A Match Beyond Measure Pt 12

A Match Beyond Measure Pt 12

I don't know if I've said this before, but any and all feedback is appreciated, I'd love to be able to improve as a writer and hear what you think, any suggestions. Anyways, on with the story.

Cecilia was a little thrown off by the change of subjects, “Oh…. w-well a while. I guess”   

“Did you take a class or somethin’?”  

“N-not really, I used to work part-time at a bakery during high school if that counts.”  

Garret sighed, “I don’t miss those days, that’s for sure.”  

“You didn’t like high school?”  

He let out a short laugh, “Hated it. Mine started way too early and I lived a decent ways away, so I’d have to wake up even earlier to even make it on time. I don’t think my teachers liked me all that much either. There was this one woman, Mrs. Dechaseray and I swear she had it out for me. Always got mad at me for forgetting the date and then would give me an F because of it.”   

“That’s… harsh.”  

“Yeah, I know. And then there was our gym teacher. God, he was awful. One time he called me up to stand in front of the entire class and used me as an example of why exercise is important.”  

Cecilia’s eyes widened, her hand coming up to her mouth in shock, “That’s awful.”  

“Felt like it. And yeah, maybe he had a point if I’m being honest but it still hurt.”  

“What do you mean he had a point? That’s just horrible.”  

Garret frowned, “Well, my old man would say similar things so I was kind of used to hearing it.”    

Her eyebrows furrowed, “I’m sorry.”  

“What are you saying sorry for? You didn’t say them. Plus, they really did have a good point.”   

“Well, I think you look pretty good.”  

He smiled down at her, “Think so?” she nodded. “Thanks, I’m glad to hear that. High school wasn’t all bad. My last two years, I took up woodshop which was pretty neat. This one time, I helped make this huge-”  

A loud crunch along with the blare of a horn pierced through the air. Garret froze and looked down.  

“Ah shit.” 

Cecilia cautiously crawled and peered over the edge of his palm. All the color drained from her face as Garret lifted his foot to reveal the crushed remains of a red sports car. She began to tremble, it was nearly flat. Completely ruined and unrecoverable, like it had gotten caught under a steamroller. Was it empty? Oh god, had someone been in there?! She looked to Garret who was still staring down at the ground, cringing at the sight. 

His eyes flicked over to Cecilia, “I uh-”  

“What the fuck happened?!” both jumped at a voice screaming up from the ground. The two of them both looked back down to see a man dressed in a business suit running towards the remains, “My car! The fuck you do to my car?!”    

Garret looked around aimlessly before addressing the raging man at his feet “I’m uh- I’m real sorry sir. I swear to you it was a-”  

“You fucking son of a bitch! Do you know how much this cost me?! Do you?!”   

“N-no but I-”  

“Do you know who I am?!”  

“I uh- no” he glanced over at Cecilia, “B-but I swear, I can pay you back for-”  

“What is one of your kind even doing in these parts?! You lost or something dumbass?!”    

“I-”  

“It’s my fault sir!” Cecilia yelled, peering back over the edge nervously, “I-I was distracting him.”   

The man’s head turned to look at Garret’s hand, spotting her head poking out from behind it, “Who the hell are you?”  

“I’m-”  

“Oh let me guess” the man sneered, “You’re one of those lazy bitches who thinks they’re too good for traffic or cars. Thinks they're saving the fucking planet by hiring some giant to carry their sorry ass wherever-”   

“You shut your fucking mouth!” Cecilia’s hand flew up and clamped tightly over her ears which still rang from Garret’s thunderous yell.  

The man below had backed away, his hands slowly lowering from his own ears, “Watch it asshole. Don’t you be talking to me like-”   

“Don’t you be talking to her like that!”  

Cecilia shook as she looked up at Garret’s face. His jaw clenched as his gaze hardened. For the first time since she’d met him, he looked mad, furious even. It sent a shiver down her spine, seeing someone like him in a mindset where people don’t think before they act. She began to look uneasily at her surroundings, at the fingers thick as tree trunks and taller than her entire being. What were those fingers capable of when the person attached to them was tested? What could the rest of the person be capable of?  

