Arrietty 5 Years Later Chpt. 9

Arrietty and Sho actually woke up at the same time the next morning.  Arrietty was now lying on her stomach next to Sho who was sleeping on his side with a hand draped loosely around her tiny body.  When Arrietty let out a sleepy yawn, Sho's massive body shifted so he was on his stomach and Arrietty and him were looking face to face.
"Did you hear something?" she asked Sho rubbing her eyes.  
Sho couldn't believe how cute she looked in the morning; he would never get over how beautiful he found her.  Slowly, he reached out a hand and gently touched her face.  Arrietty grabbed his finger and hugged it tightly and for a moment, the two just looked at each other.  Arrietty was about to continue when the maker of the noise revealed itself…or rather himself.
"Just a passerby," Spiller interrupted sharply standing on the window sill and staring at the two with a confused look.  Sho sat up quickly but thankfully made no move to grab Arrietty, despite his great temptation.  What was that Borrower doing here again?
"Spiller!" Arrietty yelped in obvious surprise.
"The very same," he said now frowning at a very confused Sho; his eyes darted between the two Borrowers and wondered, with very much fear, what was going to happen next.  Was he going to take away Arrietty from him?  Would he use force?  What would Sho do if he did?  As much as he loved and cared for Arrietty he wasn't about to try to struggle with a six inch man; he wanted to treat the Borrowers as equals because that was how he saw Arrietty, but he would not fight with them.  The whole concept of it left a terrible taste in his mouth.  So he decided to take a more gentle approach, as he always had with the tiny people.
"What are you doing here?" he asked but remained completely still.
"I'm not leaving with you Spiller," Arrietty interjected in a sharp tone "I told you not to force me to choose and now you have.  I swear if you try and take me back…"
"Whoa, whoa!" Spiller exclaimed holding up his hands as if in mock surrender.  "Please, I'm not here to cause any trouble.  I'm here to tell you about something and I want you to hear it from me."
"What?" Arrietty asked sharply and Spiller cringed as Sho placed a finger on her back as if to calm her down.  
"Stop!" Spiller couldn't help screaming and Sho quickly pulled his hand away from her.
"You let him touch you?" Spiller sputtered out.  "Like a pet?  Like an animal?"
He couldn't believe that this human was petting her right in front of him.  He didn't seem anything like Leah to him.  Spiller clenched his tiny fists and jumped off the window sill and marched right up to Sho.  Though still sitting, Sho towered above him and Spiller did his best to maintain his strength and determination.  If he showed fear in front of this bean, he would never forgive himself.  Still, he attempted to regain his composure; he was here for a purpose after all.
To Spiller's immense surprise, Sho did actually seem to respect him.  As Spiller marched Sho's eyes remained gentle and curious and not at all aggressive.  His head was lowered and he attempted to speak,
"I wasn't petting her.  I was trying to calm her down; I don't want anybody to fight.  I'm sorry if you saw it that way, but you must understand that I would never see Arrietty as anyone but an equal.  I…I love her," he mumbled in an embarrassed tone.  If any one else had been talking to Sho who was not used to seeing Borrowers, they may have not noticed but Sho picked up on Spiller's eyebrow raising slightly and his eyes shifting towards the open window.  
"Are you going to run?" he asked carefully.
Spiller looked shocked, "No!" he screamed up at him causing Arrietty and even Sho to flinch.  "I am not going to run from some bean!"
"Okay," Sho said now holding up his hands in defeat.  "I wasn't trying to…"
"Just…"Spiller interrupted.  "Just be quiet for a moment will you bean?  I came here to tell you both something.  But please, could you just not touch each other in front of me right now?"  Spiller tried to give the impression that them touching was making him sick, but in reality watching them together, with so much size difference between them reminded him too much of Leah and how she used to hold and care for him the same way.
Sho lowered his hands and Arrietty took a few steps away from him to satisfy Spiller.  What had he come here all this way for?  Sho didn't seem the least surprised to see him.
"I haven't been completely honest with you," Spiller said softly, turning to look at Arrietty and then once again peaking at the window, "with any of you.  I have given the impression that I am one type of Borrower when I most certainly am not."
Sho, while having nothing to offer to this comment sat still and watched Arrietty, watch Spiller.  Was he going to confess his love for her?  Had he in the past?  What would happen if he did?
"What do you mean?" Arrietty asked.
Spiller took a deep breath and looked at the ground as if Sho's comforter was the most exciting thing he had ever seen.  
"Arrietty, I have known beans in the past also"
"What??!!" she screamed in disbelief and waited for him to elaborate.  "What do you mean you have known them?  What does that even mean?  You actually talked to them?"
"Yes, I have spoken to many beans during my childhood.  I told you before that I did not have a family.  Plus, I thought I was the only person like myself after my mother died.  No bean or any Borrower should be subjected to the loneliness I went through right after my mom died."
"When did she die?" Sho asked softly and Spiller's eyes darted up to him.  
"When I was ten." He answered quickly.  "For three years I wandered around different houses and yards trying to find a way to live in this giant world alone.  I had never even seen another Borrower up until that point and the loneliness was starting to drive me insane.  I eventually ended up talking to small insects, the only creatures I could interact with without the fear of being injured.  I became quite careless for awhile and that's when…"
"You were seen." Arrietty interrupted.
