smile, “He thought her name tag said ‘Estrella.’ Which is Spanish for–”

“Shut the fuck uuuup, dude!” The larger titan gets to his feet to wrap one beefy arm around his shorter friend’s neck in a headlock, “Why you always gotta make me look bad in front of new people?!”

The scene looks a little more intense from my perspective, but the two wrestling kaijus are both beaming and now I’m giggling too. I’m starting to get a sense of how their friendship works.

“You know,” Diego says suddenly, looking back down at me, “Star might actually be the better person to help you out with injuries, if something like this ever happens again. She’s more used to tiny critters, I know she stitched up a hamster’s leg before.” He pauses as he seems to think of something, looking between the both of us again. “I can tell her about this, right?”

Just like he did before this morning’s introduction, Aiden’s looking conflicted again, his smile quickly vanishing. “Um… You know I think Star’s great, but… we’re really trying to keep this on the DL, man. Moira’s the only other person who knows, we weren’t planning on telling anyone else yet.”

“Oh come on,” Diego whines, “You can’t make me keep this a secret from her! I mean… I will if I have to, I’ll just… pretend it’s a HIPAA thing, I guess…”

I keep surprising myself this morning. It’s crazy what unloading a lifetime’s worth of anxiety will do to a person. “No,” I call up, “It’s alright, you can tell her. Just her, though… please.”

A wide, joyful grin lights up Diego’s face. “You got it, Shrimp! Don’t worry, she can definitely keep a secret. Ohhhh and then you can meet her! How about it, we’ll have you guys come over for dinner in a few days? It’ll be great!”

I smile weakly, bracing myself as my world continues to expand. Honestly, it might very well be a boon to have both a nurse and a veterinarian to turn to for help if I’m dealing with any kind of medical issue. Yes, I’m still nervous about more people knowing about me. But at the same time, the thought of having a couple more friends in my circle… it doesn’t sound too bad.

Chapter 53
Aiden

I’m slinking under the surface of the water, my eyes squinting upwards for my target. I can practically hear the Jaws’ theme in the back of my mind as I approach, slowly… closer… closer…

I aim and ascend, breaking the surface of the water. I hear a playful shrieking, and I can feel that I successfully hit my mark from all of the wriggling that’s happening on top of my head. Evie grabs onto locks of wet hair as she tugs herself forward and reaches the edge of my forehead. I hold myself steady and aim my eyes upward, just able to make out some movement as she leans out.

“That scared the shit out of me!” she yells, though she’s laughing just as hard.

I chuckle in response, “What, you thought I didn’t see you?”

“It felt like you were gonna eat me!”

I flinch, surprised to see my tiny passenger launch herself forward just then, a blur in front of my face as she plops feet-first into the water. I’m mostly submerged, my chin just above the surface, but still - to her that was probably more like cliff jumping. I back up a little bit to catch sight of her, her figure obscured as she sinks a couple of inches down. We’re not in a deep pool, this particular spot being three or four feet deep at most, but it might as well be a lake for little Evie. Without issue, she pops out a few seconds later, fighting against the slight current I’ve just created with my body when I’d backed off.

“Well, now you’ve made it very easy for me to do just that,” I tease, and this time I “dun-dun” the Jaws theme out loud as I lower my chin into the water and slowly close the distance, letting my mouth briefly open wide as a playful threat. She doesn’t attempt to swim away, she just giggles, braces herself and accepts my overenthusiastic kiss as she’s briefly pushed underwater by my lips.

I finally give her a break, bringing my hands underneath her as I straighten back up again. I don’t lift her out of the water but just prop my cupped palms right below her feet so that she can comfortably stand. She fights to find her balance, leaning back against my fingers as she tries to recover from both the adrenaline and the laughter. I just hold my girlfriend there for a minute, gazing down at her with adoration.

God… I can actually call her that now. My beautiful little girlfriend. My love. My partner.

It’s been a couple of days since we made things official. Our entire relationship has formed so gradually that our interactions haven’t changed dramatically. But still, I feel like a middle schooler who just asked his first crush out and she said yes. Both of us have been a little giddy. Honestly, that’s probably more due to our heart-to-hearts and finally feeling like we have a solid line of communication now. But it also feels a bit like a honeymoon phase, and we’re happy to ride it out.

And what better way to do that than enjoy what summer has to offer? It’s downright hot outside these days, and Evie and I began tossing around the idea of finding a place to go swimming. I reached out to both Moira and Diego for any ideas on where we might find somewhere private, and that’s when Diego offered up the code to the swimming pool in his neighborhood. He warned that it wasn’t very big, but as a result not many people go and it’s fairly secluded. It seemed like the perfect solution. And since he also confirmed that her leg injury was okay to submerge underwater, our plan to come out here formed quickly from there. I’m glad we decided to go for it - we’ve been having a great time.

“If I didn’t have a fear of sea monsters before…” Evie pants, trailing off as she smirks up at me.

“Am I overdoing it? You’re just so easy to mess with in the water.” And since I can’t help myself, I accentuate my point by still supporting her feet with one hand while I start slowly twirling a finger in a circle around her with the other. The little waves I’m creating are just enough to destabilize her stance.

“I know, I feel that much more helpless!” she laughs, batting my finger away. “Just… don’t do anything that’ll actually make me spin too much and we’re cool. Unless you want me to throw up on you.”

For a moment I’m gently batting her hands right back, and then I pet her lovingly on the top of the head. “Let’s avoid that,” I concur as I take a quick look around to make sure the coast is still clear. No one’s around, but I do realize something’s missing. “Uh oh, the inner tube ran away, let me go get it. Want to swim around here or…?”

“No, bring me with. My leg muscle’s asking for a break and I should probably listen for once.”

“Attagirl. Up you go then.”

I get up to my full standing height while lifting Evie out of the pool. Seeing her shivering once the water has rushed away, I readjust her into a careful fist to keep her warm, so that nothing but her head is sticking out. I wade towards the donut-shaped inflatable that has drifted a little too far. This is her hiding spot in case someone shows up, so we’d rather it stay close by.

Once I reach it, I glance back down and pause. The tiny woman I’m holding has since slipped her arms out from my grasp and now has them folded in front of her on my thumb, her chin resting on them. She looks a little dazed, staring in my direction but without looking towards my face.

“Deep in thought?” I question, absently pulling the inner tube towards us with my free hand.

“Hm?” Evie snaps out of it and looks up at me before smiling smugly and shaking her head. “Nope. I’m just admiring my man. In the past, anytime you’ve walked around shirtless post-shower or whatever, I’d always look away… Now I can ogle you and it’s okay!”

“Oh is that how that works?" I feel a little self conscious but still grin in delight. I tilt my hand and loosen my grip just enough to be able to take a peek at the rest of her. “Says the girl wearing a sexy bikini. Does that mean I’m allowed to ogle you too?”

She laughs. “Does this count as a bikini?" She looks down at herself critically and adds, “I definitely don’t think it counts as sexy.”

True, what she’s wearing isn’t quite what you’d see in a store. Evie owned exactly one swimsuit from before she was shrunk that was still in her suitcase. Apparently it dated back from when she lived with Brock, so she was all too eager to destroy it and utilize the material to make herself new miniature swimwear. Her top is wrapped around her chest and tied off over one shoulder, and the bottom is knotted off at each hip. The fabric has an intricate red and white pattern that keeps her nice and visible, and it’s also very lightweight, which is important. If she was wearing her regular, water-absorbent cotton clothes, she’d probably sink like a rock.

I open my hand a little further to help her readjust into my palm, and my fingers actually feel a bit stiff as they unfurl. I… I touch her a lot, don’t I? It’s only natural, since me picking her up is largely how she gets around. But even though it’s commonplace for us, that doesn’t mean the simple act of me holding her doesn’t feel intimate. Especially when there’s this much bare skin for my fingers to casually run over. Luckily we’ve spent months as just friends so I’ve had plenty of experience with trying to really respect her, and I still have a strong determination to continue doing just that. But… it does take a lot of self control sometimes. A lot of holding myself back.

After a second or two of maybe some excessive staring at the length of her legs and the curve of her waist, I finally respond to her with, “It’s a two-piece swimsuit, right? Which makes it a bikini? And if you’re wearing it, then it’s sexy. Simple as that."

Evie giggles melodically as her cheeks go bright pink. “Thanks, babe," she says with a grin, and I get tingles all down my spine from her calling me that.

My ears prick up at the loud squeak of a metal hinge, and I catch movement out of the corner of my eye. Trying to look as nonchalant as possible, I bring my occupied hand over to the inner tube’s cupholder and slide my little secret right inside. She bounces in, gets her bearings, and quickly scrambles with the paper umbrella that’s already in there. It opens with a quiet pop and forms a light blue circle to cover the hole, effectively hiding her tiny figure from sight.

Keeping a hand on the inflatable, I let myself glance over to whoever just opened the entrance gate. Then the glance becomes eye contact and I smile widely.

