Pixie Town

Jayce

It was smack in the middle of the week, and Tuli hadn’t uttered a single word to me.

I tried everything I could think of to change her mind. I showered her with more candy.

Peanut butter cups, gummy bears. If it was sweet, I bought it. But still, she wasn’t biting.

I was wound up and already missing her, even though I could see her in my class.

Being in the same room didn’t mean a damn thing if she was giving me the cold shoulder.

I was in a particularly foul mood today. Last night, sleep had eluded me.

Did she really believe I was just trying to get into her pants? I mean, I’d ~been~ there already.

I think my frustration was spilling over onto my students as I graded their papers.

~Rewrite this paragraph. It’s like you’re speaking another language.~

~This is your idea of MLA format?~

I was being too hard on them. I sighed and leaned back in my chair, raking my hands through my hair.

Maybe showering her with ~gifts~ was overkill. I’d given her a romantic dinner, and she seemed to enjoy that.

So what else could I possibly do?

I scratched my chin, the stubble there growing into a beard. I mulled it over until a new idea sparked in my mind. A brilliant idea.

But I was going to need some assistance. I grabbed my cell phone and dialed the number I needed. It rang a few times before someone answered.

“Hello?” a gruff male voice inquired.

“Hey, Hunter, it’s me,” I said quickly. “Can I ask you for a favor?”

“Sure,” he responded. “What’s going on?”

“Do you have Megan’s number?”

“Yeah. Why do you need it?” he asked, sounding puzzled. “You haven’t spoken to her, or Tuli and Daniel, in years.”

“It’s a bit complicated, sir,” I replied, scratching the back of my head. “Could you just give me her number, please?”

“Alright, son, alright. Just give me a moment.”

Tuli

Rain began to fall as I left school. I adore the rain, but today I was ill-prepared for it.

I held my backpack over my head and made a dash for it, hunting for my car.

~Did I park it somewhere else and just forget?~

I spent what felt like forever combing the lot.

~WHERE THE HELL IS MY CAR!~

Just then, my phone pinged. I dug it out of my pocket and saw a text from Megan. I unlocked my phone, and when I read her message, I let out a loud curse.

Megan

Don’t go looking for your car. I took your spare keys and Daniel helped me steal it. ;)

Tuli

Megan, are you fucking SERIOUS

Tuli

Why the fuck would you do that?!

Megan

Jayce is going to take you home. You can yell at me then. Shutting my phone off now. Toodles dearie!

Tuli

I’m going to poke holes in all your condoms for this

I didn’t get a response. She really had turned off her phone.

I was on the verge of screaming when my phone started ringing. I glanced at the screen and saw it was Jayce.

I was tempted to ignore the call. I wondered if I could endure an hour-long walk in the rain. But I was already starting to shiver.

Sighing, I answered the call.

“I am going to strangle both you and Megan for this. How did you even get her number?”

“How did you know I got her number?” he asked.

“She just texted me and told me she stole my car so you could drive me home. I highly doubt she foresaw you becoming a~ car thief~.”

He chuckled into the phone. “Sorry, can’t tell you how I got her number. I don’t need you strangling three people today.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Don’t worry about it right now. Listen, I’m parked across the street. Can you meet me there?”

“Why should I let you drive me home?”

I could hear his sigh of frustration. “If you want to freeze to death, then be my guest.”

“Ugh! You and Megan are the worst!” I snapped.

A couple of college guys walked by, laughing. I lowered my voice and whispered into the phone, “Fine, I’ll meet you across the street. But I am ~not~ happy about this.”

“Love you, too,” he replied sweetly.

I hung up. Did I mention I wanted to scream? But I bit my tongue and started to trudge through the lot.

Jayce’s car was easy to spot. I guess he saw me coming, because he stepped out of the driver’s side and closed the door, turning to flash me a bright smile.

I scowled. “Hi.”

“No need to be so grumpy,” he teased.

I ignored him and walked over to the passenger side. Once inside, I pulled out my phone as he slid back into the driver’s seat.

He turned the ignition and the engine roared to life. He pulled away from the curb and off we went.

The car was silent. Silent and awkward. I couldn’t help but sneak glances at his face. I wanted to kiss his lips and feel his growing beard against my cheek.

This time when I looked up, he caught my gaze. “Are you staring at me?”

