Stepping back outside, onto Main Street, it felt like a different day to Kit. She turned her face upward, smiling as she took in a deep breath of warm air. She skipped a few steps as a zap of energy traveled from her toes to the tip of her ears. She felt Edison's eyes on her and she glanced at him sideways. He was giving her an amazed smile.
She raised her shoulders self-consciously. "What?"
He just looked at her for a minute.
"Nothing," he finally said, shaking his head.
"What's next?"
She shook her shoulders. Partially to rid herself of the look Edison had given her, and partially, because she had barely moved in twenty-four hours and every inch of her was antsy. It was like her body had been storing her energy away until she was able to handle it, and now that she was ready, every cell in her body was vibrating.
When Edison pulled the list from his pocket, she tried to snatch it out of his hands, but he held it out of her reach.
"Excuse me, but I think you've forgotten that you are only the co-captain," he tutted. "I am still captain of this hunt."
She laughed and shook her head. She silently reassured herself that she had the bigger sword and let him win the fight.
"Fine. Oh Captain, my captain," she said, giving him a sweeping bow. "Where doth our hunt lead us?"
He smiled smugly, adjusted his crown and flattened the paper. He narrowed his eyes as he examined it. Kit's legs bounced as she impatiently waited.
"Any day now, or I might cry mutiny!"
He looked at her sideways before quickly folding the paper and putting it in his pocket.
"We have our heading!" he said, valiantly raising his sword into the air.
"Here we go!" she added, bouncing on her toes.
Their pace was quick as they walked along main street. Even though Kit had been in Lighthouse Point for almost two weeks, the only part of main street she had seen was Al's diner. The diner sat on the last block of downtown and she had never ventured any further.
She found the main street was idyllic with flower boxes on every store front, small tables outside the ice cream parlor and rocking chairs outside the boutiques. As they walked, Edison shared little snippets of history about the different shops. The stories rolled off his tongue so smoothly, Kit imagined these were widespread stories the whole town shared with visitors.
As she listened, she was again reminded how the town was steeped in tradition. There were givens that Edison didn't question, like ice cream at Heinz's on a first date, and corsages for school dances from Daisy's Flower Shop. Just like pizza at Pete's and milkshakes at Al's, traditions ran deep in the small town. She found herself carrying a hint of jealousy as she listened, even though she knew she had no right to be.
She had spent her whole life traveling the world with her parents. By seventeen, she had already seen more places than most people would in a lifetime. But yet, she couldn't help feeling she had missed out on those simple things most people took for granted. It made her wonder if a full life was based more on the people you had around you than the places you had seen.
"And here's the corner store I use to walk to after school every day and get Extreme Punch with my friends," Edison said.
It was the quaintest corner store Kit had ever seen, from the cheery red overhang to the red, white and blue flowers in the flower boxes and the patriotic buntings that hung below.
"What is Extreme Punch?" she asked.
He frowned. "You don't know what Extreme Punch is?"
She shook her head.
"How have you lived this long and not experienced Extreme Punch?" he asked.
She shrugged, and laughed at the amazed look on his face. He shook his head.
"We are fixing this right now," he commanded.
He pulled her into the corner store. A small bell rang out as the door opened. The air was cool and smelled of sugar and bread.
"Hey Eddie," the teenage boy behind the register said.
Edison nodded in greeting, but kept on his determined path, leading her down the candy aisle. He grabbed a bag of candy, then continued to the soda machine against the back wall. She watched as he filled a soda cup halfway.
He shook his head again, "I can't believe it," he said, mostly to himself. He looked at her. "You are about to experience the weirdest, most exhilarating, drink of your life. Are you ready?"
She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Be careful, Reigns," she warned. "You don't want to build this drink up too much then have it fail."
He scoffed and led the way to the register.
"Sup, Donny," he said to the guy at the register.
"Not a lot," Donny said. He began to ring up the candy and drink, but his eyes kept darting between Edison and Kit.
The bell over the door chimed again and the three of them turned towards the noise as two girls walked in. Their hair was wet and they were wearing shorts and shirts over bathing suits, although the shirts looked more like scrapes of fabric loosely held together.
Kit recognized them from the cheer squad and, for the first time, an envious feeling boiled up inside her. She usually didn't care about the female attention Edison always got. She knew it was inevitable and saw it as competition. The glares she received, when she won, were part of her prize.
But not today. Today, she needed Edison. She needed his playfully smile and bright laugh. And she selfishly wanted it all. No distractions.
The girl's high voices stopped when they spotted Edison and Kit. They exchanged knowing smirks as they sauntered over. Kit looked at Edison, well aware of the neediness she felt as she checked to see where his attention was.
But she didn't have anything to worry about. He met her gaze and playfully raised his eyebrows. She let out a small breath of relief as she smiled back at him.