She couldn’t stop a small whimper from escaping her. Garret’s eyes, now looking ice cold rather than just blue, flicked over to her and they immediately melted. His mouth dropped from a sneer to a contemplative frown as his eyes fixed on her.  

“I-I think I should go,” she murmured, not wanting to spend any more time around these two arguing, “Would… would you… you know”   

He nodded, “Oh, right.” Cecilia jumped slightly as Garret turned and began to slowly kneel down. He placed his hand flat upon the ground and she hopped down onto the pavement.  

“T-thanks again, for lunch.”    

“Yeah, I’ll… I’ll text you, once I'm done dealing with all of this” he nodded over at the flattened car.  

Cecilia nodded as she turned and began to hurry away, the yelling of the man starting up again the moment she’d left.  

Her home as a child used to have this very vibrant wallpaper in the living room. It was covered in all sorts of different kinds of butterflies, and Cecilia had very vivid memories of almost everyday after school staring up at them all to pass the time. Her mother would be close by, sitting at the kitchen table with the phone in her lap while she stared out the window looking out into the front yard.   

There were hundreds of this day in her memory. At times, they all blended together. Some days she’d ask what was for dinner, often not getting a response. Other days she’d sit and do homework at the same table as her mother yet they exchanged no words. Sometimes she’d ask if she wanted to do something, bake, or go to the park, but her mother almost always said no.  

A lot of the time, however, she’d be stuck doing exactly what her mother was doing, waiting. 

It was either the phone or the door that broke the silence. Cecilia preferred it when it was the door. She’d lift her head off the couch to see her dad shuffling in, army duffle bag in tow. Her mother would finally move as she turned and smiled up at her husband who would lane down to kiss her, occasionally asking what their daughter was still doing up.  

She would run to her father and wrap her arms around his waist. He’d pat her on the back and ruffle her hair. Sometimes they’d all sit down on the couch, and he would tell them stories. Stories from his travels. Stories about- 

“Cece!” 

“Huh?” Cecilia looked up and across from her where Maddie was seated.  

“Are you even listening?”  

“I… yes.”  

She crossed her arms and raised a well-manicured brow, “Then what did I just say?”   

“Um…” she looked over helplessly at Rebecca who was sitting right beside her with her iguana, Enoch draped over her shoulder.  

She sighed, “Jennifer got the job.”  

“Huh?” 

“We don’t like Jennifer.”  

“Why?”  

Rebecca glanced over at Maddie, “Honestly, I don’t know.”   

“Because she had the audacity to show up to the party after the whole thing with her and Kyle!” 

Cecilia blinked, “Whose Kyle again?”   

“Her ex” whispered Rebecca.   

“Oh. wow, the audacity,” she replied flatly.  

Maddie threw up her hands, “I know! And then she’s all like…”   

Cecilia began to tune out once again as Maddie continued to rant. A part of her sort of enjoyed listening to her drama, even though half the time she had no idea what she was talking about. Today however, she just couldn’t seem to keep her mind from wandering.  

It was no surprise to her that the day right after the whole cafe incident, Rebecca had called her and insisted they all get together. They did this quite often, usually all gathering at Rebecca’s place since it was the nicest and her friend was insistent that she couldn’t just leave Enoch for any longer than she already had when at work.    

Often these little get-togethers were when they could talk outside the cafe. Away from the prying eyes and ears of anyone else.  

“Here” Rebecca got up and held Enoch out to her, “I gotta go check on the pizza.” 

She nodded as the iguana was thrusted into her arms and Rebecca hurried off to the kitchen. Cecilia sat frozen as the bright green lizard clawed its way up onto her shoulder. Enoch had always been friendly, but she was still always nervous that he would one day try to rip her ear off.  

“So… what are we watching?” called Maddie over her shoulder.  

“I was thinking Grease.”  

She snorted with laughter, “Has it been too long since you’ve seen your darling John Travolta?” 

