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 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 6

The high pitch beeping rang in Cecilia’s ears. She groaned and rolled over in bed, glaring over at her phone which was admitting the loud alarm. Damn it, forgot to turn that off. Scooping up the device, she quickly turned the alarm off before tossing it to the end of her bed and collapsing back down into her pillowy nest. 

She was content to stay there the rest of the day, if it weren’t for her stomach, which churned in hunger. The night before, she had gone straight to bed and she hadn’t eaten anything since lunch that same day.  

Moaning with the weight of her limbs, she heaved herself up and slid out of the covers. She slowly waddled away from her bed and blindly made her way to the kitchen. Her apartment was small, even for big city apartment standards. It had three rooms, her bedroom, the mainroom which housed a tiny kitchenette along with a poor excuse for a living space, and a singular bathroom with a shower that barely knew how to be a shower. 

Shuffling onto the tiled floor, Cecilia gazed around for something to eat that she could just grab and not have to prepare. Her eyes landed on the far corner of the counter where a plate lay, on it were about half a dozen cookies. Guess they’ll have to do, she walked over and picked one up that she had decorated to look like a duck, one of the leftovers from that batch she made for Maggie for her birthday. Glancing down at her icing job, she understood slightly what her friends meant when they said they felt bad about eating her creations, but that was what they were for. 

She leaned herself up against the counter, taking a bite of the cookie and slowly chewing it. It was stupid of her to have not eaten anything last night, though she had made a lot of stupid decisions that night. She had already asked herself a million times the question: what was she thinking? Agreeing to the da- dinner, right dinner, with a giant. There was also the question of if she was even going to tell her friends. She didn’t want to make them feel guilty for putting her in this situation, but they were most definitely going to ask her about it. Though all of those were mere whispers in her head, while one voice shouted above the others: what’s wrong with you?! 

It had been a miracle she had been able to sleep at all. From the moment she had arrived home last night, her stomach had begun twisting itself into knots and her heart ached with what she had just done. She had just left him there, alone. Leaving without giving any sort of explanation or even a single word. Why had she done it?! Well, the answer was obvious, she was…. She was scared. But that was no reasonable excuse! That wasn’t his fault! He made it clear he didn’t want to scare her, he had even asked if there was anything he could do to help her! No, this was all entirely her fault. 

She hung her head, continuing to berate herself. Now thanks to her, Garret was probably feeling horrible and guilty even though she was the only one who should be feeling that way. He was a nice guy! Human or not and shouldn’t have to go through that. Why couldn’t she have just sucked it up? Kept her cool? Not flown into a panic from just watching him eat?! Seriously, what was wrong with her? 

What am I supposed to do now? She wanted to do something, but what the hell could she do? She had thought about maybe texting him to explain herself, but no words she came up with seemed to suffice, and that just seemed so shallow. 

Finishing off her cookie, she reached over to grab another one when she stopped. An idea had popped into her head. She stared at the plate of cookies for a second more before she rounded on the fridge and yanked it open. 

“Damn it” she muttered, seeing only one egg left in the carton and also that there was hardly any butter left. For a moment, she felt like throwing the whole idea out the window until she slapped a hand to her forehead, just go to the store stupid!  

She straightened up and hurried back to her bedroom to get dressed. 

An hour later, she was pushing a cart through the dairy section of the grocery store. Usually she picked out one of the smaller carts, but this time she had opted for the full size one which was currently filled with flour, sugar, vanilla extract and a whole array of other items. She had also grabbed some extra food coloring in case she was running low and had found some new piping tips that she just couldn’t resist. 

Now all she needed was some eggs. She stopped in front of the many different brands and began looking for the carton with the newest date. When she had finally found one that was brought in yesterday, she paused to think. Would twelve eggs be enough? I mean it only took two eggs for one batch, but then again there was also the matter of the icing…… She ended up grabbing a second carton, just to be safe. 

Okay, that’s everything. She sighed before turning her cart around and heading for the checkout, though before she made it halfway, she suddenly remembered something. Box, I need a box. For a moment, she looked around aimlessly until her eyes landed upon the in-store bakery, where  an employee was just  finishing boxing up a cake for a middle aged woman. She quickly hurried over. 

“Excuse me” she called over to the employee moments away from leaving for the back. The young woman, dressed in an apron with her hair pulled back, instantly stopped and turned to greet her. 

