Playing Fairy Godfather

With their hands meshed together, Hayden and Cecilia manage to sneak out through one of the side doors and wind up in the parking lot, unseen. They can't risk staying inside, where they're vulnerable to exposure. Running off together at such a crowded event like this is already dangerous as is! What was he even thinking? Oh right, he wasn't.

First, Hayden scopes their surroundings to ensure that they're the only ones around and when he's unable to detect other humanly lifeforms, he throws his arms around his girlfriend, trapping her within his embrace. His warmth swallows Cecilia in one go and without reluctance, she reciprocates his action. As she nuzzles into the crook of his neck, her hot breath sends shivers marching down his spine. Against his will, Hayden breaks away in order to catch a clear view of the girl.

She is wearing a baby pink dress, with a sweetheart neckline and lacey sleeves that reach her elbows. Her hair is down, tumbling over her shoulders in soft curls, which looks rather natural and effortless. Hayden's never seen her so dolled-up before, but she's mesmerizing as she always is. Whether she's donned a dress or rocking a pair of jeans, Cecilia Isles will forever be the most flawlessly perfect girl in his eyes. Nobody could ever compare to her.

"I thought you weren't coming? What happened to studying?" he inquiries once his senses return; he's curious to hear her answer.

"A girl from my poly-sci class caught the flu two days ago and gave me her ticket. I didn't tell you because, well, I wanted it to be a surprise," she says softly before her gaze falls to her hands. "But you don't sound happy to see me."

Her outrageous claim causes his eyes to widen in horror. "What? Of course I am. I was just startled that's all." Next, he tilts her chin up and pecks her lips gently. "You look gorgeous; like you do every day."

A thick layer of blush settles over her pale skin, causing Cecilia's complexion to resemble a ripened tomato as she nibbles on the insides of her cheeks. "And you look rather handsome yourself," she returns with a small smile. "Is Charlie okay with you being out here with me? Wouldn't it be suspicious if she's all alone?"

Hayden chuckles softly and takes both of her hands into his own. "She's the one who pushed me to come. I'm sure she'll be fine. I'm surprised your parents allowed you to attend such a—what did they call it before? Ah, such an irrelevant event."

"They thought I could use a break since I've been working diligently," Cecilia laughs. "Plus, it was a free ticket. How could they refuse?"

"That's true." Nods Hayden before he lowers his voice. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to talk to you recently. I just had to get some things sorted out. I hope you aren't upset with me."

Cecilia's lips pull up into a curve as she lifts his hands up and presses her lips against them. "Of course I'm not upset with you. How could I be? I know how stressful the SATs can be."

A pang of guilt washes over him as he tries his best to smile. Truthfully speaking, Hayden hasn't been worried about the SATs at all because he's been preparing for it all summer long. However, he doesn't think it would be in his best interest to tell Cecilia that. He would just let her believe what she wants to believe. "I would say let's leave right now and forget about the rest of the world, but I can't," he whispers, sincerity oozing from every single word. "If I'm not present when they call the nominees up to the stage, then it would be extremely questionable."

"I understand," says the girl rather quietly. The disappointment is evident as she continues, "But do you think we could, I don't know, maybe, sit in your car and just stare at the stars through the sunroof for a little while?"

This time her request provokes an authentic smile from Hayden. "I thought you'd never ask."

And with their hearts at ease, the pair recline their seats, and gaze upon the dark sky, littered with millions of twinkling little stars. The silence between them is a comfortable one because even though no words are uttered, their presence is all the reassurance they need in order to solidify their relationship. Nearly half an hour passes by in what feels like a blink of an eye and it is Cecilia who realizes how much time has gone by.

"You should probably go back inside now. I'll head in after you."

"Alright. I'll find you when the dance is over," and with a parting kiss, Hayden makes his leave. The warmth of his lips lingers on her own, but the girl's heart feels as though it is being pierced by a dagger. From inside the vehicle, Cecilia watches as his figure grows smaller and smaller before she lets her head fall back onto the headrest. She knows she has nothing to fret over, especially since Charlie is batting for the other team.

