How Little You Care

Chapter 7.

Three hours after leaving the compound...

The drive home was monotonously long, and the radio played nothing but static. Rachel's mind wandered and allowed herself to reflect on the first visit to the compound. Her eyes shifted to the rear-view mirror as lucent streaks of light from the passing streetlamps, flashed through the car window and lit up her daughter's innocent face.

Isabel had stayed awake but had been quiet for most of the drive home and frankly, Rachel was okay with that. She wondered if her silence had anything to do with the fall or was still wracked with fear when she saw her enormous father so up close after catching her. Could it be that while Micah saved her, Isabel's shock after seeing his huge appearance traumatized her more than the fall itself? It stands to reason that it wasn't just that. In her younger years, she'd fallen out of jungle gyms with little to no emotional response and got back on her feet as if nothing happened.

Would she have to seek therapy for Isabel to cope with her traumatic experience of seeing him?

Hell, how would she explain to the doctor that Micah was just shy of forty feet?

Rachel's right hand tightened onto the steering wheel. She needed to stop thinking about what happened earlier. If not, her anxiety would only fabricate ridiculous scenarios and she would never find the end of it.

As she switched lanes on the highway, she went into autopilot reliving the moment she had with him. She couldn't reciprocate his feelings even if she tried. Admittedly, she was relieved that Micah survived the explosion and appeared quite unscathed even after time passed. While nothing 'thrilling' happened when they were alone, she couldn't allow herself to completely let her guard down, often compartmentalizing her emotions even as he got cozier with her.

Micah was pressed up to the wall on the opposite side of the cleanup process, holding her close to his chest. Using an unoccupied hand, he tenderly rubbed small circles on Rachel's back. After taking a little bit of time, he finally enticed her to slightly relax to his touch and the rhythmic beats of his heart. Apart from being suspended forty feet off the ground, she gave him credit for how gentle he'd been as he held her, showering her with an endless amount of affection.

After all, he did miss her.

Has it been that long since they've seen one another? She speculated, as his lips brushed against the side of her face. It felt like forever since they last held one another like this...well, at least when he was normal-sized.

One glance at the ground below reminded her that she was being held at an impossible height instantly making her skin crawl.

"Micah, c'mon that's enough..." she griped up at him, lightly swatting at his face, "y-you can stop now..."

"Nope," He gently shook his head, letting out a deep purr, "I'm not done kissing you yet."

"You've bombarded me with enough kisses," she pointed out through disheveled hair.

"Oh c'mon what's one more, hm?" He teased, giving her one lighter peck on the cheek and tenderly pressed her closely to his heart, muffling her protests.

As he looked down, Micah's expression changed when he noticed a frustrated look on her. Carefully, under some more objections from his wife, he brought her back up to his face.

"I missed you so much..." He coaxed, tousling her brown locks with a free finger, and tried to fix her hair.

"I get that..." Rachel squirmed, "but jeez, it's like you forgot just how big you are now."

"Oh uhh, I'm sorry, here..." he paused, gently setting her back down on the platform and crouched down to meet her at face level. Once she found her balance, she turned around ready to snap at him but quickly withdrew. Ice-blue orbs froze her where she stood, and at that moment, the shame behind his irises rippled through the crystal-clear stillness like that of a vast lake, that glistened his gaze the longer he looked at her.