“Shut up”  

Maddie held up her hands, “Hey, I’m not complaining. I like tall, dark, and handsome bad boys too.” she smirked over at Cecilia, “And I think Cece does too if you know what I mean.”  

Cecilia shrunk away, “W-what do you mean?”  

Rebecca rounded on them “If you’re implying that guy Garret looks like John-”  

“Oh come on! You can’t tell me you see it just a little bit” whined Maddie.  

Cecilia felt herself trying to sink deeper and deeper into the couch. She knew it wouldn’t be long before one of them would bring… him up. 

“So everybody with black hair looks that way to you?” 

“Black hair and blue eyes,” she corrected. 

Rebecca scoffed, “If anyone we know is an accurate comparison, It's Xander.”  

Maddie rolled her eyes, “Yeah if Travolta forgot the gym existed.”  Cecilia couldn’t help but giggle at that.

“You’re just jealous I’ve got myself a man like him” Rebecca stated matter-of-factly, “Anyways, pizza’s ready.” She stepped back into the living room, setting down the large pepperoni and mushroom pizza before turning around to grab them some plates and napkins. 

Cecilia handed Enoch back to Rebecca as she sat down, his claws pricking tiny holes in her sweater. She grabbed a slice and began picking off the pieces of mushroom.   

“Maddie” groaned Rebecca, “Can you please be an adult and use a plate?”  

Maddie paused mid-bite, her slice gripped tightly in her hand, “What’s wrong? And what about Cece? What’s more childish than picking off the vegetables?” 

She paused, glancing up at the two, “What? I don’t like vegetables.”   

“Well, she’s still keeping everything on the plate where it doesn’t run the risk of getting sauce all over my couch.” 

Maddie rolled her eyes as she snatched a plate off of the coffee table, “Since when are you a neat freak?”  

“Can we start the movie now?” asked Cecilia.  

Around two hours later, once the credits had begun to roll, Cecilia got up and started to clear their plates and napkins. Rebecca was currently preoccupied with cooing at Enoch and letting him eat bits off her slice.  

Maddie eyed them with a slight air of concern, “Are you sure you should be feeding him that?” 

Rebecca ignored her, continuing to snuggle up with her scaly pet.  

Cecilia shook her head and smiled, “She’s fed him things like ice cream and donuts. I think he can handle a bit of cheese and marinara sauce.”  

Her friend shrugged it off as she got up from her seat, “I brought a bottle of red with me if any of you want some.”  

“I’ll have a glass” Rebecca got up and followed Maddie over to the kitchen, “You want any?”  

“No thanks,” said Cecilia.   

After her two friends had each poured themselves a glass, they plopped themselves back down on the couch.  

“So…” started Rebecca, “Gone out with anybody recently Maddie?”   

“No, can’t say I have” both of them kept not so secretly glancing over at Cecilia, “Everything going good with Xander?”  

“Yup, going alright.”  

They both turned to their friend who was very slowly turning a shade of pink. Oh boy. 

“So… a giant,” said Maddie.  

“Heh, yeah,” she mumbled, refusing to make eye contact with anyone.  

“How has that been?”  

“ Uh well, like I said… interesting.”   

“I would imagine so.” Maddie leaned back, “You know, I’m honestly quite impressed.”  

“Impressed?”  

“Well, I’m just wondering what the hell you said or did to bag that guy.”  Cecilia’s face went from slightly pink to beet red.

Rebecca nearly choked on her wine, “Maddie!”   

“What?! It’s a reasonable question.”   

“They barely have seen each other!”  

“How would you know? What, you’ve been backseating all their dates without telling me?”   

Cecilia covered her face with her hands and groaned, “It’s not official or anything like that, guys. Like I said, I don’t even know what it is.”   

“Well, why don’t you tell us more?” 

A smirk appeared on Maddie’s face, “tell me more, tell me more,“ she began to sing. 

“Guys-”  

Rebecca joined in “Tell me more, tell me more.” she scooted closer while Maddie got up and sat down on Cecilia’s other side, “tell me more, tell me more.”  