I blushed and looked away. “I just noticed your stubble is turning into a beard.”

“Indeed it is. Maybe I should shave it?”

I looked back to see him scratching it thoughtfully. “It’s your beard. Do what you want,” I grumbled, although part of me wanted to tell him to keep it. He looked so attractive.

~Ugh, what am I doing? I’m supposed to be distant, not admiring Jayce’s facial hair~.

“I guess I should keep it,” he murmured with a smirk. “Oh, and your face is red.”

“Stop messing with me,” I growled.

“You seem so grumpy today,” he observed. “But just you wait, I’m going to turn that frown upside down.”

And with that, he switched on some tunes. “Fly Me to the Moon.”

Was he aware of my love for Frank Sinatra, or was this just another coincidence?

I decided to keep quiet, but I couldn’t resist humming along under my breath.

Jayce glanced my way, his smile lighting up the car. He was singing too. Singing to me.

“~You are all I long for, all I worship and adore~.”

I felt my cheeks heat up. I was half ready to leap out of the moving car. I peered out the window. The rain had stopped, and I realized we weren’t heading home.

“Jayce, where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise,” he said softly.

“I’m going to call the cops and tell them I’ve been kidnapped!”

He let out a sigh. “Tuli, can you just trust me for a minute? Look around.”

I wanted to snap at him, but instead, I took a deep breath, rolled down the window, and surveyed the scene. It piqued my curiosity.

“Pixie Town?”

“Yeah. You like amusement parks, right?”

I nodded, but I was too caught up in memories to speak. I hadn’t been to Pixie Town since… I pushed the thought away, feeling my eyes well up.

Thinking about times with Adam was always the hardest.

“This one has always been my favorite,” I managed to say, my voice wavering despite my best efforts.

Jayce looked at me, concern etched on his face. “Are you okay, sweetie?”

I nodded. “Old memories. And don’t call me sweetie.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll lay off the pet names.”

We pulled into the parking lot. Despite my best efforts to hide it, I couldn’t suppress my excitement.

Once we parked, Jayce killed the engine. I stepped out of the car.

Pixie Town had retained its charm. A blue sign with large white letters hung from a small building, where a short line of people waited.

As darkness fell, the park was illuminated by twinkling lights. I was mesmerized by how the lights made the trees glow.

That’s when I noticed Jayce offering me a dry t-shirt. “Want to change shirts?”

If my shirt hadn’t been soaked, I would've turned him down. But this time, I had no choice. I took it from him, murmuring a thank you.

When I put it on, I noticed it was a ~Deadpool~ t-shirt.

He then extended his hand. “Shall we?”

He couldn’t possibly think I’d be won over that easily. I walked past him towards the entrance. He grumbled but followed.

The line dwindled as we neared the building. A young girl with purple pixie hair greeted us with a smile.

“Welcome to Pixie Town. How can I assist you?”

Jayce spoke up. “Two tickets, please.”

The girl printed the tickets and handed them to him. “That’ll be thirty dollars, sir.”

“Thank you.”

He handed me my ticket and we made our way inside. I gave another employee my ticket.

She smiled at me, but she gave Jayce a wink as she punched his ticket.

“Hope you enjoy your visit, handsome.”

I had to cover my mouth to stifle my laughter.

“Oh, shut up.”

“Come on, it was a compliment to you.”

“You’re not jealous, are you?”

I stopped laughing. “Nope,” I said, emphasizing the ‘p’ sound. “No reason to be. We’re not together.”

Of course, that was a lie.

This employee was about his age and stunningly beautiful with her bobbed hair. Her fairy costume only added to her allure. It was surprising she was stuck on ticket duty.

“Are you lying?” he asked, a smug grin on his face.

I shot him a glare. He chuckled and reached for my hand. I was about to pull away when he lifted my hand and kissed it.

“Don’t worry, baby, you’re the only one for me.”

I blushed and looked away. “Can I have my hand back?”

“No. What if you get lost?”

I scoffed. “What am I, a child? I’m not going to get lost.”

“Fine, fine,” he grumbled, letting go of my hand. “I’m sorry. I’ve just missed you.”

“It’s only been a week. It’s not that big of a deal.” But I could feel the longing in my own heart. “I’m still not ready to change my mind, Jayce.”

“I know. But you can at least be ready to have a good time at Pixie Town.”