A Match Beyond Measure - Tumblr Posts

A Match Beyond Measure Pt 2

(Name may be subject to change)

“Y-you… You’re the only one outside?” 

“Far as I can tell, yeah.”  

“Outside the Grounds and Sounds cafe?” 

She waited with bated breath for his answer, that last damning piece of evidence, “Yeah, looks like it. Are you sure you’re alright?”  

No, no she was not alright. She was anything but alright! The person outside was Garret, the giant outside was Garret! This whole time she had been talking with a giant! The giant outside was waiting for her! 

Her heartbeat echoed in her ears as she sat there curled up on the floor. What was she supposed to do? Out of all the things that could have gone wrong! 

“Uh hey, you still there?” 

She jumped at the sound of his voice, this time knowing the owner was looming right outside the door. Did he know? Did he know she was human? He couldn’t have. He sure acted like he was expecting someone… someone more like him. 

What should she say? Did she really want to let him know? What would happen then? She shivered as hundreds of scenarios entered her mind all at once, all of which horrified her. But she had to say something! If she didn’t he’d remain standing out there and get more and more suspicious. 

“Garret” she muttered, “I’m a…. The cafe you're standing in front of, that’s the cafe I work at.” 

Silence on the other end.  

“Wait what?” Cecilia couldn’t think of anything else to say, she was… she was-

Suddenly, the ground jerked so violently it catapulted Cecilia from her seat with a yelp. She caught herself before she could smack her head on the floor, releasing a shaky breath as everything went still. Her phone had been knocked out of her hand and was now lying on the floor, cracked.  She grabbed it before rolling over and backpedaling back to her spot pressed up against the cabinets. After a few seconds of more silence, she slowly straightened her legs and pushed herself up, turning around as she did so.  

Her heart nearly stopped. Outside, practically taking up the entire glass wall, was a face. A face turned sideways trying to peer in with two blue eyes the size of dinner plates. A massive hand was holding something that looked like a phone the size of a car against the side of his face. Garret’s face.  

His eyes widened when they fell upon her. Cecilia watched his mouth fall open in shock, revealing massive teeth that she couldn’t help but imagine morphing into sharp fangs.  

Just as soon as she had stood, she fell back to the ground, trembling, “Wait!” the shout reverberated through the walls. She snapped her eyes shut, clasping her hands over her ears. Just go away, her fingers clawing into her head and grabbing bits of her curly red hair, “Wait come back!” 

She winced, squeezing her eyes even more shut. Just go away! She pleaded. 

“Cecilia?”  

Everything seemed to freeze once again. Her name rang in her ears. Garret’s voice rang in her ears, only not the thunderous one she’d heard moments ago, but the one she had gotten to know. Slowly, she let her hands slide off her face and into her lap, still shaking. 

That had reminded her that this… this was Garret. 

What difference does that make?! One side of her screamed, get out of here now! 

She glanced to the door leading to the back and the back exit. If she was quick about it, she could slip out and run for it. But…. she looked at her phone, laying on the floor next to her. She couldn’t just do that, giant or not, he at least deserved an explanation. 

But what if he got angry? She felt herself cringe at the thought of those huge features twisting into a visage of rage.  

She hit herself, shaking her head. Stop it! Stop thinking like that! If you are anything close to a decent human being you will say something! 

Her phone felt ten times as heavy as she picked it up and lifted it up to her ear. 

“G-Garret?” she managed to mumble. 

“Hey” his voice responded sheepishly, “Didn’t mean to scare you there, heh. This is just a little unexpected”  

Cecilia let out a mumble of agreement. 

“But uh hey, I could stop blocking the door and you can come on out and-” 

“No!” 

Cecilia slapped a hand over her mouth, looking down horrified.  

There was an audible pause on the other end, “Is something wrong?”

How is he being so cool about all of this?! 

“I uh….” she racked her brains for what to say, “It’s uh…” 

“It’s not what?” 

“It’s not your fault.” she blurted out. 

Garret fell silent. Please don’t be mad, please don’t be mad. 

“What’s not my fault?” 

“That I’m… that I’m-” 

“I’m going to stop you right there” Cecilia went still, “I know this isn’t what you were expecting or what we had planned, but hey, I haven’t much experience being around humans but have always sort of wanted to”  

Can’t say I feel the same way. 

