Fairytale Green

The truck stopped at the last remaining space outside the Lewis’ house.

I recognised Brennan’s white car in front that already beat us there. Lana had phoned me about an hour before and explained how she was invited. She did not seem in the mood for a night with her boyfriend’s parents, but she had shown up.

They had fought earlier that day and the air between them was awkward.

I had only met Mrs Lewis once, but I knew for certain that she would pick up on the tension instantaneously. I also knew she would notice the shift in Stone and me.

There was still playful fighting in our relationship, but it was more of a fight to keep our eyes and hands off each other. It was not a secret anymore. It was obvious by the stolen kisses when nobody was watching, the brush off our hands when we passed and the small smile and the softening of his eyes when he looked at me. A contrast to his normal grouchy face.

We both got out of the car. It was when I took my first foot on the ground that he was already next to me and taking my hand in his as we walked up the driveway.

I leaned into his side to get as much contact as I could before I would have to behave in front of his parents.

Before we reached the front door, he wrapped his arms around my waist and bent down in an attempt to kiss me.

‘Nuh-uh.’ I tutted, reaching up and putting my hands on his chest to stop him ‘I said no kissing until you went to see your family and you have not been yet.’

He tilted his head and chuckled before pointing out ‘So what do you call yesterday, last night and this morning?’

I could not help smiling up at him while shrugging ‘I forgot about my threat and made a little mistake.’

‘The same little mistake a couple of hundred times?’

To shut him up, I leaned on my toes and met him halfway. Just as his mouth was about to meet mine, I then pulled away and smiled evilly.

‘I think I will just make you wait.’ I sang.

He frowned but I could see the amusement that he was trying to hide ‘Let’s see how long you last.’

Stone knocked on the door and the noise made me remember the clattering around last night.

‘Did you go somewhere last night?’ I asked him before mentioning ‘When I woke up during the night, you were not in bed. I heard you walking around.’

He faced the door for a few more seconds before glancing at me sidewards ‘Brennan called.’

I nodded once ‘Was it about Lana?’

‘Yes.’ He answered directly before recovering himself with a taunting smile ‘I think someone missed me in our bed last night.’

A giggle escaped me, but I shook my head ‘No way! Why would I miss you?’

The taunting smile turned to a smirk on his face as he seen right through my lies ‘So it was not you that climbed on top of me the second I came back last night.’

‘Okay. I can admit that I like snuggling into you.’ I confessed, ‘For someone with the coldest stare on the planet, you are the most warm and toasty teddy bear to cuddle into.’

He shook his head and sent me a glare at the word teddy bear.

‘I would not have made that fuss about Pete the Second if I knew I was getting you.’

Stone smiled again and I could see all his perfect teeth. He continued to watch my matching grin before bending down and kissing the top of my head.

‘Why did you knock on the door?’ I questioned as I had only just noticed that he had.

There was no reply from him.

‘This is your home.’ I said to him softly before I asked again ‘Why did you knock?’

His reply got lost in the air as the front door of the house opened quickly and revealed a delighted Mrs Lewis who I suspected had been watching us from the window a few seconds ago 

She waved us in with a large smile on her face and once we were both in the house and the door had closed, she snatched me into a hug.

I quickly wrapped my arms around Mrs Lewis, and I noticed that was still wearing her work uniform. A pair of blue scrubs.

Mrs Lewis pulled back with a grin still in place as she cupped my face and squeezed my cheeks ‘Ella, it is so good to see you. I have been trying to get Stone to bring you here again for a week now. I have also been trying to get him to bring himself here.’

Her tone had gone sterner at the end of her sentence, so I found myself apologising ‘I am really sorry. It is kind of my fault. He has been staying with me.’

‘Of course, it is not your fault, sweet girl.’ She said softly, squeezing my face again ‘It is his. Do not get me wrong, I was cheering when I found out that he was staying with you but I thought he would at least come back to visit his old folks.’

The meddling Mrs Lewis was now scowling at Stone with her arms on her waist and that led him to let out a small sorry.

‘It is fine.’ She waved him off and her smile reappeared ‘As long as you two are together now.’

I let out a nervous laugh.

Mrs Lewis sighed as she pointed to Stone ‘Honestly if you had left it any later to tell Ella that you loved her, I was planning to do it myself.’

The black eyes widened slightly like he had no clue that she knew that he was in love or that she knew that he had told me.

My eyes were wide too. If it was not for the hospital scrubs that she had on, I would think that the woman was a detective or behaviour analyst.