She sighed, “Will you guys stop singing if I do?”  They promptly stopped and nodded, leaning in closer, “What do you want to know?” 

“Everything,” said Maddie.  

“How has he been so far?” asked Rebecca.  

She shrugged, “Well, like I said, nice. Very nice actually.” 

“Uh-huh, and what do you mean by that? Because someone not being mean to you doesn’t count as being nice.”  

“He’s just been… very nice.”   

“Is he the reason for the broken glass bottles I found when I opened the day after your first date?” shot Maddie.

Cecilia’s cheeks flushed, “Uh yeah. Sorry, I forgot to clean those-”   

“What was dinner like? What did he-”  

“Quiet.” Rebecca scolded before turning back to Cecilia, “You’re being careful right? Is he being careful? Like, he hasn’t put you in any danger?”   

“Rebecca, come on. There’s always an amount of danger when dealing with those skyscrapers.” continued Maddie, “And why-” 

“Because, and I don’t mean to be judgemental, but he doesn’t seem… particularly… you know… experienced in taking precaution.”  

Cecilia gulped, “He… he did say he hadn’t spent much time around humans” She looked down at her feet, “But… I think he’s trying. I still don’t know what to make of this.” she sighed, “And… and I feel bad th-that I’m still…”  

“Afraid?” 

she nodded. 

Maddie tilted her head, “I mean, I haven’t known you as long as Rebecca has, but I’ve seen how you’ve reacted to giants in the past. Hell, remember when you nearly fainted when that group of teenagers started ruff housing in the parking lot? Sean had to coax you out from the back.” she waved her hand at her, “But just a little bit ago, I saw you voluntarily stepping into a giant’s hand. Sure you looked like you were going to faint at any second, but you still did it, and I’d say that’s pretty impressive for you.”   

“And I think you have every reason to be afraid. Like Maddie said, there is always a sense of danger around giants. But even putting that aside, there’s still the fact that we have no idea what his motive is.”  

Cecilia cocked her head, “Motive?”  

“Yeah, like why the hell would a giant want to be with a human in the first place.” 

Rebecca patted Cecilia on the shoulder, “It’s not that we think someone wouldn't want to date you. I just feel it’s a bit… odd.” That's the understatement of the century, “And again, this is nothing against you, but I just find it hard seeing a giant finding a human attractive.”  

Her eyes fell back to the floor. That had been something that had been in the back of her mind as well. Lately, whenever she passed by a mirror or saw her reflection, it always just made her more confused. She wasn’t hideous, but in no way was she pretty enough for someone like Garret to want to be around her rather than with… someone more like him.  

A loud ding filled the room. Rebecca pulled out her phone and groaned, “Damn it Xander.” her face was illuminated as she opened her phone and began to type.  

“What is it?” asked Maddie.  

“Oh nothing. Xander says he’s just feeling sad and wants me to send him a pic or something.”  

Maddie glanced over at Cecilia, rolling her eyes. Both of them knew by now what Xander meant when he said  ‘pic’, “Well, tell him that you’re busy.”   

“I just did.” Rebecca set her phone down and turned her attention right back onto Cecilia, “So… I know you said you’re still not sure what to make of this, but has Garret said what he makes of it?”   

She shrugged, “I mean… when he asked me to join him to grab lunch, he called it a date.” 

“And that night,” said Maddie, “Did he see that has a date as well?”   

“I-I guess so.”  

“Did you see it as a date?”   

She froze, her cheeks heating up, “I uh… maybe not in the moment, but looking back, I think so.”  

“How the hell would that even work?” Maddie chuckled, “I mean, it’s not like he can score any sex out of-”  

“Maddie!” yelped Rebecca. Cecilia went beet red, going to hide her face in her hands.  

“What?”   

“I don’t think that’s an appropriate thing to bring up right now.”   

“Oh come on, you had to be thinking about it too, right Cece?”  

“Not necessarily no” she mumbled.   