“There’s a restaurant a couple miles from here that’s got some of the best burgers I’ve ever had. If you want we could go and hit it up.” 

She cringed, clearly he had no idea what she had meant before, and now she felt like she had dug herself into a deeper hole. Her lips were dry as she tried to come up with the right words, “T-the thing is, I’m…. not really….” She knew what she wanted to say, but she couldn’t. What if he got offended? That was the last thing she wanted to do, for more selfish reasons if she was being honest. 

“I don’t mean to be rude or anything, I just…. Your…. Your-” Just spit it out dammit! “Your kind make me feel uneasy”  

Uneasy seemed like the most harmless word to use, but it didn’t at all really describe how she felt at all. She didn’t really even want to think of the words to properly describe it in case it just made those feelings worse. 

“Uneasy?” Garret still sounded confused. Sheesh, he really hadn’t spent much time around humans. Uneasiness was said to be quite common in many folks when first interacting with the other kind, though they seemed to always get over it quite fast. Not Cecilia though, for some stupid ass reason that she didn’t know. 

“I-I haven’t much experience around…. your kind either.”  

“Well like I said, neither have I. It would be a fun first for both of us.” 

Fun?!   

She wasn’t sure what to say without the possibility of offending him. None of her words had really landed and he still seemed to have no idea what she was getting at. The hallway leading to the back and by extension, the backdoor was starting to look really appealing. 

If she was careful… if she was quiet…. Her bike was chained up to a pipe right out back. If she could make it out there without being seen, she’d be out of this mess. She’d be able to ride back to her apartment, explain herself to him over text instead of…. Instead of… right now and…. Right here. 

Pocketing her phone, which was still on the line, she unfolded her legs and began to crawl towards the back. A couple of cups and bottles of flavoring had fallen and shattered to the floor, she maneuvered past them so as not to get sliced in the knee and cry out. When she made it to the back hallway, she pressed herself against the wall. She stiffened when she felt her phone vibrate and the vague sound of Garret’s voice. Ignoring it, she continued to crawl the length of the hallway, the backdoor always in front of her, teasing her.   

After what felt like an eternity of slinking along the tiled floor, her nose was inches away from the door. She looked over her shoulder before standing up and fumbling with the door knob. The creaky old door seemed louder than ever as it hinges squealed. She cringed, pushing it all the way open and stepping out. Her bike was on the left, chipped blue paint looking more beautiful than ever before.  

She scrambled over to it, grabbing the bike lock and frantically clicked in the code. The lock snapped open and she didn’t hesitate to pull it away from the building and mount it. She began to pedal, her eyes fixated on the thin alley across the street that she had always used as a shortcut to her complex. 

Suddenly, she heard movement. The rustle of fabric and a low grunt right before a growing shadow appeared feet in front of her. She had but a millisecond to turn her bike harshly to the left before something bigger than a decent sized car crashed down in front of her, the impact throwing her off her bike and sending her skidding across the pavement. The ground rocked once more before everything stilled. 

Cecilia groaned, her elbows and calves burning from being dragged across the ground. 

“Shit!” she froze as that same deep voice rumbled from far above her. She didn’t want to look up, but her body at that moment seemed to be on autopilot as her neck strained to look upwards.  

Her eyes widened, a mountain of mass stood before her, reaching at least forty meters in height. Her mouth went completely dry when her eyes met with two familiar blue eyes, staring down at her.  

She quickly looked back down, only to be met with the sight of those massive shoes only about two feet away from her.  

“You alright?” Cecilia flinched at the voice, “That looked pretty rough.” 

“I….I…” her lips quivered. 

“Why’d you come out this door? I could have moved out of-'' he paused, Cecilia tentatively looked back up to see the eyes of the giant before her narrow. “You cold or somethin’? You’re uh…” he chuckled, “You’re shaking.”  

To her horror, the enormous body before her started to get closer, bending down and taking up more of her vision if that was even possible. Her arms shot out in front of her, instinctively shielding herself. The movement around her stopped. She looked up to see Garret straighten back up, his eyes wide before something seemed to click in his brain. 

“Is it me?” 

