A Match Beyond Measure Pt 5

A Match Beyond Measure Pt 5

“Can I get you another burger?” she asked. 

Cecilia shook her head, “T-that’s alright. I think I’ll just get some d-dessert if that’s ok?”   

Their waitress nodded, “Sure, what’ll you have?” 

“Oh uh… I’m sorry, I didn’t get a good look at the menu” more like she hadn’t been given one at all that she could read. 

“Oh, I’d recommend their cookies and cream pie, it's amazing” chimed in Garret.   

That sounded a lot more filling than what she had planned on, but how rude would it be for her to not take his suggestion, “Uh sure, I’ll have that.”  

“Great, all get that out for you in just a little bit.” flashing both of them a charming smile, she turned on her heel and pranced back on over to the back. Now it was just the two of them…. Alone…. With each other….again.  

After several long minutes of silence, Garret finally cleared his throat “Hey uh…. I’m real sorry about that whole ketchup ordeal, and for ruining your meal.” 

“Oh, it’s alright” she smiled up at him, fidgeting with the end of her skirt which still smelled and had a rather large stain, “You’re fine.” 

Garret nodded halfheartedly, looking from her to his plate of food, “Would you be ok if I go ahead and start? I’m cool with holding off if you want to wait until your food comes out.” 

Cecilia waved him off, “Oh no, go ahead.”  

He grinned down at her before turning all his attention to his plate. She flinched ever so slightly when his hand came forward and wrapped itself around the massive burger and lifted it off the plate with ease, only bringing up his second to stop the toppings from slipping out. She watched as he dipped it into the puddle of ketchup and smiled to herself, seems like she wasn’t the only weirdo who liked to dip their burgers.  

Then, he raised it up and opened his mouth, and all the color drained from Cecilia’s face. For a moment, she got a clear view of the cavernous maw, lined with pearly white teeth bigger than her own head. Before she got the chance to look away, she watched as those massive teeth came crashing down, sinking into the pounds of bread, meat, and vegetables before ripping off a chunk twice her size.   

Cecilia quickly looked away before she had to watch it disappear past his lips, though that was of little use because a second later, she began to hear him begin to chew. A shiver ran down her spine, being able to hear nothing else other than the amplified sound of all that food being pulverized into mush. It was so loud, it felt as if she was right next to his- 

No! No, don’t go there. Everything is fine, you’re fine. She had no choice but to continue to listen, her stomach churning more and more violently. Her hands gripped the edge of her table so hard her knuckles began to turn white. As she squeezed her eyes shut, her imagination got the best of her and started bombarding her with images: the burger being replaced with her, his teeth morphing into fangs, the sounds of chewing being accompanied by the sound of bones being- 

Stop! Stop it! But it wouldn’t stop, even when the chewing ceased, the images kept coming, and with it the feeling that something was wrong. Like she was a rabbit, being cornered by a wolf. Like she was in danger. Like she had to get out of here! 

She abruptly stood up, clasping her hands over her ears. Garret glanced over at her, making her tense, “Everything alright?” his voice seemed louder than ever. 

Without a second thought, she ran. Ran towards the stairs leading up to the platforms.  

“Hey wait!” but she kept on running, turning right and booking it along the perimeter of the restaurant. She set her sights on the back and a minute later, she was stumbling down the stairs that ended right in front of the human bathrooms.  

She burst through the door to the womens, quickly slamming her back against the door and holding it shut as if to stop someone from breaking it down. Her chest was heaving, breathes coming out in short and shallow bursts, her heart pounding from both running and her nerves.  

Screwing her eyes shut, she gasped for ear, forcing herself to take it in and let it out slowly. She began sliding down to the floor, landing in a disheveled heap, her hands coming up to cradle her head. 

Why had she agreed to this? Why had she gone in knowing this might happen?! Why did this have to happen?! Why did she have to act like this?! Why?! Why?! Why?! 

Cecilia let out a disgruntled gasp when she felt the door behind her budge and bump into her. 

“Ah, what the hell? Hello?” called an annoyed voice. Cecilia quickly crawled away from the door before it swung open, revealing a human woman, dressed in a waitress’s uniform. She started when her eyes fell upon the mess of a girl on the floor, “Oh, shit. Uh, is everything alright ms?”  

Cecilia couldn’t manage anything other than a shake of the head. 

“Is there uh…. Anything I can do to help?” 

Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. She quickly got to her feet and began to dig in her pocket, pulling out her wallet. 

“How much is your guy’s cheeseburger and cookies and cream pie?” 

The waitress looked startled and confused, “Uh….. together I think about forty bucks?” 

She pulled out six ten-dollar bills and held it out to the woman, “There is a table with a….. Larger gentlemen that ordered those, could you please give this to his waitress? You two can split the change.” 

The waitress stared at her for a moment before tentatively taking the money from her, “Sure” she replied slowly, “Is everything alright? Did something-” 

“Is there another exit?” 