“Good morning.” 

“Uh hi yes, good morning. I was wondering if I could possibly have one of your biggest cake boxes?” 

The woman raised a brow, “Do you want a cake or anything?” 

Cecilia went slightly red, “Uh no, but could I possibly just purchase a box? The same box that you would use for something like a sheet cake.” 

She waited anxiously as the woman thought for a moment before nodding, “Yeah sure, I think I can do that for you”  she glanced over at her cart, “And seeing as you’re already buying a good deal of items, I can just give it to you if you want.” 

“Really? Oh thank you so much.”  

“No problem. Let me go and grab you one.”   

Using her foot, Cecilia pushed open her apartment door with two overflowing grocery bags. Setting the two bags down on the countertop, she quickly began to unload them while also grabbing whisks and bowls out of her cupboards. 

“Alright” she breathed, looking over her countertop which was now covered in ingredients and cooking utensils. Pulling out and setting her phone down, she turned on some Frank Sinatra and nodded to herself. Let’s get to work.  

Adding the last dot of icing, Cecilia stepped back, sighing with relief. It had been a bit difficult, but she had managed it. She stepped back to look at her handiwork. Before her was a single cookie, a cookie the size of a car tire that was taking up much of her counterspace. Cutting out the shape had been harder than usual since she couldn’t use a cookie cutter, but she had managed to cut a decent circle with just her knife and some patience. The hardest part really had been the icing. She had ended up pulling out her stool so she could have a more overhead view and kept having to refill her piping bags as she meticulously iced the top of the cookie. For a base, she had used a very light blue and all around the edge she had done one continuous line of white loops with yellow dots peppered around it. In the center of the cookie, she had used  white icing to write in cursive the words I’m Sorry.  

She looked up at the clock on the microwave, two thirty. Okay she told herself. Picking up her phone, she logged into the dating app she and Garret had met on and pulled up a conversation from not too long ago. 

“Yeah, currently doing some demolition work just across the street from the human mall. Should be off by 3 though, boss has us starting work at 6 in the morning. I tell you, he is crazy”. Cecilia nodded, pocketing her phone and turning to the massive cookie.  

The Saturday traffic was awful, even on bike. Cecilia found herself several times swerving to miss cars and opting for alleyway detours. The whole time she was trying to ride as smoothly as possible, hoping to keep the huge cake box strapped to the back of her bike from falling off or the contents being damaged in any way.   

After a long ride, she stopped on the sidewalk in front of the mall’s east entrance. She pulled out her phone, it read three o two. She tensed, quickly dismounting her bike and wheeled it over to one of the bike racks to chain it up. Having to use both her hands, she picked up the box and hurried over to the crosswalk to cross the street. 

Sure enough, in front of her was a massive tarped barrier with several cones that looked more like stretched out pyramids scattered around it. She tensed as she walked past one of these cones, its orange tinted shadow casting over her. Focus, stay calm, but that was getting harder and harder since as she approached, she could feel the ground vibrating beneath her feet. 

 After a bit of a walk, an opening in the barrier could be seen. Cecilia, slightly trembling, saw a lone human stone bench up against the street. She hurried over to it and sat down, setting the box down in her lap.  

Her leg bounced as she sat there, waiting. Periodically, she checked her phone, watching the minutes tick by. Maybe she had missed him? Maybe he had already left? She didn’t want to admit it, but there was a small sense of relief that came with that thought. That would give her more time to possibly prepare herself, come up with what to say, piece together a better-  

She let out a small yelp when her ears were assaulted with several voices admitting the loudest laughs she had ever heard. The trembling of the ground had remained constant ever since she had approached, but now it began to become more violent. Clutching onto the box like a lifeline, Cecilia whipped her head around only for her stomach to drop. 

A group of half a dozen giants, all men and all dressed in construction worker attire, had appeared. They all continued to laugh loudly, so loud that even a couple humans across the street shot glances up at them. 

Cecilia closed her eyes, breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth. You’re okay, everything is fine.   

The group began to walk off, all their combined footsteps literally causing Cecilia to bounce off her seat. She just held onto the box tighter, continuing to breathe. Okay, where’s Garret? Is he with them?  

As if to answer her question, one of the giants turned and shouted, “Hey! you coming?” Cecilia tensed as she saw (and felt) a somewhat familiar massive form step out from behind the barrier, confirming his identity when he removed his hard hat and ran a hand through his messy black hair. Garret.