Your unnamed story really has me intruiged! I wanna know all about how its society works, with giants and humans living in the same world relatively ? peacefully. Can't wait to read more <3

It wasn't always peaceful, but at the time the story takes place, humans and giants do live together. Many smaller towns are separated into a human side and a giant side. Both are able to go on either side (unless they have a criminal record, then they have to stay on their side). Each race's side of town is scaled for them, though in many public places there are sometimes accommodations for the other race. For instance, a restaurant on a human side may advertise to giants through pickup/ delivery. In cities, it is more mixed. Giant structures and human structures co-exist in the same places and almost every public place offers accommodations for both. Schools, however, are strictly segregated in both small and large towns and cities. Giants aren't allowed anywhere near a human school zone and humans are cautioned to stay clear of giant school zones. Giants obviously don't have cars so walk everywhere. Roads are divided, having one side that is just a huge sidewalk and the other an actual road.

It isn't unusual for a human to be friends with a giant of vice versa, what is extremely uncommon however are any family or romantic relationships. Mixed race adoptions are banned in most places and romantic relationships are practically unheard of.

Sorry that may have been a bit of a rant but that's some of the basics of this society

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 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?”  

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 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!” 

A Match Beyond Measure Pt 7

He froze mid step. Cecilia waited with bated breath as he turned and peered around before he finally looked down. 

His eyes narrowed in confusion, before they widened with realization, “Cecilia?” he stared at her, as if waiting for a response, but all she could offer was a weak nod. She tensed as he moved closer, her hands gripping the edge of the box tighter. “What…. What are you doing here?” 

 Cecilia strained her neck to look up at his face. He was practically on top of her now, his massive shoes planting themselves mere meters away. The impact had been enough to throw her off balance.  

“I uh-” her fingers drummed against the box, “I…. I came to apologize.” 

From this angle, she could just barely see Garret quirk his brow, “Apologize?” 

“For…. for last night and…. How I treated you.”   

His face fell and he glanced away, “For leaving me?” 

Cecilia’s gut churned, “I’m… I’m so sorry. It was stupid and awful of me, and I regret doing it and you really didn’t do anything wrong and didn’t deserve to be treated that way and…. I’m really sorry.”  

She hung her head in shame, glancing up a few seconds later to see Garret staring down at her. His eyes softened and he cracked a smile. 

“Well, I did do a few things wrong. Should have listened to you about the ketchup” his smile faded, “But…. why did you leave? Is it something else I did?” 

For a split second, she thought of telling him, but instead shook her head, “No! no, it was in no way your fault. It’s…. It’s just me.” He tilted his head and before he could say something, Cecilia thrusted the box up at him, “T-this is for you.” 

There was a moment of silence between them. Then, Garret’s towering form bent down, his hand outstretched and his face getting larger and closer. Everything grew darker as his shadow fell upon her, her hair being blown back by the breeze of his movements. Cecilia’s arms trembled as his thick fingers approached, holding her breath as his thumb and middle finger took the box from her.   

Another gust of wind hit her as he straightened, his eyes looking from her to the small box in his hand. Screwing up his face, he raised his other hand and pried open the lid. His eyes widened. 

“Did you make this?” He withdrew his hand, holding up the cookie which now looked much smaller and honestly sort of pathetic.  

“Uh, yes” I should have made more! What kind of person gives someone a single cookie!? “Sorry that-”  

“This is amazing!” he boomed, smiling down at her. 

“W-what?”   

“I mean-” he gestured at the cookie, “It looks so good. How did you even manage to write so neatly?” 

Cecilia went pink, “W-well uh….. Like I said, I like to bake.” 

“Yeah but this is like… professional shit. It almost looks too good to eat” he flashed her a smirk before raising the cookie to his mouth and taking a bite, “Just almost though” he said while still chewing.  For a brief moment, Cecilia felt that same fear she had felt last night. However, it was soon replaced by a warm, comical feeling at the childish grin on Garret’s face, his lips and teeth stained blue from the icing.

“Mmmmm. You know, usually food like this that looks good doesn’t taste good, but this is delicious.” 

Cecilia’s face was slowly turning a deeper shade of red, “I-I’m glad you like it. It’s actually quite easy to make.” she mumbled slightly. Garret was talking so loudly, she was surprised no one had been as startled by it as she was. “So, like I said, I’m so sorry about-” but Garret waved her off. 