Her voice sounded all dreamy as she addressed Stone again ‘Do not give me that look, boy. Someone as far away as mars could see that you are crazy about her.’

Stone did not look embarrassed. Not at all. He just let out a single deep chuckle and looked over at me.

I was trying to hide my blushed cheeks with my hair. That and to hide them from Mrs Lewis hands. 

‘Thank you for having me again, Mrs Lewis.’ I said to her as started walking down the hall.

‘Ella, please call me Kelly.’ She said with a grin as she led on in front ‘Or mom if you would like.’

She left to turn into the room on the left. I was left speechless. Stone looked amused at my expression as he stood behind me and moved us both into the living room.

The room was on the smaller side, but it was cosy. The wallpaper was teal coloured with flowery patterns swirling across it. The two cream shaded sofas were already filled. One by a gloomy-looking Brennan and Lana.

Lana and Brennan both smiled and sat up in their seat as they saw us.

On the sofa opposite was Mrs Lewis who had just sat down and Mr Lewis who was looking lovingly at his wife.

There were no seats left so Stone and I ended up sitting on the floor. I was sitting right up close to him and his arm was resting on the floor right behind my back. His fingers were twitching like he wanted to move me. More specifically manoeuvre me onto his lap.

He knew that I knew what he was wanting to do and sent a smirk my way.

Before I tuned into the conversation between Mr Lewis and Brennan, I mouthed to Stone ‘Behave.’

Suddenly, Mrs Lewis shouted randomly ‘It is Lana and Ella’s first game night!’

‘Game night?’ I repeated quietly to Stone ‘If it is trivial pursuit then I am going to kick your ass.’

Stone shook his head and let out a deep laugh knowing that he would definitely give me a run for my money.

Brennan instead answered ‘We play two truths and a lie every week. It is a tradition.’

‘It is a fun way to try and get things out of the two boys.’ Mr Lewis added ‘Kelly and I get told nothing.’

‘That is clever.’ I could not help but praise their parenting techniques ‘What else do you do? Truth or Dare? Questions such as truth, did you sneak out last night to a party? Or dare, do your dirty laundry.’

Everybody laughed and Mrs Lewis pointed my way ‘That is such a good idea.’

A groan comes from Brennan ‘Thanks a lot, Ella.’

‘You’re welcome.’ I stuck my tongue out at him.

‘Now I have to put up with another stupid game that might result in myself having to do chores.’ Brennan replied, ‘More of them now that you are keeping Stone in your lair.’

Mrs Lewis went onto explain the concept of Two Truths and a Lie like we had not all played it in middle school or high school parties. She then insisted that Lana went first and then it would go clockwise around the circle.

Lana thought for a while and then listed her two truths and a lie ‘I can play the trombone. I can speak fluent french. My grandmother’s aunt’s third cousin once removed was Marilyn Monroe.’

I kept quiet because I did not want to ruin the game. Lana had the voice of an angel but her musical talents ended there as she never bothered to learn an instrument.

‘The third one was in too much depth to be a lie.’ Brennan’s mother said before guessing option one.

‘Yeah. You are right.’ Lana confirmed in defeat.

Up next was Mr Lewis and he seemed prepared as he rattled off his list ‘I can still do a perfect handstand. My mama gave birth to me and my brother in a small liqueur store in Nigeria. Finally, I completed my law degree at college in five years.’

The two other boys and Mrs Lewis kept quiet as they knew the answer already. That left Lana and me to guess. Lana shrugged her shoulders my way and left me to guess.

I thought about it then voiced ‘I think number three. Does it not take at least seven years to do a law degree?’

‘Number three is correct.’ Mr Lewis told me ‘But you are wrong because I completed the degree in three years.’

‘That is very impressive.’ I sent a smile his way ‘You must be a gifted lawyer.’

Mr Lewis lost his happiness as he elaborated ‘That and I was the only black man in a college full of rich white men. There was a hurry for me to graduate.’

‘Baron, you are one of the most successful lawyers in the state.’ Mrs Lewis interjected as she kissed her husband’s cheek ‘Excuse my language but all of those rich assholes are bankrupt now.’

The image of them made me feel happy. They both were so in love with each other. I hoped I had what they had when I was older.

Mrs Lewis said her list ‘I was once the leader of a choir in my local church when I was a little girl. I fear Spiders. Last one is that I lost my first kiss to a member of Iron Maiden.’

‘Iron maiden?’ I sat up at her revelation ‘I really hope that is true. That would be some story.’