“Uh yeah, just take a right when leaving the bathrooms and it should be right there, but seriously, do I need to call someone?” 

Cecilia quickly shook her head, “No no, it’s fine. Thank you. Thank you so much.” She began making her way over to the door, thanking the waitress over and over until she slipped out. 

Spotting the exit the woman had mentioned, she turned and began to scurry towards it. The door opened up into an alleyway. Cecilia hurried her way back over to the front of the building and after a few minutes of awkwardly jogging, she was unchaining and mounting her bike.  

With one final look at the restaurant, she sighed and pedaled off. 

A Match Beyond Measure Pt 8

“You ready?” though her brain screamed no, she slowly nodded, “Okay, here we go.” 

Suddenly, Cecilia was being slammed down against Garret’s palm as it began to move upwards. He was moving at such an alarming speed, her stomach seemingly had been abandoned on the ground. She couldn’t move, sheer G force from his movements keeping her down. Her fingers frantically dug into the flesh beneath her for something, anything to hold onto. She squeezed her eyes shut to avoid watching as the sky grew closer and closer.  

Then, as soon as it had started, it had stopped. Cecilia’s heart pounded against her ribcage as she laid there, eyes still scrunched shut. 

“You okay?” she flinched at Garret’s voice, louder than ever. Slowly, she blinked open her eyes, immediately being met with his massive face looking down at her. Unable to speak, she forcibly nodded her head, “you sure?” 

“T-t-t-too….. Too f-fast” was all she could manage.   

Garret gave her a guilty look, “Slower, got it.” His eyes darted away for a second, as if he was pondering something or maybe to give her whatever space he could to process.

Cecilia, still splayed out on his palm, was still reeling from practically being launched over a hundred feet up. Trembling from head to toe, she heaved herself up until she was sitting upright. She closed her eyes, forcing her breathing to slow. It's okay, it’s okay, you’re fine. 

Opening her eyes, she turned back to look to see Garret’s attention was back solely on her, “Do you mind if….. This is gonna sound weird, but can I move closer? I…. I kinda want to see you… you know, up close.”   

Closer? Closer to his face? Cecilia couldn’t help but feel….touched by this. It had never occurred to her that he had never really been able to see much of her in person when from her view, it was quite the opposite problem. She seemed to be unable to look at anything but him whenever he was nearby whether she liked it or not. He just seemed to block out everything around her.  

She nodded and was instantly thrown forward as Garret’s hand moved. Regaining her balance, she looked up, only to freeze. Her entire vision was consumed by his face, only being held a few feet away from it. Her hair was blown back by the warm breeze that emitted from his large nose with every breath he took. She could make out almost every single strand of black hair atop his head and see all the specks and smudges of dirt from his day at work. His eyes, his bright blue eyes seemed to pin her in place with how intently they were looking at her. She couldn’t help but stare back into them, all the rippling details becoming so clear and her own reflected face staring back at her.  

A small smile appeared on Garret’s face. Cecilia tried to smile back but suddenly she felt like she was falling, air whipping past her and her stomach plummeted as the hand beneath her lowered away. Terrified, she frantically threw herself forward, grabbing onto and wrapping her arms around the closest thing. She let out a small whimper as she closed her eyes.  

She let out a small gasp of relief when everything around her stopped moving, “Oh, sorry, I forgot, slower” boomed Garret. Cecilia opened her eyes, all the color draining from her face at what she saw. Below her was the ground, at the very least fifty miles away. Her grip quickly tightened around whatever it was she had been holding on- wait. What was she holding onto?  

Turning her head, she looked and went red. Her arms were currently wrapped around Garret’s thumb, having been clinging to it for dear life a second ago. She instantly let go, throwing herself back and away from the large digit. Above her, she heard a thunderous chuckle.  

“Scared of heights?” she looked up and nodded, more like scared of falling. “Would it make you feel any better if I used both hands?” 

Cecilia felt a pang of guilt. Was she being a nuisance? She shook her head, “Y-you d-don’t have t-to do th-that.”  

“You sure?” 

“I-I d-don’t w-want to be a h-h-handful.” 

Again, Garret chuckled, “You’re definitely not that. Not even half” he smirked down at her, laughing at his own joke, “Well, if you’re sure. You okay if we get going?” Cecilia stared out at the city before her, before bracing herself and nodding, “Alright. Feel free to hold on.”  

This time, when his hand moved, she was prepared. What she was not prepared for was the rest of him beginning to move. As his hand moved up against his chest, Cecilia started as he began to walk, swaying with his gate and feeling his every step. Glancing at the edge of his palm, she whimpered and began scooting further away from the edge. She tensed when she backpedaled right up against Garret’s chest, but found she’d rather be up against it than any closer to where she could see how high up she was.  