“No worries. First date nerves, I get it. And also, not being used to all of this” he gestured to himself. Cecilia’s brain screeched to a halt. Date? Did he just say date? He- he saw that as a date? No no, that would be ridiculous. He must have just been joking. There’s no way he actually saw that as a date. Hell, he would never want to go on a date with her, I mean, why would he? That would be- 

“Say, I was just about to grab some coffee. Would you be interested in tagging along?” 

She froze, slowly turning to look up at him, her eyes as round as saucers. “What?” 

Garret rubbed the back of his neck, “Do you want to get some coffee with me?”  

He- he wants to get coffee?! Wasn’t he still upset with her? Well, he didn’t really seem upset, but still! They had just had a disastrous dinner with each other the night before and now he wants to spend more time with her?! Why? Seriously, why? He….. he couldn’t possibly….. 

“Maybe retry this whole first date thing?” 

He said it. He said it again! He, a giant, asking to go on a date with a human! How was that possible? How was this happening?! Did….. did he like her? Even after last night? Why would he like her? Did she like him? Wait, why is she even entertaining that idea? He’s a giant! But he sure seemed to be entertaining the idea, or else he wouldn’t have asked her. Did she want to go? I mean he was a nice guy, a really nice guy, and not bad looking at all….. But she’s….. He’s…… 

She looked back up at him, at the look in his eyes as he stared down at her. Much like when they had first met, she found her heart melting at the sight. He….. he really wasn’t joking. 

“I….. I don’t really like coffee” she offered lamely. Garret’s smile disappeared, “But….. I could go for a croissant or something.” 

Almost instantly, the sinking frown on Garret’s face turned into a grin. “Sweet!” Suddenly and without warning, his massive body was getting closer as he bent down and Cecilia had the horrifying image of all that slamming down on top of her. Keep it together, keep it together! He stopped, crouched down and swayed slightly overhead. His arm then raised, his hand heading right for her, fingers outstretched.  

She couldn’t do this! Letting out a shriek, her hands flew up to cover her head and ducking down, trembling. After a moment of silence, she heard movement overhead. “Sorry I uh- uh I’ve never done this before. This is just how I've seen other people do it, would it be better if I-” he trailed off, falling completely silent. Cecilia lowered her arms, gazing up and meeting his eyes, fixed upon her. They were narrowed as if he was studying her, her and her expression and posture. 

Garret’s face fell, “You’re still…… you’re still afraid of me, aren’t you.” Cecilia tensed, his words hitting her right in the chest, “Is that why you left last night? Because I…..” he glanced down at his hand, like he had done the night before. 

“I….. I really don’t want to be, and I have no real reason to be” said Cecilia, “But…. yes. I’m sorry.” 

He perked up, “You don’t want to be?”  

She nodded, “Like i said, I really have no real reason to be, it’s just….. I’m not sure how. But I really don’t mean to be, I swear.”  

Garret tilted his head in thought, before he looked down at his hand again and began to slowly raise it. Cecilia felt her heartbeat quicken. Taking a deep breath, she stood her ground as his hand got closer and closer. He laid it down palm up just a few feet away. 

“Maybe I could help? Get you used to people like me? I know I’m probably not the best person for that but I can still try.” He cracked a smile, Cecilia felt her heart flutter slightly. Her eyes flitted over to his awaiting hand and she stepped back slightly, rubbing her forearms to stop herself from shaking. 

“That’s…. Really generous of you. I’m sorry I’m like this in the first place.”   

Garret frowned, “Is this too much? I just thought you know, it would be much quicker if I carried you.” Cecilia stood there, her mind fighting with itself as she stared at the massive hand in front of her, awaiting her. She closed her eyes, breathed, and then took a step forward. Then another, and another. She forced her feet up and off the ground, getting closer and closer until she stopped right in front of the edge of his palm. You can do this, just a little further.  Ever so slowly, she leaned forward and laid her shaking hands down upon his skin. His hand twitched and Cecilia wretched her hands away. “Sorry” he muttered. She breathed, You’re okay, you are okay. Once again, only a bit more quickly, she placed her hands down. His skin was warm to the touch, yet the feeling sent a shiver up her spine. Raising her legs, she slowly began to crawl forward. Her hands and knees sunk slightly into his flesh with every move she made. 

After what felt like a blurred eternity, she sat herself down in the very center of his palm and marveled at the fact that there was still plenty of room to spare. She was almost certain if she laid down, her body wouldn’t even cover the width of his hand. Beneath her, she could make out practically every line, every pore, every stitching together of his skin. 