‘You do not look scared of anything, Mrs Lewis.’ Lana said with a smile ‘I will guess number two.’

The older woman smiled ‘I can’t sing to save myself and I never went to church when I was little.’

‘Iron maiden.’ I repeated with excitement in my tone ‘It must have been great meeting them. Which one did you kiss?’

‘I will not say who because Baron gets annoyed when I say his name.’ She glanced at her husband, laughing ‘I was invited to the one of the band member’s funerals and my loving husband went all caveman so I never went.’

The married couple exchanged quiet words with love and adoration in their eyes. I watched them in awe as Mr Lewis reached over and kissed her lips gently. Mrs Lewis seemed to remember where she was and that she had an audience because she smiled at us shyly.

Brennan let out an exaggerated noise like he was throwing up.

‘Did you know that the boys in Iron Maiden liked their girls feisty?’ Mrs Lewis said to me as she winked in my direction ‘Ella, you would have been their ideal girl.’

Her suggestive face gave away that she was trying to wind up Stone. That she was trying to get her revenge for him not coming to visit.

As I wanted to keep my good impression and stay on Mrs Lewis’ good side, I played along ‘Looks like I need to go out and buy an Ouija board to get in contact with them.’

Stone’s finger twitched against my skin, and I could feel his hand on my back. It wrapped around my waist and pulled me closer to him so that I was sitting in between his legs and my back was up against his hard rock chest.

The giant leant down and whispered roughly into my ear ‘Are you forgetting something?’

I turned around and smiled up at him innocently ‘I do not think so.’

A harsh breath and a deep drawl of three words was his response ‘You are mine.’

His reply sent flutters to my lower stomach, and I had the urge to let him bring my body onto his lap.

I let out a laugh to indicate to him that I was just teasing ‘Are you seriously getting jealous of a dead rock star, you dork?’

Mrs Lewis sent another wink but that time it was to Stone. He caught on that we were just trying to poke the beast because he shook his head and grumbled under his breath.

The game resumed but Stone refused to take a turn. He said that he was more interested in what I had to say. That results in another nudge from my finger onto his chest at his lack of participation. 

After coming up with no three good things to say, I listed them aloud ‘When I was little, my parents entered me into a child genius competition, and I came second. On a trip to Egypt when I was ten, I got kicked out of The Valley of The Kings because I shouted that Tutankhamun was going to rise and that would lead to the aliens coming back for the pyramid. Lastly, my favourite film is The Addams Family.’

My last option which was one of the truths made Stone smirk down at me.

He then got back to trying to guess the lie ‘Number one?’

‘Why?’ I asked.

His smile was taunting as he replied, ‘I do think you were entered into a child genius competition but knowing you then you would most likely came first.’

There was a hum of agreement around the room. Except for Lana who was smiling that they had all got it wrong.

‘I did actually get second place in that competition.’ I corrected them ‘The lie was the second one.’

‘But you went into so much detail that I thought that it had to be true.’ Mr Lewis sighed.

‘I did get kicked out of the Valley of the Kings,’ I replied sheepishly ‘but it was because I threw my chocolate spread sandwich at the hieroglyphics.’

The room filled with laughter, and I could even feel Stone’s chest vibrate with a low chuckle.

Brennan glanced over at Lana who was not looking at him before he listed his two truths and a lie ‘I have surfed a wave bigger than twenty-five-foot wave. My favourite thing to drink is milk. Finally…’

He trailed off and that is when Lana eventually turned her head in his direction.

As he looked her straight in the eye, Brennan revealed his third option ‘My girlfriend does not even like me.’

It went silent.

Brennan’s head dropped while Lana blinked while shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

The silence dragged on.

That is why I randomly blurted out ‘Is it option number two?’

Lana let out a small awkward laugh before she stood up. She shot his parents a smile before she hurried out of the room.

I did not think about it twice. I jumped up from my place on the floor and did not look back as I followed her onto the hallway.

The kitchen was the first place I stuck my head in to look for where she had gone. Once I saw it was empty, I walked down back in the direction of the front door.

She was sitting on the stairs with her head in her hands. Her blonde hair was the only thing visible.

I joined her on the bottom step and pulled her into my side. She immediately hugged back and let out a sob. Her head popped up from being rested on my arm after a minute. Her eyes were puffy, and she had snot running down her nose.

Wiping away her tears, I smiled at her reassuringly ‘Do you want to talk about it?’