Her heart had not stopped running like a freight train, beating profusely throughout this whole ordeal. She tried to slow it down, breathing in and out like she had been taught, but her body continued to tremble. Trying to relax, she allowed her head to fall back upon the massive wall of flesh behind her. Picking up the muffled booming of Garret’s heartbeat and his breathing, she focused on it. It reminded her of the ocean, the roar of his lungs very similar to the roar of waves crashing against the beach. She closed her eyes, picturing it. Picturing herself there, on the seashore. She imagined the warm soft surface beneath her was sand, and the wind blowing around her smelling like saltwater. 

“Everything alright?” 

She was jolted out of her daydream by Garret’s voice reverberating through his chest, loud and deep like approaching thunder. Looking up, she saw him smiling down at her. Her heart began to beat faster once more.  

“Y-yes.” She lied.   

“Okay good. We’re almost there.” 

That was fast. She strained her neck to peek over the tops of his fingers. This part of town seemed familiar, though that seemed odd since she’d never seen it from this vantage before. Her fear was outweighed by her curiosity and she continued to survey the scene below. 

Though on the giant designated side of the road, they seemed to be in a primarily human area. What with all the human businesses and all the traffic that luckily wasn’t underfoot. One stop in particular caught her attention, Best Bud’s Florals. She’d seen that shop before, passing it every commute to work. Wait a second. 

“W-what cafe a-are we headed to?”  

Garret glanced down at her, “Oh, well I’m not sure the place I usually go to serves humans, So I thought we’d head to one I know serves both.” 

“W-which is?” 

“That one you work at. What’s it called? Grounds and…… I don’t know.” 

A Match Beyond Measure Pt 3

“Is it me?” 

Cecilia inched further away, still keeping her eyes on Garret.  

“Are… are you afraid? Of me?” 

Her eyes slid to look at her feet before she nodded. She felt awful, his tone alone was making her feel sick to her stomach with guilt.  

“I’m…. sorry, I didn’t know. Here uh… let me..” she shivered as the ground shifted beneath her as the giant began to move. Once again, she couldn’t help but flinch back, only to glance up and see that he had done the exact opposite of what she had thought he’d do. He was now standing further away, peering down at her. Even now that he was not practically on top of her, he still towered over her, making her feel like an insect just waiting to be squished.  

“That any better?” 

She nodded. 

Garret shoved his hands into his jean pockets, “Like I said, haven’t spent a lot of time around you little guys” he chuckled, raising an arm to rub the back of his neck, “Didn’t realize that this here might be a bit intimidating” he gestured to himself. 

Cecilia felt like she had to say something. He clearly didn’t seem mad, so then why was she so scared? 

“L-like I said, i-it’s not really your fault. M-most of us aren’t r-really like this, It’s…. It's a me problem”.  

Garret tilted his head, eyeing her curiously, “Is there anything else I can do to make you…. Not feel afraid?” 

She somehow managed a weak smile, “T-that’s nice of you to offer. I-I’m sorry for-” 

“How about this?” Suddenly, Cecilia gasped, being thrown off the ground as the massive form before her crashed down… or sat down from his perspective. When she fell back to the ground, she was violently trembling, “Woah, didn’t know that would happen. Sorry”  

He means well, he means well, he means no harm she told herself over and over.  

“It’s uh, nice to finally meet you in person. Even if it wasn’t really what I was expecting” 

Cecilia didn’t know what to do other than nod.  

He smiled, “The offers still open if you want to grab a bite to eat.”  

Her stomach did a somersault, what was he even saying?! He still wanted to take her out for dinner?! Hadn’t he finally realized what she had been trying to explain? 

She began inching away again, her eyes darting around as she tried to think of how to respond, “I uh….. I uh… uh…”    

“It would be my treat”  

“Uh.. w-wouldn’t you uh…. W-why would you still want that?” 

“Well, I came here to meet and hang out with you, so…..”    

How was this even happening?! How did she land herself in this situation?! And how come she couldn’t seem to get herself out?!  

Just say no, just say no. She opened her mouth to say just that, but then she saw his face. It wasn't monstrous or unfamiliar, it was a face she had grown to know, and maybe even like. The way he was staring down at her, although unnerving, didn’t come off as malicious or… or anything else other than hopeful really.   

“I-I… I don’t know”  

His smile faltered, “Am I really that scary?” 

Yes! Yes you are! 

“I-I like I s-said, y-your kind just… just…”  

“Is it really that bad?”  

She cringed at his words, before nodding.  

Garret’s smile completely disappeared, leaving nothing but a crestfallen look on his face. Cecilia felt her insides churn. Please don’t do that, don’t look at me like that. 

“Well uh… I guess…” she looked away when he stood, her fingers clutching at the road to keep her on the ground, “It was… nice meeting you I guess.”  

What is wrong with you?! She screamed at herself, guilt eating away at her insides like acid. He had come all this way, taken the time out of his day to see you! And you’re just going to just send him off?! What kind of person are you?! A bitch! That’s what you are!

“W-wait!” she yelled right as he turned to leave. He looked over his broad shoulder at her, “W-where’s this restaurant you were talking about?” 