But for some peculiar reason, this annoyingly, persistent feeling keeps nagging away at her heart and she doesn't know how to deal with it. It's difficult to explain, and she's not sure what it means. She feels like an ominous storm is quickly approaching the South Burlington area in the near future, but Cecilia isn't positive if she'll able to endure it when it strikes.

The spotlight is blinding Hayden, yet he is trying to act like his corneas aren't being fried as he forces himself to smile. "This year's homecoming prince and princess are Hayden Knight and Tracey Petoskey!" Nicole Emerson, the president of the senior class, declares excitedly.

The crowd cheers and Hayden takes this as his cue to step forward. He has to bend his head down forward in order to get crowned. Once that is over with, he straightens his stature and continues to smile. "Now, for the homecoming king and queen, please give a warm welcome to Ian Whitmen and... Matthew Lombardi?"

A bunch of guys start hooting and hollering as the two boys step forward with wicked grins plastered across their faces. "Oh my god! Who did this?" Nicole screeches, infuriated before she throws the card down and stomps off. Ian and Matt high-five each other as their peers swarm them with rambunctious laughter and thunder-like applause.

Charlie's phone starts ringing and due to the noise, she steps out into the lobby to answer it. "Come outside," instructs a familiar voice.

"And now, will the homecoming court please grab their partners and start us off with the first slow song of the evening?" Cheryl Howards, the second in command of the senior class, requests.

The nominees exit the stage and make their way towards the dance floor with their partners as the DJ plays A Thousand Years by Christina Perri. A mob of girls are completely devastated when Ian walks into the center with Jillian. Next, he removes his crown and puts it on her. "Have I told you how lucky I am?" he whispers whimsically, a tender expression plastered on his face.

This is the only confirmation anyone needs to recognize that the two of them are in a romantic relationship. Most of the attendees are dumbfounded, their jaws slacked wide open, but Ian and Jillian don't pay any mind to them. At the moment, they only see each other and honestly, that's the only thing that matters. With her arms coiled around his neck, and his around her waist, they dance to the music, the smiles swinging on their lips saying everything that needs to be said.

Hayden sweeps the sea of people with his eyes, but he can't seem to locate his date anywhere. He stalks by a line of girls, who are hoping he'd ask them to dance, but unfortunately for them, they go unnoticed. Where could she be? Could she have gone to the restroom? Nobody is sitting at the table and there seems to be sign of the girl. Left with no other choice, Hayden interrupts Jillian and Ian.

"Hey, have you seen Charlie?"

Ian casts him a disapproving look. "Am I my sister's keeper or something? The last time I saw her, she was sitting at the table, staring at her phone. Shouldn't you know where she is? You are her boyfriend."

"I—you're right. Never mind." Without another word, Hayden steps out into the main lobby and dials Charlie's number. It goes directly to voicemail. His brows come together at the center of his forehead as he tries again. He receives the same response and panic instantly consumes him.

What if something terrible has happened to her? It would be his fault! How irresponsible of him to leave her alone! He should have never listened to Charlie when she told him to go to Cecilia! How stupid could he be? What is he supposed to do now?

* * *

"Wait, when'd you get your car back?" Charlie examines the fire-brick red leather interior of the 1969 Chevrolet Impala and internally fangirls over it. How come she didn't notice this beauty sooner? Her vision must have been severely impaired by the initial spite she harbored towards Ethan or something.

"Today," he replies as he shifts in his seat. He doesn't want his nerves to show.

The girl purses her lips out in confusion. "When? I didn't see it when I left." She would have remembered seeing her dream parked on the other side of the street.

Ethan freezes for a millisecond but is a quick thinker. He manages to save to himself. "That's because Ms. Layna parked it in the garage."

"I see," says Charlie quietly. "Does that mean you won't be coming with us in the morning anymore?" She doesn't want seem affected by the sudden change since she's sort of grown accustomed to his presence, but her dispirited attitude is picked up by the boy.

Ethan fights back the wide grin threatening to invade his face as his grip on the wheel tightens. "I was thinking we could switch off every other week or something. You know, you'll drive one week and I'll drive the next. It's more environment-friendly if we do that. What do you think?"

