care about you [completed]

Magic

"You ready, kid?"
"Yeah."
☆

Piper's phone rings. Her ringtone, "Can You Feel It", blares loudly in Riley's bedroom. She expects it to be Finn, or Amy, but it's James. Probably calling to wish her luck and tell her that Finn, under no circumstances, can stay over.
"Hey."
"Pipes," He sounds upset. "I'm sorry…"
"What? Is everything okay?" She becomes increasingly worried. Last time James was this upset…but Riley was standing right out in the hall.
"I need a brother-sister day. You have your date, I know, I was just wondering-"  She can hear his tears. Her heart sinks: this was supposed to be her day. But James comes first.
"Yeah, we can." She feels better knowing she's there for him, "I just need to change." She looks at her blue dress. She guesses it has to go.
"No time!" He says, his voice rushed, "I'm outside. Thanks, Piper."
She ends the call d texts Finn.
'I'm sorry. James needs me. Seems serious. Can't make the date. Love you.'

☆

The plan was set in motion. It was a great plan.

☆

Her phone buzzes.
'Family comes first, it's okay. Love you 2.' She's overcome by relief. He seriously gets her, doesn't he? She rushes downstairs, explaining to Riley on the way, and flings the door open and hops in the car.

"Hey, what's up?"
"It's a long story, Pipes. I just want to us to have fun together. I was thinking…what about I take you somewhere special, only I know this place is real." Piper is intrigued, she has to admit.
"Sure. If it makes you feel better, I'm in." Then, he tosses her a blindfold. A blindfold?
"What's this for?"
"Element of surprise." He answers. She feels a little confused, but complies and puts the blindfold on. She misses Finn, a lot, but an adventure with James is cool too.

The drive is curiously short. He helps her out of the car, and naturally, she trips over the curb. He catches her just in time. And for a split second, all the various times that Finn has stopped her from falling, literally and emotionally flash through her mind. She brings her focus back to James as he guides her inside. At least she thinks it's inside, from the temperature change. Her shoes seem to squeak on the floor. That's strange. He steers her in a lot of different directions, too many turns for her to process.
"Where am I?" She laughs. This feels stupid, but also fun.
"Not yet." He replies.
"James! …Are we tresspassing?" The thought enters her mind and she voices it.
"No, I know that would stress you out."
He sets her down on a…stool? No, a bench, or a ledge. He starts taking her shoes off.
"I'm not five!" She exclaims, "I can do that myself!"
"I know." He says, and she can feel him grin. He helps her up and marches her a few steps left and two steps forward.
"Piper," He whispers,
"James," She says in a hushed tone. She feels exhilarated.
"I love you, kiddo. Have fun."
"Have fun?"
"Count to ten and take off your blind fold."
"B-"
"Pipes, just do it." She trusts him. Ten,
nine,
eight,
seven,
six,
five,
four,
three,
two,
one.
She apprehensively unties her blindfold and her jaw drops.

------

Studio A. Except it's not Studio A. A long table resides in the centre of the room, a white table cloth lay upon it. Old-fashioned, ornate, gold candle holders with thin, waxy candles, each bearing a soft orange flame. A kettle, white china with lilac details, and a single matching cup, with a distinct chip. Plates of utterly scrumptious looking delicates. A broom leaned against a chair leg, and an old, brown cupboard, with gold embellishments rested behind the table. Next to that a bookshelf. Full of all sorts of old romance novels, Piper observes as she runs her hands gently along the various beautiful spines. One book is sticking out. She pulls it out, careful not to touch it vigorously and reads the title.
'La Belle et La Betê - Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve'
An original copy of her favourite fairytale…Beauty and the Beast. Her date! "Yellow." The setting, the chipped cup, it all made sense! And James' brother-sister day was part of the plan to surprise her and make it all the more magical. It was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever done for anyone else, she was sure of it.

"Trust you to dress as 'Townspeople Belle'." He emerges from the other side of the room and her smile is radiant, he thinks. She gasps. He's in full Prince attire: he has black trousers, a pressed white shirt and a long blue blazer, complete with golden edges and a tail. Her heart skips ten thousand beats. And not in an anxious way. She throws her hands up in the air because she cannot find any other way to express how incredible this is.
"Finn!" Is all she gets out. Well that and a stream of happy tears. She wraps her arms around him, enjoying the scent of him before she pulls away. "This is the best day of my life."
"The date hasn't started yet." He laughs, and is so happy that she likes it.
"I don't know what to say." She looks into his eyes. They're so…blue. Like her dress. That's when it hits her. She's standing here, on the most splendid date in the entire world, in this dress with that boy.
"I do," He can't stop grinning, "You look crazy beautiful."
Her eyes sparkle at the compliment.
"Oh my gosh!" She exclaims, "How did you do this?"
"With a lot of help from your brother. And mum."
"My family? Helped plan a date…for me?"
"Oh, trust me, Pipes, it took a lot of convincing. But I got to meet them. They love me now." He mock bows and offers her his hand. She giggles and they sit on opposite ends of the table like Belle and the Beast do in the Disney adaption.
"It's fitting, I thought. Beauty and the Beast. You and Me." He raises a brow.
"Come on, you are handsome and you know it." His lips curl upward more and his eyes crease at the remark.
"Seriously," He says, " It fits. It's a very messed up love story. The Beast, he's stupid. He makes mistakes. And Belle, she cares."
"It's pretty graphic, actually." He adds, gesturing at the original, "Clearly where you get your love for horror."
"You are not stupid. Your emotional IQ must be record-breaking. And, yeah. People always find that strange, that I like horror, anxiety and all, but it's so, out of our universe. It's fun to freak out at other people's problems in other worlds." He learns more about her everyday, and he seems to love her more too.
"Try the grey stuff," He points,
"It's delicious." She finishes. They both laugh, and he whispers,
"It's a fondant type thing." They cheers and both take a bite.
"Wow." She breathes, "Did my mum...?"
"I actually helped." He comments proudly. They spend the evening soaking each other up, talking, joking, eating.
"Do you want to dance?" He offers.
"Of course!" She jumps at the chance.
He gives her his hand once more, and spins her around, her dress flowing. Then, he pulls her in close, and she settles quickly against the warmth of his chest. Neither of them need to talk. She feels like every part of her is alive dancing with him. He feels like the luckiest guy in the Universe. His eyes find hers.
"Thank you."
He kisses her, this time with no interruption or haste. She tastes of fondant and he strokes her face. She closes her eyes and tries to remember every second of it. Her heart feels lifted.
"No, thank you."

WE HIT 1K AND 100 VOTES! Best. Day. Ever. Cannot express my gratitude. The support and love for this story is MAGIC. Thank you. Thank you for every read. Every vote. Every comment. I am so elated.

I am sorry because I feel like I write romance badly, but I sincerely hope you enjoyed. Stay safe and happy xx