My Brobdingnagian GF Chapter 8: The Day After! (Patreon)

Ethan struggled to keep his eyes open as he trudged into the early morning at work. His clothes were rumpled, and his hair was a chaotic mess as he plopped into his seat.

With a weary sigh, he removed his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes before booting up his computer.

"Hey, man."

Ethan's bleary eyes shifted to the left, recognizing the all-too-familiar voice.

"Morning, Dwayne," he mumbled, his head sinking into his palms.

Dwayne grinned, though his tone was sympathetic. "Wow, dude, you look like you've been through the wringer."

"Thanks..." Ethan replied, his fingers dancing over the keyboard as he examined the files that flickered on his screen.

Dwayne leaned casually against the stall's wall. "So, I take it your date didn't go as planned?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Ethan confessed.

"I'm sorry, buddy. What happened?" Dwayne inquired.

"I... I broke up with her," Ethan admitted, his gaze still locked on his computer screen. The weight of the revelation hung heavily between them, a palpable silence stretching out in the cramped workspace.

Finally, Dwayne let out a low whistle, shaking his head in disbelief. "Damn, Ethan. I never thought you'd be the one to end it."

Ethan smiled sadly. "I had no choice."

"Why not?"

Ethan shrugged. "Do you even have to ask?" Ethan said looking back at Dwayne. "You should know just as much as I, that Lilliputians and Brobdingnagians shouldn't date each other."

Ethan sat back in his chair, his mind drifting to the image of Harper. "I made the right choice." Ethan thought to himself. "If I didn't end it one of us would have been hurt, and I would probably be dead."

"So how did Harper take it?" Dwayne asked.

Ethan once again thought back to last night. "She left me their." He said as he still remembered the massive booming footsteps as Harper walked away.

Dwayne looked at Ethan confused. "Huh?"

"Last night I had to walk over a dozen miles to get back to my apartment." Ethan explained.

"Damn no wonder you look so tired!" Dwayne said.

Ethan nodded.

"Ethan!"

Startled by the call, Ethan swiftly rose from his desk to find Mr. Garrett standing in the doorway of his own office.

"Here, Chief," Ethan replied, raising his hand.

"My office, now," Mr. Garrett ordered, retreating into his workspace.

Ethan glanced briefly at Dwayne, whose confusion mirrored his own, before hastily entering Mr. Garrett's office.

"You needed me, Chief?" he inquired.

"Take a look at this," Mr. Garrett instructed, tossing a paper file across his desk. The intrigue of the situation deepened as Ethan took the file in hand and began to examine its contents.

Ethan's eyes widened. "T-this..."

Mr. Garrett nodded grimly. "Yes, the Consortium. They've attacked five Lilliputian cities, and a significant portion of their citizens have been abducted."

Ethan's mind raced, recalling the information from the documents. "But for what purpose?"

"That's what we need to figure out," Mr. Garrett replied.

"Huh?" Ethan expressed his confusion.

"Pack your bags," Mr. Garrett directed, his tone serious. "We're headed to Astoria."

***

Harper's brow glistened with sweat, her fists raised high as she relentlessly pummeled a punching bag that swung precariously in response to her powerful blows.

"So, the date didn't go so well, huh?" Dolores quipped, observing her friend's ferocious assault on the bag.

"That little bastard actually broke up with me!" Harper roared, launching another thunderous punch that left a substantial dent in the bag.

Dolores grinned. "He's got guts. A Lilliputian breaking up with a Brobdingnagian. He must be brave indeed."

Harper merely growled, paying her friend's comment no heed.

"What did you do to him?" Dolores inquired.

"Nothing," Harper replied, her fists lowering as she made her way to a distant bench, snatching up a towel to pat herself down. "I simply left him there, to walk back home by himself."

"That's all?" Dolores raised an eyebrow. "You didn't step on him, or crush him with your finger, or at least spit on the little bastard?"

Rolling her eyes, Harper retorted, "No, Dolores, I didn't want to kill him."

Dolores crossed her arms. "Well, if you ask me, I think that little dust mite got off too easy."

Harper remained silent as she thought about Ethan. Throughout her punching routine, she had visualized his face, grappling with the fact that she could never actually strike the tiny man without causing his demise.

"Damn it," she muttered under her breath before her attention was stolen by the ringing of her phone.

"Maybe another job," she mused to herself as she reached for her phone, discovering an unknown caller ID flashing on the screen.

"Hello," she answered, placing the phone to her ear.

"Hello is this Harper?"

"Yes it is." Harper said vaguely recognizing the voice on the phone. "who am I speaking to?"

"It's Dwayne, uh Ethan's friend." Dwayne replied.

Harper frowned, her mind drifting to Ethan once again.

"Oh," she responded curtly, her tone laced with displeasure.