‘I am just embarrassed.’ She admitted ‘Here I was thinking that I would come tonight and be a good girlfriend. I would show up and try to reconnect him.’

‘He is just hurt and confused.’ I tried to assure her that there was no malice on his part ‘Brennan did not want to humiliate you in front of his parents.’

She wiped her fresh tears away ‘I feel like the bad guy. He is right but I do not want him to be. Brennan is amazing. He is funny and kind and considerate, but I do not love him.’

I tightened my arms around her and moved her hair out of her face

‘I do not think I will ever be able to.’ She continued ‘We both agreed that we do not feel a fraction of what you and Stone feel for each other.’

‘You can’t compare your relationship to others. That is where the trouble starts.’ I tried to sound sure of myself, but I was not.

The truth was that I could not imagine anyone feeling anything close to what I felt for Stone.

I kept my tone optimistic as I spoke again “If that is really how you feel then you need to tell him. Maybe you can work it out.’

‘Can we talk about something different?’ She asked, fed up with the conversation ‘How about your birthday?’

I repeated ‘My birthday?’

‘Yeah. Your birthday.’ She said again before mentioning ‘I already have you a small something, but I wanted to know if you wanted anything else?’

‘When is my birthday?’ I asked, cluelessly.

Lana frowned ‘You do not remember when your birthday is?’

‘Of course, I do. It is the same date every year. It is also Halloween so I cannot forget about it.’ I laughed at her ‘I know the date. Just not the day.’

‘It is not this Friday but the next.’ She answered before questioning ‘So what do you want for a present?’

‘Nothing.’ I responded honestly ‘I want to keep it as lowkey as possible. Let’s just go and see a movie or something like that.’

She crossed her arms and made it clear that the cinema was not an option

‘What about what we had planned a few years ago?’ Lana mentioned, ‘We said that when we both turned nineteen, we would try to sneak into nineteen different bars and sing nineteen different karaoke songs and kiss nineteen different guys.’

My eighteenth was something similar except I only attended eighteen bars and I only kissed eighteen guys.

‘I think Stone might have something to say about the last one.’ I commented, thinking about how he would react to the news.

‘Something to say?’ Lana scoffed before giggling ‘The morgue would get nineteen bodies that night.’

I rolled my eyes ‘That is a bit dramatic.’

‘Actually, thinking about it,’ She corrected ‘Stone would hunt down and kill every male in California before any kissing happened.’

‘Well, it is a good thing I only want him then.” I joined in with her laughter ‘He can get my nineteen kisses. More, if he is lucky.’

The light from her eyes was once again gone and she tried to keep smiling.

At her expression, I brought my arm around her again ‘Why don’t I come over for a sleepover at yours and we eat our own weight in gummy bears and watch The Notebook?’

‘That sounds really good.’ She replied, sniffling ‘Are you sure you do not want to go home with Stone?’

‘Nothing has changed, Barbie.’ I assured her ‘If one of us is upset then the other must make the excuse of period and stomach cramps and then we both go home. We watch cringey films and we stuff our faces with food. That is how we work, and no guy could ever change that.’

‘Thank you, Freak Show’ Lana laughed before motioning down the hall at the two males who were coming our way ‘I need to talk to Brennan.’

I nodded once as the two guys approached abs, I pulled myself away from Lana.

Meeting Stone’s eye, I tilted my head towards up the stairs. He nodded before he took my hand and led me up the stairs while Brennan joined Lana on the steps.

His room was just as I remembered. One bed and a bookshelf and not a lot else. It was plain and it made it understandable why he wanted to sleep in my fairytale green room.

Before the giant hands could get hold of me, ran out of his grasp and jumped on his bed. I lay splat on my back like a pancake while staring up at the ceiling.

Stone remained where he was against the doorframe. He took up the whole space with his wide shoulders as he watched me with a chuckle.

Moving around on the sheets, I hummed my question ‘What do you think about while laying here at night?’

He moved towards means joined me on the bed. His hand roamed down from my hips to my butt before he lifted me and placed my body on top of his so that I was straddling him.

‘I am never here anymore but before all I thought about was you.’ He rasped

‘You will have to think of me here tonight.’ I took the opportunity to tell him about the situation with Lana ‘I’m sleeping over at Lana’s.’

He frowned up at me while putting a rogue piece of hair that had fallen onto my face behind my ear. He studied my face for a while before he moved his hands higher and higher.

Then he pulled me down so he could entrap my mouth with his own.