"Hey, Eddie," one of the girls said.
Kit took a small step closer to him as the girls neared.
"Hey, Becca," he said, barely looking her way as he pulled his wallet out.
"Why aren't you working today?" the other girl asked.
They got as close as they could and leaned towards him as they rested against the counter.
"Yeah! Fiona and I missed you!" Becca added.
"I got the day off," he shrugged. He slung his arm over Kit's shoulder and pulled her close.
Both girls glared at Kit until they noticed the plastic swords and crowns.
"What's this?" Becca asked with a mocking laugh. She pulled Edison's sword from his belt loop.
"Are these kids toys?" Fiona took his crown. She put it on with an exaggerated tilt and put on a pout. "This is what you're doing with your day off?"
Both girls looked Kit up and down before letting out shrill giggles.
"Yeah," Edison said. "I'm hanging out with Kit. She's never had Extreme Punch so I'm making her try it." There was an excited note to his voice.
Both girls stopped laughing when they realized he didn't find the crowns ridiculous.
"Extreme Punch?" Becca asked.
"Is that the disgusting drink you and the boys use to always drink after school?" Fiona asked.
"Yup," he said gleefully.
"Oh gross!" Fiona said.
"I know!" Edison's excitement only seemed to grow with the girls disgust. He turned to Kit. "You ready?" he asked, grabbing the candy and drink.
Both girls gave her disgusted glares.
"I'm ready!" she said excitedly, more so just to annoy her audience.
"We have to drink it outside," he said, leading her towards to door.
"Wait!" Becca cried out. Edison and Kit turned back to the girls. "Don't you want your sword?" she asked mockingly.
"Keep it. He can have mine," Kit said with a smug smirk, as she pushed open the store door.
Edison led them down the block until they found a bench to sit on.
"The most important thing is you have to drink fast," he said seriously. He handed her the soda cup and removed the lid. "Once I put in the candy, its going to get really fizzy, and you have to try and drink it before it can spill out of the cup."
He grabbed her second hand and secured it around the cup, making sure her grip was solid
She smiled at how adorable he was, being so serious about a kids silly drink concoction. He looked to see if she understood and she nodded.
"Also, the burning, bubbly feeling you get in your nose is completely normal and harmless," he said.
She raised her eyes skeptically. "That's reassuring."
"It's part of the experience," he said. "You can't chicken out."
She scoffed. "Never. Add the candy."
He nodded and ripped open the bag. He dropped five round candies into her drink. She only got a brief look at the fizzing drink before she began to gulp it down. It was one of the strangest sensations she had ever experienced. It felt like she was gulping at air as she tried to drink the bubbles down. The minute they hit her throat, a tickling feeling shot up through her nose, almost like it burned.
She could feel the need to cough rising in her throat, but she continued to chug the drink. It was indeed messy as it sloshed over the edge of the cup as she drank. It was a fight, but she managed to swallow the last drop. She scrunched her face up in disgust and shuddered as she turned to Edison. He was staring at her, a look of awe and shock on his face.
"That was disgusting," she said, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
"I can't believe you drank it," he said, his voice quiet with awe.
"Why wouldn't I?"
He shook his head, but the amazed look still remained. "I've never known any girl who was willing to drink Extreme Punch."
She gave him a smug smirk. "Since when I have I ever been like any girl?" She cocked her eyebrow playfully. "Does this make me extraordinary?"
He grinned. "It's just one of the many things," he corrected.
She smiled, but it turned into a grimace as the bubbles hit her stomach. It felt like a storm was brewing.
"I think I'm gonna be sick," she said, grabbing her belly.
"You're fine," he said. "This is just part of the fun."
She shook her head as she doubled over. A bubble rose in her throat and she let out a loud burp. Her hand jumped to her mouth as she laughed and her stomach calmed.
Edison joined the laughter and stood. He offered her his hand.
"Come on," he said. "We still got puppies to play with."
**************
They left the pet store covered in puppy kisses, and Kit couldn't keep the joy out of her steps. Her excitement didn't fade as the hunt took them to the candy store down the block, where they were required to try every type of candy. Her stomach had recovered enough from the Extreme Punch that she was able to make it through half the candy in the store before she had to stop. She watched in amazement as Edison finished it all for her.
Continuing, Edison insisted on maintaining control of the Hunt List and wouldn't let her know where they were going next. Kit grew suspicious of their next activity when they pulled into the high school parking lot.
"What are we doing here?" she asked, as she followed him on to the field.
He jogged to a bin at the end of the field and grabbed a football. He casually tossed it up and caught it as he walked back to her. It was such a natural action, he made it look as simple as breathing.
"We're going to kick a field goal."
"This is one of the things on the list?" she asked. She couldn't imagine his younger sister and all her friends trying to kick a field goal.
