The Greatest of Them All

You Carry Me Home

A giddy excitement filled Bobby's chest as he pulled Sadie into the Hideaway. If there was one thing he loved, it was a fancy dessert.

Chocolate cascaded down a shimmering three tiered fountain that sat in the corner of the room. On either side, two glasses of champagne sparkled in the golden light, next to some fruit, and a bowl of marshmallows.

"Woah! Can't believe all of this is for us!" Bobby pulled a chair out for Sadie and sat down next to her.

He bit his lip, his eyes darting back and forth between Sadie and the food. "Want to feed me a bite?"

A sly grin stretched across her face. She looked over the array, considering carefully before grabbing a large handful of marshmallows. "Open wide!"

Bobby opened his mouth and she poured the marshmallows in. His cheeks bulged with them and he tried to thank her but it was too muffled to make out. He choked back a cough, sending several marshmallows shooting out of his mouth onto his lap. She laughed as he vigorously chewed the massive mouthful.

"Oops," he giggled once he managed to swallow. He picked up the marshmallows in his lap and popped them in his mouth. "They were tasty. Even when I thought I couldn't breathe." He felt light and silly. It was such a relief to be around her after his conversation with Lottie. "Just some private chill time with my girl is exactly what I needed after that challenge."

She smiled at him. Her cheeks were flushed a happy pink and her eyes were bright. A joy blossomed in his chest, filling him with the comfort of finally coming home after a long, homesick journey.

"Isn't it funny that this is our first date? Feels like I've known you for ages...Although... there's so much basic stuff about you I don't know yet. Like, what's your family like?"

Her eyes widened. "Big! I have 3 brothers and 2 sisters. I'm the oldest." She popped a strawberry in her mouth.

"Wow! I can't imagine. I've only got the one sister. What was that like growing up?"

She opened her mouth as though she were about to speak, but froze, considering for a moment. She gave him a discerning look, and seemed to decide something. "Hard, actually."

"Really?"

She shrugged. "Well, it's a lot of people to clothe and feed."

"Did you have to help take care of your siblings a lot?"

"Oh yeah. Except when I was working. I was always doing odd jobs to make a little money. I got my first real job at 16."

She seemed so nonchalant about it. Bobby thought back to what he was up to when he was 16. Singing in a punk band. Sneaking into movies. Forming desperate crushes on girls. Nothing responsible, that's for sure. "What did you do for fun?"

She laughed. "Fun? Huh." She thought for a moment. "I got into a lot of fights! That was kinda fun."

"Fights? Really?" A small smile formed on his face. "I guess you are pretty feisty."

"Oh I'm downright mellow now compared to my teenage years! Me and my brothers and sisters, we got made fun of a lot." She started counting out on her fingers, as though she were listing items on a grocery list. "Our clothes were too shabby. We could never afford to go anywhere with friends. We never knew the latest games or movies. We didn't even have a TV!" Her tone was casual but he could see the strain in her eyes. "I hope they're doing okay without me...I've been really worried about being away." Her voice constricted while she spoke, as if the pain of it had snuck up on her. She fell quiet and became very still as her mind drifted. A veil seemed to slip away from her expression, revealing a glimpse of an ocean of emotion, so deep and full of conflicting currents that he couldn't comprehend it. He could sense this was information she normally kept heavily guarded.