. international baby

[theo lovett]

Theo looks at the kitchen table, heaving with food, checking that he didn't forget any of the classics. There are funfetti cupcakes, candy floss, pizza, piles and piles of candy, everything an unnatural color and making him remember the parties his parents would throw them as kids. Which was of course the point. Balloons are strewn about and a llama pinata hangs precariously over the hot tub outside, a lurid bouncy castle looming beyond. He texts Dolly, praying she hasn't gone against her word and peeked outside. Do your hair in pigtails and get yourself downstairs.

[dolly weathers]

"Pigtails?" she repeats, her fingers braiding stands of her delicate hair on either side of her head while her feet move towards the curved stairway. "I'm really excited," she's clad in a pair of tight leggings and a loose t-shirt, half expecting the surprise to require some athelticism. "Oh my god," her feet rise and fall excitedly and while one of her hands grabs the sleeve of Theo's shirt, the other grabs a handful of cotton candy. "Are those.." the sugar melts in her mouth and she beams, "is there a clown behind that sofa?"

[theo lovett]

He can barely contain his excitement as he hears her start down the stairs, though for a moment he imagines her taking it all in only to declare it super lame, or maybe even weird. However any potential nerves are quickly dashed as she enters, looking radiant even in leggings. He can't help laughing as she clings to his Adventure Time shirt, shaking his head. "I was gonna invite one but I thought he'd think it was a weird sex thing." He grabs a handful of jellybeans, dropping them into his mouth and chewing enthusiastically. "Come on, let me show you around! Here we have pin the tail on the donkey, whilst out here we have a pinata... I thought it'd be funny to put it over the hot tub, I'm rethinking that now."

[dolly weathers]

She pulls a sour key apart with her teeth and chews it thoughtfully as she takes in the colours of sweets that cover the table. "Maybe more of a date three thing too?" she looks up at him with a grin. Her eyes are wide as she takes it all in and she squeals a little at the sight of the donkey pinata that hovers above the hot tub. "I can't," she pulls excitedly at his sleeve again and shoves candy in her mouth, "are there.. is there a petting zoo? Goats maybe?. Can we play with the pinata?"

[theo lovett]

"Got it, no fucking and no clowns until date three. The classic rules," he says, chewing on the candy, a rainbow of flavours exploding in his mouth. "No livestock either, it'd be all fun and games until a goat took a shit on some antique that's worth more than my apartment block." He slips his hand into hers, tugging her outside for a better look. He drags her over to the bouncy castle, decorated as it is in knock off unauthorised versions of Disney characters. "I figured American royalty deserved a castle." He pats it affectionately, grinning ear to ear.

[dolly weathers]

"But they're sooo cute, I wouldn't mind." His hand meets hers and a surge of affection radiates through her. "Theo!!" she squirms with a childlike giddiness when she sees the big blue castle in the middle of her yard. She lifts his hand to his cheeks and gently squeezes his face, "what are you!?" Too excited to pause a second longer to praise him, she pulls herself into the castle.

[theo lovett]

He's so pleased with himself that it radiates off him in waves. All his nerves have flitted away, and he feels light, lighter than he has for months. "The man of your dreams, obviously," he says, his lips pushed into a pout as she squeezes his cheeks. Pulled onto the bouncy castle, he kicks off his sneakers as he goes. "Hey hey, hold on," he says, holding her by the arms and trying his best serious face. "Rules. Watch your elbows, no shoes, and definitely no bouncing before you've even kissed me."

[dolly weathers]

"I think you must be," she's not kidding. The sugar rush accompanied with a giant bouncy castle were the things of childhood dreams. She beams up at his serious face, "no shoes?" she shuffles off her Vans slides and tippy toes up to kiss his sugar coated lips. "You really are a dream boat," she kisses him softly before disappearing into the giant floatie.

[theo lovett]

He feels a little sheepish as she confirms, finding it hard to believe that she could be that impressed by some candy and decorations. "The guy who rented it to me was pretty clear about that. No shoes, not any kind of shoe... he spent some time listing different types of shoe and shouting 'no' after each one." He kisses her back, excitement bubbling up inside him, though she pulls away too soon. He scrambles in after her, the plastic feeling insanely buoyant under his feet, firmer than he remembers from childhood. He cracks up into laughter, imagining how ridiculous they must look if anyone were to see them now.

[dolly weathers]

"Pleather thigh highs - no. Those heels that are also piggy banks - no. Slippers - absolute NO," she mocks as she pulls her short body into the giant balloon. The air and plastic feel heavy beneath her feet as she bounces and the smell of dust and Lysol hover within the walls of the castle. She can't stop smiling and laughing, her frame flings up in the air and her fingers reach the sky. "I'm so winded already," she bounces onto her back and lays like a slug, "I feel eighty. You have to revive me."

[theo lovett]

"Actually, he hesitated on slippers, before ultimately deciding no." The LA sunshine is dimmed inside the plastic, pouring in through little net covered windows. He jumps and is surprised by how uneasy he feels losing that control, though he quickly takes to it, bouncing off the walls and trying not to land on top of her. He collapses down beside her, his chest heaving as he catches his breath. "I'm great at CPR," he says, propping himself up on one arm and looking down at her. "So you don't think all this is dumb?"

[dolly weathers]

She lies there, breathless as he clumsily bumbles through the air filled walls. Her chest rises and falls. Was she unfit or was this just what happened when you became an adult? She can remember spending hours doing flips on the trampoline as a kid. He falls beside her and the suddenness of it makes the castle bloat her upward. She laughs at this, her hands planting her steady as she moves herself back toward him. "No," her eyes sparkle as she looks him at him and she isn't able to resist lifting her head so she can kiss him. "It's the best," her cheeks hurt from smiling, "THE best. And we're only ten minutes in."

[theo lovett]

The floor is made up of rows of tubes, and Theo's weight makes them sag towards him, forcing her closer against him. The smell of industrial grade cleaning products is an all too familiar one to Theo from work, but it's mixing with her perfume and his cologne and now he'll probably forever associate it with this moment. He kisses her back, beaming. "I was really nervous. About this, but also just to see you in general."

[dolly weathers]

Her body falls against his naturally and she feels the warmth radiating off him. Theo really did feel like home. A cozy familiarity that made her the least shy and most enthusiastic. Her fingers fork through his bleached hair, now bleeding with brown roots. "You could have just filled a pinata full of candy and I would be so happy," she lifts her body only to fall back and feel the air blow beneath her. "This must be what wild kids parties felt like, but better because it's just us and our candy."

[theo lovett]

Pandemic dating had made the smallest of gestures feel transgressive, her fingers running through his hair feeling almost as intimate as a sex act when physical closeness was such a taboo. He kisses her again, unable to get enough of the rush that came from touching her. "Who knew Dolly Weathers was so easy to please?" He collapses back onto his back, his brain fizzing with the sugar rush. "No parents telling you to behave. We used to have parties like this when I was a kid, except it was always shared. Curse of being a twin."