"No, but I wore a tiara today," he said.
He stopped a few feet from her, continuing to toss the ball around.
"Three to be exact," she grinned. She tapped the side of her head. "That's not a picture I'm going to ever forget." She chuckled. "Are you trying to regain your manliness?"
He scoffed. "I never lost it." He casually flexed his arm to prove him point. "I'm just trying to keep things balanced."
"Sure," she laughed. When he tossed the ball up the next time, she reached out and snatched it. "How hard could this be?"
She walked towards the end zone and stopped a few feet in front of it, directly between the goal posts. She put the ball on the ground and stepped back. She took one step forward and swung her foot towards the ball. She missed the ball completely and her kick had so much force in it, she lost her balance and toppled onto the grass. She laughed at her own ridiculous stunt and was still laughing when Edison appeared above her, grinning.
"How hard could it be?" he taunted.
He offered her his hand but she pushed it away and stood up on her own. She tried again and again. On her fifth try, her foot made contact with the ball, but it only bounced a few times and rolled to a stop in the end zone.
Edison stood off to the side, chuckling every time she failed and trying to give her advice. He kept instructing her on the angle to hit the ball and how far to pull her leg back before she kicked. None of his advice helped.
"If you're so knowledgeable about kicking a field goal, why don't you try?" she finally said, stubbornly crossing her arms.
He gave her a cocky smile as he sauntered over. She stepped out of the way as he moved the ball further back, lined it up and kicked. The ball soared into the air and flew through the tall, yellow goal posts.
"I liked you better in the tiara," she grumbled. He just laughed as she retrieved the ball and prepared to try again. "So, I need to get the ball between the two posts?" she asked. He nodded. "And then we can check this item off our list?" He nodded again. She got a mischievous look in her eye. "The ball just has to go through the goal posts?" Again, he nodded.
She moved as close to the goal posts as she could and chucked the ball upwards. She shielded her eyes from the sun as she watched it barely fly over the bottom pole and bounce to the ground.
The ball had barely landed before Edison had scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder. He began to run down the field.
"And the crowd goes wild! Kit St James has made the winning field goal of the night, making her team the champions! Such skill have not been seen on the football field since Edison Reigns himself," he cheered loudly. She laughed as she bounced up and down and held on to him. "And the crowd is rushing the field as they bring the trophy out!"
They reached the other end of the field and he put her down. She almost lost her balance and ended up spinning. He reached out to steady her, his hands on her waist.
"And now the crowd is chanting!" he continued to cheer. "A victory kiss! The crowd is chanting for a victory kiss! How could Kit deny the crowd!"
She laughed and reached up on her toes, but only gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. He let out a disappointed grumble, but she wriggled free of his hold and skipped away.
"The crowd still goes wild even though they are disappointed in the victory kiss," he said, chasing after her.
When he caught up to her, he swept her up onto his shoulder as if she weighed less than air and they headed back to the truck.
"This is some enthusiastic crowd," she joked as they neared the truck.
"What can I say? They really like you," he said.
When he put her down at the car, she turned and rested her hands on his shoulder. She smiled up at him.
"The feeling is mutual," she said.
She went up on her tiptoes and lightly kissed him in a teasing way. She grinned at the stunned look on his face as she pulled away.
"I like surprising you," she said quietly.
He gave her a goofy grin. "The feeling is mutual," he said.
He held her gaze for a long moment and she wondered if he would kiss her again, but he let his eyes drop as he reached into his pocket.
"Shall we see whats next on our list, co-captain?"
"We shall," she said, her hands dropping away from his shoulders. She looked at the list and cringed when she read the last task, "ice cream eating contest"
"I don't think my stomach can take it," she said.
"How about we skip this one?" he said.
She nodded her head. "Does that mean we are done?" she asked energetically.
"Not yet," he answered quickly before she got too excited.
"But that is the last task on the list."
"I know. But I'm adding an extra one. A secret one," he said, as he opened the car door.
**********************************************************************
Cheesy Cheesecake!
Yup, it's official Edison is adorable and there's no other word for it!
Cutest thing a guy could do for you?
(Besides taking you on a Princess quest, or racing down a football field with you over his shoulder)
Okay, now I have a question. When did being possessive become romantic? 🧐
Don't get me wrong I'm 100% down for a guy being protective and wanting to kick down the door of someone who hurt me, but possessive?? 🤔
🤷♀️ I don't know if it's just me but it's kind of...off. The whole 'you're mine', 'you belong to me' thing is strange. 🤨
Shouldn't love be a thing freely given, not owed? What happened to feminism?? I thought woman wanted to be empowered, not owned?
Anyways this is what baffles me, if you get it then by all means explain it to me.
Something that you feel confusing about our world?
Shanti, Prem, Ice cream (Marathi)
I want one!