Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Wylde
“You’re sure he got the invitation, right?” I asked for the third time that evening.
“I slid it beneath his door right before he picked up the food,” Thor replied. “And just in case something happened to that invitation, I stuck one to the cart of trays he was about to deliver, just to be certain.”
“Oh, okay.”
“You’ve got to relax and breathe,” he said, as much for his benefit as my own. “You heard what Derek said when he called us into his office.”
“Yeah, he said Payne missed us and to fix it,” I replied. “But we can’t do that until he gets here.”
“And he will. But the invitation said seven o-clock, and it’s only six thirty-seven, so relax.
He’ll be here. I made sure to leave the costume with his supervisor in the kitchen, and she promised to give it to Payne at the end of his shift.
So even if he winds up running late getting ready, he’ll be here. Trust in that.”
“I do; I’m just anxious and eager to see him,” I admitted.
“I can’t believe I haven’t bumped into him between here and the greenhouse or even the petting zoo.
I’ve dropped in every day, and not just because I miss the critters, but they are a big part too.
I can see why he’s always so inspired by them.
Rubbing a goat’s nose is like having a moist stem toy that occasionally faints in the middle of being petted. ”
“Poor dude has real bird issues.”
“Yeah, he does.”
For a moment, I sat there chuckling, then bolted from the seat to look around. “I remembered to bring the smart speaker out, right?”
“You did; it’s right over there, plugged in and ready to go,” he replied, giving my shoulder a squeeze and exuding a bit of pressure to encourage me to sit back down.
“Before you ask, you also remembered to upload the playlists; I watched you do it. We’ve got potato salad, pickle chips, deviled eggs, and the heaping batch of cheesy shrimp tea sandwiches you picked up an hour ago.
Everything is ready, including the peach sweet tea and mango lemonade.
Our outfits look amazing, and he is going to love everything when he arrives.
So, keep your ass in that seat before I add Shibari ropes to the evening, which would kind of change the scope of the plans we had for the night. ”
“No ropes,” I replied. “No way. I can’t hug him if I’m all trussed up and tied to the seat.”
“Then relax. He still isn’t late yet. We’re just early and eager.”
“So eager,” I muttered, breathing out a long breath. “I’ve missed everything about him. I never want to be apart from him like this again.”
“Neither do I.”
Five minutes later, my ass was still parked in the chair, but my knee was bouncing up and down, rattling the chain of the pocket watch attached to my costume.
I couldn’t check my phone, because I’d left it in a drawer, and the pocket watch, while befitting of the outfit, was old and hadn’t worked in almost three years.
I was tempted to ask Thor what time it was, but I could see that he was getting nervous too.
He kept touching his pocket like he wanted to pull his phone out and check it.
Then he’d stop and rub his hands up and down his pants again.
We’d done all we could do, right down to making sure to line up a UTV ride for him, so he didn’t have to worry about how he’d get here.
Our heads popped up like startled jackrabbits at the sound of the motor, then we bolted around the side of the house so he wouldn’t have to knock.
He was dressed in the steampunk white rabbit costume we’d gotten for him, while we were steampunk cowboys, like something out of a twisted version of the old west. It was so cool.
Even as I’d been putting it on, I’d known I wanted to wear mine again.
It took effort not to rush him as he got out of the UTV, but when he started running, we bolted, nearly knocking him over in our haste to wrap him in a hug.
He smelled like the coconut shampoo and conditioner he loved, while his tears dampened my shirt.
My cheeks were wet too; there was no way I could deny it while I cried in his hair.
On the other side of me, Thor sniffled too, so I guess pining for our boy had turned us into big softies, and I was perfectly fine with that.
We stayed huddled together, holding on to one another, long after the UTV had driven away.
I think he inched back first, but only because he was peering between us, eyes wide, at the soft glow emanating from the backyard.
“Thank you for the invitation,” he said, swiping at his cheeks and crinkling his whiskers a little.
His costume had a full nosepiece, as well as a hat with ears and fluffy white hair, an adorable puffy tail, and an amazing waistcoat covered in chains and gears.