The suggestion almost sends Charlie cartwheeling out the window as she smiles and bites the bottom of her lip. "Sounds good to me," she declares.

That contagious smile of hers has Ethan going haywire. His heart is soaring, and the loud thumping has him on edge. He doesn't want her hearing how crazy she could make him without even trying. He has to get her to stop smiling like that or else he'll experience a heart attack right on the spot! What to do, what to do? "By the way, you look weird. That kind of style doesn't suit you at all."

The parabola on Charlie's face disappears almost immediately and she sucks her teeth. "I know. You don't have to remind me. I've never been a fan of dresses. I had to wear one for my middle school graduation and everyone laughed at me because my legs were full of bruises, cuts and scrapes."

Ethan frowns. Bringing up a bad memory had not been his intention. "Wow, kids really are more vicious in the city."

"Tell me about it," scoffs Charlie as she relaxes into her seat. "But it's all good. I beat them up after for it. Granted, I had to change my outfit first, of course." A chuckle falls from Ethan as he shakes his head. He doesn't find it hard to believe. It sounds like something Charlie would do.

"Well, from a guy's perspective, your legs are pretty nice. I doubt anyone would make fun of them now." He voices out as he carefully presses his foot down onto the brake pedal in order to come to a nice and steady halt at the stop sign. He doesn't want to give anyone whiplash.

"You'd be surprised." She pauses and then Hayden drifts into her mind. "Maybe I should tell Knight I ditched." Charlie presses the home button on her phone, but the screen doesn't light up like it usually does. "Shit," she groans upon recognizing the situation she's in.

Ethan glances over for a brief second to see what happened. Both of his eyebrows arch up in stagnation at the sight of her black screen. "Your phone died already?"

"I forgot to charge it before I left." And she's been on it all night long, mainly using it as a medium to communicate with him, but she isn't going to tell him that. She'll never hear the end of it from him.

"Did you at least tell someone you were leaving? I don't want to be arrested for kidnapping."

She sends him a pointed look. "I didn't really have time to, remember? And please, I'd never allow myself to get kidnapped."

"Yeah, yeah. Text him using my phone then," mandates the driver.

"Where is it?" she questions.

"In my pocket," he answers nonchalantly. It is only when Charlie starts to reach for him that he realizes what is about to take place. "Wait! I'll get it for you!" he exclaims, alarmed. He slams his foot into the brakes this time, causing Charlie's body to lurch forward. Thankfully, there are no cars behind them or else he would have caused a major accident.

Hastily, and ever so anxiously, Ethan shoves a hand into the pocket and yanks the phone out. "Here," he heaves.

Charlie stares at the device with a blank expression and mumbles, "I don't know his number."

Her remark leads Ethan to frown. "What? How do you not know your boyfriend's number?"

His inquiry puts her on the hot seat, but luckily, she is also fast on her toes. "He got a new phone recently, okay? I'll just text Jill." Although Ethan finds her story sketchy, he decides not to dwell on the matter and resumes driving towards their destination. He knows the perfect place to take Charlie, especially at this hour and he's confident she's going to love it.

Ethan parks the car and kills the ignition. It doesn't take Charlie more than five seconds to identify where they are. How could she not know? She's been to this place at least a hundred times! "You remembered," she whispers in awe. They're at the comic shop.

"How could I forget? This is your favorite place, isn't it? I figured we could kill some time here before I brought you back. Do you want to go in or not?" he teases. He knows very well what her response would be.

"What kind of question is that? You already know the answer!" she shouts exuberantly, throwing her door open. Her legs swing out first, but before she can stand tall, Ethan stops her.

"Hold on," he orders. Reaching to the backseat, he grabs a plastic bag and rushes out over to the other side.

"Why?" she ponders as she watches him scurry to her side.

Suddenly, Ethan kneels down on one knee in front of her and sighs as he stares at her feet. "They're red."

"And throbbing with blisters," she adds in lightly. "I've dealt with worse though."

Next, Ethan reaches into the bag and retrieves a pair of familiar New Balances and some socks. Charlie's mouth forms a small O and she blinks profusely. "How'd you get my sneakers?"

