Boarding School for Giants (G/T)

Part 22

My skull was beginning to ache from all my thoughts running around in tightly-wound circles. I needed a break, so I decided to push my dilemma to the side for the time being, and enjoy the moment. We were out in the city again, with gigantic cars rushing past us on the adjacent road, kicking up fallen leaves from the giant trees. I traced the lines of Joey's expansive palm with my fingers, relishing the feeling of his skin against mine.

"That tickles!" Joey giggled. His hand twitched underneath me, the skin creasing into soft folds. I was glad Joey was comfortable enough around me now that his hands didn't sweat anymore when he held me, so he didn't have to wear his gloves.

"My bad," I responded, laughing. "Where's the movie theater at? Is it far?"

"Nah, it's in the shopping center just a few blocks over," Joey answered. "We're lucky to live in a place where everything is so close. Well, close for giants at least. Maybe not for you." Normally I wouldn't have been especially bothered by his comment, but now it only underscored how out of place I was here. If I stayed, I would never be self-reliant. I would need others to transport me and take care of me. I had never been good at relying on other people.

I closed my eyes and forced those dismal reflections out of my brain again. I just wanted to enjoy my time with Joey tonight. The universe had other plans. We passed the diner where I had almost been eaten for breakfast with pancakes and I was reminded of the horrors that potentially awaited me if I elected to stay. I shrank down in Joey's hand, hugging my knees with my arms, and pressed myself against his torso, trying not to shiver at the recollection. Joey sensed my discomfort and folded his hands around me tenderly in a sort of embrace. His heart thudded in my ears and helped my mind go blank. The tension drained out of my body and I was able to relax again.

"Are you okay?" Joey asked in a low, gentle voice.

"Yeah," I assured him, "I just had some unsavory memories resurface when I saw the diner is all."

"Awww," Joey cooed, hugging me tighter to his chest. "Don't worry, I won't let anything like that happen to you again. I'll keep you safe." I curled up within his hands and soaked up his loving warmth. God, he felt so good. I did feel safe with him, like he could protect me from the giant world, with his immense size. I may be a human, and he may be a giant, but such a detail was trivial: Love bridged the gap between us.

We reached the movie theater, and Joey took me up to the ticket counter. A bored giantess manned the counter, absently twirling a long strand of hair with her finger and rudely chewing a piece of gum while tapping her long fake nails on the countertop. When she saw us, her eyes scrutinized Joey up and down with condescension, stopping briefly to stare at me before trailing up to Joey's face. Joey pointed out which movie he wanted to see.

"We only need one seat," he remarked. "So one ticket."

"Um, no. Two tickets," the giantess demanded with a huff. She pointed at me, her nail like a claw. "Two people, two tickets." Joey balked. I rolled my eyes.

"Fine," Joey grumbled, shelling out the cash. "Two tickets please." The giantess snatched up the money in her talons and tossed us our tickets. Joey went inside the theater and made a beeline for the concession stand.

"Why didn't you fight her?" I asked Joey. "You probably could have convinced her to just sell you one ticket."

Joey looked down at me and smiled. "I could have, but she was right. You are a person. I wasn't going to argue that point." Realizing what Joey was saying, a burst of love flowed through my heart for him. "I'm going to get some popcorn, do you want anything?"

"Nah, I'll share your popcorn. You don't mind right? I'll try not to hog it all for myself," I joked. Joey chuckled and ordered a bucket of popcorn for us to enjoy together, along with a cup of soda. He carefully perched me on his shoulder since his hands were full of snacks and headed to the theater, grabbing some napkins on the way there. I gripped a tuft of his messy hair and leaned on his neck for support so I wouldn't fall. Even so, he walked slowly and carefully until we made it to our seat. He gradually lowered his huge bulk into the chair, exhaling with relief when we were safely seated with no mishaps.