“Well, I certainly would if I was in your place. You’re wondering what his motive is, and that’s been the motive of most of the douchebags I’ve gone out with. I’m just helping eliminate possibilities.” 

Cecilia groaned, I wish Sean were here right now, why did Jaffery have to change their date night to the day before? “Can we please stop talking about this and go on to you guys asking more normal questions?”   

“This isn’t a normal situation.”  

“Can we at least pretend it is?!”    

The room fell silent. Cecilia’s hands fell away from her face. Maddie and Rebecca both were staring at her, perplexed.  

“Please?” she murmured. 

This whole thing, everything since that night at the cafe, had left her mind reeling. She didn’t even want to begin laying out everything in her mind, it was too much. Too many questions without answers. Too many new and unexpected experiences. She just wasn’t ready to sit down and analyze it all, especially with an audience.   

She jumped when she felt an arm wrap around her. Rebecca patted her shoulder, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to… to get up all in your business.” she whipped her head around to look at Maddie.  

“Yeah, sorry I guess. This is just so-”  

“This all must be a lot for you, and if talking about it doesn’t help, then we won’t.”  

Cecilia looked her friend in the eye, and smiled, “Thank you.”  

Rebecca gave her shoulders a squeeze, “But we are still curious. Can we still hear about your first date or whatever it was? Like when Sean told us about meeting Jaffery?”  

She let out a short chuckle, “Yeah, I guess.”  

Maddie leaned in closer, “Oh yes, tell us everything!”  Rebecca shot her a look. She groaned, “Or whatever you feel like sharing I guess.”

Quick shout out to @ipilokko whose when helping me brainstorm ideas and as a whole helping me by being that second oppinion. You should totally go check out her comic, the artwork is quite impressive!

details about ocs!

send an emoji/description of emoji to learn more about a writer's oc! many of these are taken from my munday asks meme, because i thought it would be fun to make a version for characters too! the prompts are categorized by emoji type and given descriptions in case anyone can't see the symbols. can be used for roleplayers and any general writers alike! for roleplayers, these can also be used for your interpretations of canon characters if you so desire as well!

𝐎𝐁𝐉𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐒. 💭 THOUGHT BALLOON — what is your oc's MBTI, enneagram, and/or other personality aspects (if known/interested in)? 🚗 CAR — does your oc have a driver's license? can they drive/operate any automobiles/machinery besides cars? ✈️ AIRPLANE — does your oc like traveling, or do they consider themselves a more homey person? 🎮 VIDEO GAME CONTROLLER — what are three of your oc's favorite hobbies? 💍 RING — does your oc have any piercings? do they want any (more) piercings? 🖊️ BALLPOINT PEN — does your oc have any tattoos? do they want any (more) tattoos? 📚 BOOKS — what level of education has your oc most recently completed/is currently in (GED, undergraduate, grad school, phd, etc)? 🎻 VIOLIN — does your oc play any instruments? what is their skill level (beginner/intermediate/advanced/virtuoso/etc)? 🩹 ADHESIVE BANDAGE — does your oc have any physical and/or mental disabilities? 🩸 DROP OF BLOOD — what is your oc's blood type?

𝐒𝐘𝐌𝐁𝐎𝐋𝐒. 🎶 MUSICAL NOTES — what type of music does your oc like? do they listen to music very often? 💯 HUNDRED POINTS SYMBOL — share three random facts about your oc that others may not know. 💤 SLEEPING SIGN — is your oc a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper? how are their sleeping habits? 🔱 TRIDENT EMBLEM — can your oc swim? do they enjoy swimming? 🔺 RED TRIANGLE POINTED UP — does your oc know how to use any weapons? 🔶 LARGE ORANGE DIAMOND — does your oc know cpr? do they have any other medical expertise? 🚫 PROHIBITED — does your oc drink/smoke? do they do it regularly, or is it more on occasion or for special events?

𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄. 🌈 RAINBOW — what is your oc's sexual orientation/gender identity? what pronouns do they use? 🎄 CHRISTMAS TREE — what is your oc's favorite holiday? 🐶 DOG FACE — does your oc have any pets? 🐈 CAT — does your oc prefer a wide circle of friends or a few close friends? 🐷 PIG FACE — what is your oc's favorite animal? 🐉 DRAGON — what is your oc's favorite mythical creature? 🍃 LEAVES FLUTTERING IN WIND — what is/was your oc's favorite subject in school? 🌴 PALM TREE — does your oc have a green thumb? do they enjoy gardening? 🍎 RED APPLE — where was your oc born? do they still live in/around their place of birth or do they live somewhere else? how do they feel about their birthplace?

𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒. ❤️ RED HEART — what are three of your oc's positive traits? 🤍 WHITE HEART — what are three of your oc's neutral/questionable traits? 💔 BROKEN HEART — what are three of your oc's negative traits? 💘 HEART WITH ARROW — what and/or who do(es) your oc consider the most important to them? 🧡 ORANGE HEART — does your oc tend to prioritize family or friends? 💛 YELLOW HEART — how many languages does your oc speak? what language(s) are they learning, if any? 💚 GREEN HEART — does your oc prefer being inside or outside? 💙 BLUE HEART — does your oc have any cool/special powers and/or abilities? how are they with magic, if it exists in their world? 💜 PURPLE HEART — what is your oc's ancestry/genetic background? 🖤 BLACK HEART — has your oc killed or seriously wounded anyone before? have they broken someone's heart and/or broken someone's trust?

𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐒. 🎂 BIRTHDAY CAKE — when is your oc's birthday? how old are they? what are their sun, moon, & rising signs (if known)? what about their tarot card, ruling planet, & ruling number (if known)? do they fit the typical traits of these sun, moon, & rising signs? 🍝 SPAGHETTI — what is/are your oc's favorite food(s)? 🍰 SHORTCAKE — what is/are your oc's favorite sweet(s)/dessert(s)? 🍦 SOFT ICE CREAM — what is/are your oc's favorite ice cream flavor(s)? 🍔 HAMBURGER — is your oc good at cooking? are they good at baking? which one do they prefer? 🥯 BAGEL — what does your oc's typical breakfast look like? do they usually eat breakfast? 🥪 SANDWICH — what does your oc's typical lunch look like? do they usually eat lunch? 🍛 CURRY AND RICE — what does your oc's typical dinner look like? do they usually eat dinner? 🍸 COCKTAIL GLASS — what is your oc's favorite alcoholic drink, if they can drink? ☕️ HOT BEVERAGE — does your oc prefer coffee, tea, hot chocolate, milk, water, or some other drink? how do they like to take this drink (ex. coffee with milk, hot chocolate with whipped cream, a specific kind of tea, etc)?

𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄. 😊 SMILING FACE WITH SMILING EYES — what are your oc's career/general life desires? what do they want to get the most out of life? 😖 CONFOUNDED FACE — is your oc an introvert, an extrovert, or an ambivert? do they let people in easily, or are they more reserved? 🤔 THINKING FACE — what are some of your oc's quirks/mannerisms? 🧐 FACE WITH MONOCLE — is your oc more logical or emotional? 🤓 SMILING FACE WITH GLASSES — is your oc chatty or quiet? are they at ease in social situations, or are they more shy? 🤩 FACE WITH STARRY EYES — is your oc a planner, or are they more spontaneous in their actions? 😥 SAD BUT RELIEVED FACE — is your oc prone to getting stressed out, or is it easy for them to keep their cool? 😓 DOWNCAST FACE WITH SWEAT — is your oc open-minded or stubborn? are they inquisitive or do they prefer to keep to their bubble of knowledge? 😞 DISAPPOINTED FACE — does your oc attract others, or do they tend to be left alone? 🤒 FACE WITH THERMOMETER — does your oc get sick easily? 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 FAMILY WITH MOTHER, FATHER, SON AND DAUGHTER — how many people are in your oc's immediate family? how many people are in your oc's extended family? do they have aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc? who in their family are they closest with? are they close with their birth family, or do they have a found family?