He raised a brow, “Just a block or two away.”   

 No wait! What are you doing?! One side of her brain screamed, while the other ebbed her to continue, “H-how about I meet you there. You could… get us a table and uh… I’ll ride over there” she nodded over to her bike, still lying abandoned on the ground.  

Garret stared at her for a moment, before grinning, “Ok yeah, sure. That sounds good. The place is called Beefy Bites, you can’t miss it” he began to walk away with a bit more pep in his step, making the earthquakes he left in his wake more short and sudden, “I’ll meet you there then!” he called over his shoulder.  

Cecilia got to her feet, watching him go. What had she gotten herself into?   

What Garret must have meant when he said two blocks, were two giant sized blocks, because she just now, thirty minutes later, had arrived. She dismounted her bike, panting as she looked up, and up at the gargantuan building. It had to be at the very least a mile tall, probably more! And she could just barely see the neon sign with letters bigger than her reading Beefy Bites. Just looking at the building made her feel light headed. Sure she had lived in the city for a few years now, but she had mainly stuck to areas most frequented by humans and never really explored anywhere else. She just looked from a distance at the offices, restaurants, and apartments that stretched up into the sky seemingly forever.   

Now here she was, standing outside on the pavement, her much larger than expected date waiting for her inside. Was this even a date anymore? Garret couldn’t possibly see it that way,  how could he? And how could she? Yes his pictures made her heart murmur when she first saw them and she had felt a bit giddy whenever she had seen he had messaged her back, but what about now? Now it just couldn't be that way. 

Then why was she here?  

Well, she was here now, and she had said she would come, so now…. What choice did she really have? 

It took her a moment to find the human entrance, it looked nearly invisible compared to its much bigger counterpart. She paused, her hand on the door, breathed, and pushed it open. 

To say it was overwhelming would be an understatement. Even though she had seen the size of the building on the outside, it was hard to believe that the room before her was this big. She currently stood on a platform that was at the very least fifty feet off the ground that led to a hostess stand the size of a small apartment complex. The room was dimly lit, which made the rest of the restaurant blur the further back she tried to look, giving the illusion that it was even bigger. 

Cecilia couldn’t even hear herself think. Outside she had been able to hear the muffled commotion inside. Now it was like an orchestra of talking, tableware clattering, and heavy footfalls was being performed before her, and she was in the front row.  

She had to move, had to move towards the stand. Slowly, her eyes constantly flicking in all directions, she came forward. The hostess, a giant, appeared from the back after she’d made it halfway there. 

“Good evening” she boomed over the chorus of loud voices, “Table for one?”  

Cecilia’s hands began to fidget with the bottom of her shirt. She opened her mouth to speak but all that came out was a dry murmur. 

“Table for one?” the hostess repeated. 

“Hey! Over here!”  

Both her and the hostess turned to see Garret, standing up in his booth, waving her over. From over here, he looked almost… normal. 

“She’s with me.”  

The hostess looked from Garret to Cecilia who shrunk back when she saw the confused look on her face. Almost as soon as it had appeared, it disappeared and was replaced with that classic customer service smile. She bent town and grabbed a menu, a menu Cecilia could have mistaken for a billboard, and gestured forward.  

Cecilia followed along on the platforms that apparently went all throughout the restaurant and were more like elevated paths, leading to all the booths and the restrooms in the back. She found it quite hard to keep up, having to awkwardly jog to the booth where Garret sat there waiting, his eyes following her the whole way which only made her feel like she had to get over there faster, something half of her was saying to do the opposite.  

Finally, she had made it to the table after covering the perimeter of the restaurant and stumbled down a set of wood stairs onto the table. The sticky residue from the previous patrons stuck to the bottom of her shoes as she made her way over to a table, a normal sized table, that had been placed on top of the one she was currently standing on. 

She sat down, her movements stiff as a board and her eyes looking anywhere but forward. The waitress placed the huge menu between the two of them, “Someone will be with you two shortly” with that, she turned and walked off. 

Cecilia stared down at the table, hyper fixating on her fork. Her eyes flitted over to the other side of the table where a fork three times her size lay, Garret’s massive fist laying beside it. She tensed, her body unable to let her forget about the mountain of a person in front of her, watching her.  

“Glad you made it. Might of underestimated the distance for someone like yourself.”  

Say something you idiot! “T-that’s fine” she murmured.  

Everything around her grew darker, Garret’s shadow falling over her as he leaned in closer, “What was that?” 

Cecilia grabbed onto the bottom of her chair, holding herself down while muscles all throughout her body were poised to make her get up. She slowly turned her head up to face him, the first she had done since arriving at the table. His face filled her vision entirely. Every one of his features, she could make out. The individual hairs that made up his dark eyebrows, his very faint stubble, blemishes in his skin, Everything.  

He was looking down at her, his smile faltering as he waited for her to respond.  

