Chapter Twelve
GarrettasksmeifI want to stay at his house again Monday night. As much as I want to, I realized that if I stay at his house and he drives me to work, I wouldn't get to see my brother and sisters at the bus stop. It took me until almost ten that morning to realize why I felt off. I thought it might have been because I spent so much time in Little headspace over the weekend that coming back to work and my real life was a shock. That is certainly part of it, but not seeing my siblings— reassuring myself that they are okay— has me on edge.
It doesn't stop me from texting Garrett almost nonstop and even talking to him on the phone until I fall asleep. My phone might not be the prettiest, but I'm glad I have unlimited texts and minutes because falling asleep to the sound of Daddy talking is the best. He sends me a text when all of the packages arrive on Wednesday and asks me if I want to come over and help unpack. He's turning the guest room I've been sleeping in into a playroom.
For me.
I smile at the text as I send him a confirmation that I'd love to come over tonight. We're in a lull at work and I took the chance to take my break. It's already after noon and I'm hungry. I ordered a sandwich, which Tyler is making me fresh. Perks of the job and all.
"Who are you texting?" Austin asks, sidling up next to me. I don't bother hiding my phone. He's the last person I'd have to hide anything from. Austin's blue eyes are light and happy. I know he's dealing with stuff behind the scenes being the manager, but he has a great way of hiding it. Or, as I'm starting to understand, he has a Daddy that helps him regulate the stress of everyday life.
"Gare," I say with a new smile. "He's picking me up after work. All the things he bought this weekend have come in so we're going to go through it tonight."
"Oh!" Austin definitely lights up at that. He collects himself and lowers his voice. There isn't but one customer in here right now and the new girl is helping him several feet away. "Did you get the castle?"
I laugh at his obvious excitement. "We didn't," I say. "I went a bit… softer. We got small things to start with."
"Oh, any stuffies?"
"A turtle," I say. It's medium size and I can see myself doubling the shell portion as a pillow. "And I think there was a lion as well. I can't remember if he got that one."
"I'll need pictures," Austin says under his breath. He nods at the customer as they walk by. Tyler hands me a wrapped sandwich over the glass divider.
"No one likes secrets," Tyler says jokingly. I roll my eyes, but smile. Tyler is quiet, but he's good with the one liners. He's funny and more than once he's cracked a joke that took me by surprise and I got some looks from customers around us.
"Once you're part of the cool club, we'll let you in on them." I leave him with that, my tone evident that I'm joking. Austin follows me out to the tables and sits with me. The last time we were in this situation, I was adamant that age regression wasn't for me. A week later and… Well, we're here.
"So, things are going good?" Austin asks. I nod in response, not sure what else to say. I don't want to share about what we've done. How, for the second time, I cuddled up with Garrett after our shower and sucked down a bottle of milk before falling asleep. I want to talk about it, to get perspective, but I like what Garrett and I are forming, what we already have. It's a blend of experience with him being a Daddy but also the excitement of knowing that I'm his first Little, that he's experiencing some of these things for the first time with me.
"Things are going really well," I finally say. I unwrap my sandwich, but don't take a bite. It's one of the turkey and Swiss croissants we sell during breakfast. "I'm excited to see the new things tonight. I didn't think this would be for me, but honestly, the way I feel with Garrett… I'm not going to get sentimental or mushy, but it's amazing."
"Happy to hear it," Austin says. "If you're comfortable with it, we're having a get together of sorts not this weekend, but next if you'd like to join. No pressure. We'll most likely be getting in some time together and Daddy is cooking on the grill."
I smile at the casual way he refers to Remington as Daddy. I know that calling Garrett Daddy comes naturally to me now. I still have him in my phone as Garrett, solely because I know it drives him bonkers. His words, not mine. He has me as Honey.
"I'll think about it," I say. "I'm still trying to get used to the whole dynamic and just being in a relationship."
"I'm happy for you," Austin says with a soft smile. "Seriously. Garrett is amazing and Riley is the cutest."
"He really is," I say with a wide smile. I love Riley so much. "His tail is a weapon though."
"Very true." Austin and I share a laugh. I lean back in my seat, comfortable with this whole interaction. It's nice to get along with your boss, but Austin is one of the nicest guys I've met. Having something so big in common with him, too, doesn't hurt. "I'll let you eat. When you get back, we'll have to try and finish up that list. We're going to be having a meeting with the owner next week."
"Sounds good," I say. I've met the owner twice since I started working here. Once for my first day and the second was just a random day when he came in with some other rich business owners. Serving them made me grateful that Remington, Austin's Daddy and the owner of his own property management business, and now Garrett aren't like that. The type that has to impress with everything or you're kicked out of the cool kid club.
I take my time to eat, still having twenty minutes for this one sandwich. I check my phone once more, but Garrett hasn't replied yet. I try not to take it personally, but I'm getting attached way too fast. A part of my brain knows it, but I can't help it. It's so much easier than I thought to let go of my problems. At least for a stretch of time. I'm still hesitant to share everything with Garrett. I can handle my own finances. Being the owner of his own accounting firm, I feel like Garrett would laugh at me if he saw the situation I was in. I don't overdraw my account, but there have been times where I've had less than a dollar for several days.
By the time work is finished and I'm clocking out, Garrett is already around back waiting for me. I wave to him when he flashes his headlights before getting out of the truck and greeting me with a kiss. "Hey, baby. How was work?"
"Meh." I shrug, not giving any further explanation. He reaches around me and squeezes my ass, pulling me closer to his body.
"What is my rule, Orion?"
"No bad words?" I'm playing him. I can't help it. The second I see him, work and the rest of the world doesn't exist. It's just us, having fun, pushing each other, exploring boundaries, playful and real ones.
"And?"
I tap a finger to my chin like I'm thinking hard. When I was painting on Sunday, I sunk well into my Little headspace and didn't have a lot of words to say. Daddy made me talk, to ask for what I wanted. He made a very important rule that I have to follow or we stop doing anything. If I'm going to go nonverbal, I have to tell him. Either with my words or by signing it. The sign for 'no' is pressing your index and middle finger to your thumb. Then I hold my index finger to my lips.