He doesn't dare meet her gaze. "I went over to your house and grabbed them before I came. I figured you'd want them, you know, in case we run into trouble and need to flee the crime scene."

"And nobody said anything to you?" she asks, stupefied.

"I was really discreet with it." Finally, Ethan musters the courage to look at her. "You don't want to wear them?"

"What? I never said that!" she interjects. "What about the socks? Are they mine, too?"

"No, they're mine. I didn't have enough time to sneak into your room. You can keep them if you want." With careful hands, Ethan begins to undo the straps to Charlie's silver heels. The girl's eyes round, and her first instinct is to pull away. However, Ethan has a firm grasp on the back of her ankle, rendering her motionless.

Unexpectedly, Charlie's body temperature skyrockets out of control as his fingers graze against her bare skin. "W-what are you doing? I can do it myself."

"It's fine. I'm already down here," responds Ethan as he slips the socks over her feet. After, he helps her into her sneakers, and once he is finished tying the laces, he peers back up to her. "Don't you feel like Cinderella?" he jokes with that gorgeous smile of his.

A lump forms in the back of her throat and she swallows down a pool of saliva to get rid of it. "If I'm Cinderella, does that make you my Fairy Godfather?" she returns.

"Isn't the prince the one who puts the shoes on for her though?" Ethan retorts.

"Yeah sure," Charlie agrees, "but wasn't Fairy Godmother the one who made everything possible?"

"I guess you've got a point there. Should we go in now?"

"Oh, is that you, Charlie?" The clerk rubs his eyes. He can't believe what he's seeing.

Charlie nods her head at him. "Sup, Dick."

Ethan openly gapes at her. "Dude," he hisses, nudging her side with his elbow.

"What? It's his name," snorts Charlie.

"Actually, my name's Richard, but everyone calls me Dick." The man with the goatee explains offhandedly. "I guess my parents preferred it over Rich and it just stuck. You must be Ethan," he assumes.

Then, a wicked grin greets them and Ethan's brows kiss. "How'd you know?"

"Didn't you know? Charlie talks about you all the time." His emphasis on the word all is adamant.

Charlie's jaw proceeds to break off. "No I don't! Just because your name's Dick, doesn't mean you have to be one," she sniggers. "I talked about him, like, once."

Her flushed cheeks has Ethan laughing uncontrollably. "I had a feeling you had a thing for me," he taunts smugly.

She glares at him, while baring her teeth ferociously. "Keep dreaming, Moron-dozo. Are we going to stand here all night or are we going to read some comics?" Embarrassed, she stomps off to occupy her usual beanbag chair. Ethan is still smiling foolishly as he pays Dick their entrance fees. By the time he reaches Charlie, she already has a stack of comics next to her. Ethan notices some guys gawking at her and he scowls at them.

"Here," he takes off his sweater and drapes it over her legs. "Those perverts keep drooling over you. It's obvious they've never seen a girl in real life before."

Charlie glances up and purses her lips out. "Are you going to act like you're Virgin Mary again?"

"I never said I was innocent," he counters mockingly with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Oh my. What a gentleman you are," she drawls sarcastically.

He winks at her. "I try my best."

Charlie and Ethan spend approximately three hours at the comic shop, indulging in the colorful graphics the world has been blessed with. Occasionally, they would talk to each other, but for the most part, they are both in their own worlds. And the odd thing is, they don't mind. The other customers have already called it quits and they are the only two patrons left.

A yawn escapes the girl and she is the one who suggests that they call it a night. They bid their goodbyes to Dick and exit the establishment. The street is barren, and it seems like nobody in the neighborhood is awake.

"Did you dance tonight?" queries Ethan.

Charlie's face contorts into one filled with disgust. "No, why would I?"

"Because it was a dance?" he answers like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"I don't do dancing," she dismisses.

They get into the car and Marvin Gaye by Charlie Puth and Megan Trainor comes on.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

An idea hatches inside of the boy's brain. While Charlie is buckling her seatbelt, he turns to look at her. "Would you like to dance with me?"

The girl stills for a second before she snaps her neck up to balk at him. "Are you fucking with me right now? I can't dance to save my life."