“All good,” I say out loud in the direction of the paper umbrella, “You can come out, it’s Moira.”

Evie shoves the parasol aside and eagerly starts using it to help her climb up onto the edge of the cupholder. She sticks one little arm up to wave at our friend, and it’s enough for Moira to notice and wave back.

“Hey guys! Sorry I’m late. I was sitting in the parking lot for forever trying to end a phone conversation with my sister. It’s so hot out, I started roasting in the car…”

“Come over to the shade, then,” I say, taking the few steps to the edge of the pool to better greet her. Mo plops down a tote bag and steps out of her flip flops, then she sits down to dip her feet into the water with a sigh.

At this point Evie has apparently managed to climb out of the cup holder, since the next time I look over there she’s sliding off of the innertube completely. There are just a couple of feet between us and she starts swimming over like a little frog while us two larger folk chat and watch her with amusement. The shrunken girl nears Moira’s leg, who trails her foot through the water just enough to send a little wave in Evie’s direction.

“Kinda fun to mess with her in the water, huh?” I say with a chuckle.

“Weirdly fun,” she confirms.

“Thanks a lot, guys!” Evie laughs, and she gets close enough to latch onto her friend’s ankle. Moira carefully lifts her foot out of the water, tiny girl in tow, and reaches her hands out to take her in them. This way the smallest of us can join in on our conversation.

“Looking forward to dinner with the Ignacios on Friday?” Mo brings up.

“Yeah, that’ll be… interesting,” I say, crossing my arms and leaning my lower back against the wall of the pool. “I’m glad you’ll be there too. Diego’s been really excited, to no one’s surprise.”

“It’s funny,” Evie says from her spot in her friend’s hands, “I legit look forward to it. I mean, I’m nervous of course, but at this point I’ve heard so much about how great Star is and I’m excited to meet her!”

Moira beams down at her. “Look how far you’ve come! I do think you’ll like her. She’s not quiiite as high energy as Diego but she’s still super friendly.”

Soon there’s a lull in the conversation, and Evie and I share a look. We may have filled in Moira over text about what happened on Diego’s birthday. But there were certain things that we wanted to wait to talk about in person.

Finally I clear my throat and pipe up, “Hey, um, Moira? Just wanted to let you know…" I motion towards the tiniest of us with my chin, “that we’re a couple now.”

“Oh my god! Really??" If her hands weren’t occupied I think she would have clapped them to her mouth.

Evie nods and giggles. “We weren’t sure if you’d already know."

“I mean… I knew. I figured it was a matter of time, I just wasn’t sure when you two would figure it all out! Aww, congrats, guys. I’m so happy for you." She brings Evie up to her face and then gives me an affectionate shove on the shoulder. It’s really nice, not just making it official in private but with our mutual friend as well. Makes it feel all the more real.

I remember the other conversation topic that needs to be brought up and give Evie a quick nod before hoisting myself out of the water. “Actually, if you’ve got her, Mo, I’ll go grab some snacks. I left them in the car."

Leaving the two girls on their own, I’m toweling off as I step out into the parking lot. I don’t grab the food yet but just meander in the vicinity for a while, enjoying the feeling of the sun drying me off. Since I want to give them plenty of time, once I’m dry enough I go fetch my phone that I left in the car. I notice a new group text that has formed with Diego and Star.

S: Aiden, does Evie have any allergies or anything? I was thinking of making aguachile.

D : WAIT you can’t feed shrimp to the little shrimp!! That’s cannibalism : O

S: Oh right! Why didn’t I think of that : P

S: Actually, is salmon ok?

I smile at my phone. I still haven’t fully decided if I’m nervous or excited about dinner in a couple of days. I like everyone there, but after months of secrecy this is all a bit out of my comfort zone. I go ahead and reply to the text, and they must be right by their phones as the conversation continues promptly.

A: Salmon’s great. Shrimp would have been fine too lol. She’s not very picky

S: Be real with me, should I give her her own plate or is it better if she eats off of yours? I don’t want to be rude and I don’t know how to handle this

A: I’ll bring over her plates and stuff, don’t worry about that part

D : She plays Magic too right? Bring your decks, we can play after we eat!! I’ve already told Moira

S: Buncha nerds < 3

Alright… I think I’m settling on feeling excited. My friends are good people, and that includes my girlfriend. I’m sure we’ll all get along great.

I check the time, and it’s been about half an hour. Hopefully that’s enough? I gather up the snacks and go back to the pool gate, peering through the metal bars without opening the door yet.

Moira’s inside the pool now with her arms folded on the edge, and she’s put Evie down on a towel on solid ground. The larger one is looking very focused, still deep in conversation. I notice tears shining on her face. Good ol’ Mo. Such a kind soul. I know it’s not easy for Evie to recount everything from her past yet again, but she felt it was important to not just open up to me about it but to her other closest friend. And from just the glimpse that I’m seeing, Moira’s being every bit as supportive and caring as I knew she’d be.

She catches sight of me hovering near the gate and waves me over. Even though they’re still talking, I sheepishly walk in their direction and set the food down before I take a seat next to Evie.

Moira’s in the process of sighing deeply. “I just want to give younger you the biggest hug, girl. Hell, I wish I could give you a big hug right now.” She looks up at me from her spot down in the water. “Can you believe this shit?”

I nod sympathetically, slipping a supportive hand behind my tiny girlfriend’s back. “Wish I didn’t have to,” I mutter. Evie tilts her head back to give me a weak smile and touches my finger tenderly. She looks a bit drained from the recounting, but she’s handling it way better this second time around.

“No wonder you swore off dating,” Moira says with a shake to her voice, rubbing at her tear-filled eyes. “I’m sure I would have done the same thing.”

“You swore off dating?” I say with raised eyebrows, “Uh… oops.”

Evie grips my hand tighter and lets out a breath of laughter. “Don’t worry. I definitely needed a break from it, but it all feels like so long ago. I’m glad you changed my mind.”

“And no wonder you’re always so determined to do everything yourself,” Moira adds.

Both Evie and I pause and frown at this. “What do you mean?” she asks, tilting her head.

“Oh, I just figured, since you had what sounded like such a controlling ex…”

Moira trails off to a few seconds of silence. It’s one of those moments where the insight seems obvious in retrospect, but apparently even the victim in the situation hadn’t quite put it together. As it clicks in my brain, I feel a growing sense of determination.

I gaze down at my precious little partner, too small to reach anything or get anywhere without assistance. I want to make up for not just her size, but for all of the times that her mother and her ex tried to keep her under their thumb. I want to empower her, to help her find independence and self assurance in whatever way I can. The plan wouldn’t solidify in my mind for another month or so, but this is the moment that a spark of an idea lights up inside of me.

Chapter 56
Evie

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yes! I still use it all the time.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Chapter 63
Evie

“Okay… how many?”

“Ummm. Three?”

“Damn!” I sit back on the couch cushion in shock. “How are you so good at this?”

Aiden grins with pride. “I have a lot of experience touching you, you know.”

“Still,” I say, a little befuddled. “Alright, try again?”

“Sure! As many times as you want, this is fun.”

I reach my hand out again and put it against his outstretched fingertip. Even fully splayed, my hand doesn’t even come close to covering the pad of his finger. We’ve been playing a game where I put up a certain number of fingers against his skin and he guesses how many by sense of touch alone. I can’t process how my ridiculously small digits must feel to him, but he’s been guessing right every time.

“Can you close your eyes this time?” I suggest.

“I can’t see through my finger…”

“Close 'em!”

He obliges, shutting his eyelids. I form a peace sign on his fingerprint.

“Two,” he says confidently.

“Wow. Okay, one more…”

He keeps his eyes closed and I attempt to throw him off. I lean forward and peck my lips against his skin instead.

Aiden laughs. “You didn’t think I could tell the difference between your hand and your mouth?”

He opens his eyes and I lean deeper into the kiss on his finger. At this point I’m foregoing the game and just getting a little frisky. Which I probably shouldn’t be - it’s nearing final exams for the class he’s working for, and he’s got a lot on his plate. But it’s been well over a week since we’ve done anything sensual and I’ve been finding myself missing his touch. I can see the longing in his eyes too, and I start feeling guilty for tempting him. I sit upright with a sheepish smile.

“Should you get back to work?” I ask.

“I probably should…” he mumbles.

“Will I be too much of a distraction on your shoulder?”

“Umm… I think I’m willing to take that chance.”

Jumping at the opportunity before he can change his mind, I scurry over the top of his hand and across his forearm. He chuckles at my enthusiasm, and he gently lifts and straightens out his arm to help me climb up to his neck. We settle into silence, with him on his laptop and me attempting to massage the muscles in his shoulders.

But even though we’re not talking or even looking at each other, I swear the sexual tension is arcing between us like static electricity. I take the occasional pause just laying against his neck and watching him answering emails. He seems pretty restless, his fingers tapping and fidgeting idly whenever they’re not actively typing. I glare every time I see a new message come in. How dare these students bother him with so many questions right before their final. Who do they think they are??

