“Now why don’t you all say thank you to Mr. Ben for coming to our party?” she prompted when he’d finished.
A chorus of “Thank you, Mr. Ben!” echoed through the playground, surprisingly well-synchronized.
“You’re welcome,” he managed, feeling an unfamiliar warmth spread through his chest. He watched as Sara herded them towards a series of brightly colored games set up in the center of the gym—a bean bag toss, a three-legged race, and some sort of complicated obstacle course involving hula hoops. He stood awkwardly to the side, feeling large and out of place amongst the joyful chaos, until he felt a tug on his jeans.
He looked down to see Maisie giving him a serious look.
“Are you going to play?” she asked, her little brow furrowed with concern.
“I don’t play games,” he said gruffly.
“Why not?”
He had no good answer for that, but Sara came to his rescue again. “Mr. Ben is helping with the candy, Maisie. That’s his very important job.”
“But I want him to play,” Maisie insisted, her lower lip beginning to tremble.
Sara’s eyes met his over the little elf girl’s head. There was a silent plea in them, a warmth that bypassed all his defenses and settled somewhere deep inside.
Before he could stop himself, he heard himself say, “What’s the game?”
Maisie’s face lit up. “The three-legged race! I need a partner! Billy is too big, and Peter says I’m too slow.”
He stared at her, then at Sara, who was trying—and failing—to hide a smile. He wanted to point out that he was considerably bigger than Billy.
“Fine,” he heard himself say instead. “But just this one.”
Maisie giggled as he awkwardly knelt, letting her use a length of colorful ribbon to tie one of his legs to hers. Her small hand was sticky, her grip surprisingly strong.
“On your marks… get set… GO!” Sara called out, blowing a small pink whistle.
The race was a disaster. A glorious, hilarious, chaotic disaster. Maisie’s stride was approximately one-third the length of his, and he spent most of the race trying not to trip over her or the other teams, who were all tangled together in a heap of flailing limbs and raucous laughter. He saw Adrian deliberately stumble, sending Peter and Petunia into a fit of giggles, and for a moment, he felt a strange, unfamiliar pull in his chest. As if he belonged there.
They didn’t win. They didn’t even come close to winning. But as Maisie untied their legs, her face was radiant with joy.
“We were the slowest!” she announced with pride.
“The most dignified,” he corrected, managing a straight face.
She considered this, her little elfin features scrunched in thought. “We were the fluffiest,” she decided, patting his leg with her tiny hand before darting off to see who had won.
He returned to his position by the rack of equipment, a strange feeling settling over him. Not happiness exactly, but a lightness he hadn’t felt in years. Maybe not since before the band, before the endless tours and the hollowness that came with sold-out shows and adoring crowds who only loved an image.
He looked over and found Sara watching him. She gave him a small, private smile, a smile that was just for him, and the lightness in his chest intensified, warming him from the inside out. He didn’t know how long he stood there, lost in her smile, but a collective gasp from the children broke the spell. He turned to see what had captured their attention.
Varek, Posy’s massive orc mate, came through the doors carrying a huge cooler. Posy followed him holding an enormous, beautifully decorated cake. Flora bounced along in their wake,wearing a bright pink feather boa that matched her pink sequined track suit.
“We heard there was a party!” Flora announced, her voice carrying through the gym. “And we brought snacks.”
The children cheered, swarming the newcomers with excited greetings, and Sara followed, giving the three of them a grateful smile. “You didn’t have to do all this.”
“Nonsense,” Flora declared, patting her white curls complacently. “A party is a party, and no party in Fairhaven Falls is complete without a cake. Especially when there’s a handsome Other making an appearance.”
Flora’s gaze landed on him, her black eyes twinkling with a satisfaction that was almost infuriating. He knew, with absolute certainty, that she had engineered this entire event.
She’s meddling,he thought, but the familiar irritation was muted by the happiness on Sara’s face.
He stayed on the periphery, leaning against the wall, content to watch. He watched Sara serve cake to her students, a smear of white frosting on her cheek that she didn’t seem to notice. He watched Petunia try to steal a second piece and get caught by Varek, who simply ruffled her green hair and let her have it. He watched Adrian, who usually radiated a restless energy, sitting patiently on the floor while a group of children tried to braid his red hair.
