Fairytale Green

Mike was rolling a massive tire out of the building as I parked Kermit on the side of the road.

He was standing right under the shop’s logo with his big, animated face plastered on it. An image of a grumpy animated Stone in its place interrupted my thoughts and made me laugh to myself as I stepped out of the car.

The old mechanic stopped himself and the tire once he spotted me.

He waved with a friendly smile on his face ‘Hello again, Ella.’

I walked over to him, matching his smile ‘Hey Mike. What are you up to?’

He tapped the large tire before lifting it up and onto the back of his pick-up truck. It looked heavy and by the look on Mike’s face, I would say he was struggling.

After taking a large breath, he told me ‘I have got to deliver these tires to another shop down the coast. I have not sat down today. Business is booming.’

‘That is great.’ I commented before I asked, ‘Would you like some help loading up the tires?’

Mike shook his head ‘Stone would not like that. He would not allow something that means a chance of you getting hurt.’

I had no idea what to respond so I instead assured ‘I promise that I’ll not keep Stone long.’

‘Oh no.’ Mike put his hands up dramatically ‘You stay as long as you want. You are always welcome. Stone is in there waiting for you. I would love to stay and see his longing face light up, but I better get going.’

Awkwardly laughing at that, I gave him a wave ‘I will see you later.’

After placing the last tire into the back of the truck, he climbed into the driver seat and said “See you some other time, Ella. Also, if he starts slacking off work, you get him told.’

‘Do not worry.’ I promised before walking inside ‘I will.’

The small green building only had one car inside. A silver sports car was situated in the middle of the room with its hood up as the giant fixed whatever was wrong with it.

Stone turned something inside the car, and I was transfixed watching him. My eyes were glued to his arms as the veins bulged out of his muscles.

He shut the hood of the car and chuckle which made me jump out of my skin.

‘How did you know I was here?’ I asked.

‘Medusa, you make a lot of noise for such a small person.’

‘Whatever.’

His bulky arm went up and rubbed some grease off his forehead as he spoke roughly ‘ Are you not going to express how much you missed me?’

Tutting at his cockiness, I crossed my arms ‘I was taught it is bad to lie, Lurch.’

Stone stepped forward. It was only one step, but I know what he is doing. It was like an animal playing with its food before it pounced.

He motioned to my arms ‘What you were not taught was how to hide your lying.’

‘Excuse me?’ I asked, tightening my hold around myself.

The large hands grab mine in his before he raises them above my head. He then took both of my wrists in one of his hands as his other palm rested on my stomach as he spun me around. His warm breath was felt on my neck as he pressed up behind me.

‘Like I told you earlier,’ He let out lowly against my earlobe ‘You either cross your arms or play with your hair when you lie.’

I tilted my head upwards to meet his eyes.

‘You did miss me.’ He stated.

My head shook violently as I tried to deny it. I tried to argue against something that I was obviously lying about. My whole body was screaming out the truth. That I had missed him.

I blinked and he had rounded me. My hands dropped to the side as he sent me a malicious smirk.

That was before he picked me off the ground.

My legs dangled as I was lifted into the air. The height difference meant that I had no other option but to wrap my legs around his waist.

That was what I told myself. I used that reasoning to cover up the fact that I was very content with where I was.

I punched his chest lightly as I questioned ‘What are you doing?’

It was strange to be at face level with him. I usually had to lean on my toes or nearly break my neck trying to look up at him.

I liked the view from up there, wrapped around the giant. I could study his expression better.

His hard defined facial features showed that he was serious when he proclaimed, ‘I am not letting you down until you admit that you missed me.’

‘Well, it is a good thing you have got large muscles because I’m not admitting that any time soon.’ I declared stubbornly.

He did not do anything. Except move his hands to my hips as he studied me.

Minutes later and we were still in the same position.

It did look like any of one of us was planning to move anytime soon. We were as stubborn as each other.

It took every ounce of strength to restrain myself from reaching out to him. To touch him. I liked everything about him and his stupid face.

‘You missed English today.’ I quietly voiced ‘We got set a new assignment to write an essay about your partner. Mr Dankworth assigned the pairs and my unlucky self got put with you.’

Stone chuckled and I felt the vibrations from his chest ripple through me.

‘It is good to get your thoughts on paper, Medusa.’ He teased in his taunting tone ‘If you write it down, you might be able to stop thinking about me.’

I was too busy getting lost in him that I never thought about what I was saying.

The words flowed out me smoothly and slowly ‘Do you want me to stop thinking about you?’

His expression was not like anything I had ever seen before.

He looked taken aback

I could only describe it as wonder that clouded his face. Wonder that made his dark eyes look like they had stars in them.

I wished that I had a camera to capture the moments

‘No.’ He growled ‘I want every thought of yours to be about me. Just so we are both even. Every thought of mine is about you.’

After a while of staring at his lips and digesting his words, I caved.