My arm muscles are getting sore after half an hour or so. I gravitate back towards his head, thinking I’ll shimmy down to sit on his collarbone and relax for a bit. But as I approach, Aiden takes a second to stretch. He’s very careful not to dislodge me from my perch, but I immediately notice an opening. Normally his ears are too high up for me to reach them, so even though I know they’re a sensitive spot for him, I don’t usually get the chance to touch them. But as he tilts his head to stretch out his neck, the side of his face comes really close to where I’m standing, and I just can’t resist - I reach up and brush my fingers against his earlobe.

“Ahhhh,” he quietly exclaims, shivering so hard from the tickle that I fall to my knees. His fingers are suddenly around me, not to pick me up but to make sure I don’t topple off of him.

“Sorry,” I giggle.

“Nope. Don’t apologize,” he sighs longingly.

I notice his head is still tilted my way, and if anything he seems to be bending it a little further in hopeful request. I reach up from my sitting position and with one finger I start caressing the side of his ear. His grip on me tightens slightly and goosebumps form on his shoulder right below me. After a few moments of me fondling and tickling, he lets out a sound that’s between a groan and a whine.

“Well, I did just get caught up on emails…” he grumbles.

“Sorry,” I say again with a wince.

“Stop,” he responds with a smile in his voice. “I can afford a little break.”

“Okay… Well in that case…”

I stand back up so that I can reach him with my mouth and begin gently pecking and nibbling at the edge of his earlobe. I can’t see his expression, but I can feel the subtle change in his pulse where his hand is touching me, I get jostled by the occasional shuddering, and his breathing is getting choppy. He’d be able to hear me whispering from this proximity, so as I start getting riled up myself from the effect I have on him, my quiet moans do not pass unnoticed. His fingers begin favoring me in turn, running lightly across my limbs and up my back.

“I want to see you,” Aiden murmurs as a head’s up before I’m encircled in his grasp. A part of me was enjoying how much pleasure I was able to give him from my spot on his shoulder, but mostly I’m brimming with anticipation for what comes next, so I don’t protest.

I look over the edge of his hand for a second so that I can take in his mammoth body, and I do notice that far below there’s a lump forming inside the loose fabric of his basketball shorts. I’ve still never seen him completely naked. There’s already so much to adjust to with sex at this size that we’ve been content to discover it very gradually, so he’s only ever used his hands and lips - the thought of getting his junk involved intimidates us both. But my glance down is still a longing one… someday we’ll get there.

My giant partner holds me out in front of him and casually but carefully uses a finger to force me onto my back in his palm. We take each other in for a moment and then he starts kissing me, starting at the side of my head and slowly making his way down my body. I’m making all sorts of sounds as I squirm and happily give in to him.

When he gets to the bottom, I’m surprised by a nipping at my ankle. I glance down just in time to see him delicately close his teeth around my foot as he sports a wide, playful smile. I push myself up on my elbows, so close to his face that I just stare at his eye and give him a quizzical look. Suddenly I feel something warm and wet against the sole of my foot and I jerk my leg back with a squeal, yanking it out of the giant mouth. I realize he just pushed his tongue up against me.

“What the hell?!” I laugh, wiping my foot off on his palm.

“Just being silly,” he chuckles. His free hand appears at my side and starts caressing my leg. “Although… I kinda wanted to try something new, if you’re open to it? It just might get a little… messy.” He takes my still-damp foot to gently rub between finger and thumb, accentuating his point.

I stare at him for a couple of beats, trying to decipher what’s going on in his mind. Suddenly, I recall a term that I’ve seen around the Internet before and wonder. “Wait a sec. Is it one of your fantasies to eat me?"

This sobers him right up. His eyes widen as he looks horrified. “No… no no no, not at all.”

I try to temper what I’m now realizing sounds like an accusation with, “It’s okay! Sorry, I totally jumped to conclusions, and I don’t mean to sound like I’m judging you. I mean, it’s all just fantasy, right?”

“No, well… yes, that is a thing that some people are into, but no, I just, um… I just like the idea of using my tongue a little bit.” He pauses, turning things over in his mind now that he’s gone more serious and adds, “But I can see how that might be… scary. We don’t have to. Forget I said anything.”

I feel guilty for how embarrassed he looks right now. I try to give him my most reassuring smile and then I shoot up to my feet, standing in the middle of his palm. Without a word I proceed to strip completely naked by pulling my shirt up and my shorts down. Aiden watches in stunned silence as I kick my pile of clothing off the side of his hand for us to find on the couch later.

I beam up at him enthusiastically. “It’s just like kissing, yeah? Except a little more wet. I’m down to try.”

He just stares for a few seconds before nodding weakly. Then, as if overcome with a sudden passion, he cups a hand around my back and leans in to start kissing me, harder than before. Instead of just passively taking it in this time, I kiss him back avidly, relaxing into him. I take in the warmth of his skin, the pressure of his lips, the smell of citrus on his breath from the orange he was snacking on earlier. We make out like we normally might for a little bit, and my bare skin is feeling more and more sensitive as the muscles between my legs get tighter.

Eventually we slow down while I’m somehow still standing upright, and Aiden softly breathes warm air on my lower body. He lightly runs his nose along the side of my frame, making me shiver with pleasure. With unhurried, deliberate movements, he puts slight pressure against my back with his fingertips as he starts kissing my legs. I hug myself against his cheek, closing my eyes as I breathe deeply, feeling ready to discover whatever it is he wants to explore.

Soon I feel something different against my thighs. His jaw has opened just a tad, and he’s carefully prodding with the tip of his tongue. It leaves a thin film of saliva where it touches my skin, and at first I worry it’s just going to make me cold. But the pressure begins to grow as the bumpy muscle covers more of my legs at once, its heat pleasant despite the moisture. It’s such an odd thing compared to what I’m used to. His tongue is so lithe and can form itself into flexible shapes against my body.

I gasp as the warm mass pushes my thighs apart, and he slowly licks the spot between them. My second ex only went down on me once, and it was pretty great, but I remember feeling so self conscious about it. And yet, even though I’m dripping wet at this point, I’m very aware that the space between my legs is so small, and that somehow helps ease my embarrassment. When the giant’s wetness finally meets mine in earnest, I moan without holding back.

I want to lay down now, so I lean into the folds of his hand that’s just behind me, and Aiden follows hungrily, becoming more confident in the way his mouth is moving. He’s definitely focused on my womanhood now, but his tongue is so big that it’s covering my legs in the process. The hot, wet pressure is so new and… exciting. The texture of his taste buds is most surprising of all, very distinct from the ridges of his fingers but feeling just as amazing against my sex. I writhe and wince uncontrollably.

There’s a brief pause as my boyfriend checks in, his tongue pulling away for a moment. “Doing okay?” he whispers.

“Yeah,” I gasp, “Don’t stop, I’m gonna get cold.”

He grins, more than happy to continue. He uses his free hand to briefly reach down to me and roll me over in his palm, so that I’m on my stomach instead of my back.

“C-Can I bring you in… inside?” he stutters.

I turn to look at him over my shoulder. “Inside your mouth?!”

He’s blushing fervently but nods. “Not completely, just to… surround your lower half a little more.”

I’m not sure how to feel about this, but I can’t say I’m not intrigued. “Okay… Just be careful not to swallow me or anything.”

Aiden kisses my back, helping me to relax back into his palm. “For the record,” he murmurs, “You’re not so small that that could happen by accident. I’ll go slow and you can stop me the second you’re uncomfortable. My goal here is to make you feel good, okay?”

His face is currently floating just above, so I turn my head again to make eye contact. I soak in the beautiful hazel of his irises, reminding myself of how deeply I love and have faith in my gigantic partner. I smile. And incline my head in agreement.

His tongue swoops back in. My nerves are mollified by the feeling of its weight sliding against my thighs again, snaking in between them so that he can maneuver the muscle underneath my legs. It prods and nudges and rubs against my entire crotch area, and I’m going right back into the throes of pleasure. Finally the tip of his tongue reaches my stomach, and he gets enough purchase against my body that I can feel myself starting to get dragged as he slowly pulls me into his mouth.

It’s probably a good thing that I’m on my stomach and looking in the opposite direction. I can only imagine how intimidating it would be to see the entrance of the cave I’m about to enter. Especially when some of his teeth are as big as my head. It’s… quite the trust exercise.

Once I’m halfway in and my ribs are resting just over his lower lip, the giant closes his mouth around me. He’s careful not to touch me with his teeth, but my legs are completely encased in the hot, humid space as I stare just past Aiden’s chin, at the fingers that are now encircling my torso, and also down and down and down the cliff that is the rest of his body. I watch his faraway hand disappear under the waistband of his shorts, just as I feel his tongue form its way over and around my body, completely enveloping my lower half.