My father recently gave me a really good piece of advice.

“Don’t listen to criticism from someone you wouldn’t take advice from”

I don’t know if that’s from movie or other media but I thought it was helpful so maybe others will too

A Match Beyond Measure Pt 11

Rebecca met Cecilia in a room in the back that was mostly taken up by a large cylindrical tube, like what someone might see at a drive-thru bank, only much bigger. On the far side of the tube, was a slidable door that Rebecca pushed back, revealing at the bottom of the tube a stack of giant styrofoam cups. With the press of a button, a mechanical claw dislodged one of the cups from the stack before it was sent upwards and stopped where the rim was just below chest level.  

“What do you need?” asked Cecilia. 

“He asked for a hot chocolate, so get me what I need for that.” 

She nodded before hurrying away, returning a minute or so later, arms full of jugs of milk. Cecilia repeated this several times, running back and forth, dropping off armfuls of ingredients while Rebecca poured container after container into a massive pot in the far corner of the room where a fire burned below it. Once the pot was filled, she would haul it over to the tube and dump it into the cup. The first time she did this, she pressed a small button on the lower half of the tube that activated a system that kept the drink warm.  

After ten minutes of constant running back and forth, stirring, and pouring, they were almost finished. Cecilia hobbled back in for the final time, carrying three marshmallows, each of which was the size of a large pillow. She tossed them into the now full cup.  

“Alright,” Rebecca breathed, shaking out her arms. She stepped forward, about to press another button on the tube but turned back to Cecilia, “You promise me that you’re telling the truth when you say he’s not forcing you into anything?” 

She nodded, “I promise.”  

Her friend gave her a single nod before turning her focus back to her job. When she pressed the button, a small compartment further up inside the tube opened up. It pushed out a lid that slid down the tube before landing on top of the drink. Rebecca leaned forward and using all of her body weight, snapped the lid into place. She then pressed yet another button, causing the small door to shut and after a small hiss of air, the drink was sent rocketing upwards, disappearing into the ceiling.    

They both headed back to the front of the cafe. Cecilia was expecting to see Maddie and Sean waiting for them, but they were nowhere to be seen. It was only after Rebecca gestured outside that she saw them. Her stomach twisted itself into yet another knot, oh God. Garret was crouched down with Sean between his shoes and the two looked to be talking while Maddie was leaning up against one of Garret’s shoes, still somehow solely focused on her phone.    

When the two stepped outside, Garret looked up. He smiled down at Cecilia while also eyeing Rebecca with caution, “Hey, I forgot to pay for that,” he pointed at the roof of the cafe where his drink sat in the designated pickup area, “One sec,” Sean and Maddie both scurried away as the giant above them began to move, rummaging through his jean pockets, “Ah, here” he pulled out a crumpled up bunch of Lumins. After pulling out the right amount, he leaned down, holding the large slips of paper out to Rebecca. She snatched them up and tucked them under her arm, making them look like a couple who newspapers.  

“Oh, right. Let me run in and get your croissant” called Sean who had already started jogging back to the cafe.  

“Thanks,” Cecilia muttered as he passed her.   

Garret stood up and leaned down towards the building, completely encapsulating it with his shadow. As he straightened, drink now in hand, Sean came running back outside and handed Cecilia her food. 

“It was nice meeting all of you,” said Garret, glancing over at Rebecca sheepishly before he looked to Cecilia, “Ready?”  

Her fingers fidgeted with the paper bag in her hands. She spared one more look at her friends before she nodded, “Yeah, I’m ready.” 

The ground beneath her rocked as Garret fell to one knee, placing his open hand before her. She could feel the intensity of her friends' stares as she stepped closer. They could probably see that she was shaking. Could Garret see that right now? 

Just as she had done earlier, she clambered onto the fleshy platform, situating herself as far away from the edges as possible. Instead of straining her neck to look up at his face, Cecilia gave the surface beneath her two taps. Garret must have felt it because he began to move, bringing his hand closer to his torso as he stood.   