“I uh… said that’s fine.” she looked away from the head hanging over her, “Do…do you mind not-” 

“Oh shit, my bad.”  

Cecilia released a breath she didn’t know she was holding when he pulled away. 

“Like I said, not really used to being around your kind.”   

She breathed, and forced herself to look him in the eye, and smiled, “Neither am I.”  Garret smirked back at her before reaching over and grabbing the menu. Cecilia reframed from flinching when his hand had approached. Come on, it’s ok, he’s ok, he's fine, you’re fine. 

A Match Beyond Measure Pt 9

Cecilia froze. They were going there?! Where she worked, where her friends work, friends who were the ones who had set this all up but had no idea. Friends who knew her, and knew about her nerves. What the hell would they think if they saw her with a giant? She could already imagine Rebecca's reaction who had always made sure Cecilia never had to interact with their few giant patrons and had once flown off the rails when one man had made an unsavory comment towards her.  

As they neared, her mind groped for an excuse, reason, or anything to make him turn around. 

“Why uh…  a-are we g-going there?” 

She flinched as Garret’s hand raised slightly as he shrugged, “Well, like I said, it’ll serve both of us, though I’ve never been to a human run place, anything I should know?” 

“I uh– uh” Suddenly, an idea popped into her head, “Y-you’re p-planning to pay with Lumins right?” Lumins, was the currency that was primarily used by giants. When the two species at first integrated, there had been some trouble when it came to money and purchasing power between the two. When it came to buying food for example, giants required much more. At the cafe, drinks made for giants would cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars, and no paycheck could support that. So, giants were paid in Lumins. Cecilia didn’t know the exact conversion ratio but those drinks prices when converted to Lumins was just as it was a regular drink, only it would be in Lumins, not dollars.

“Yeah, why?” 

“I t-think it would be easier if w-we ordered separately, m-make it easier on the employees. I’ll h-head inside while someone w-will come out and get your order. Does that….. Make sense?” please say yes, please say yes. 

Garret thought for a moment, before nodding, “Yeah sure, that does sound easier. Hang on.” Suddenly, Cecilia felt as if her stomach was flung up her throat as his palm began to descend down to the ground. Once they stopped, she opened her eyes (having closed them once again) to see that they were standing in the parking lot right outside the cafe. 

Cecilia, unable to stop her body from trembling, scooted her way to the edge of his palm before letting herself fall to the ground. It was an odd sensation, going from being on a surface that felt like a heated mattress only slicker, that sunk slightly with each move you made, to solid, still ground.  

She looked up, only to regret it instantly as she watched Garret unfold his towering form until he was back to standing at his full height, the outline of his figure growing dark as it blocked out the sun. Cecilia began backing away, turning and playing it off like she was just heading towards the cafe, no other reason. 

“I’ll meet you back out here, okay?” she held up a thumbs up before quickening her pace towards the front doors. 

Maybe none of them will be working today. Maybe they won’t even be here to ask about anything. This hope was immediately dashed when she slipped through the glass doors and caught sight of a familiar face. 

Sean, currently at the cash register at the ready, looked up, his eyes landing on Cecilia. He was their manager, though he was the youngest one that worked there. Many had taken to calling him Swan, his blonde hair extremely bright and feathered, his eyes black and beady. Though, he’d never expressed that he hated the nickname. Everyone knew, if he did, they would never hear the end of it.  

A pleasant yet confused smile appeared on his face, “Cecilia, what are you doing here? Thought you said you weren’t going to be in today.”  

“I uh- that’s right. But I thought I'd grab some lunch here. Gotta put that employee discount to good use” she plastered on a fake smile. Sean eyed her, curiously. 

“You look a little…. Frazzled. What’ve you been up to?” 

She continued to awkwardly smile, “Oh, just some uh, errands.” 

“Is that Cecilia?” she hadn’t noticed her before, but drawn over by another familiar voice, she saw Maddie, sitting behind the counter, looking up from her phone. 

Sean groaned in her direction, “Now you’re paying attention I see.” 

All he got in response was a scoff. Maddie was an interesting sort to Cecilia. She always had on an outfit that looked like it had taken ten minutes to plan out along with hair and makeup to boot. She had in the past expressed her desire to take Cecilia over to her place and do her up in the same way but she had always declined, never having a reason to get all done up.  

Looking back down at her phone, Maddie continued to address Cecilia, “Whatcha doing here?”  

“I-” 

“She just said she came here for lunch. Speaking of which, why don’t you get off your ass and help with that” said Sean, his glare fading as he turned to Cecilia, “What can I get you?” 

Cecilia quickly waved her hand, “Oh, you don’t have to make anything, I was just planning to grab something quick. Are there any croissants left?” 

“Sure thing, let me just-” he was cut off suddenly when the ground beneath them shook. Sean strained to peer outside the window before he turned to face the back “Hey Becky! Got a big guy waiting outside!” he called. 

Oh great, so everyone’s here, thought Cecilia as Rebecca poked her head out from the back. 

