Amongst The Lies

Adrienne sighed and brushed her hair out of her face, using the other hand to use her map as a fan. “It is way too hot out,” she groaned.

Cele nodded and gulped down more of her water bottle. “Way too hot,” she agreed, leaning forward on the table and weighing the pros and cons of dumping the bottle over her head. “At least the kids are enjoying themselves,” she smirked, gesturing over to the corn dog stand. Adie laughed.

Tre was bouncing on the heels of his feet, anxiously awaiting his order to come. Billie and his boys were trying to squirt ketchup out on their dogs. Mike tiredly bit into his apple. And poor Penny was asleep in her stroller. “This day is awesome!” Tre exclaimed, plopping down on Cele’s lap and taking a huge bite out of his corn dog. “Which ride are we going on next?”

“Tre! Get off, you oaf!” Cele groaned, her futile attempts to push him off making him laugh.

“Dude, get off my girlfriend,” Billie snarled, hitting him upside the head and sitting next to Cele, his arm subconsciously resting on the back of her chair. Tre pouted and slid off her and next to Adie.

“You guys are no fun,” he sniffed.

Everyone laughed and Adie opened up her map, laying it across their table at the Refreshment Corner. “The fireworks aren’t until tonight, and it’s only half past twelve now,” she stated. “Where else do we want to go?”

Joey and Jakob both exclaimed their desires, Tre reaching over their heads to share his wishes as well. Mike and Billie exchanged a glance and rolled their eyes. Billie nudged Cele’s shoulder and nodded his head in the opposite direction; she smirked and nodded. A brief glance with Adie told them it was okay, and the couple and Penny quietly escaped during the madness.

“Where do you want to go sleepy?” Cele asked the little girl waking up in her arms, leaving Billie to push the stroller next to her. Penny yawned and buried her face in her mother’s neck.

“Hush Mommy, I’m sleeping,” she whispered. Cele raised an eyebrow and looked quickly over at Billie when she heard him choke.

“You’re sleeping?” he asked incredulously, handing the stroller over to Cele and taking Penny into his arms. Penny looked up at him warily and nodded. Again he choked and shook his head. “Nu-uh, missy. There will be no sleeping at your first trip to Disney Land.” She stared at him blankly as he sprinted off with her in his arms, yelling back for Cele to catch up.

“Do you like Peter Pan?” he asked Penny, waiting for Cele at the entrance to Fantasy Land. Penny perked up and nodded her head, the sparkles on her Tinkerbell shirt catching in the sunlight. Billie grinned and led the way past Sleeping Beauty’s castle to the line lingering outside a ride. “Then we know where we’re going next,” he said, shifting Penny into one arm so he could hold Cele’s hand.

“Will we see Tinkerbell?” Penny asked as the line moved along, tugging on Billie’s shirt to get his attention. Her dark eyes were wide and hopeful, and Cele felt her heart tug at the affectionate look Billie gave her daughter.

“If you believe,” he whispered, his lips tugging into a small smile. “Do you believe in fairies, Penny?”

She nodded fiercely. “I believe in fairies!” she exclaimed, clapping her hands in excitement. “Does that mean we’ll see her?”

Billie glanced over at Cele. “Only if Mommy says she does too,” he smirked. Penny rounded on her mother with a stern look, and Cele choked back a laugh.

She ruffled Penny’s hair and leaned closer to her. “I do believe in fairies,” she whispered, “I do, I do!” Penny grinned and demanded Billie let her down the closer they got to the flying ships. “Now Billie,” Cele said, taking his hand and leaning into his side, “you didn’t say if you believed.”

He looked at her, shocked. “I didn’t?” he asked, looking down to Penny for confirmation. The little girl nodded suspiciously. “Well then.” He cleared his throat and exclaimed, “I do believe in fairies! I do, I do!” Penny giggled violently as the parents around them pulled their children closer to them and away from the suddenly very excited adult. Cele smiled lovingly at him and quickly kissed him on the cheek.

“Billie! Sit with me!” Penny demanded, sliding into the front of the flying ship when it came to be their turn. Billie raised his eyebrows bit sat next to her; turning around to make sure Cele was behind them. She smiled as they locked eyes.

Their ship floated past all the waiting people and into the skies of a dark London city. Penny gasped and looked all around, reaching her little hand up in attempt to touch the bright stars seeming just out of reach. Billie smiled back at Cele and draped his arm on the back of his seat, sheltering Penny and holding his beloved’s hand with the same position.

“Neverland,” Penny breathed a moment later, gazing down in amazement. The beautiful shores of Mermaid Lagoon glistened up at her; Captain Hook’s pirate ship lingering in the bay next to it. She giggled as they passed over the Indian’s land, watching as the smoke escaped through the teepee.

“Penny, look,” Cele whispered, leaning forward and pointing as they rounded a corner. The little girl looked up and grinned broadly. The light from the bright fairy in the air illuminated her entire face.

“Tinkerbell!” she cheered. She gripped tightly onto Billie’s knee as she struggled to see the glowing machine as they passed. He beamed down at her and Cele tenderly ran her fingers through the hair on the back of his head. He rolled his neck to see her and smiled softly. She smiled back and leaned forward, pressing her lips softly to his in a sweet kiss.

“Ew, Mommy, not with Wendy looking!”

--

Billie huffed on the bench, his arms crossed and his glare directed towards the stroller next to Mike. Cele noticed and switched her ice cream into her other hand, slapping his knee gently. “Oh, stop it,” she scolded. “It was a busy day. She’s allowed to sleep a little.”

He snorted. “If she doesn’t wake up soon, she’ll miss the fireworks,” he warned. His eyes snapped back over to the stroller as her little head popped out, her new Tinkerbell doll tightly clenched in her arms.

“Mister Billie, hush! The fireworks are starting soon!” Penny announced, smiling as Mike pulled her out to sit on his lap. Billie scoffed and scooted closer to Cele, wrapping his arm around her tightly and burying his face in her hair.

“Your daughter is so cruel to me,” he sniffed. “And after I got her that new doll, too.” She smiled and cuddled into his side, careful not to get any vanilla on him. Tre, Adie, and the boys sat on the bench in front of them in the VIP section for fireworks, a clear view of the castle in front of them.

“She’ll love you again tomorrow,” she crooned, rubbing his chest lightly and taking a small lick off her cone. Billie peeped out from her luscious locks and gave her a pleading look. She raised an eyebrow and sighed, offering him the remainder of her sweet. He grinned and happily took it, biting out a chunk of the cone.

“Pig,” she smiled, wrapping her free arm around his waist and nuzzling her head into his shoulder. He chuckled and held her tighter as music resonated from the speakers surrounding them, signaling the start of the fireworks.

Cheerful, beloved Disney characters spoke over the music, with Julie Andrew’s gorgeous voice narrating their tales. With each story a new set of fireworks exploded, illuminating the dark sky and making it seem nearly daytime.

Billie gazed down at the woman in his arms. Her eyes were wide with excitement as she stared up at the bright night sky. With each loud boom, her nails dug deeper into his shirt, a tiny gasp rolling off her lips in amazement. His eyes wandered all over her face, admiring each beautiful feature. Finally his gaze rested on her lips and the way they curved into a small smile noticing his stare.

They were soft to the touch as he brought his face to them, and her hands cradled his face gently to keep him at her level. Adie glanced back at them and quickly turned around. Her embarrassment quickly turned to pleasure and she turned back around, smiling grandly at the couple. How wonderful, she thought, with no trace of sarcasm.

How wonderful, Billie and Cele both thought.