My eyes fluttered shut as he moved his mouth onto mine. The kiss was gentle yet incredibly hot. It felt inescapable like I was melting into him. He was tempting me, and I was letting him win because my hand reached and grabbed his shoulders while my lips begged for his touch.

I pulled away and whispered, ‘I am not changing my mind, Lurch.’

Stone ran a finger along my swollen lips. He looked deeply into my eyes, his darkened gaze penetrating me. His grip became tighter like he had no intention of letting my body leave from his side for a lifetime.

His kisses travelled down my jawline until his tongue comes in contact with my neck. The heat and sensation left me panting and fisting his shirt.

Pushing away and letting out a final involuntary moan, I crossed my arms and sit up ‘I have to stay with Lana. She needs me.’

‘I know.’ He nodded understandingly but heat me firmly on his lap ‘I will just miss you.’

‘I will miss you too.’ I spoke back.

‘I need you in my arms, Medusa.’ He let out lowly and gruffly.

To distract myself from the desire to wrap my giant and I in a cocoon for the night, I read all the titles on his bookshelf. However, my admiration of the hardbacks ended just as it had begun because I could feel him watching me.

‘If you could go any place in the world, where would it be?’ He randomly asked in his husky voice.

The answer came straight to mind because it had been the same answer since I was twelve years old.

‘The Royal Portuguese Reading Room in Rio De Janeiro.’ I answered before I started my rant ‘It is this old yet beautiful library that looks like something from a Disney film. I have always wanted to lay in the middle of the room and not care about the stares from locals or other tourists. I would try to steal an expensive book even if it was in a foreign language. If I was found out, I would just run to a busy beach or I would blend into some extravagant festival that was taking place. I would—’

He cut off my description of my dream place and continues it perfectly ‘You would sit in a small bar drinking a fancy cocktail that had a cut open piece of exotic fruit for a glass. You would have a room with a beach view. One that would let you feel the sunrise from your bed when you woke up.’

‘That is freaky!’ I exclaimed after he had finished ‘It is like you have read my mind or…’

I stilled and I glared at his smirk.

‘Oh no!’ I shirked in horror ‘You found my blog that I had when I was younger!’

Stone smiled evilly while staring up at my shocked expression ‘Ella Explains Everything is the cutest name. It did not take me long to find it.’

‘No.’ I groaned as I let my head fall onto his chest.

He kissed the top of my head before he continued to tease me ‘My personal favourite post that young Ella wrote was about your planned trip to the library in Brazil and your theories about how little creatures guarded the books at night.’

My hands went to cover my face as he pulled me away from his chest so that he could see me.

I let out a small huff of annoyance ‘Why do you make it your mission to get me so riled up?’

‘Same reason it has always been since the night I met you.’ He stated before explaining ‘When you give it out to me, your doe eyes go wider for a second and then your nose crinkles. Then a beautiful blush covers your cheeks and highlights your freckles even more. It is breathtaking.’

I could not keep up my act of annoyance after that speech, so I just cuddled into his chest again. His muscles arms wrapped about my body instantly and kept me trained to him.

A voice that was so soft yet so deep made my head move up to see him as he cupped my face in his calloused hands.

‘Meeting you was like going through the looking glass.’ He revealed, ‘Nothing has been the same since.’

‘In a good way?’ I whispered as I stared down at him.

‘In the best fucking way.’

Grinning, I poked his chest playfully ‘I know that you are the Alice and Wonderland superfan, but I thought that phrase was meant to describe the world around a person changing.’

Stone’s lip twitched before his gravelly voice filled the room ‘Drizella, you are my world.’

‘I still cannot get over how you like the Lewis Caroll book.’ I admitted before I explained, ‘I never thought that you would like crazy and whimsical.’

Heat touched every part of my skin as his gaze trailed over me.

‘I love crazy.’ He said as his hands rested on the back of my thighs ‘I love whimsical.’

We stayed in the room for a further fifteen minutes, both agreeing that Lana and Brennan needed more time to sort things over. We were in our own little bubble for a significant amount of time, yet it seemed not enough.

It was not our best idea to have such a heated fifteen minutes in a house filled with other people and with me leaving with Lana straight after it.

It left Stone with a problem. More accurately a huge problem.

Leaving him in the room with a triumphing grin, I descended the stairs and found Lana waiting.

She pointed to me as I approached her ‘Ella, what is that on your neck?’

‘A mosquito bite.’ I lied.

She bit her lip to stop smiling ‘It is massive.’

‘It was a large mosquito.’ I shrugged while covering my face with my hair ‘A very large annoying mosquito.’