“Are you serious? And they didn’t call ahead? Damn it! Everyone does that” Rebecca was quite an intimidating woman. She was quite tall, having for the longest time worn her hair in an afro which only made her look taller. As of late however, she had started brushing it out and braiding it into dreadlocks with a few streaks of pink thrown in. She always carried herself with a confidence that seemed well earned, she was quite pretty, or in her boyfriend’s words: sexy as all hell. She grumbled to herself as she stepped out, her angry visage falling when she caught sight of Cecilia, “Hey, what are you doing here?” she frowned, glancing outside, “Actually nevermind, I’ll go take care of that. Be back in a minute.” 

Cecilia nervously watched Rebecca walk out the door before turning back to Sean, “Oh right, croissant, “ he stepped over to the display case which held all their pastries and sandwiches. As he began to put on his gloves, he smirked up at her, “So…….” 

“So what?” 

“How’d it go?” 

She tensed, but tried to look like she had no idea what he was talking about, “How did what go?” 

Maddie scoffed, “Come on, you know what we’re talking about. How did your date go last night?”  

“Oh uh, right. That” she averted her gaze, internally freaking out. This was exactly what she was scared of. What was she supposed to say, “It went….. It went well.” 

Sean raised a practically invisible eyebrow at her, “It went well?” 

“Yes.” 

“That’s all you’re going to tell us? That it went well. Come on, give us a little bit more.”  They both stared at her expectantly. 

“I- I don’t know what else to say other than it went well.” 

“Where’d you end up going?” asked Maddie. 

“Some uh…. Some burger place. Can’t remember the name.”  

“Uh huh, and what do you mean when you say ‘it went well’?’ Sean had grabbed the tongs and had fished her out a croissant. 

Cecilia shrugged, fumbling with her hands, “I don’t know. It was just fine.” 

“Just fine?” said Maddie. 

Sean had bagged up her croissant and had gone back to the register to ring it up. Cecilia used that as an excuse to fall quiet as she dug in her pockets and pulled out her wallet. After she swiped and paid, she went to grab the bag but Sean snatched it up and held it away from her.

“Seriously, what happened? What was Garret like? Did you like him? Did he like you?” 

“I uh- uh-” 

Suddenly, the front doors were thrown open. All three of them turned to see Rebecca, stepping inside, staring dumbfounded at Cecilia. 

“The hell’s wrong with-” started Maddie before she was interrupted by Rebecca marching towards them.

“What is going on?”Cecilia tried to look innocent, like she was just as in the dark as the other two as Rebecca approached her. 

“W-what are you talking about?” 

Rebecca crossed her arms, glancing over at Maddie and Sean, “Has she told you anything?” 

Sean and Maddie shook their heads, both now intently listening. Cecilia shrunk away as Rebecca turned back to her. “You know what just happened?” 

She shook her head. 

“What’s got you all worked up?” asked Sean. 

Rebecca jabbed her thumb over her shoulder, “I just went out to take that guy’s order and-” 

“You still mad he didn’t call in advance?” jeered Maddie, smirking. 

“No! Well yes but that’s not what I’m talking about. I went out there, and couldn’t help but think he looked familiar. 

“So…. one of your regulars who didn’t call in advance, that sucks” said Cecilia, working off of what Maddie had said, getting more jittering by the second.

Rebecca continued as if she hadn’t heard her, “I took his order, and when I asked for a name, I realized why he looked familiar” she suddenly hurried behind the counter, “Maddie, let me see your phone.” 

She scoffed, “No way.” 

“Fine, Sean” she held her hand out. Sean hurriedly dug his phone out of his pocket and handed it to her. 

“What the hell are you doing?” Rebecca ignored him as she began doing something on his phone. Cecilia held her breath as she watched. 

“Look here,” she shoved the phone under Sean’s nose. Maddie hurried over and peered over his shoulder, “What does that say his name is?” 

“Rebecca, why do you have Garret’s profile pulled up?” asked Sean. Rebecca pointed at him. 

“Right, Garret’s his name. The guy we had Cecilia chat with.” 

Maddie groaned, “Yeah yeah, we remember. Was actually asking her about that before you-” 

“You know what that guy said his name was? That giant?” she emphasized the word giant, “He said his name was Garret!” 

At that moment, Cecilia just wanted the earth to open up and swallow her whole. To her slight relief however, both Sean and Maddie chuckled. 

“This some kind of joke or are you just being paranoid?” 

“Yeah Becky, there are a lot of people named Garret. It’s sort of a common name.” 

Rebecca groaned, “You’re not listening to me!” she jabbed a finger at the front door, “That guy looks just like this Garret”. 

“Now I know you're joking,” said Sean, “Like Cecilia would even go near a giant, let alone get to know one.” 

Cecilia went rigid at the mention of her name. She tried once again to look as confused and amused as the other two when she was really debating whether it would be a good idea to just turn around and book it for the door.

