𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐒 | an anthology

os | ii. jane & carlos

     Carlos knocks on the light blue door that leads into the house where his girlfriend, Jane, lives. It's not like it's the first time he's ever been here, but it feels different this time. He was invited over to have a formal dinner with Fairy Godmother and Jane and he took about two hours to get ready and changed his hair style maybe four times. He fidgets with a ring as he stands at the doorway, waiting for someone to come answer. 

⤙♡⤚

     Jane sits at her desk writing a 6 page paper she's been working on for a week. She's finishing up her final draft when she hears the doorbell ring. She knows immediately that it's Carlos. She got ready an hour ago and she's been working on homework since she was ready. She runs to the front room and almost trips over her own feet when she stops at the door. The door clicks as she unlocks it and creaks amiably when she opens it.
     "Hi, Carlos!"
     "Hi Jane!" He says excitedly, but she can tell he's nervous.
     "Come inside, but don't forget to stomp your shoes on the rug or mom will never forgive you." He laughs.
     "Noted." Jane nods and steps back so Carlos can come in easier.
     "Uh, mom will be down in a few minutes, she's just finishing up grading some papers." Jane smiles and as she walks away and Carlos follows.
     Carlos is in awe of their small, homey kitchen. He's always lived in a big place, and it never felt homey. His mother was not at all like Fairy Godmother. His mother was always shouting at him, and he didn't even have a pillow until Evie gave him one some time before they came to Auradon. The fridge was covered in child like drawings, and different notes like 'you'll do great today' or 'you are beautiful'. The magnets were sort of obscure and all over the place but it managed to look neat somehow. The rest of the kitchen was clean, the countertops bare save a knife block and a bowl of fruit. Carlos looked away from the kitchen when Fairy Godmother came down the stairs.
     "Have you made yourself at home, Carlos?" He sits down abruptly.
     "Yes, ma'am. Thank you very much." Jane giggles. She walks over to him and whispers.
     "You don't have to be so tense, it's just my mom."
     "I know, that's the issue." Jane laughs and swats playfully at his arm.
     "What do we have here?"
     "Mom, that's just dinner. You made it last night?" She laughs.
     "Yes, I seem to have forgotten. Sit everyone! Bibbidi bobbidi, bon appétit!"

⤙♡⤚

     Jane finishes her dinner,  stands up, and offers to clean off the table. Fairy Godmother complies and Carlos stands to help. As they clean, the sky starts to open its maw and drop snowflakes onto the earth. In a little less than fifteen minutes, there is already a foot of snow. It's a curious thing, but Jane notices the snow and offers to have Carlos stay.
     "Thanks, Jane. I can barely drive, much less drive in this weather." Jane smiles and gives him a shy kiss.
     "Anytime, Carlos." Carlos blushes and they all get ready to sleep, because Jane won't say it, but she's tired and Carlos notices. 

⤙♡⤚

     Carlos wakes with a start, he's breathing heavily, trying to grasp the reality that surrounds him as oppose to his mother yelling demands at him. He'd never say it, but he is so frightened of his mother. She hurt him. Abused him. She destroyed him, and sometimes it comes back to haunt him. He sits up and rubs his eyes. Too scared to go back to sleep, he raises his hand to wake Jane. But Jane just looks so peaceful asleep that he shakes his head and tosses his covers off. He opens and closes the door with almost scary stealth, and creeps down the hallway. He knocks softly on Fairy Godmother's door and crosses his fingers, hoping that maybe she's awake.
     "Well...hello, Carlos."
     "Hi, Fairy Godmother. I just, um, had a nightmare, I was wondering if you could help?" She nods and lets him in.
     "See, when I have a nightmare, I find it best to just laugh it off. What do you find funny?" Carlos scratches his head, and shrugs.
     "Well, I have a list of jokes somewhere...." Fairy Godmother leaps up and rifles around in her desk drawers.
     "A-ha!" She swivels around and holds up a box like it's the holy grail.
     "Okay, okay, um..." She opens the box and picks a random card.
     "What do you call a line of 100 rabbits walking backwards?" Carlos huffs out a laugh of disbelief, but he listens anyways.
     "A receding hare-line!" Carlos cocks an eyebrow and FG searches for another card in her box."
     "Two olives sit on a wall, one falls off, and the one still on the wall says 'are you okay??' and the one on the ground says 'Olive.'" Carlos cracks a genuine smile at this one, and Fairy Godmother, now encouraged, pulls out yet another card.
     "Of all the inventions in the past hundred years, the dry erase board has to be the most remarkable." Carlos blinks a few times, then laughs so hard tears come out of his eyes and his stomach hurts. Fairy Godmother wasn't entirely concerned when he started laughing but now that he is gasping for breath she shakes his shoulders.
     "Carlos! Get a hold of yourself!" He takes a shaky breath and nods, still giggling a little and gasping for breath.
     "Thank you, FG." He smiles and she beams back, proud of her dad jokes that she had meticulously compiled.
     "Goodnight, Carlos. I'm glad it helped. " She waves kindly as she gently shoves Carlos out of her bedroom. Carlos walks back to Jane's room, and snuggles down next to her. He sighs into her hair and smiles.
     "Your mom isn't as scary as I thought she was." Jane opens her eyes and murmurs, half-asleep;
     "What?"
     "Your mom is not as scary as I thought." Jane smiles lazily.
     "I'm glad. Now go to sleep, I'm tired." She says as she hits his arm playfully.
     "Goodnight, Jane."
     "Goodnight, Carlos."