Plain pants, knee-high socks, and gear-covered shoes rounded out his costume, along with a pouch that dangled from his waist, a pocket watch hanging from it. It was covered in gears too.
“You’re most welcome,” Thor replied formally. “We’ve got a few activities for your enjoyment this evening, along with refreshments, games, and live entertainment too.”’
“How lovely, I was so afraid I was going to be late,” and just to play off the character, he checked his pocket watch, smiled, and winked at me. “Nope, looks like I’m right on time.”
“You certainly are,” I said, offering my arm.
When Thor did the same, he accepted them both, a bounce in his step as we led him around to the backyard.
“It looks like you’ve invited me to a saloon, gentlemen. If that’s the case, then I have to tell you, I am absolutely that kind of rabbit. So, pour me a shot of whatever you’ve got behind the counter, bartender, and let the games begin.”
“One mango lemonade, coming right up,” I said, and proceeded to pour him a glass and even slide it across the table to him like we were at a bar.
Fortunately, it was slick enough to let me pull that off, or I’d have kick-started our evening with a mess. His giggle was worth the risk of potential disaster, especially when he tossed it back and let out a loud ahhh.
“Now that hit the spot!” he declared before setting the glass down with a clank.
Our mingled laughter eased the earlier tension of waiting as Thor opened three dart cases with audible snaps.
“You do know how to play, don’t you, bunny?” Thor asked, doing his best to sound gruff and menacing.
“Hmm,” Payne murmured, tapping a finger to his chin.
There was fur on the backs of his hands, but the fingerless gloves they were attached to wouldn’t impede his playing.
“You stick the pointy end in the board, right?” he said, studying the board.
It had its own cabinet and everything was easily stored and was mounted on a stand with wheels. Of all my finds while I’d been trolling for ways to make the evening special, this was one of my favorites.
“Pretty much,” Thor said, chuckling as Payne hefted his first dart, tested its weight, and threw it so it hit with a resounding thunk, right near the tip of the twenty-point triangle, millimeters from the center of the board.
“Guess our rabbit has done this before,” I said, chuckling now too.
“Yes, he has,” Payne said.
He wound up adding a sixteen and a bullseye to his score and made a show of dusting off his hands when he was finished.
Game on then. Especially when Payne and I started mock whispering about how Thor’s ass looked in those tight brown leather pants.
Let’s just say he didn’t score as well as he might have without all our giggling.
“Oh, you two have jokes?” Thor said as he turned and tried to scowl at us.
The whole effect was ruined by his quirking lips as he struggled not to laugh right along with us.
“There’s nothing funny about the way your ass fills out those jeans,” I said.
“Nothing funny at all,” Payne chimed in, letting out a long, low whistle. “It’s a mighty fine ass.”
“Yeah, it is,” I said. “I’ve had years to make comparisons, and I can honestly say that those leather pants, hands down, offer the absolute best accentuation I’ve ever seen.”
“Better than a Speedo?” Payne asked.
“Well shoot, now we have to get him in a Speedo first to have a basis for comparison,” I replied.
Payne shot me a conspiratorial look. Over his shoulder, a horrified expression twisted Thor’s features, and a bark of laughter tore from my throat and echoed around us.
Payne spun around, bunny tail bouncing, took one look at Thor, and burst into laughter.
Thor just shook his head at us and grumbled something about having more luck with a firing squad.
Of course, that just made us laugh harder, while ice clanked in his glass as Thor made his own drink.
“So, cowboy, what are the odds of seeing you in a Speedo?”
Tsking, I winked at him. “Bunny boy, you can see me in whatever you’d like.”
“It might not be wise to tell me that.”
“And why’s that?” I asked.
“Because now I’m standing here picturing you in a barmaid’s dress with your hair in ringlet curls.”
“And?” I shot back.
“Well now I’m trying to decide between an apron or a corset,” he replied.
“Now you have to go with the corset and a gown with a waist-high split,” Thor chimed in.