When everything stilled and Cecilia could open her eyes, she couldn’t stop herself from peering toward the ground. There was the cafe, looking like nothing more than a dollhouse, and all the cars parked out front looking like toys. From up here, her friends' features were all blurred together, too minuscule and far away to make out.   

Is this how he saw everything? Without detail? Without clarity?  

Garret’s palm shifted beneath her as he turned and began to head back into the city. Cecilia’s hands fumbled for something to hold onto once more and was surprised to see his thumb flex so that the top half hovered right in front of her. She stared for a moment, before wrapping one of her arms around it while a smile crept onto her face.

“They seem nice.” 

“Huh?” 

“Your friends,” said Garret, “They seem nice.”  

“Oh, yeah. They are.” she suddenly went red, “I’m s-sorry about Rebecca. She- she misunderstood the situation.” 

Garret gave a weak chuckle, “It’s fine. Sean said that she was just worried.” Cecilia looked up, opening her mouth to say something but stopped. Though she couldn’t see much other than the underside of his jaw, she could see that he was frowning, “Anyways, thanks for coming with me. Usually, I spend lunch with some of the other guys from work, but someone always ends up drunk and it's nice to have a break from all that.”  

“D-do you drink often?” 

Garret made a noise of disgust, “Me? God no. I hate how it burns your throat, and the ones that actually taste good are so expensive. You?” 

She shook her head, “Not really.” A drunk giant, that was an uneasy thought. A part of her felt relieved. 

“Yeah. My old man had a taste for the stuff. Nothing too bad” he assured her, “Just spent a good chunk of money on six packs.”   

“Mine too.” 

“Yeah?” 

Cecilia nodded, “Yeah, and I don’t blame him.” 

“Why’s that?” 

She shrugged, “He had to put up with a lot. He was a part of the military and often worked overseas. Often he dealt with g-” she stopped herself, peering anxiously up over her shoulder. “A….. good deal of things.”

The back of her mind began to buzz and soon spread like a swarm of static throughout her head. A foggy image unfolded in her mind’s eye. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of it, but it was no use. She was staring down a long sterile-looking corridor with dozens of doors lining either side. There was noise too. She could hear a voice. Her mother’s voice, sobbing.  

“I actually considered joining the military.” Cecilia was instantly thrown back into the present by Garret’s thunderous voice, “Though I didn’t love the idea of traveling all around and the strict schedule.” 

She didn’t respond, staring down at the palm beneath her as she began to tremble. No, not now! Please, not now. Stop that! 

A small yelp escaped her as she was brought up and closer to Garret’s face. He peered down at her, eyes narrowed, “You okay?”  

She timidly looked him in the eyes. Like every time before he had looked at her, there wasn’t an ounce of anger, irritation, or anything that a part of her expected to see. No, right now his bottom lids were wrinkled in concern, concern for her. 

Why? Why was that? Why would he be concerned about her? What reason did he have? For him to want to know if she was okay? What did he have to gain from that? It didn’t make sense to her.  

“Monstrous they are, coldhearted creatures.”  echoed a familiar voice. A voice for the longest time she thought was correct.

Her body began to relax. She tilted her head up at the giant one before her. 

“I’m fine.” she averted her gaze, “Thank you.” 

Garret lightened up slightly at her response, “Oh uh, yeah. You just seemed a little-” 

“And thanks for choosing a human cafe. It was….. Thoughtful.” 

“Well I…… I just thought it made sense.” 

She smiled up at him, not sure if her heart was fluttering out of nerves or something else, “Still, it was nice.” 

He stared back down at her, looking confused and honestly a little shocked. Cecilia was certainly taken aback when she noticed his cheeks begin to turn pink. Was he- he couldn’t possibly be…….

“I Uh, no problem.”  he stammered. She almost felt like laughing. Him being the one stammering seemed ludicrous. He cleared his throat, “So uh speaking of which. That cookie was awesome. How long have you been baking for?”