This is absolutely wild.

His tongue slides against me effortlessly, and the entire package feels surprisingly fantastic. It’s reminiscent of a warm bath with water jets, like a very wet massage. At this point my own lubrication gets lost in the cave, but he has plenty to share. And I can feel the vibrations of his voice more than ever before, each small moan making me shiver. Aiden curls his tongue around my frame and I feel a sudden lift, a rolling motion, a pressure against my skin… as he starts sucking on me like a lollipop.

“Ohh,” I gasp with sudden realization of what’s happening. “Ohhhh…”

I grip the thumb that’s supporting me, my legs writhing feebly under the force of the suction. It feels like I’m getting swept up into some kind of piece of machinery, like a terrible accident waiting to happen, except the cogs aren’t actually crushing me, just coming dangerously close. It’s so intense that it’s almost painful, but the adrenaline heightens the pleasure beyond what I thought was possible. It’s so incredibly intimate to know that this insane sensation is being caused by something as mundane as my lover’s mouth.

God, I want… more.

To the surprise of us both, I start shoving against his hand, pushing myself deeper inside. Aiden flinches, as if slightly panicked that I was slipping in unintentionally, until he realizes what I’m doing and his fingers let go. I grab hold of his lower lip and press my face into it, my entire body fitting into the hot space as if I was one end of a spoon.

His tongue undulates and thankfully he’s using his lips to protect me from his teeth as my lower half is pushed into the roof of his mouth. He sucks and licks and massages every bit of me, until he finds a sweet spot with the edge of his tongue between my legs. I yelp as I feel individual taste buds against my clit, and he reacts to my sounds by thrusting, again, again, finding a rhythm that makes me breathless.

I grip his lip so tightly that I’m probably leaving a mark, and the orgasm hits me hard, making my body spasm as I cry out. I think Aiden’s right there with me, his voice echoing in the cavern at my back as his breath whooshes past me in a sigh. His tongue relaxes, and in the aftermath I’m suddenly rather anxious to get out of here, abruptly noticing the proximity of his enormous teeth. I wrench myself forward and his hand is ready to catch me, his tongue nudging me out as I collapse clumsily into his palm.

It feels good to see his face again. I vaguely catch on to the fact that he took off his shirt at some point, but I’m too busy looking him in the eyes as I lay there in his hand, covered in saliva and dizzy from the afterglow.

“You alright?” Aiden whispers with a hesitant smile, trying to catch his breath.

I’m struggling even more to catch mine. “That… was… intense…” I gasp, and with an overwhelmed laugh I add, “In a good way!”

My partner’s wasting no time in making sure I don’t start shivering now that I’m soaked. He brings up a tent-like blue cloth - oh, that’s where his shirt went - so that he can start wrapping me in it.

"You sure? It wasn’t too–” He stops himself short, freezing in place, just as he’s rolled me to the side to start maneuvering the fabric underneath my body. I glance up and he looks very alarmed as he stares at my torso. “Oh my god. Evie, I’m so sorry.”

I frown, confused, and look down at myself as I ask, “What? What’s wrong?”

“There’s… there’s bite marks… I didn’t think I bit down but I guess…” I twist a little further on myself and now I see it too - big red blotches right around my lower back.

“You didn’t,” I say quickly, “Don’t worry, Aiden, you didn’t hurt me. I think that was just from the sucking.” I giggle. “Like a giant hickey… Wow, that’s crazy. I don’t think it’s bad though, I’m sure it’ll fade quickly.”

He still looks very concerned, trying to both cover the rest of me up with the makeshift towel while gingerly running a thumb over the mark that he’d accidentally left. I gaze at him with a deep sigh, so endeared by the way he’s fretting over my wellbeing. I roll onto my back so that the mark is out of sight and take his thumb, hugging it against me as I snuggle into the loose fabric of his shirt.

“Relax, it doesn’t hurt. Don’t ruin my buzz, 'kay?” I murmur, “Because that seriously felt incredible. I want to do it again in the future.”

Aiden’s forlorn expression softens. “Really?”

“Yes! I completely get it now, I actually thought that was really hot. Maybe it’s not for every time, I love you touching me with your hands just as much. Less cleanup that way too.”

“Yeah, and I honestly kinda missed looking at you. But…” He lets out his own wistful sigh, leaning back against the couch as his shoulders relax. “I still really, really enjoyed that. You felt amazing in there, babe.”

I grin. “Variety is good! We’ve got more options now.”

It’s getting harder to hold my head up and I let it slump to the side, forehead resting against the pad of the thumb that I’m currently using as a teddy bear. The palm of his hand feels like a heated mattress, the heavy fabric of his shirt like a cozy blanket. I could lay here for hours, although I know this was meant to be a relatively short break.

“Mmkay, you can go back to work…” I say, slurring my words. “Could I just, like, chill in your pocket for a while? I want to stay close.”

My eyes have shut but I feel gentle air displacement on my face before huge, soft lips touch my cheek. “Cuddles first,” Aiden murmurs.

He readjusts himself to lay sideways on the couch, resting his hand with me in it on a cushion so that he can hold me within kissing distance as we relax for a bit. His nose nudges the back of my head, breathing me in and ruffling my hair on the exhale. When he speaks his voice is full of emotion.

“Thank you for being so open. You’re just making all my tiny dreams come true, one after another."

“Thank you for being my guide.” I open one eye to glance towards something far away and out of sight, my mind visiting the forbidden location between his legs. I don’t specifically call out what I’m thinking about as it feels like a conversation for a different time. But my response is genuine when I say, “I can’t wait to discover what all of those tiny dreams are.”

Chapter 65
Evie

“Happy birthday, Evie!”

I jump at the sound of Diego’s voice as he sails into the room with gusto. Thankfully I’ve gotten used to his sudden booms of activity and recover quickly. I realize he’s holding a platter with a gazebo-sized chocolate cake balanced on top.

I wasn’t expecting this. Star and Moira and I have been at the Ignacios’ dining table for the past couple of hours, deeply engrossed in some room escape board games, which I’m sure is going to become my newest obsession at this point. I didn’t want to do anything particularly special for my birthday - my partner and I have romantic dinner plans later, and I was content to just enjoy a bit of girl time otherwise. I didn’t even realize Diego had come back into the house, he and Aiden had been off somewhere.

Speak of the devil. Right as Diego strolls in from the kitchen, I realize my boyfriend is just behind him.

“Thank you!” I call up to them, feeling embarrassed by the attention but very touched all the same. Then I completely cover my face as a barely-subdued cacophony of a happy birthday song fills the air, with everyone quickly joining in. As self-conscious as I feel, I take a moment of gratitude in the darkness behind my fingers. I’m so thankful for my oversized friends.

I look up again as the four of them finish their singing, and I realize Aiden has crouched in front of the table to set something just ahead of me. It’s a miniature version of the chocolate cake with a tiny dollop of frosting on top - it’s still almost as big as I am, but far more suited to my size. Stuck into the center of the cupcake is a tiny candle. Actually, I think it’s a toothpick, but it’s been painted with festive stripes, and at the very top is a tiny bit of yellow cotton fluff. Even the smallest birthday candle would produce too much fire to be safe for me… but this setup lets me pretend.

And I step forward to do just that. The small chunk of cotton is light enough for me to blow it away, and as I meet Aiden’s eyes I can feel tears welling up in mine from how thoughtful the gesture is. He beams back at me, and as the others start gathering around to partake in the normal-sized version of the cake, he and I share a brief kiss right there on the table.

“I know what I’m going to spend all of my earnings on,” I tell him a short while later, pointing at the room escape game that’s still sprawled out.

“Evie’s really good at puzzles, apparently,” Star chimes in as she clears off the table to make room for plates.

“So are you!” I respond avidly, “We never would have figured out the spaceship layout without you.”

“Eh, I guess I’m better at seeing the bigger picture. You’re better at catching all the little details.”

“Spaceship layout?” Aiden asks with a raised eyebrow. “Okay, I’m interested.” His hands are busy as he helps me with my own plate. The mini cupcake is so big that it could keep me fed for a month, so even I need a smaller slice cut out.

I reach out with a thankful smile for my tiny portion as I say, “Good, because there’s a whole series of these games and I need to play all of them.”

We dig into the sweet treat and spend the next hour hanging out all together. The gathering is loud, it’s lively, it’s a little overwhelming at times. But it’s so much fun. We talk about a new show we’ve all started watching, and we make plans for the camping trip coming up in a few weeks. I compliment Diego on the kickass cake - I think cherry and chocolate might have just become my new favorite combo. I’ve had a little bit to drink and end up wandering around the table to make sure everyone gets a finger hug and is told how much I appreciate them. It’s edging into late afternoon once Aiden and I finally call it and decide to head for home.

I’m practically bouncing off the walls of the shirt pocket during the drive. “Thank you so much for that surprise!” I gush, "I’m still buzzing with energy.”