“This feels weird,” Garret muttered.  

Cecilia tensed, “L-l-like w-what?” 

“Tickles a bit, if I’m being honest. But in an oddly nice way.” 

“S-so you’ve…. R-really never done this b-before?”  

Garret chuckled, “Yeah, always seen my boss being carried around like this, though he’s never let me before, says I’m too much of a klutz.” Cecilia froze and slowly looked up at him. “Which is…. Probably not the best thing to be telling you right now. I promise, I won’t drop you.”  

She slowly looked down, eyes wide with fear. God help me. 

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 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 10

Sean opened the door and stuck his head out. A second or two later, he pulled it back in. Slowly, he turned to stare at Cecilia, gaping. 

“W-what….. Who….. that can’t be-” 

“Oh for fuck’s sakes, you’re being ridiculous” Maddie got up from behind the counter and marched over to the front door just as Sean had done. She peered through the glass door, “Holy shit” she exclaimed, turning and joined the other two staring at Cecilia, “That looks just like Garret. That’s fucking Garret!” 

Cecilia felt like a cornered animal, all three pairs of eyes bearing into her, waiting for her to speak. When she said nothing, Rebecca stepped forward, “Dear god Cecilia, tell us what is going on.” 

“I-” 

“Did you know about this? Is that why you wouldn’t tell us anything about last night?” 

“I-”  

“Because you never went on a date after you found out?” 

“I-”  

“Then what the hell is he doing here?”  

Cecilia hung her head, nowhere to run now. She couldn’t talk her way out of this, “That is Garret” she stated slowly, “I found out last night. When he came to meet up” she looked up at Rebecca, “That’s…. Why I called you.”

Sean and Maddie both looked at Rebecca, “She called you about this?” 

“All she said was that there was a giant outside the cafe. I thought it was just a late pickup or something, I don’t know. But then she hung up.”

“So you really had no idea until last night?” asked Sean. 

Cecilia nodded. 

“What did you do after you hung up? How’d you get out of there? And why is he here now?!” Rebecca gestured outside.

“I uh…. Well….. I uh sort of worked things out with him and-” 

“Didn’t know you were capable of that” said Maddie, “chatting with a giant. Almost every time one came to the cafe, I remember you always quickly making your way into the back. But why is he here? Was he mad after finding out?” 

“N-no, he wasn’t mad. He was…. Surprisingly cool about it.” 

“Then why is he here?” 

Cecilia fidgeted with her hands, “He….. after he found out, he still wanted to get dinner.” 

Everyone once again gaped at her, Rebecca looking the most shocked and even a bit angry, “Why the hell would he want to do that? And so what, he’s salty because you said no?” 

Cecilia averted her gaze, “I uh…… I didn't say no.” 

The whole cafe fell silent. Maddie’s and Sean’s eyes were so wide, they looked ready to pop out of their skulls. Rebecca stared for a moment, before she clenched her jaw and fists, eyes narrowing. 

“You’re telling me, he forced you into agreeing?!”  

“What? No! I-” 

But Rebecca no longer seemed to be listening, “That son of a bitch, piece of shit.” she quickly turned, and began marching towards the front door. As her hand reached to push open the door, Cecilia realized what she was planning to do. 

“Wait! Stop!” she bolted over to her, just as Rebecca had stepped outside. 

“Hey you!” she bellowed. Cecilia burst through the front doors. She tensed at the sight of Garret’s column-like legs standing in the very center of the parking lot, but her gaze soon flicked over to the comparatively laughably smaller Rebecca. She strained her neck upwards just as Garret looked down at the approaching human. 

“Hey, is my order done al-”  

“Listen here, asshole!” Yelled Rebecca. Cecilia’s insides squirmed when Garret recoiled, his eyebrows raised, “I don’t know what your deal is, but I swear, if you-” 

“Rebecca stop!” Cecilia had finally got up to her. She stepped out in front of her, holding out her arms and shaking her hands frantically, “Just listen to me.”  Rebecca looked at her, raising an eyebrow and still looking murderous, “He didn’t force me into anything.” 

“What’s uh…. What’s going on?” Cecilia looked up at Garret, cringing at the perplexed look on his face. 