“Nah, you guys go without me. Imma grab a bite to eat.”   

Cecilia up to this point managed to do nothing but stare, but suddenly was snapped back to reality by the massive quakes caused by Garret’s footsteps as he turned to leave. 

Say something! Now! 

Standing up on wobbly legs, she took a big deep breath and shouted as loudly as she could, “Hey!”  no reaction, “H-hey Garret!” 

Great, now I have the urge to write another story. Damn it!

could you imagine a g/t cinderella story? like two characters who meet while they're the same size, but one of them is secretly a giant/tiny? whether it's through a spell or sizeshifting or whatever but for one night they get to go to an event where everyone is normally bigger/smaller than them. and they meet someone there and hit it off but then the clock strikes midnight and they have to run away. but instead of leaving behind a slipper their love interest catches a glimpse of them at their true size just before they get away

imagine a borrower-turned-human shrinking back down to their normal size and slipping back into the palace walls. imagine a giant-turned-human slowly growing back to their normal size and leaving an accidental trail of destruction in their wake? there's so many other possibilities, those are just some off of the top of my head

I have an AU I'm writing that has a few chapters that incorporate some of these ideas, but those characters technically know each other before they meet at the ball. I'd like to see a story where the characters meet for the first time at the ball, so I wanted to share this idea with everyone here. let me know what you think!

A Match Beyond Measure Pt 1

(Name may be subject to change)

She felt quite conflicted about this whole thing, not really sure what emotion to listen to. There was that uneasiness, maybe even annoyance still at her co-workers for putting her in this situation. They had practically forced her into this after months of: you should really get out there and test the waters, aren’t you tired of being single? You can’t stay alone forever. Actually, that had sort of been her plan. What was so wrong with wanting to not necessarily stay alone forever but stick to what she had? She already had a few friends, a few acquaintances, and someone that could even classify as a best friend; why change that? She had laid down her roots and didn’t see any reason to add a new plant to the garden. 

Then, there was that part of her that felt the opposite. A small yet loud part of her that was excited, curious to see what could happen. It might have been biological, wasn’t that what much of love was? The biological need for a partner? She didn’t have much personal experience to go off of so she wasn’t sure. For whatever reason it may be, there was a small sense of elation when her work friend Maggie had told her that she and the other gals had put her information into a dating app and they had already found someone for her to chat with. 

To be frank, Cecilia had been a bit annoyed. Why did they feel the need to tamper with her personal life? It had no impact on them outside of the cafe. Though she still humored them and showed her the app, the profile they had made for her, and a guy they had hit up. 

“Seems like you could use a guy like him” one of them had joked. Cecilia had forced a laugh of uneasiness after seeing his profile. She couldn’t lie and say her heart didn’t feel warmer when looking at his picture. His head was rather square, topped with black hair that stuck up in odd places, with a large nose. He had a confident and elated look on his face that did intimidate her slightly. 

Garret was his name, and he described himself as a free-spirited, open-minded person with a good eye for good food. She had realized what her friend had meant, because if Cecilia were to describe herself, free spirited would not be a term that’d come to mind, and she wasn’t sure she really needed that in her life. Her friends had clearly bought into the idea that opposites attract, which logically made no sense at all when humans are genetically more drawn to those who are similar to them, but whatever.  

After some peer pressure, she sent him a message (the girls had already started messaging him and telling him that they had made this account for their friend). She had introduced herself and so did he. Days went by and she continued to chat with him. At first, she wasn’t all that determined or interested, even though her co-workers kept nagging her about it. She didn’t want to upset them, so she motivated herself by creating a mental catalog about this guy for her to fill out. This prompted her to chat by asking questions to fill in those blanks. She learned he worked in construction and had apparently sought out that job to lose weight and get in better shape which she could respect, money and health, killing two birds with one stone. Like he had said in his profile, he was quite the foodie. When she’d asked for his favorite food, he couldn’t decide but offered a few answers and was also able to recall which restaurants prepared it best, most of which Cecilia had never heard of or been to.  

The more she learned about him, the more interested in him she actually became. So much so that when he suggested they finally meet in person after about a month of chatting, she agreed. 

Now here she was, watching the minutes tick by as she finished her shift. Everyone else had left and all there was really left to do was to close up the cafe. Garret had agreed to meet her outside after 8 and then they would decide on a place to go and pick up some food.  