Aiden chuckles and tenderly says, “Pace yourself, babe. Don’t forget, we also have dinner tonight. I actually just got the text confirming our table at that Greek place. They still haven’t treated me weird about reserving a private room for one.”

“I can’t wait.” I throw myself against his chest, craning my neck back to look up at the side of his head. “Can we just cuddle in bed until then?”

“I’d like nothing more!"

He sounds a little more tired than I do, but his heart rate is still kinda high. I think he enjoyed the excitement too, and I feel warm with affection as I nuzzle into him and collapse into a seat.

“What were you and Diego up to?” I call up.

“We were back at the apartment, just getting some stuff ready.”

“Oh is that where he baked the cake?”

“No, he baked that last night.”

I frown and glance upward. “Then what…?”

“Patience, my love, patience.” He runs a finger against the outside of his pocket, as if to rub my back, but due to the plastic barrier it just creates soothing shifting sounds instead. I notice he’s barely suppressing a grin. I feel insanely curious about him being so cryptic. I had insisted on no expensive birthday gifts, but did he get me something anyway? For his sake, I decide not to pester him and let this play out.

By the time we get back to the apartment, though, I can’t take it anymore. I steal a glance over the edge of the pocket as the giant steps inside, my eyes aimed right for the kitchen counter to see if there might be some kind of new object wrapped in colorful paper. But even though the counter is empty, it only takes me another two seconds to realize what’s different.

I grow very still, my eyes widening in shock. “Oh my god. Aiden, what…” and I can’t get any more words out.

Tunnels. Along the walls, across the shelves, both nearby and in the distance, is a long series of clear plastic tunnels. My gaze traces their path, all around the room, and I notice some furniture has been rearranged, I think there’s a new shelf or two. I hardly have time to take a decent look before I’m distracted by massive fingers reaching for me. I’m still very preoccupied with the apartment as Aiden lifts me up and kisses me on the neck and cheek.

“You’re not getting out of cuddling in bed with me,” he murmurs, and then I descend again, elevatoring all the way down to the nearby counter, until the hand I’m in rests on its surface to gently slide me off. With a sly smile he adds, “I’ll meet you there.”

And I watch as he walks away from me. The vibrations of his footsteps grow fainter as he steps through the living room and his figure disappears into his bedroom.

The context of him leaving me alone like this is disorienting. I take a quick glance around my immediate vicinity, getting a lay of the land with fresh eyes. I’m on the kitchen counter right next to the front door, since upon entering the apartment the open kitchen area is to the immediate right. There’s a plastic tunnel opening nearby, and it’s taller than I am, more than enough clearance for me to walk through. I notice it’s going across the door as it lines the wall, staying up at counter height, and then continues deeper into the living room. I’m actually not sure how he opened the door to get into the apartment just now without crashing into this thing, but I’m diverted from that thought by a paper note that’s resting by the tunnel entrance. I hurry over to it to see familiar handwriting.

I’ve said it before, but it’s about time you had better access to your own home. Don’t worry, these weren’t expensive and they weren’t that hard to put up. Plus they’re super sturdy and safe - they can hold up to thirty pounds and you weigh a wee bit less than that.

Happy birthday, Evie. I love you so much. Now don’t keep me waiting!

This is when the tears start.

Fighting the building emotion in my chest, I turn now to the entrance of the tunnel. Despite trusting what the note said about these being secure, I’m still a little hesitant when I first step inside. Thankfully Aiden has lined the bottom with some black fabric so that I don’t see straight down to the floor, but I still get a clear view of my surroundings through the rest of the clear plastic. As I venture further inside and feel how rock solid this pathway is, my steps become more confident. I pass over a couple of seams in the plastic that I suppose must allow for the tunnel to come apart as the door opens, and I quickly make it to the corner of the wall. The tunnel bends to line the room, like a hiking path carved into a canyon.

I gaze out at the rest of the living room. I can’t believe I’m able to make my way across it on my own. Even now that I have access to the floor by the desk, I don’t usually venture out anywhere else in the apartment. I always rely on Aiden carrying me to other areas since everything’s so high up. But now I don’t have to. I think about some of the food staples that he keeps out on the kitchen counter. He refills my own supply of food and water all the time, but he doesn’t have to do that either, I can do it myself!

I quickly come across something else that’s new: a small floating shelf with what resembles a miniature picket fence lining the edge of it. The tunnel cuts off at the shelf and then continues again just past it, like an open balcony. I’m right below the hook where Aiden hangs his keys, and he’s put his wallet up on this shelf, leaning against the wall. I also notice a couple of me-sized things too - a dollhouse chair, the jacket I recently made for the fall, one of my two pairs of shoes. This is the perfect little getting-ready-to-go-out station. I can already imagine myself scurrying over here to get prepped while my boyfriend finishes something in the kitchen, or to greet him when he comes home from work.

After exploring this area, I head back into the tunnel to continue my way along the leftmost wall of the apartment. The desk where I live is at the far end of the living room, next to the window, but it looks like I have one more stop before I reach it.

I pass over the familiar squat bookshelf that has always been against this wall, where Aiden keeps his books and rock collection. But now there’s a new piece of furniture - a taller, narrower bookshelf that intersects my path. There’s a hole cut out in the side of it that lines up perfectly with the tunnel I’m in. I curiously pass through it and step out of the doorway, and I have to suppress a gasp as I look out at the miniature room.

This entire shelf is a new lounge space for me. There’s the couch-beanbag thing I’d made for myself, a table and chair, a lamp that I think was originally a little night light for children. There’s a phone I’ve never seen before - an older model by the looks of it, so thankfully he didn’t buy a brand new phone - sitting against the wall like a wide screen TV. There’s a bundle of trimmed pine needles in a little plastic container like a potted plant, giving off a subtle but refreshing scent. There are even some snacks wrapped in small scraps of foil to help keep them fresh - a single chocolate chip in one, a sliver of rice cake in another, a drop of peanut butter in a third.

There’s also what I quickly realize is a curtain that’s installed into the open side of the shelf. I experiment with this, dragging the curtain fully closed and turning on the night light. It’s so cozy in here now, and surprisingly quiet. I’ve gotten pretty used to wide open spaces at this point, but it still feels so good to not have to be surrounded by so much empty air.

In one corner of the shelf-room there’s a hole in the floor. I peer down into it and there’s a ladder leading down to the next shelf. From up here I can see another hole past that and another ladder, and so on. It looks like I have access to this entire bookcase. I glimpse the edges of my paints on one shelf, my packing supplies further down, and then it all clicks in my mind. This is my new office building.

“Oh wow, Aiden…” I whisper, fighting again the urge to break down into tears again, though they well up anyway and I have to wipe one stray drop off my face.

I’m itching to explore the whole bookshelf and figure out what should go where, but I know that should be for another day. I soon rip myself away and head back into the tunnel that continues its way around the apartment. It’s a short trip along the next corner, and soon I’m stepping out onto my familiar living space on top of the desk. But there are a few clear changes now.

My toilet closet, clothing shelves, mini fridge, phone and random bits of entertainment are all just as I’d left them. But there’s a new couch now, the base clearly bought from a toy store but the cushions lovingly hand sewn by my boyfriend. My treasured purple geode is still there in the background, the usual basil plant is recently pruned, my stuffed toy lion has been dusted and cleaned. I don’t even notice that my bed’s missing, I’m so inspired by the fresh feel of my space. Now that all of my business stuff has been moved, I can separate my work and my leisure time and just relax here on the desk. But that’s not even the best part.

“No no no no no,” I breathe through choked sobs as I walk over to the plastic box that contains my bathtub. It’s always just been a plain white box, but there’s something new on its outer wall that now lines the space of my new living quarters.

I immediately recognize Moira’s art style. Tiny tableaus of beautiful fantasy landscapes are artfully arranged on the wall. No wonder she’s been talking a lot about home decor recently and asking for my opinion, this is the perfect whimsical aesthetic I’ve been pining after. A couple of the paintings I know are from Star, since we had that one artsy hangout and I know how obsessed she is with doodling flowers. The goofy mushrooms in all sorts of bright colors are surely from Diego’s hand. I even think one of these might be Camila’s watercoloring. And I’ve played enough pictionary with Aiden to recognize those acorns with smiley faces.

This is what breaks me, and the crying starts in earnest. It must have been so difficult for my friends to make art on such tiny pieces of paper, most of them smaller than postage stamps. Not to mention the simple fact that they all came together for me like this… And I now have a beautiful mural to look at every day to remind me of the people I care about. I don’t deserve them. My body’s racked with sobs as I focus on each individual art piece in turn, and I’m thankful that Aiden’s left me on my own to savor this without an audience. My emotions are probably heightened by the alcohol I had earlier, but the love I have for these people is so genuine all the same.