“I-I’m sorry Garret. Uh…. This is my friend Rebecca. She works here as well and …..” she turned to Rebecca, “This is Garret.”  

Her friend looked at her like she had lobsters crawling out of her ears. She looked up at Garret, who suddenly bent down. Cecilia couldn’t stop herself from flinching as his hand approached the two of them, “It’s….. Nice to meet you.”  

Rebecca looked from his hand to his face, eyes narrowed, “Cecilia,” she jerked her head back towards the cafe. 

“Uh, G-Garret, would you give us a minute?” Before he could answer, Rebecca had grabbed her shoulder and was hastily leading her back to the cafe. 

As they approached, Cecilia could see both Maddie and Sean pressed up against the glass, staring at them. They retreated as the two girls walked through the front door.  Rebecca grabbed both her shoulders and flipped her around to face her. 

“What the fuck is going on,” she said it much less as a question, but as a statement. “I must be dreaming, because there is no way you, you of all people, would agree to spend time with a giant.”  

“So you actually did willingly agree to dinner?” asked Sean. Cecilia nodded, “Wow uh….. How did it go? And actually tell us this time.” 

She shrugged, “It was…. Interesting. Like I said, he took me to a burger-” 

“Is no one going to talk about how a giant, a fucking giant, asked her out?” cried Rebecca. 

“Wait wait” said Maddie, “it wasn’t just dinner? It was meant to be a date?!”   

Cecilia glanced down at the ground, “I-I guess so.” 

“What do you mean you guess so?” said Maddie. She pressed a hand to her forehead, “I’m still trying to wrap my head around this.” 

“I sort of am too.” 

“Is he nice?” piped up Sean. 

“Yeah, I guess so. He’s-” 

Rebecca rounded on Sean, “How are you being so calm about this?” 

“Would you quit interrupting her, and I’m not calm, I’m just trying to actually listen. Besides, none of you acted like this when I began dating Jeffery,” 

“Yeah well we all saw that coming,” replied Maddie, “This however, is not only crazy, but completely out of left field.” 

“Thank you” exclaimed Rebecca before she turned to Cecilia, “Don’t you find it a little suspicious? That he asked you out? And this is nothing against you. Just…. Why would a giant ask out a human?” 

Cecilia sighed, “You think I haven’t already been asking that question myself?” she turned, and sat down at one of the tables against the window, “I barely have any idea of what’s going on. I mean, this is crazy, right?” 

All of them fell silent. 

“Yes I guess it is” said Sean, “But…. I think that’s just because it’s never really been heard of. A giant and a human.” he sat himself down at the other end of the table, “I mean, none of you have ever heard of such a thing, right?” 

“Yeah never,” said Maddie, “How would that even work?” 

“I- I really haven’t thought that far ahead at all” said Cecilia. She could hardly even picture such a thing.

“I mean really. How would that work? You know when it comes to-”  

Sean quickly held up his hand to stop her, “Do you…. Mind if we meet him?”   

Cecilia looked up at him, “What?” 

“Well, I get Becky’s concerns. I also am a bit suspicious of his true intentions… you know, since I’ve never heard of anything like this before. But, I’d rather meet the guy first before I jump to conclusions.”  

She looked from Sean, to Rebecca. She was glaring out the window, eyes trained on the truck sized sneakers. Cecilia looked down  “I….. I don’t know. It seems weird to suddenly introduce all of you. I don’t want to seem overbearing or- or anything.”   

Sean frowned, turning to Rebecca, “I heard you outside, you sort of met him. What do you think?” 

Rebecca turned away from the window to look at the two of them, her eyes softened as she did, “Look, I’m just worried about you being forced into a situation that clearly makes you uncomfortable. I also don’t want anyone taking advantage of you because you’re….. You.”  

Cecilia felt that oh so familiar pang of guilt drop into her stomach, “It’s not your job to worry about me and stepping out of your comfort zone once and a while is said to be a good thing.”

“I guess, but not if you're doing it just because someone else wants you to.” 

She thought for a moment. Garret hadn’t ever within her short time knowing him used the ‘It would make me happy if you did’ trick. He also so far had given her the chance to back out of it, but for some reason, there was a strange part of her that didn’t want to. That was…… curious. 

“I think I’m….. I’m honestly sort of interested in….. Whatever this is. I mean, I was interested enough to meet him in person in the first place.”  