"I don't doubt it. Fortunately for you, my dad was a dance instructor." He exits the vehicle and walks over to her side yet again. He opens the door and waits for her to join him outside. "Just follow my lead, okay?"

"I don't know," she says hesitantly as she gets out. "I don't want to look stupid."

"Have some faith in me, will you? I've got this one in the bag. The worst thing you could do is step on my foot, which I'm pretty sure I'll be able to survive. And you won't look stupid. I promise." She doesn't protest anymore and Ethan takes her silence as a yes. He grabs her by the hand and guides her into the middle of the deserted road. He leaves her for a brief moment so that he could roll the windows down and crank the volume up.

After, he returns to her. Placing a hand on her waist and taking Charlie's hand with his other, Ethan makes sure the space between them is minimal. He notices her dilemma and puts her other hand on his shoulder. Their chests are almost touching and he locks eyes with her. "Look at me, and only me," he instructs. The warm and inviting glow from the lampposts shine on her face, giving off the illusion that she is illuminating.

And, at that precise moment, Ethan is glad that he chose to make memories that would last him a lifetime with the girl who is able to make him feel like this.

"Now follow me." He counts the beats off in his head before he makes the first move. Charlie's heart begins to race as she does what she's told. With clumsy and ungraceful movements, she does her best to mimic his actions. When he steps back, she steps forward. When he steps forward, she steps back. She gets the urge to look at their feet, but tries not to as she stares at the boy in front of her. Ethan's expression is indecipherable, yet she can't help but feel like he's trying to tell her something with his countenance.

He should stop. He needs to. This isn't the way to go. He shouldn't try to rush things. Firstly, because he's not certain what it is that he wants and secondly, Charlie has a boyfriend for Christ's sake! Yet, despite having knowledge that her heart is already occupied by another, there's still this sliver of hope glimmering faintly inside of him. Their bodies sway to the music and Charlie laughs when Ethan twirls her around.

Dancing isn't as terrible as she thought it would be. Or is it because of the person she's dancing with?

"You're not as bad as you claim to be," he proclaims with a smile. Then, Ethan spins her out and reels her back in, his right arm now coiled around her upper-body. This time, her back is pressed up against his chest as they continue to groove to the song. Ethan is tempted to latch his lips onto the exposed skin on her neck when the atmosphere is abruptly disrupted.

"Hey! You little hooligans! I called the cops on you! Don't you know what time it is? People have to wake up and work tomorrow, despite what you might think!" yells an indignant and furious man from his apartment window.

Charlie turns to Ethan with a shocked countenance. "Is this the part where we flee from the crime scene?"

"Precisely," he confirms as they dash towards the car and make their getaway.

"Did you have fun?" Ethan pants as he checks the rearview mirror.

She nods. "Thanks to you I did!" she states over the loud music.

Ethan shuts the radio off and shrugs. "It wasn't a big deal. What kind of friend would I be if I left you there to rot?"

Before she could stop herself, Charlie's lips move on their own accord. "Why did you come? I mean, you didn't have to. So why did you?"

Inhaling deeply, Ethan braces himself. "Because I realized that nothing seems to come easy to me. But when I'm with you..." he is reluctant to carry on, but he knows being honest is the only way to go. "It feels like I have the world at my fingertips."

"I don't get it," admits the girl.

"You don't have to. Honestly, I don't either," mutters Ethan as he keeps his eyes trained on the road in front of them. "So how about we try to figure this out together?"

- - -

Author's Thoughts: I don't know where to start. Like, what the fudgesicle! Ethan is so perf! He went to rescue Charlie, took her to her favorite comic shop, brought her sneakers, put her sneakers on for her, covered her legs from the little perverts and made her dance.

Even Hayden couldn't get her to dance! Could you guys imagine them dancing in the middle of the street with the car blasting the music? I think that's romantic as heck! Slowly, we're finding out more things about Ethan! What do you guys think?

Also, sorry for the wait, but I've gone back to school. I'll try to update weekly though so don't worry! Please leave comments and votes <3 Ah and Happy Chinese New Years!