It takes me a little while to pull myself together again and traverse to the other side of the desk, where I see another plastic tunnel entrance. This one lines the opposite back corner of the living room and then passes right over the top of the couch. In fact, there’s a hole in the plastic here, an open door that gives me access to the couch backing and tops of the cushions. There’s a rope ladder draped over the edge of the fabric cliff that would allow me to get to the armrest, to the seat, and even to the floor. I now imagine Aiden sitting here, working on his laptop, and I can sneak right up to kiss his neck.

The tunnel continues, along and past the couch. I know that on the other side of the wall I’m lining is the bedroom. I still haven’t fully stopped crying, and I quicken my pace in anticipation. The tunnel makes a U-turn once it reaches the edge of the wall, going straight through the open doorway of my boyfriend’s room. And there he is, the first thing that I notice, sprawled out on his bed as he casually reads a book. But then immediately after I realize that the entire room has been rearranged. His bed is now on the other side, up against the wall that the living room shares. The tunnel I’m in slopes downward, and it’s leading to its final destination: Aiden’s nightstand. Where he’s already set up my own bed.

I’m several steps closer when my movements catch his attention. Our view of each other is slightly warped by the transparent plastic that I’m encased in, but we’re still able to smile at each other. He turns in my direction as I move towards him, and I’m thankful for the fabric floor that keeps me from slipping and sliding down the tunnel. We’re able to make better eye contact once I’m closer, and he lifts his head off his pillow, frowning with concern as he sees how red my eyes are.

“You okay?” he asks quietly.

Words aren’t an option right now, so I just silently and fervently nod, hurrying towards him and motioning for him to put his head back down. I think he can tell that I’m the good kind of emotional right now since he does indeed lay his head back on the pillow, but he continues to fret as I run out onto the nightstand.

“We can rearrange stuff however you like, I want you to get a say in how it’s all set up–”

I leap onto his pillow and practically crash into his face in a hug. “I love it,” I sob, shoulders shaking as the tears just won’t stop. I press my forehead against the space between his eyes, struggling to breathe as I cry. “Aiden, I l-love you, s-so much…”

His hand reaches my back to gently cover my frame and hug me against him. I revel in how close his voice is as he softly says, “I’m glad you like it. I’ve been kinda nervous about it for weeks, but I was excited with how it came together today.”

“I t-totally didn’t s-see it coming…” I whimper, sniffling. “Good job.”

Before we get into a serious snuggle session on the bed, he gives me a slightly tighter squeeze and whispers, “Welcome home, honey."

Chapter 66
Aiden

I manage to wake up silently today. As soon as my eyes blink open to the morning sunlight bathing the nearby wall, I’m ultra aware of what’s sitting very close to the back of my head. The simple knowledge of it makes me smile, and I decide on a little mission. As stealthily as I can, I slowly flip over, doing my very best not to make a sound against the bedsheets and pillow. And although it takes me a solid minute to simply rotate, I have a nice little reward waiting for me at the end. There she is on the nightstand, quietly snoozing away.

Still moving ever so carefully, I lift my head so that I can prop it up with my hand and smile down at my tiny girlfriend by my side. I got used to glancing at my mini crane origami every morning - which is still there - but this is admittedly way better. And it’s so rare that I’m the one who wakes up first. Evie keeps assuring me that I’m not a loud sleeper, and thank goodness for that, since there’s no way I’d subject her to spending the night in here if I snored or thrashed around. Still, I know that just shifting my head to the side is probably enough noise to rouse her come morning, because even if she’s still in bed when I wake up, her eyes are almost always open.

It’s such a treat now to see her looking so peaceful. Aww, apparently she smiles in her sleep. And she’s also apparently more active than I am - her blanket has been half shoved off her body and she’s got an arm flung off to one side while her hair’s fanned out to the other. I lean in a little bit to make out how her miniscule fingers occasionally twitch. So tiny. So cute. I feel a powerful desire to hold her close. But that would defeat the purpose of trying not to wake her up.

Alright, stop being a creep, I finally tell myself.

I’ve still got well over an hour before I need to get ready for class, so I can just chill in bed for a while. I carefully retrieve my phone that’s in an open space in my nightstand, just under Evie’s bed. I reflexively grab a breath mint that’s there too - I’ve become a little obsessed over the past half a year in making sure I’m clean at all times. I know I can already be overwhelming enough to be around without also making her deal with morning breath.

A few minutes later, I hear the slightest sound, a tiny inhalation, and I glance up from my phone to watch my partner stir. She stretches her arms past her head and her eyes blink open before she turns her face my way and smiles.

“Good morning,” she says, her voice tight from her stretching.

“Morning,” I respond. I set my phone down and add, “Sleep okay?”

“Uh huh… Better than usual, I think. You didn’t wake me up at all.”

I chuckle, “Good! I’ve been feeling kinda proud of myself, for once I’m up first.”

Evie sits up in her bed to do a deeper stretch into a forward fold, and then she pushes the rest of her blanket away. She slides off her mattress to quickly make her way to mine, and I lay my head back down so that we can share a kiss. She lingers, sleepily leaning her cheek against my upper lip as she yawns.

“I’ll go get breakfast started,” she says.

Her position slumped over my mouth makes it harder for me to talk, but I manage to quietly murmur, “Noooo, not yet.”

I set up the tunnels and ladders in the apartment about two weeks ago now, but Evie’s still very excited about her newfound independence. She’s been getting into the habit of heading to the kitchen on her own first thing in the mornings and doing as much meal prep as she’s able. Yesterday she used a small plastic knife to make the beginnings of a peanut butter and banana sandwich. She’d managed to gather the bread and peel, cut and arrange the banana all on her own. She did end up needing me to open the jar of peanut butter, but I’ve been impressed with her resourcefulness all the same.

This morning I’m feeling particularly clingy, though. I don’t want her to go.

“You don’t have to get up,” she tells me, completely missing the point. “Take your time, I’ll at least go put bread in the toaster today.”

She gets back to her feet and starts walking away, but she doesn’t even reach the end of my mattress before I gently grab her leg. “Nope,” I say as she yelps and loses her balance. I start dragging her back towards me with a grin. “You’re not going anywhere.”

She giggles and manages to writhe out of my grip before sliding right underneath my pillow to hide. I push myself up, laughing as I uncover her again and whine, “Let me love you!”

Playful shenanigans aside, Evie is ultimately completely amenable to spending a little longer in bed. After dealing with some more overenthusiastic kissing from me, she makes her way to the collar of my shirt and tucks herself inside with her head sticking out. I hold her against my chest as we relax and she tells me about the dream she was having. The warmth of her body against mine is so comforting. Ugh, do I really have to go to class?

“Two more weeks,” I murmur after a lull in the conversation, and I smile as I feel her reaction under my fingers. She always perks up enthusiastically whenever I refer to our upcoming cabin trip.

“Less than that!” she chirps. “Closer to a week and a half. And there’s supposed to be a cold front hitting that area so it’ll be nice fall weather too!”

“Yeah, it’ll be perfect for campfires that way. How have the cold weather clothes been coming along?”

“I finished crocheting two scarves, and I’ve got a bunch of socks now. I’m almost done with the warmer pants too. I’ve been procrastinating on the coat, though… I really need to get it done.”

“Anything I can help with?”

“Umm, I’ve been meaning to add a hood to it so… I might have some stuff for you to cut out when you get home?”

“Mmkay. No problem.”

“Hey babe?”

“Hmm?”

“I really am starting to get hungry.”

With an amused exhale I finally relent and release her from my loose grip. “Okay, fiiiine…”

Evie wriggles out of my shirt and turns back to look at me when she reaches the night stand. “Seriously, take your time!” she says, putting a hand out to encourage me to stay prone.

“Yeah, I might be lazy and stay here while I answer some emails,” I mutter, reaching for my phone again.

“Leave it to me! I can just bring your breakfast to bed.”

I laugh and joke along, “In that case, I’ll have eggs benedict. Make sure they’re poached just right.”

“Right away, sir.” I beam at the glint in those beautiful brown doe eyes of hers and then watch her turn and scurry away down the tunnel. Off she goes.

I procrastinate on my phone for a while before going through a few of the emails like I’d planned. Subconsciously I’m keeping an ear out for any worrisome sounds coming from the kitchen, but for the most part I’m able to trust that Evie’s doing just fine over there. Eventually I notice that a good half hour has passed, and I decide I should finally roll out of bed and make sure she was able to find something to eat.

As I sit up, my eyes fall onto the plastic tunnel on the wall, originally meant for ferrets but perfect for shrunken women too. I’m pretty proud of the setup. I’ve always felt content with carrying my girl to wherever she needs to go, but I’ve been surprised by just how much of a joy it’s been to have her come to me sometimes. We’ve haven’t had this new setup for all that long yet, but it’s already done wonders for her confidence and overall mood.

