Mika tipped her purse toward me, opening the top so I could look inside. “I made it all comfy for you,” she said excitedly, pointing out the amenities. “Look, I lined it with soft stuff. There’s water, snacks, and I even rigged up a light!” She pushed the button on a keychain-sized flashlight and I had to avert my eyes as the interior of the purse lit up bright as day.

Everything was carefully sewn to the lining of the purse. This must have taken hours. Bless this giant woman.

“I love it, but… it won’t work.”

“What?” She looked crestfallen. “Why not?”

“I used to go to this place. Security’s tight; they check your bags at the door. They’re not looking for tiny girlfriends, but they’ll find me anyway. I’m sorry. I really do love what you did.”

I saw her disappointment ease briefly before turning to concern. “Where will I hide you, then?”

I thought for a moment. “Well,” I grinned, “my one friend used to hide…things…in their bra when they knew they might get searched. No bouncer is gonna check there.”

Mika frowned. “You’re too big for me to hide that way, don’t you think? I mean, if you wanted a woman with ample cleavage, you chose poorly.”

“Please. I wouldn’t change a thing about you,” I replied, relishing her bashful smile. “And don’t worry. Baggy clothes are pretty much the uniform at a Catharsis show, so no one will notice I’m making you lumpy. I know they’re not your style, but you can wear one of my hoodies. Remember? From when I used to be taller than you?”

She stared over my head, lost in thought, before turning back to me with a growing smile. She reached out her hand, flattening it palm-up in front of me. I took a breath and stepped aboard the soft, irregular platform. I was getting used to this sort of thing…slowly. Mika was always so careful, handling me like something precious or fragile. This was reassuring, since at my scale I was about to be ten stories off the ground. But, I’ve never been one for special treatment, or needing to be taken care of. It makes me feel…small.

Still. I wanted to be close to her, and this was the way. I settled in for the ride, dropping to my knees. Going up.

Gradually, her face filled my whole world. The pores of her skin, the fine texture of her lips, all her details came into sharp focus. She brought me to her pursed lips and we kissed. This was an act that involved the tiniest patch of the center of her lips, and my entire face. For a moment I felt blissfully engulfed, and then we moved apart.

I opened my arms as if to give her a hug. Mika turned her head a little to the side, brought me closer, and I did hug her, in a way. I leaned in with my whole body, my hands sinking into her softness, my face buried in the pillowy expanse of her cheek. I felt her start to smile. The initial coolness of her skin gave way to a growing warmth as she held me tighter against her, her fingers curled around my neck and my upper back. Her warm breath tousled my hair. Her gentle scent was both calming and exciting.

Then suddenly, my face was wet. Like, very wet. I tasted salt. Reflexively I pulled away, and her grip loosened to let me. I wiped my face with my sleeve and looked up. She was looking down, tears welling in her big blue eyes.

Before I could ask her what was wrong, she started to apologize. “Oh jeez, you’re all wet. I’m so sorry, Lily. Here, let me just–”

Her hand was shaking ever so slightly, but it felt like a minor earthquake to me. I tried not to be obvious about the way I held on for dear life. “It’s okay. Just let me down so we can both dry off, alright?”

She obliged. “What’s wrong?” I asked, drying behind my ear with the corner of a Kleenex. She put down her own tissue and locked eyes with me.

“I’m just so happy to be with you, Lily. You’re everything I ever wanted and more. But I worry…”

“What’s there to worry about, big girl?”

She looked away for a moment, then closed her eyes before returning to my gaze. “Since you started getting small, and decided not to turn yourself in, I realized…you’re kind of stuck with me. If you changed your mind and showed up at Tinytown tomorrow, you’d be in so much trouble.” She sniffed, blinked. Soon she’d need another tissue.

“I don’t want you to be stuck,” she continued, a rare note of desperation entering her voice. “I want you to want me, the way I want you.” She knelt down, bringing her eyes level with mine, and her voice wavered. “I want you to be free to go whenever you want…and I want you to choose to stay forever.”

For a time I was quiet. I’d barely considered this. Mika had a point – now that we’d decided to go full Thelma and Louise, there was no easy way to turn back. The penalties for hiding from the Department would be severe, to put it lightly.

I thought, shook my head, sighed. “You’re right. It’s not like I can just pack my bags. But we don’t need to live in a hypothetical world where I regret tying my life to yours. Here in reality, I’ve never made a better choice in my whole life. If I ever start to feel different, I promise I’ll tell you right away, and we’ll figure it out. But something tells me you’ll be harboring your little fugitive for a long, long time. I do want you, more and more every day, just like I would if I was still the tall one.”

With little warning, she gathered me in her hands – urgently this time, bringing me up to her face fast enough to make me feel the wind and give me butterflies. She held me tight and showered me with kisses all over. I felt none of the usual deliberate care in her motions – instead, she handled me with passion. Lavished me with an unrestrained love. For a few precious moments, lost control.

I didn’t mind it one bit.

“I love you, Lily.” Her whisper, so close to my ears, was far from quiet.

“And I love you, Mika. Now. Let’s try on that hoodie, okay? Doors open at seven, and I wanna be close to the stage!”