Rebecca glanced out the window, “You sure? Because we’d all understand if-” 

The entire building shook. Cecilia yelped, grabbing onto the table along with Sean while Maddie and Rebecca failed their arms out for balance. The light room darkened as the light from the windows was seemingly blocked out. When everything settled, they all simultaneously looked outside. 

Garret’s face filled the front entrance windows, looking in on them. Cecilia put her head in her hands, mortified. What is he doing?! She peeked through her fingers. Everyone else had begun to recover from the shock. Rebecca shot a look that read what the hell? 

“Sorry, I was just wondering if my drink was finished yet,” he was loud enough that they could hear him from indoors, his booming voice only slightly muffled. 

Rebecca crossed her arms, huffing, “Impatient much?”  

“He did order at least ten minutes ago,” Sean noted. Rebecca glared at him.

Cecilia went scarlet, quickly getting up from her seat, “I’ll uh- I can help you make it.” 

“But it’s your day off,” said Rebecca, but Cecilia was already heading for the back, quickly gesturing to Garret that she’d be right back.  

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! 

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?” 

I’m sort of a newbie when it comes to art but I really wanted to draw my characters so I used one of @albanenechi references and made this. I tried.

Continuing in my attempts at art

Original pose: @smellony-melanie123

Expressions: @capochiino

Thank you to these artists for their bases and references, I would be lost without them.

Also just realizing now that I forgot to give Cecilia her freckles on the expressions. 🤦‍♀️

First time trying to draw Garret. Not sure how to feel about it.

So this base on Pinterest and instantly so the g/t potential.

Sneak Peek at Match Beyond Measure Future

Been feeling really down lately and unmotivated so new parts have been taking longer, but I still wanted to give you all something new so here is the first draft of a future scene that I will probably add more to. Not sure if this classifies as smut or anything but small content warning anyway for intimacy I guess.

“You know, I’ve been kind of taking the lead every time. I think it’s about time you get your turn.” her small smirk slid off her face when she was met with silence. 

The bedsprings creaked and the mattress wobbled beneath her as Garret rose slightly. He stared down at her, mouth hanging open as he fumbled for words, “Are….. are you sure?” she nodded.  A ghost of a smile was playing across his lips, “You’re absolutely sure?”  

“Yes, unless you don’t-”  

“No! No. God no,” his cheeks flushed as his eyes shifted away from her, “I just……. I don’t want to overwhelm you.”   

Cecilia also averted her gaze, her heart swelling, “I don’t want you to have to worry about that,” she smiled up at him, “And it won’t be much different from last time, you’ll just……. Be the one calling the shots I guess.”   

Garret looked back down at her, his shock ever so slowly giving way to giddiness, “And you’re okay with that?” she nodded. The small smile on his face grew, yet his eyes still darted around nervously, “You’ll tell me right? If I’m being too much?” she nodded, “At any time, you want me to back off, you’ll let me know?”   

“Yes.”   

He thought for a moment, before he nodded, seemingly more to himself, “Okay, alright.” The mattress shifted once more as he fully sat up, the bedsheets sliding off revealing his bare chest, “Are you uh….. Ready?” Cecilia took a deep breath, laid down, propped herself up with her elbows, and nodded.   

Once she had given him the okay, Garret began to move. The mattress dipped as his massive body rolled off of his side towards her. She jumped when one of his hands came crashing down on her right and looked up to see the view of the ceiling slowly being replaced by a view of his chest as he maneuvered himself over top of her. His other hand came down on her left. Now both of his thick arms surrounded her like great pillars of muscle, fat, and bone.  

Garret scooted back so that she wasn’t just staring up at his pectorals but at his face. His dark hair dangled down over his forehead and his face showed signs of nervousness but also excitement.  

A troubling thought crept into Cecilia’s mind. The horrific image of him losing his balance and his entire body collapsing down onto the mattress, crushing her. She gulped, staring back up into the pair of blue eyes that were fixed upon her. That won’t happen, he wouldn’t let that happen. He gave her another questioning look. She nodded, giving him the okay. 

