Little

🧸2🧸

"Ash..." I hear. I roll over in my spot, still clutching my stuffie to my chest.

"No, Papa, five more minutes," I whine, snuggling under the covers.

"Ash? Ash, it's Grayson. Get up, we're going to the store."

"Mmm," I whine, covering my head. Next thing I know, the blanket is ripped from my body and I'm laying there in my pajamas.

"Now's not the time to be playing around. Get up, get dressed, and get into the kitchen, now."

I whimper and look up at him. His arms are folded and he has a stern look on his face. Pouting, I fold my arms. Grayson rolls his eyes.

"Come on, Ash!" he shouts. I unfold my arms and look up at him in disbelief. Tears well in my eyes. "Oh, no no no," Grayson says, dropping beside me. "I'm sorry, Ash. I didn't mean to make you cry. Come on, we've got to go to the store. I'll get you any two items you want. Okay?"

Sniffling, I nod and get out of bed. Grayson sighs in relief.

"Get out," I whimper, pointing at the door. Grayson nods and leaves the room. Slowly, I begin getting dressed, slipping into a dinosaur t-shirt and black jeans. My medium length hair falls in my eyes and I brush it to the side, pinning it up with a bobby pin, before going out to meet Grayson in the kitchen. He stands, an apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry..." I mumble in my small voice. He sighs.

"No, I'm sorry. It wasn't fair for me to yell at you like that. Are you ready to go?" he replies, shrugging. I nod and clutch the blue teddy bear to my chest. "You're bringing the bear?" I nod again. "You're feeling really little aren't you?" Again, all he gets is a nod and a small pout. He chuckles and pats my head. "Let's go then."

We go outside and get into a car that's been waiting for us. Grayson recites the store name to the driver and we pull out. It's early so we're not stuck in traffic. As we cruise along the empty street, I watch the leaves fall in the gentle autumn breeze. They create swirls of yellow and orange and red, and they excite me. I grin, pointing at them. Grayson chuckles and ruffles my hair.

"Hey, how did you know about me feeling little today?" I ask, turning towards him. He smiles and pulls out his phone.

"I did a little research last night while you were sleeping. I read up on some forums and looked at some stuff on Pinterest," he replies with a little smile. "And I know just how to treat you. That's why I felt bad for shouting at you this morning."

I nod and turn to look back out the window. Is he going to be my CG? I've never had a CG before. I bounce a little in my seat, swinging my legs back and forth. We pull up to the store and get out. I bounce on my toes as Grayson pays the driver, thanking them for their time. He turns towards me and smiles gently.

"I'm gonna need you to act like a big kid in here," he says, bending down slightly to look me in the eye. "Can you do that for me?" I nod and take a deep breath, holding the bear to my chest again. He smiles and leads me into the store. "What do you want to get?"

I forgot about the two items thing. I stare at the ground, thinking hard.

"Do you want a Paci?" he asks softly. I look up at him and nod slightly. He chuckles. "How about another stuffie, too?" I nod again. He smiles and grabs my hand. I blush. "Hold my hand, little one. You don't want to get lost, do you?" I shake my head. "Okay, then, let's go."

We wander up and down the aisles with a cart and Grayson puts stuff like towels and pillowcases in it. I smile and skip a little beside him. He notices I'm not speaking and tilts his head at me.

"What's the matter?" he asks. I shake my head. "No, what is it?"

"I don't know what to call you," I say softly. He sighs and we go down the next aisle. I'm silent yet again, fighting the urge to suck my thumb. Grayson places a few sippy cups in it and I look at him.