“Go see for yourselves! It looks just like him.”  

Maddie raised an eyebrow and scoffed. Sean however, stared at her for a moment, before shrugging and beginning to make his way out from behind the counter. Cecilia, feeling glued to the floor, watched in horror as he began making his way over to the front door.

A Match Beyond Measure Pt 4

“So…. Do you recommend anything?” she glanced awkwardly down at her personal table that was currently menu-less. 

“Oh, definitely the Giga Bite, gotta be the best damn burger I’ve ever had.” His face slightly faltered as he looked down the menu, “Huh, but it doesn’t look like they make it for humans, that sucks.” 

“How about just a regular cheese burger?”  

Garret’s eyes skimmed the menu before he nodded, “Yeah looks like they do that, but aw man,” he peeked down at her, “I really wish you could try it.” 

Cecilia forced out a weak chuckle. If she was being honest, she wouldn’t have been very interested in trying it. Why do people feel the need to try or order new foods if they have something they know for sure if they like? Nothing can go wrong with that.  

“Hi there, how are you folks doing?” she jumped at the loud voice and the sudden appearance of their waiter. A glass filled with what had to be gallons of water was placed down in front  of Garret, and quite slowly and gracefully. Cecilia barely felt the impact. The waiter’s hand approached her, fingers trembling as they delicately pinched around a glass her size. She leaned away as the water was placed down in front of her, but gave the waiter a weak smile that went unnoticed.  

“Can I get you anything besides water? Maybe even get some food going for you?”    

“Yeah can I get a coke and… I think we’re about ready to order” Garret turned to Cecilia, “Unless we need a little more time?”  

She just shook her head. 

“Alrighty, what can I get started for you two?”  

“I’ll have the Giga bite and a side of fries.”  

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end when both the waitress and Garret turned to look at her. 

“I uh… I’ll have just a plain cheeseburger.” 

Their waitress nodded before whisking the menu off the table, sending the slightest breeze Cecilia’s way, “Sounds good, I’ll go grab that coke and your food should be out shortly.”  

She turned on her heel and walked briskly away, leaving the two of them… alone…. With each other. 

Cecilia shifted her eyes to look up at Garret who had his head resting against his hand, attention solely focused on her. She sunk slightly in her seat, her fingers drumming against her kneecaps. She knew she should say something, but nothing came to mind, and her dry throat wasn’t too keen on letting her produce any words.  

“So, you eat out often?”  

She shrugged, “N-no, not really.”   

“More of an at-home chief?”  

“No, I just… have it delivered.” she paused, “Well, I bake sometimes… so…. I guess that sort of counts.”  

He shrugged, “I’d say so. Never been much use in the kitchen myself, but I make a good taste tester” Cecilia forced out a hum of laughter. As he watched her, the smile on his face faltered slightly, “Have you lived here long? I mean in a city with folks like me?”  

“N-not long. Just a year or so.” No matter where she seemed to look other than down, he was there, surrounding her, like there was no way out, “Y-you?” 

“Been here my whole life.” 

Cecilia didn’t say anything, she just nodded. In a room this size, she should have been feeling anything but claustrophobic. Yet it still felt like her surroundings were closing in on her.  

“Uh hey, you feeling alright? You’re uh… looking a little peaky again.”  

She shook her head, grabbing her water and taking a quick sip, grounding her. 

“Sorry, just uh…” her eyes darted around, like they would find what she should say carved into the table.  

“Is it me again?”   

Cecilia immediately straightened, plastering on a fake smile, “No! No. I just… zoned out.”   

Garret narrowed his eyes, “You sure?” 

She nodded.   

Right in the nick of time, Their waitress approached them. “There’s that coke for you sir. And your food should be out shortly.”  

Garret gave her a nod of thanks before taking a long sip of his drink. Cecilia couldn’t help up ogle as gallons of soda was drained from the cup. The moment he noticed her staring however, he abruptly slammed his drink back onto the table. Cecilia yelped as everything around her shook.  

“Sorry! Sorry bout that.” 

She pulled herself up right, only to shrink back when she was met with the sight of Garret’s massive body leaned in closer. His arms were raised and his fingers were splayed out towards her, fingers thicker than tree trunks and looked like they could snap her body in two if they so pleased.  

His face fell as he looked down at her, on the look on her face. He slowly retreated back, glancing down at himself once or twice.   

Cecilia breathed, keep it together! It was an accident, you’re fine, you are fine.  

She forced another weak smile, “I-it’s fine.”  

“So uh… you’ve lived here your whole life, ever…. traveled around much?”   

Garret jumped on the opportunity to change subjects, “Not really, though wish I did” he shrugged, “can’t though” 

“Why’s that?”  

She suppressed the urge to flinch when he raised his arm to rub the back of his neck, “Well I haven’t really the time to head anywhere out of state, and there isn’t really anything nearby that’s all that interesting.” 