“Bring it on,” I replied, reaching for the pitcher. “I’ll even wear silicone boobs for the full effect. I’ve got no shame. You should know that, Thor, or have you forgotten the time I dressed up as the school mascot for a bull ride in the junior rodeo?”
“Shit, actually, I had,” Thor grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck as he smirked at me. “That was a sight.”
“What was your school mascot?” Payne asked.
“A unicorn,” Thor admitted, shaking his head.
“No way.”
“Yes way, and let me tell you, on any given homecoming, you could walk into the diner on Main Street and hear several generations of former graduates loudly complaining about how much they hated it and longed for something more rugged, like a Mustang, or a Bulldog, or even a Wolverine.”
“So, you rode a bull dressed in a unicorn costume?” Payne murmured.
“A shimmery, skintight, sparkly purple unicorn costume that left so much glitter on the bull, he still had shiny purple splotches on his sides a week later,” Thor said in-between cackling peals of laughter.
An owl hooted loudly, the sound of its wingbeats as it flew off echoing as much as our renewed laughter.
“I think we scared off someone’s dinner,” Payne said.
“That or we just protected our bunny from potential danger,” I said as I palmed Payne’s tail.
“Mmm, I didn’t think about that,” Thor replied. “We’d better guard this tail with our lives until it’s parked somewhere.”
“Preferably on one of our laps,” I added, loving the way Payne’s eyes lit up at the sound of that.
We knew we’d have plenty to talk about with him, but our best conversations always came after one of those games.
I wasn’t sure if it was because we’d given our brains a break by slipping into our characters, and the reset of returning to reality brought clarity with it, or if we just needed the joy of the game before we dealt with heavy things, but it worked for us.
“I don’t intend to park it anywhere until I’ve seen all the games and done my best to trounce you both at them,” Payne declared, shooting me a challenging look. “And I do believe it’s your turn, Sir.”
“So it is,” I said, giving that bunny tail another squeeze as I passed him with my darts.
I’d found the sets at the same place I’d found the board and the checkers we had set up on a small stand a few feet away.
My first shot hit the bullseye; my second and third landed in the inner ring of the twenty. My bunny’s mouth dropped open before he shook his head at me.
“Well, now that we’re all warmed up, who’s ready for round two?” Payne asked, trailing a finger down my chest as he peered up at me. “This bunny still has more moves to show you.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing all your moves, bunny boy,” I flirted back.
“Get in line,” Thor said as Payne stepped up to take his turn.
How had I missed it the first time? Payne was left-handed, but he’d thrown right, like Thor, the first time he’d stepped up to the board.
“Hey, wait,” Thor said, studying our bunny the same way I was. “Did he just pull a Princess Bride on us?”
“I believe he did,” I muttered, watching him land one in the middle, one in the ring around the center, followed by a second on the opposite side of the ring, the three darts close to forming a perfect line.
“Inconceivable,” Thor said. “Simply inconceivable.”
“I don’t think that word means what you think it means,” I replied. “At least not when it comes to Payne; he just proved how conceivable anything is if you set your mind to it.”
“That he did,” Thor said. “Smarter than two old cowboys who thought they were going to teach their bunny boy how to play darts.”
“There’s still checkers,” I replied.
“I love checkers,” Payne declared as he wiggled his butt and danced around us.
“We’re not winning nuthin’ tonight,” Thor grumbled, shooting me a look of mock misery.
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” I replied, eyeing Payne up and down. “I think we’ve just won a second chance with our bunny. I’d say that was worth more than a few tragic defeats at his hand.”
“Imagine gaining the greatest prize in history, all while going down in flames.”
“Now that’s the kind of crash and burn I can live with,” I admitted as I watched Thor step up to throw. “As long as I get to do it with the two of you.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Payne said as he jumped in my arms.
Needless to say, Thor put the darts down to get in on the hugging, and yeah, there might have been a few more tears too, but even the owl had taken off, so there was no one around to witness the culmination of our pining.
Or our joyful reunion with Payne.