There are still a few kinks to figure out, though. Lately Evie’s been lamenting the fact that she only has one toilet, which she wanted to keep in the more central location on the desk. It’s a bit of a hike for her to get there from the kitchen or from my room, so her current plan is to have makeshift chamber pots around for emergencies, but her engineering brain has already started trying to figure out the mechanisms of the metal contraption that was in Dr. Little’s old briefcase. Maybe we’ll be able to replicate it at some point. She’d also like to replace the ladders leading to the floor - particularly the ones in the kitchen and at her work shelf. She’s convinced that she can come up with a pulley system to create miniature elevators, and I totally believe she could do it.

I’m smiling as I get up to leave my bedroom, daydreaming about the future. Having a tiny roommate with tiny furnishings is fun. I feel like I could live like this forever. How cool would it be, assuming I’m graduated and have a stable job, for us to buy a house, maybe even build it custom, with Evie’s situation in mind. If we owned the place we could actually do things like cut holes in the walls for her tunnels to pass through, or alter the electronics and water lines for her to be able to use them as well. We could build a sheltered little outdoor area, almost like an aviary, so that she could safely enjoy some fresh air whenever she wanted. Maybe we could even get her some kind of vehicle to get around faster–

A tiny voice suddenly reaches my ears in a shrill scream, “Aiden, AIDEN!”

I was in the middle of walking out into the living room, but as soon as I realize the direction the voice is coming from, I snap to my senses. I almost fall over as I jerk backwards and lift one leg up high. I have to reach a hand out to the nearby wall to steady myself, heart racing as I look down. Evie’s on the floor. Oh my god. I hadn’t noticed since I was passing through a doorway. I nearly just stepped on her. Holy fuck.

She was in the middle of launching herself backwards and away from my incoming foot, so she’s fallen over, eyes wide with panic. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her look at me in terror like this. For a second I’m completely frozen in place, horrified, caught between the desires to either get her off the ground or drop down to her level. But seeing how scared she looks right now, my better judgment tells me that the last thing she needs is me hurtling towards her in any capacity. I take a couple of shaky steps backwards, giving her some space, before kneeling down on the floor.

“You’re okay,” I whisper in an attempt to reassure her, “Everything’s fine… Fuck. I’m sorry."

I watch Evie trying to get a hold of herself, and she manages to take a couple of deep breaths as she sits up straighter. “N-no, I’m s-sorry… I shouldn’t have come down h-here without w-warning you, that was stupid…”

Now that I’m able to evaluate the situation a bit more clearly, I’m thinking things through in the back of my mind. From my trajectory, I don’t think I was actually going to land on her, maybe just kick her aside at worst. Plus, if I’d felt the slightest thing against my skin I’m sure I would have been able to stop myself before putting my weight down. I desperately want to believe that I didn’t just almost kill my girlfriend by accident.

I’m trying to meet her gaze as I barely manage to keep my anxiety in check. God, I hate how freaked out she looks in my regard. She keeps dropping her head for a second, as if wanting to put her face in her hands while she struggles to catch her breath, but then quickly looks back towards me, clearly afraid to take her eyes away. I hate that, I hate feeling like this menacing monster. But I don’t blame her for being on high alert right now. It’s hard to imagine what she just went through…

I need to focus. Does she need more space or less space right now?

Before I can ask the question out loud, Evie answers me. I’m far enough away that this is hard to make out, but I think she’s got tears welling up in her eyes, and her bottom lip is quivering. She reaches her arms out to me, and I immediately lower onto my elbows and then lay down beside her. We silently embrace, her slender body fitting in the space where my nose meets my cheek. She’s still a bit shaky but she’s fully leaning into me, and we breathe out in tandem. I’m relieved to feel her muscles begin to unclench now that we’ve made contact. I’m glad I can still bring her comfort despite what just happened.

After a solid minute of us calming back down in silence, she lets out a tremulous breath. “I think you would have missed,” she says with forced confidence, echoing my own sentiments from earlier.

“I think so too,” I agree. “Still… that was scary.”

“I don’t have to come down here anymore. I just spilled some oats on the floor, so I wanted to go down and gather them up… and then I thought it’d be easier to go straight to your room to come see you, but… but I can stay up on the counters from now on.”

I wage a battle within myself. My paranoia around her wellbeing is agreeing wholeheartedly to never risk anything like this again. But at the same time, I don’t want to see that confidence of hers slip away as she loses bits of her independence once more. Her safety is absolutely crucial, but her freedom is important too. Maybe there’s another way.

“I mean, I’ll leave that up to you,” I say evenly, “but… um… If you were to go down then, yeah, a warning would be good? Just so I can be extra vigilant. And maybe try to stick close to the walls? But I feel like I’d normally notice you easily, it’s just because I was turning a corner… I think this was really bad luck.”

“Yeah… Yeah, okay.” Evie buries her face into my cheek, sighing audibly. “We’ll figure it out. We always do.”

It’s hard to feel completely reassured right now, the aftermath is too raw. She’s right, I’m sure we’ll be fine, but… this was quite the sobering reminder that we do indeed have a couple more things to still figure out.

Chapter 68
Evie

I shiver and twist deeper into the covers as I come to consciousness this morning. The air feels even chillier in the early hours, but it just makes my bed feel all the more cozy. I slept pretty great, actually. As much as I’ve gotten used to the sounds of people and cars passing by outside back home, the relative quiet of the forest that surrounds us is lovely. I peek my eyes over the blanket to look towards Aiden, who’s turned in my direction but still fast asleep. The very tip of his nose is pinker than normal with the cold. I wish I could tuck him in a little better. But even if I was strong enough to drag his blankets, I’m too comfortable to move right now.

Soon I hear a slight floor creaking coming from outside of our room. I lift my head up to listen, and sure enough, there’s a very light tap on the door a second later.

Alright, alright… Comfort be damned, Moira and I made plans for this morning. I force myself out of bed, rushing to throw on some warmer outerwear, and then I quickly make my way down the ladder that’s hanging from the nightstand. I pause to look up at the bed, looming so high that I can’t see past the edge of it. I blow my sleeping boyfriend a kiss before I turn and hurry away.

The gap under the door is big enough for me to slide under, and the first thing I see are a pair of feet clad in fuzzy purple socks. My friend is crouched there, anticipating my arrival, and she already looks so put together with her yoga pants, a light coat of makeup, and a cute, casual side braid. And here I thought I was an early bird.

“Good morning,” she whispers, immediately offering me her hand.

“Morning,” I respond sleepily, and once I clear the door I don’t even bother standing up before I crawl aboard. It takes a great amount of effort to keep myself from curling up in the warmth of her palm and refusing to budge.

A quick stop by the kitchen for a drink of water is enough to rouse me to attention, and then once we head out to the back deck, the fresh air does the rest of the job. Looks like Moira’s already rolled out her yoga mat, and she has a hand towel laid out on a nearby bench for me. I thank her profusely for the setup as she sets me down.

“You said you’ve done yoga before, yeah?" she asks once she’s stepped onto her own mat.

“Um, I’ve followed a couple of videos before, but I’ve never done a class. Please guide me," I call out to her.

“Okay, sure! Let’s do some sun salutations to get us going? We’ll start with tadasana, mountain pose. Stand like this, arms to the side… There you go.”

I quickly realize that I need to stretch more. I was diligent about doing the leg extensions that Diego sent me after my injury, but I’ve been slacking lately and I can really feel it as I struggle to hit some of these yoga poses. I’m more in shape now compared to before I got shrunk since I have to travel further distances and do a lot of climbing, but I don’t take nearly as much time as I should to stay limber. Actually, I should ask Moira to do this with me more often. It’s fun to do it together, she’s a good teacher. Even if she needs to go out of her way and come quite close to me to help correct my positions from time to time.

By the time we finish up half an hour later, I’ve started to sweat and have abandoned my jacket, but I feel refreshed. We’re noticing bits of commotion coming from inside the cabin as everyone else slowly wakes up. Aiden’s face had briefly appeared in the window halfway through our practice, smiling once he’d confirmed where I was before leaving us be. Soon enough the scent of coffee trickles out of open windows.

The back door opens, and with a pronounced yawn Star shuffles out onto the deck as well. Her dark hair is up in a messy bun so that only the one strand of blue is hanging down by her face. She’s holding two bowls in her hands as she trudges our way and says, “Hellooo ladies. Anybody want oatmeal?"

There’s a patch of sunlight that’s landed on the patio accent table, giving us a spot to have breakfast outdoors. I fill my senses with the apple and cinnamon, savoring the taste of fall. Thankfully I carry a few basic tools and utensils in my jacket pockets, so I’m able to dig right into the spoonful of oatmeal that I’m offered.

“Is everyone else up too?” I ask between bites.

“Yeah. Camila’s still upstairs getting ready," Star says with a sleepy smile. “I think I’ll be staying with her while you guys go on that hike, I just want to relax. The boys are prepping food for the day in the kitchen.”

Moira ponders for a moment and then suggests, “Well, I don’t think we were planning to leave until 9 or 10… Would you guys want to do a bit of that spa stuff beforehand since we didn’t end up doing it last night? We can have some quality girl time?"