I wrapped my arms around the back of his neck and smiled at him. He flicked over my lips with his thumb before he closed the distance between our mouths.

His lips kissed mine softly. It was a slow kiss that still managed to leave me breathless. It still sent a shiver down my spine.

He curled his fist into my hair and combed the strands as he tilted my head and delved deeper into my taste buds.

The soft kisses were history as they were turned into white-hot ones. Between us was passion and hunger and truth.

All weapons and armours were put down between us. There was no way for us to fight anymore. Not when we were both too occupied. With each other. Oxygen did not seem essential at that moment.

I felt him moving us both, but I was too caught up in his lips to notice where he was taking me.

He did not break away from my mouth as he sat me down on the hard surface of the hood of the silver car. He stepped between my legs as he kept his sweet assault on my sensitive lips.

‘I still didn’t miss you.’ I said into his mouth as I pulled back for a breath.

Stone left another gentle kiss on my lip as he chuckled ‘Of course you did not, Medusa.’

He was about to capture my mouth again, but I quickly put my finger to his mouth and stopped him.

‘I feel sorry for the poor guy whose car I am on now.’ I joked as he kissed my jaw.

‘I’m a mechanic.’ He said into the crevice of my neck as he breathed me in ‘If it gets broken then I will fix it.’

That was a good enough answer for me, so I let him cup my face and bring my mouth back to his. I tilted my head and allowed him to change the pressure of the kiss.

He kissed me like I was his salvation and that if he did not have me then he would die.

He was darkness. From his clothes to his hair. From his eyes to his aura. The dark was only comforting as it swallowed me whole.

There was a certain relief about it. It was like I had let myself be consumed by him and I could not fight it. Not anymore.

I pulled back and rested my forehead against his.

‘So, you are still not admitting that you missed me?’

‘Maybe I missed you a little.’ I teased ‘Like a mouth ulcer.’

Stone pulled back slightly ‘Like a what?’

‘A mouth ulcer.’ I repeated before explaining ‘You think that you want it gone but then when it is, it feels weird. You feel around for it.’

A husky laugh escaped him before he pecked my lips ‘You are wild.’

He did not move from his place against me as I asked him ‘Are you planning to say off school again?’

‘No.’

‘Good.’ I affirmed and then questioned, ‘Why were you off today?’

At my question, he pulled back. My legs dropped from him and nearly hit the car.

His expression was unreadable as he avoided looking at me. He was thinking too hard about something. It was obvious from the tension in his shoulders.

Eventually, he came up with a response ‘Brennan and I had to go and see a relative.’

‘Is everything okay?’ I asked quickly.

He nodded once.

The silence drags on until I tried to lighten the mood ‘Do you ever get any work done in this place? When I am here, it always seems like you never do anything.’

His face became less serious as the right side of his lip rose. His darkened gaze flicked over my face and the rest of me before he admitted ‘It is because you are quite the distraction, Drizella.’

I smiled tauntingly before I got up from the car ‘Then I guess I better leave.’

He moved almost instantly by gently getting a hold of my arm and turning me around to face him again. He grumbled something under his breath that I could not make out. All I knew was that he sounded determined.

‘Mike warned me to tell you off if you were slacking.’ I mentioned ‘Which you are. Making out in the workplace is just not professional.’

His lip twitched before he spoke again ‘Go out with me tonight.’

I hummed and tapped my chin to pretend that I was thinking about it.

‘I guess I could spare you some of my time.’ I told him with a small smile ‘What did you have in mind?’

‘I was planning to get another tattoo if you wanted to go.’

My eyes widened ‘You want me to get a tattoo?’

‘No. I want you to come with me.’ He replied gruffly ‘I will pick you up at eight.’

‘Do you want me to come with you to hold your hand?’ I teased.

He chuckled and a smirk was on his face as he nodded.

I tilted my head at him ‘You would think that with at least fifty-three tattoos that you would be okay with the pain.’

‘Fifty-three.’ He repeated before pointing out in his smug tone ‘That is specific.’

‘That is the amount I counted.’

The biggest grin known to man broke out onto the giant’s face as he asked amusedly ‘You have counted?’

My mouth opened and closed as my eyes widened.

I had been caught out.

The only thing that would have made it worse was if I admitted how intently I had studied his tattoos. I knew that he had fifty-three tattoos. Thirty-two large ones and the rest slightly smaller. They all were detailed and interlinked across his arms and chest and abs.

I did what any flustered person would do in that situation.

‘Okay bye! See you at eight!’ I shouted back at him as I ran out of the garage.

The deep sound of amusement followed me to the car.

I shouted again and this time over my shoulder ‘I hate you and all of your fifty-three tattoos!’

I was so mortified that I truly believed Kermit was laughing at me too.

As I drove away from the green building and him, the embarrassment was quickly replaced with excitement for the upcoming night.