Cecilia found herself cleaning the same spot on the counter several times as her mind became distracted by all sorts of thoughts and worries. She had never really been on an actual date, there was one time she’d gotten donuts with a guy in middle school, but that hardly counted at that age. How was she supposed to act? They already knew each other so maybe she should just act like this isn’t the first time they’ve met, or would that be rude? Honestly, why had she thought it a good idea to have to show up in her work uniform? That can’t be normal for a first- 

Every thought in her mind came to a halt when the ground beneath her feet quivered. Cecilia froze, listening. She gasped when it came again, only harsher, as if whatever was causing it was getting closer. 

She shook her head, stop getting so worked up, it’s not like it’s coming over- 

There was a rumbling thud as the ground continued to rhythmically shake, harsh enough to cause items on the shelves and countertops to bounce. Cecilia whimpered, ducking down behind the counter. She winced and pressed herself up against the cabinets as the floor continued to tremble and she could hear the booming footfalls. 

Her heart pounded loudly in her ear as she fumbled for her phone. Had Rebecca said there was a giant customer coming to pick up an order and she had just forgotten? Surely, she would have stayed behind longer if that were the case. Rebecca was one of the few of her co-workers that tended to their…. Larger guests. That woman had nerves of steel; Cecilia couldn’t help but look up to her sometimes. She couldn’t believe how calm and collected she was around them. She had told her once that there was nothing to be afraid of, that they were harmless. Bullshit. What wasn’t there to be afraid of? Massive, loud, and unpredictable. One of those things alone could set Cecilia off, but all three together?! And not to mention how destructive they could be?! There was plenty to be afraid of. 

She let out a shriek as the footfalls became so violent, they were making her vibrate with the ground. Opening up her contacts, she dialed Rebecca and held the phone up to her ear praying she’d answer.  

Suddenly, all became still. The only sound remaining was the humming of her phone. Cecilia gulped before ever so slowly rising from her seat to peek over the counter. Her eyes widened. Planted right outside the front doors was a pair of enormous shoes. In an instance she ducked back down behind the counter, her heart racing. It’s right outside, oh God. What if it breaks down the door? What if it rips off the roof?! What if- 

“Hello? Cece?” A brief wave of relief washed over her as she heard Rebecca’s voice.  

“H-hey uh-” 

“Are you alright? You sound a bit shaken” 

“I’m uh, I was wondering if you might have forgotten to tell me if one of… your customers was picking up an order?” 

There was a pause on the other end, “I don’t remember there being any orders scheduled for after 5. Why do you ask? Did you get a call from someone?” 

Cecilia forced out a weak laugh, “Ah no, but uh-” before she could finish, her phone beeped indicating someone else was calling her. She looked down and saw it was Garret. Oh no. “I’ll call you back Becky” she hung up on her co-worker and answered the other line. 

“Hey Cecilia!” Garret’s deep and cheerful voice met her ears.

“Uh hi” she mumbled, her mind reeling on what to say. 

“I was just calling to see where you are, you still working?” 

“I uh- kind of” she answered lamely, her eyes shifting towards the door. 

“Oh okay, Well I’ll be right where you said to meet waiting” 

“Alright that sounds-” Cecilia froze, replaying his words in her head, “Wait, you’re where?” 

There was a chuckle from the other line, “I’m right where we agreed to meet.” 

 Was he standing out there with that giant? Waiting for her to come out? “You’re… outside the cafe?”  

“Yeah, I’m right outside that human cafe.”  

Her blood ran cold. Why did he phrase it that way? Her eyes shifted towards the door before quickly snapping back to the floor, no no, it’s nothing, “Why don’t you come in and wait inside while I finish up?” 

Another laugh, “Good one.” 

She gulped, “What do you mean?” 

“Oh, did you want me to head into the cafe across the street? Sorry, I thought you were making a joke.” 

Cecilia shook her head, there’s no way, it just couldn’t be, “No I meant the Cafe closest to you”  

Her heart dropped as Garret laughed again, “Okay, now I know you’re joking. Like I’d fit in there.” Cecilia’s mouth dropped, the hand holding her phone shook, “Hey, everything okay? You sound a little worried.”  

She stared wide-eyed across the room. There must have been some kind of mistake, this couldn’t be happening!