Love Thaws: Melting

Protective

"Are you... mad?" He dared a glance at her.

"No, I'm not."

He swallowed. "Then do you forgive me?"

It was hard not to smile at his heartfelt apology. "There's nothing to forgive."

"But do you?" he persisted.

The barest of smiles curved her lips. It was hard to deny him anything when he looked at her like that. "Of course."

He rewarded her with a brilliant smile, taking Elsa's breath away. He swallowed again and rubbed the back of his head. "So, about that party?"

Elsa frowned. "Why do you want to go?"

"To help us... integrate more. We'll look less suspicious if we aren't recluses."

Elsa released a breath. "When is it?"

"In... three days. It's a Halloween party," he added.

"If we need to."

Jack smiled fondly and gently kissed her cheek. Elsa's hand fluttered to where he'd kissed as warmth laced through her body. She glanced down timidly as she struggled to suppress the warmth in her cheeks.

XXXXXXXX

Jack whistled happily as he drove. Elsa fiddled with the hem of her shirt. The idea of being around people and... socializing made her nervous. She was severely out of practice. She glanced down at herself. 

Elsa was wearing black leggings with tall boots, which stop just before her knee. She was wearing a top Jack had chosen for her. It was the same gentle blue as her eyes with a black belt to cinch around the waist. She'd debated for hours on what to do with her hair. Jack suggested leaving it out, but Elsa couldn't stand having hair in her face, so she compromised and pulled the upper half back into a ponytail. She glanced at herself again in the mirror. She was still freakishly pale, deprived of the ability to tan. Jack noticed her casting worried glances at the mirror.

"You look beautiful, Elsa."

"Thanks." She closed the mirror and nervously twirled a lock of white-blonde hair around her finger.

The car eased to a stop in front of a mailbox, since the driveway was overflowing with vehicles. The house was made entirely of pristine white panels. The roof consisted of brown wooden shingles. The door was a bright cheery red, screaming for attention among the sea of white. The lawn and hedges on either side of the doors were manicured to perfection. The flowerbed was filled with lush green bushed, adorned in velvety flowers of purple, red, and yellow. A leafy vine off to the side twisted its way up a trellis. Jack opened her door, cutting her observation short.

The luridly red door swung open just as Jack raised his clenched fist. It was a man. The most complimentary way to describe him was a rain drop. His face was thin and his chin was round, with a bulbous double chin underneath. His chest was oddly narrow in comparison with his belly, which took up the entire doorway. He had warm brown eyes and a few black hairs clung to his shiny, balding head. The man sniffed and looked over Jack before his gaze was riveted on Elsa. 

Jack's jaw clenched as the man's eyes lingered longer than they should have, drinking in the sight of her. Jack couldn't blame him. She was absolutely beautiful. With her shimmering blue eyes, her silky pale blonde tresses, and her creamy, flawless skin she looked ethereal. Actually, I could blame him. I am her husband, Jack reminded himself. Joy surged through him at the thought. He wrapped his arm around Elsa's waist and pulled her to him. Elsa gave him an innocently confused look as she gazed up into his eyes. Jack really wanted to kiss her. The man's nostrils flared and he sent Jack a smoldering glare. Jack really wanted to punch him. He smiled, imagining his chubby arms flailing as his fist collided with the man's sagging, ugly face.

"Hello, we're new to the neighborhood. My name's Jackson. This is my wife, Elsa."

The man glanced from Elsa to Jack and back before restoring his courteous façade. "Please to meet you." 

He stiffly stuck out his hand and Jack grasped it tightly, squeezing until the other man's knuckles popped. 

The man quickly withdrew his hand, but still smiled, though it looked more like he was just baring his clenched teeth. "Why don't you come inside?" He stepped aside so that his belly no longer clogged the doorway. His smile turned warm as Elsa came in after Jack. "You look particularly lovely this evening, Elsa."

"Thank you," Elsa replied. Polite as always.

"Herald, who's this?" A woman with auburn hair and sparkling blue eyes dashed to the chubby man's side.

"They're new."

"Oh! So wonderful to have new neighbors." She gracefully shook both of their hands. "Where do you live?"

"4001 North Sweet Bay Street," Jack replied. He glanced around the house. Though immaculate, the antique wooden furniture lent it a warm ambience. "This is a lovely home you have here, Miss..."

"I'm Joanne, but none of that miss stuff. You can just call me Jo. And I didn't catch your names."

"I'm Jackson and this is Elsa."

"Oh, splendid! Would you like some refreshments? Holly brought some amazing punch." Joanne led them to a folding table. 

The tablecloth was purple with black bats. Pumpkins were scattered around the table. 

"Oh! Actually, this is supposed to be blood, not punch. Silly me." She flashed them a bright smile and poured a cup of 'blood' for each of them before encouraging them to help themselves and vanishing into the crowd, supposedly to welcome more neighbors.

Jack took a sip of the 'blood,' which tasted oddly like cherry. He found some hotdogs wrapped in puff pastry, each with a pair of mustard eyes and a small mustard nose, making them looks like hotdog mummies. He snagged a few along with some caramel brownies and an 'eye,' which was actually a pale meat ball with a black olive in the middle, coated in red tomato sauce. Elsa selected a meager cookie, covered in powdered sugar. 

Jack encouraged her to get more, but she said she wasn't hungry. Elsa kept twisting a lock of hair around her finger. Jack suspected she was too nervous to eat much. As they searched for a seat, Elsa was immediately adopted by a group of young women. To Jack's dismay, there was only one vacant seat. He urged Elsa to sit with them, assuring her he'd find somewhere else to sit. He finally seated himself at a table. Three men were already seated there. Jack engaged in a lively discussion with one of the men, who happened to be an MMA fighter. The discussion died down and Jack was finishing his 'eye ball.'

"Who's that?" one—Chuck, if Jack remembered correctly—muttered.

"Think she's new," Ted replied.

Jack turned in his seat, craning his neck to glance at that mystery woman. His body tensed when he saw it was Elsa.

"She's smokin'."

"Come to papa."

The plastic cup was crackled loudly, its contents spilling as Jack clenched his fist. He turned back to the group of men. "We're married," he huffed.

Leo—the MMA fighter—raised his eyebrows. "You hit the Jack pot."

"No kiddin'," agreed Ted. "Where'd you find her?"

Jack shrugged. "We went to high school together."

"High school sweet hearts, eh?" Chuck... chuckled.

Jack nodded. "So... what do you two do for a living?" Jack blatantly steered the conversation away from Elsa.