"By a boy.  Much like this bean was a couple years ago.  His name was Natsume and he was a small boy who often was bullied at his school.  He had no friends and so often he would just explore the yard for things to entertain him." Spiller chuckled then, "And what he found was me dozing in the bushes like an idiot.  I screamed and begged him to leave me alone, I didn't know any other way at the time, but the boy wanted to help.  He asked if I was alone and if I had a family, which of course, I didn't and told him so honestly. He asked if I would wait for him, for only a few moments while he went inside to get something from his house.  For fear of him getting a cage, as soon as he left, I darted into the woods and waited for him to come back."
"And did he get the cage?" Sho asked, very much interested in the story.
Spiller nodded.
"Oh he came back, but no, he did not bring a cage," and smiled broadly.  "He brought out food and doll's sweaters for me to take.  'Here you are little one' he said gently and dropped all the items out in front of me.  I couldn't believe my eyes.  So much food and clothing that would get me through the winter if I couldn't find a safe house!  The boy seemed so happy that I was gathering up the items in my hands that for a moment, I thought he was going to clap.  Instead he lowered his face and caused me to back up and fall down.  'What are you doing?' I asked fearing that he may have tricked me with gifts.  'I'm happy you like them' was all he said and stood up and walked towards his house.  'That's it?' I asked him, surprised that he wasn't trying to steal me, or pick me up and keep me as a pet.  With all the courage I could muster I ran to catch up to him even after he had only taken a few steps with the large bundle in my hands.  The boy, Natsume, laughed and turned to help me pick things up, gently draping them in my arms and around my shoulders.  'I do not expect you to trust me.  I just wanted to help.  Now, you better get out of here before someone else sees you.' And with that he turned and walked into his house leaving me in a state of shock.  What was that bean?"
"He sounds like a decent kid," Sho replied.
Spiller nodded.  "He was.  He may have saved my life.  Who knows?"
"Was he the only bean you ever spoke to?  Did you ever talk to Natsume again?"  Arrietty asked.
"No. and no." Spiller said shortly.  "I've spoken to several beans since Natsume but other than this bean," he gestured rudely at Sho, "I have not spoken to another since Leah."  Spiller was surprised with the amount of emotions that still stirred up in him when speaking about her and shifted his eyes back to the ground.  Arrietty slowly walked towards Spiller and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.  
"Did you love Leah?" she asked hesitantly.
Spiller shrugged off what he hoped weren't tears.  "Leah was a bean." He answered.
"I didn't ask that, I figured that Leah was a bean.  I asked if you loved her."
Spiller lifted up his head and looked at Arrietty, and then Sho.  He was biting his lip in what looked like nervousness.  Spiller knew that if he said yes that Sho would see this as a reason to be able to have a relationship with the woman he might now love.  The thought angered him, but when he looked at Arrietty he knew that her happiness outweighed anything.  Besides, if Leah were still alive and breathing…
"Yes, I loved her.  I still do." He whispered and pulled Arrietty into a hug and began to cry audibly
Arrietty was in shock with this sudden release of information.  Spiller was in love with a human?  Spiller had spoken to other humans and had not told her about it?
"I'm a hypocrite and I just wanted to let you know that," Spiller mumbled as he begun to recompose himself.  Pulling out of Arrietty's arms Spiller backed away so he could look at Arrietty and Sho.  "Leah was an amazing person who I was willing to risk everything for.  She was not just a bean who cared and wanted to help and protect me, she was a bean who loved me and saw me as her equal.  She died with me in her hands and not a day goes by that I do not think of her, so you can see why this…" and he gestured to the two of them, "is so hard for me to accept."
Sho nodded.  "It makes sense now, but you must understand that I love Arrietty in the same way that Leah must have loved you.  I see her as an equal and as someone I want as a partner for the rest of my life."
"But you cannot stay in this cottage all day.  You must have a job."
"I do." Sho interrupted.  "I graduated school early to get his house and get work.  I did it all for her."  This froze Spiller and he glanced at the window, was there a shadow there of yet another tiny person?
"I do not to like to ask this of you but I was hoping that you and her family would still be close by.  Like you said, no one deserves the type of loneliness that you experienced as such a young child.  If you and her family were to stay close by I would feel so much better knowing that she can visit others.  I am not perfect, but I will strive to be.  Please, could please stay near by…for her?" Sho pleaded.
Spiller smiled, "I think I can pass along that message." He concluded.  "But for now, I think that my work is done," he laughed out loud, almost to himself and climbed back on the window sill.  "Perhaps it is time for me to befriend a Bean again."
"You already have one right now." Sho said hesitantly.  Spiller shook his head.  "Yes, I suppose I do." And with that he was gone, leaving Arrietty and Sho on the bed alone.

* * *

"He is not a bad bean, Pod," Spiller replied grasping the shoulder of Arrietty's father who was waiting behind the window blinds.   "You did hear his request?"
"This is unheard of, beans and Borrowers." He said disbelievingly.
"It's a new generation of Borrowers and boys." Spiller laughed and the two walked back towards the forest.
"So will you stay Pod?  For her?  I am going to stay."
"I will stay, but I will not be meeting her bean anytime soon.  Do you hear me?  So do not think you can trick me into meeting him.  And nor will Homily, she'll have a heart attack just hearing about this."
"But she will hear about it?"
Pod sighed and looked at Spiller closely.  "I will tell her tonight."