His arms flexed as he lowered himself down. His face grew bigger and bigger as it got closer and closer. Cecilia’s elbows gave out under her. Her heart was hammering against her ribcage so viciously that she was surprised it wasn’t bursting out of it. She just kept her eyes on Garret, his face now stopping a mere foot above her. He looked her over, the smile on his face faltering slightly at her nervousness. Cecilia tilted her head, smiling up at him before reaching up and placing her hand on the tip of his nose. He went cross-eyed as she gave it a couple pats before he smirked deviously.      

Cecilia had barely any time to react before his lips descended upon her. They slammed into her, knocking the air right out of her lungs. the plush and moist surface of his lips pressed into her, pushing her deeper into the mattress. Her hands shot out and grabbed onto either side of his face.   

Garret breathed, his breath washing over her and ruffling her hair and pajamas. She had half a second to catch her own breath, her heart fluttering and pounding within her chest before he descended back upon her. Cecilia pursed her own lips in an attempt to kiss him back but it was nothing compared to his own all-encompassing ones. He did seem to take notice, letting out a soft moan that reminded her of distant thunder.   

Over and over, he smothered her with kiss after kiss. Cecilia had begun to smile, even giggle as his lips squeezed her.  

Garret suddenly let up, pulling away from her. She gasped for air, adrenaline pumping through her veins. He was also breathing heavily, looking her over once more. His eyes were bright with joy, yet clouded with a touch of worry. He waited for her to catch her breath, seemingly waiting for her to say something. When all she did was smile up at him, he rumbled with giddy laughter. Cecilia nervously chuckled as his face fell into a content smirk.   

One of his hands began to move towards her. She shivered as it slid underneath her, scooping her up. His other hand came up and cupped the other one as he lowered his face closer to her. He cradled her, warmly smiling down at her before he closed his eyes and puckered his lips.

Warmth enveloped her as she was pressed into his palm. Her arms simply fell to her side as she surrendered herself. He kissed her from head to toe, over and over, letting out moans and hums of pleasure that Cecilia reciprocated. She could barely see anything, only getting quick images of Garret’s face before her head was covered up again by his lips.  

The longer he went, the stronger the pressure was against her as he passionately kissed her more and more furiously. She found herself gasping for air more desperately and those windows of time becoming shorter and shorter for her to do so. He nuzzled his nose into her, running it along the curvature of her waist and leaning into her.  

Cecilia’s heart began to murmur, beginning to panic as she was pushed and shoved harder back simply by the force behind his lips against her body. She could barely breathe, barely able to get any air in before it was knocked out of her. Raising her arm, she began to feverishly hit the side of his face and kick her legs, trying to get his attention. He must have mistaken her pleas for something else because the pressure against her increased and he moaned happily.  

She hit the side of his face faster and harder, starting to freak out. What if she suffocated? What if something in her broke? She whimpered in fear at these thoughts, something she hadn’t done in a long time, and that finally got Garret’s attention.   

In an instant he froze, pulling away from her like he had been burned, “I’m sorry! Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”   

Cecilia took a moment to catch her breath, gasping to fill her lungs with some much-needed air, “I’m… I’m fine” She looked up at him, his eyes crinkled with worry as they flicked over her body, examining her for any injuries, “Just had a little trouble breathing.”    

Garret sighed with relief yet still looking a bit ashamed, “I’ll be more careful, I promise.”   

She patted his hand, “You're fine. I enjoyed that.” 

He let out a weak laugh, “Me too, though I think you could tell.” His thumb came up and gently brushed her hair back, “again, sorry if I was being too much”  

Cecilia’s eyes softened. She grabbed hold of this thumb, pulling it towards her and planting a kiss on it, “Not at all.”  

Garret blushed, slowly raising her up to his face and pressing her against his cheek. Cecilia nuzzled herself against this skin, the heat radiating from him feeling relaxing, “I love you.” he breathed.  

She smiled, kissing his cheek, “I love you too big guy.” 

Omg! This is so cute! Tysm! Pretty spot on Cecilia too.

Hey, fellow gt fans, i wanna sketch ur blorbos. Trying to get more practice and maybe a consistent art style someday...anyways if ur interested send me a message or ask with a description of ur characters and what u have in mind. Open to complex backgrounds and interesting poses. Will be a traditional sketch bc my tablet is at my parents and im Not. If ur cool with me posting it on deviantart thatd be great. And maybe making a color version someday whenever i reacquire my tablet. No nsfw. Will do the first couple i get depending on complexity