M Academy Lark's Encounters XIX

M Academy: Lark's Encounters: XIX

The next day, Lark was practically bouncing in her seat like an impatient child.  She knew Julian mentioned having a surprise for her, but she certainly didn’t imagine that the surprise would involve an overnight bag and a trip. She had been sitting in the car now for fifteen minutes and already she was starting to get antsy in the passenger seat.
“I can’t see a thing!” she squealed in a surprisingly happy voice.
Julian glanced down at her from the wheel, wondering if this was the same girl who was usually so skittish.  He arched a brow at her behavior and Lark blushed.
“Well I can’t help it!” she said indignantly, puffing out her overly large cheeks.  “You won’t tell me where we’re going and I can’t see out the window from this angle!  Tell me please before I go insane!  Where are we going?”
Julian turned his attention back to the road but Lark could see his lips curling up in the corner.  “And you’re laughing at me!” she said loudly, marching close to the edge of the passenger seat near the cupholder and the gear shifter.
His large hand came down close again as he changed speeds, slowing down a bit as they drove through what must have been a town.
“Plllllease?” Lark asked, practically begging now.  “Just a hint?”
Julian clicked his tongue. "I don't know Lark... this is valuable information, here. You're gonna have to trade me something in return."
He smirked at this. And then, in a complete impulse, he snatched her up by her midsection and planted her in his warm lap. Her rear was just barely sinking between his legs as he pressed on the gas.
"What?" he asked when he caught her surprised face. "I've only got you for a couple days. Might as well make the most of it."
The words were bitter sweet.  While it was wonderful to sit with him like this and enjoy the closeness, Julian had a way of making it feel and sound so temporary.  It was as though he was saying, “enjoy it now, because I’m getting something better later.”  She sighed with want inwardly and tried to get comfortable in his lap, pressing herself against his abdomen and trying not to focus on his thigh muscles throbbing below her as he hit the gas and breaks occasionally.
“Well you’re certainly making the most of having me for just a few more days,” she said in a slightly dejected tone.  “At least the seating is comfortable.”  She nuzzled up more against him and tilted her head up to find his massive chest hanging overhead and his arms… and the underside of his chin.  He was getting a bit of a 5 o-clock shadow again.
It didn’t take long.
“So at least tell me what it looks like out there,” she called up to him as he continued to drive.  “I can’t see anything other than your body.  Not that I’m complaining…” She blushed wildly as she felt Julian stiffen slightly in his seat at her words.  “I just mean you’re like sitting on a couch,” she clarified.  “And I’ll definitely give you something in return after we get to where we’re going, but you’ve got to at least give me some hints as to where that is!  Just tell me what you see!” she said, shouting for a comedic effect.
Julian grinned, allowing himself a small chuckle. Even with such a slight laugh, he could feel Lark's body judder against his abdomen. Weirdly fascinating.
"Well, it's a gorgeous day. Blue skies, far as the eye can see," he answered slowly, drawing out the phrase for effect. He was speeding. Somehow, having Lark sitting...right there on him...the sensation was enjoyable enough to elicit a lead foot out of him. At least the traffic was pretty clear.
"There are some trees...more trees. Oh –a cloud," he commented blandly, smirking all the while.
“Gah!  There has to be something more than that!” Lark said.  “Don’t make me climb you while you’re driving,” she said, hoping that her voice sounded just the slightest bit threatening.  Julian only broke out into chuckles again, rocking her in a rhythmic motion against his firm stomach.  Oh if that wasn’t hard to take.  There was just so much of him!
When the car stopped for a moment she saw her chance and shot her head up to look at him.  “Look out,” she called, fisting his button down shirt and starting to heave herself up his stomach towards his chest.  Suddenly she was understanding why Julian wanted an athletic tiny.  Climbing up like this…it was almost fun…almost easy.
“Tell me an actual clue!” she said, still clinging to the thick fabric of his shirt.  The light must have still been red because Julian still hadn’t started driving again yet.  She was just below his chest now and he lowered his chin to look at her.  “I’ll be up at your face in a moment or two and you can bet I’m going to bite your chin,” she said with a laugh.  “I can’t stand surprises.  There are trees and clouds back at your place.  We’ve been driving for almost a half hour!  Where the heck are you taking me?”