Star perks up at this. “Yeah, totally, if you guys have time! I’m sure Camila would love that too."

I briefly hesitate, imagining the four of us hanging out and putting on face masks. That does sound nice and relaxing. And Camila’s been pretty chill so far, which is encouraging. So quickly I chime in, “Sure, why not!”

We finish our breakfast while marveling at how beautiful the nearby tree line looks at this hour. Star is apparently extra touchy when she’s sleepy, frequently putting a hand on Moira’s arm or rubbing my head with a finger as we chat. But I’m endeared by it. I honestly still haven’t quite figured out why I don’t find Star to ever be patronizing. No matter how honey-sweet of a tone she employs, or how much she fawns over how cute she finds me, or how she gently pets me without expressed permission, it never feels disrespectful. It feels like she would treat any of her loved ones this way, and I’m all for it.

She’s the one who offers to carry me back inside, cupping her fingers around my frame to protect me from the odd breeze. We go by the kitchen to drop off the dishes and let the guys know what we’ll be up to before the hike. They’ve got an array of bread slices spread out on the counter, in the middle of making way too many sandwiches.

“What do you want in yours?” Diego asks as he points at me in his wife’s hand.

“I’m fine with whatever,” I call back, “I’ll have some of Aiden’s.”

“Pshhh, c’mon. Not even half a sandwich?” he mocks with a grin, slapping a spoonful of mustard onto the sourdough. “Weak.”

I roll my eyes with a sigh, but I’m laughing. I’m also not sure why it’s never bothered me all that much that Diego has poked fun at my size from the moment I met him. I’ve found it refreshing that he doesn’t overthink how he needs to treat me. Again, it feels like he acts this way with all of his friends, and it’s how he helps make me feel like I’m truly part of the group.

We update the men on our spa plans, and they’re amenable to splitting up by gender for the next hour - I’m sure they’ll be happy to sneak in a couple of games of Magic before we head out. I can see the intent look in Aiden’s gaze when our eyes meet and we silently check in with each other. I smile widely to let him know I’m doing just fine.

We gather in the main bedroom downstairs, where Camila quickly joins us, wearing fancy loungewear and fluffy red earmuffs. She seems quite enthusiastic about the face masks, and we all pile onto the bed, with me finding a spot on one of the pillows to spread out some tissue paper to sit on.

Once we’ve done some exfoliating and moisturizing, Star offers to cut my hair, since apparently she does it for her nieces all the time. I’m initially wary when I see the blade, despite the rounded tips on the small scissors that she has. But ultimately I agree when I remember what Diego had said about how Star has stitched up a hamster’s leg before. I trust that she’s capable and will be very careful.

“Have you cut it since you’ve gotten tiny?” she asks me, draping my long brown locks over the side of her index finger.

“Nope. It’s actually been driving me a little crazy lately,” I say, closing my eyes to try to block out the thought of scissors coming so close. I hear Moira murmuring something to Camila about how they need to hold still and not shake the bed.

“Hmm, maybe the split ends are just too small for me to make out, your hair feels so silky… Okay, this’ll be real quick.”

I hold my breath and everyone goes strangely silent. I feel a slight tug, hear the sound of quick snips, and it’s all over in less than a minute. I look behind me as Star carefully tries to brush some of the loose hairs off of my back. I take one hanging strand to examine it, feeling immensely satisfied at the fresh feel of it now that it only comes down to my chest instead of nearing my waist.

"There, I tried not to make it too short,” Star says, smoothing out my hair affectionately. I turn around to smile up at her gratefully and she coos, “You are so precious, Evie. Like a little doll.”

The other two girls relax now that there are no more sharp blades in my vicinity. “That looks great! You even got some layering in there,” Moira marvels.

Camila leans in a little closer. “Yeah, you do look like a little doll,” she comments. I feel a bit guilty for thinking this, but I can’t help feeling that those words sounded better coming out of Star’s mouth. Still, she’s trying, and I respond with a warm smile.

“Thank you so much for this, Star,” I say, giving my friend’s nearby finger a tight hug.

“Anytime!” she giggles, “I’d love to be your new hairdresser. I’m sure I’ll get better at it over time.”

I thank her a couple more times before relaxing the embrace, finally letting go at the sound of a ziploc bag opening.

“Oh good, I’ve been meaning to change up my nails for the fall,” says Camila as she also notices Moira reaching into her bag of nail polish.

Mo is in the middle of holding up one of the bottles when she pauses. “Shoot. Evie, I didn’t think about this… Are the fumes a bad idea?” She bites her lip with concern, and the other two turn their heads towards me.

I squirm and shake my head, feeling suddenly embarrassed under their stares. “Oh, um, I’m sure it’s fine. I just won’t get too close. It’s not like I can use the brushes on myself, and uh… here!” I reach over to a nearby scrap of tissue that I’d been using to wash my face with earlier, and I tear off a strip before tying it around my face to cover my nose and mouth. “Ta-da! Don’t worry, it’s not like I do this every day.”

“Let me at least go open a window to air out the room,” Moira offers and gets up to do just that.

The girls start painting their fingernails, and while I’m feeling a little wistful that I can’t join in due to my own nails being the size of poppy seeds, I still feel included when they ask me for my opinion in color choices. But while Camila and Moira seem very accustomed to this activity, Star is struggling.

“Ahh, I’m so bad at this,” she laments, trying to scrub the dot of polish that she got onto the skin of her thumb.

“Can I help?” I pipe up, sliding off the pillow to head towards her. She’s sitting cross-legged on the bed, so she has to lower her hand down towards me for me to reach it.

“You sure?” she asks tentatively. “I thought you weren’t going to get too close.”

The smell of the polish is pretty strong, but not nauseatingly so. “It’s really not too bad. I’d love to give you a hand! It makes me happy if I can return the haircut favor in any way.”

“Alright then… thanks!”

I extract a couple of the tools from my jacket pocket since some of them are for painting minis, and they really come in handy now. I use a small splinter to scrape errant nail polish off, and then I eventually end up helping her paint an orange leaf on her ring finger.

“Wow, that looks really good!”

I’m shocked to look up and see that it’s Camila who has praised me so avidly on my detail work. I hope I don’t look too surprised as I beam up at her.

“Thank you! I can try to help if anyone else wants some kind of design.”

Star pauses in blowing at her fingernails to giggle, “You say that now until we switch to pedicures.”

I grin and wave my hand to push her concern aside. “I really don’t mind!”

“No, no, I was kidding, I’m not going to make you deal with my dirty–”

I gasp as just then we’re interrupted. Out of nowhere, Camila has just extended her foot from her seat, plopping it down right in front of me. I lose my balance from the impact and land on my butt, every muscle tense as I try to make sense of what’s happening. Her bare foot is as large as a tank, imposing all on its own, her heavy toes having landed much too close for comfort. The rest of her leg is like a hulking tower, and looming far above is her smiling face.

No, it’s… it’s more of a smirk. It’s incredibly apparent to me in this split second. She’s getting a kick out of seeing me down at her feet like this. Our eyes meet and the message she sends me is as clear as if she’d spoken out loud. It sends a shiver down my spine.

“Ewww, Camila, what are you doing??” Star yelps, and just as quickly as it appeared, the foot is shoved away again, the bedsheets buckling back and jostling me again.

“She was offering!” Camila laughs, casually folding her leg back.

“She was just being nice, you weirdo!”

Moira gently approaches me as Star berates her cousin-in-law. She gets my attention by showing me the nail design on one of her fingers, quietly pretending to need help straightening out a line. She uses the opportunity to pick me up, pushing the side of her hand into the mattress to slide her palm under me. I quickly snap out of it and cooperate, regaining my smile as fast as I can. But I’m still reeling from what just happened, reliving it in the back of my mind.

Everyone I’ve met since I’ve shrunk has treated me a little differently. Some of them specifically make reference to my height while others avoid it. Some of them are more liberal in touching me while others are more mindful about my personal space. Some of them try to help me out directly while others help me help myself. But outside of Dr. Little they’ve all been kind. They all treat me as an equal.

Camila clearly does not share that sentiment. I could practically hear her voice in my head as she sat there and savored the sight of me all the way down at her toes like a servant. The look in her eyes very clearly told me, “Oh, you think you’re one of us? That’s cute.”

I feel sick. I’ve been spoiled by so many months of living with Aiden and being surrounded by supportive friends. I have no idea how to deal with this. Desperately I fight back tears, only barely managing to.

Soon we’re able to just laugh the moment off as a silly little joke. I really don’t want the others to know how unnerved I feel after that. I don’t even want to acknowledge it to myself. All I want is to have a good time on this trip. But deep down I know that whatever benefit of the doubt I had been offering Camila up until now, whatever naive hope I had that she and I could get along as casual friends… all of it has vanished in an instant.

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.”

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.

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.