“Have you ever thought of traveling by plane?”  he gave her a perplexed look, and only then did she realize, “Oh! S-sorry, I forgot about… well that it wouldn’t really be…” she averted her eyes, wanting to slap herself for making such a stupid comment. 

To her relief though, he chuckled, “s'alright, though I have always wondered what it’s like. To travel by plane I mean.” 

She shrugged, “Oh uh… I guess you’re not really missing much. I mean, I’ve never been a fan of it.” 

He leaned in closer, “Why’s that?” 

“Well, being seated less than a few inches from a total stranger for hours is not ideal. And I just get flight anxiety, I don’t love the idea of being so high up.”  

“I’ve got a bit of an idea of what that feels like.” he flashed her a grin. She stared for a moment, before letting out a short laugh. “But seriously, what’s it like, being able to travel places without walking?” 

Cecilia paused, and thought for a moment. Guessed she had always sort of taken things like cars, planes, bikes and what not for granted. It was hard to imagine a functional society without those things.  

“I guess it’s…nice” she stated lamely. 

“Yeah but what does it feel like, to just be sitting down while everything moves around you?”  

“It…. can sometimes be a bit disorienting if you pay attention to it, but most don’t really.” 

Garret’s eyes widened, “How can you not? And how does it even feel? To be moving but not moving?” 

“Uh….” she really didn’t know what to say to that. All she could respond with was another shrug.  

“So… you’re just used to it?” 

“I guess.”  

He smiled while he shook his head and chuckled, “I’m just… a bit interested in what it's like for you little guys.” 

Cecilia wasn’t sure how to feel about the term ‘little guys’, Though if she did have a problem with it, there was no way in hell she’d say anything. It sounded similar to how someone would refer to a rodent or even a bug. A shiver ran down her spine. Is that what she looked like to him? Just a little bug perched atop his table? A bug he could easily squish with the simplest of- 

No no! Stop that! 

Their food arrived about ten minutes later. Their waitress very slowly set down Cecilia’s in front of her, barely avoiding knocking down her water before straightening up with a pleased look on her face and turning to hand over Garret’s food.  

Cecilia tensed when her eyes landed on his plate. A burger the size of a minivan and taller than two humans standing on top of one another seemed to cast a shadow over her. Fries that looked like they could have been used to build a log cabin were piled on the other side of the plate along with two dipping sauces. The tsunami of fragrances that fit her all at once made her feel what could only be described as lightheaded.  

“Looks great, doesn’t it?” Garret was looking from his meal to her, looking delighted. She nodded, darting her eyes down to look at her own plate, which looked meager by comparison.  

Garret reached over to his right, grabbing a bottle of ketchup before squirting a large puddle of it on whatever space was open on his plate. Cecilia looked across the surface of her table, but saw no ketchup, or anything for that matter other than what the waitress had brought her. 

“Something wrong?” 

Cecilia shook her head, “I uh… just forgot to ask the waitress for some ketchup. It’s fine.”  

“Oh, here” to her horror, Garret’s arm, the one clutching the massive condiment bottle, came hurdling towards her before stopping mere feet away. 

She scooted her chair away, holding up her hands and frantically waving him off, “No! No, it’s alright. I don’t need any.” 

“Oh come on, no burger is complete without it.” he flashed her a grin before his eyes narrowed to focus on the very tip of the bottle. He slowly lowered it down, angled the tip towards her plate, and squeezed. 

Within an instant, a giant glob of ketchup was squeezed out of the tip and fell not only covering her entire plate, but covered the entire table to the point that some was dripping off the ends. Cecilia stared at the mess, tensing when she felt a large dollop of sauce drip down into her lap.  

“Oh…. oh shit.” Garret stood stock still, his eyes darting from the table, to the bottle, to Cecilia. He suddenly pulled his hand away, dropping the ketchup bottle. “Sorry.” His face had turned as red as the ketchup, “I… Here let me….” he grabbed a fistful of napkins and leaned back over before attempting to wipe down the table, only it seemed he had forgotten that there had still been a plate of food on the table and was only reminded of the fact when it had already been swiped off the table and had shattered on the ground. “Ah shit!” he dropped the napkins and straightened, looking around aimlessly.

Cecilia gulped, her limbs trembling as she slowly slid off her chair. She tore off a large piece of the napkin and kneeled down, collecting up the red coated porcelain shards, “I-i’ve got it, i’ve got it.” She continued to tear off more pieces and wipe down the table and floor.   

Garret shifted in his seat, “I’ll uh, uh hey!” Cecilia flinched, wanting desperately to cover her ears as Garret tried to get their waitresses attention, “Hey! Can we get some help over here!” 

Their waitress hurried over, rocking Cecilia slightly with her footsteps. She backed away while large manicured fingers wiped down her table and the floor surrounding it, giving it a squirt or two of a strong smelling cleaning agent. 

“Can I get you another burger?” she asked. 

Cecilia shook her head, “T-that’s alright. I think I’ll just get some d-dessert if that’s ok?”