Julian's heart picked up a happy tempo. This felt more like an adventure than a simple day at the beach.
"Geez, someone's feisty," he remarked with obvious approval for her antics. "I guess I could tell you that they're Palm trees."
“Palm trees?” she squeaked out in obvious excitement.
The light turned green and she rocked forward against him with a light thump. He hummed, smiling.
"A few seagulls..." he trailed off, rounding the corner of the hotel.
“Seagulls…” her face suddenly brightened so much that Julian had to look down twice to make sure he wasn’t imagining things.  No.  She really was that happy.  “You’re…you’re taking me to the beach?” she asked happily.  “Me?  You?  That’s what the surprise was?  The bathing suit.”
Julian nodded down at her for the briefest of moments before turning his attention back to the road.  Keeping one hand on the wheel, he cupped the other under her tiny body and boosted her towards his chest pocket.  Lark quickly scrambled, using his fingers and dove into the pocket head first before righting herself and peaking out through the lip and clasping her fingers on the rim to look around.
" Remember what I told you about hiding?" he said, eyes darting down.  "Now's the time, sweetheart."
“I haven’t been to the beach since I was a teenager,” she said, still so excited and looking around at everything.  She couldn’t see too much but she could see a hell of a lot more than when she was seated on the passenger seat.  She could smell the salt and sand in the air.  There was nothing quite like the smell right close to the ocean.  The parking lot of the hotel looked surprisingly barren and if she squinted her eyes enough past the massive building…
“Oh…my…gosh,” she whispered in awe.  “Is that the beach and the ocean?  Right there?  We’re that close?”  She was practically bouncing up and down in his pocket now, insecurities all but forgotten.  James had never taken her to the beach.  He wouldn’t even dream of it.  But Julian…he had decided to go with Lark on a whim.  Her eyes were practically shining with joy.  “If I don’t remember to say it later,” she said, still looking around as Julian shut off the car, “thank you.  Thank you so flipping much.”
Julian threw on a thin blazer to conceal the bulge in his pocket. Grabbing his bag from the passenger's side floor, he slipped on his ray bans sunglasses and got out of the car.
"Something tells me you're gonna like it here," he said, pride coloring his voice. He couldn't remember the last time a girl genuinely made him feel like her knight in shining armor.
Julian felt bold as he slipped some cash into the valet's hand and strode into the freezing lobby of blue marble. Not even Evan would bring his tinies out that often. This was a big step, for M academy was still largely an under the radar operation. Knowing the size technology was out there was much different than seeing a shrunken person for themselves' – most people freaked out or flocked. Both ruined the evening, so Lark would be concealed from public eye as much as possible.
It was a last minute request, so the clears told him to step back for a few minutes while the space was readied for him. As he waited for a room to be prepared, Julian ran a hand over his jacket like he was smoothing it out. Lark's body was briefly squeezed against him like she was a humanoid wallet. But there was an awareness about the motion, like a private joke.
Lark smiled excitedly as she tried to remain calm in the pocket.  She couldn’t believe she was here!  At the beach!  It was later in the day already…almost late afternoon but it felt like they had all the time in the world here.  She expected to hear a bunch of voices but she supposed that it was still pretty early in the season that it wasn’t packed yet.  She even snuggled against Julian’s chest when he pressed her closer to him, probably not even realizing his action.
When she heard a voice call to Mr. Cameron that his room was ready, her heart fluttered even more.  What would it be like to stand there beside him?  Normal sized and not hidden?  It would be an honor…but probably not likely.  But she would take what she could for now, rocking slightly with each step as Julian was lead to what the concierge referred to as the ‘deluxe oceanfront suite’.
Goodness, was there nothing Julian couldn’t do to the fullest?
“I expect everything is to your liking,” the concierge said after Lark heard a door open and steps on the floor change from carpet landings to something different.  She could almost imagine the cool white tile on the floor.  That’s how she remembered beach hotels when she was younger.  The room smelled like sun and ocean.  She wondered if there was a private balcony.  “If you need anything, Mr. Cameron.  Please don’t hesitate to call room service.  We can supply everything you need.  Food.  Drink.  Smoke.”  He chuckled slightly.  “Even some entertainment if you’re lonely. In regards to lady entertainment.”
Julian chuckled, looking around the luxurious interior.
"No worries in that regard," he said under his breath rather cheerfully.
“Of course, sir,” the man said back, throwing a warm smile.
Julian thanked the older man for his time with a charming smile and shut the door behind her.
The blazer was thrown over the back of the white leather sofa haphazardly as he strode towards the bedroom. His huge hands seized Lark out of the pocket, bringing his looming body back within her sights. He was so excited, he tossed her up in the air, catching her easily in his arms and sandwiching her to his firm chest.
“I am about to blow your mind," he boasted. He opened the French doors and stepped out on to the balcony. He assisted the excited girl in her arms, helping her find a sitting position within his grasp.
“Holy shi—” Lark quickly composed herself before she let out a string over very inappropriate obscenities as the beach view filled her vision.  Even when she used to go to the beach as a teen, it was nothing like this.  The ocean front view was legit and she could see the pure white sand ahead of her and the ocean approaching low tide.
"How can you live so close to the ocean and never visit?" he commented overhead. "That's just disrespectful."
“I just…I didn’t have time,” she explained after a moment.  She kept getting caught up in the ocean waves brushing against the sand and pulling away again.  And the smell!  She still couldn’t get over it.  The only thing that was better than Julian’s scent himself was Julian mixed in with the familiar scent of the beach.  “From school… to work… to James…” She flushed a bit, trying not to dwell on it.  “It doesn’t really matter.  I’m here now and this is better than anything I could have expected.”
Julian sighed. Again with the excuses. Poor thing. Still his mood was unbeatable. Tiny woman in his arms – heck yes. And... a really good woman, at that.
The whole scene would have been perfect if for Lark…
“I wish I could go outside to see it,” she said in a hopeful voice as she glanced up at him.  There weren’t too many people walking around on the actual beach, but she didn’t want to get her hopes up too high.  “But just the view up here is amazing enough.  This is so cool.  I can’t even describe it, Julian,” she said, pressing a hand against his chest in a sort of hug with a moving, breathing wall.
"It's a pretty exclusive beach, you know. Wouldn't be many people down there." Julian grinned and held her up so they were face to face. "Worth the risk, don't you think?" Not really giving her the chance to think, he pivoted and strode back into the hotel room. "I'm going to change," he said, unbuttoning his shirt. "You can swim, right?"
“W-wait!” Lark called out in a surprise voice as she was lowered away from his face and he started to go into another room.  “We can’t just… I mean… the sun’s barely beginning to set.  I’m not exactly small enough to be comfortable riding in your pocket, Julian.”
He smiled and shook his head before he set her down on the bed and motioned for her to turn around for a moment.  “Who said anything about being in my pocket?” he called over his shoulder.  “Lark, we’re going to be on the beach.  Your toes are going to be in that sand.”
Lark reddened as he started to change and quickly sat down on the bed.  “You… you’re really going to let me walk around?”  Julian didn’t say anything else but nodded as he finished getting his trunks on and a shirt to wear through the hotel.
“That's the plan, sweetheart.”
“Oh... well that's good! I’m still wearing my bathing suit under my clothes, you know,” she called over in a shy voice as he walked over to the balcony again and shut the door before coming back to the bed and standing in front of her.
Oh damn.
She was going to see him shirtless again.
She was going to be in a bathing suit in front of him.
She was going to be 8 inches tall on the beach.
Her heart started to beat wildly for a second as everything came to her at once.
“Julian,” she croaked out in a shaking voice as he started to reach for her again.  His hands stopped on either side of her as she stood up.  Words bubbled in her throat.  She wanted to tell him that she liked him.  That this was more fun than she deserved.  That she didn’t even want to think about him doing this with someone else.  Julian was getting impatient.
“I like…” she looked up at him with a hesitant expression and Julian arched an eyebrow.
Was she about to...