The Prospect's Deal

05

I nodded slowly as I put my hands on my stomach to stop the growling.

Ezra smiled gently as he saw me put my hands on my stomach. He understood what I meant and spoke gently. "I think it's time to get you something to eat, right?"

My eyes lit up when he mentioned food.

"Yeah, let's go." Ezra slowly got up from the couch and helped me up. He was still holding my hand as he led me out of the shack. Ezra walked up to one of the men who was standing near the shack. It was the same partner that was standing by the shack earlier.

The partner looked at the two of us as we approached. Ezra spoke to him. "Could we have a plate of food and a glass of water, please?"

The partner nodded at Ezra and started walking away. Ezra turned to look at me while he waited for the partner to return. Ezra kept his hold on my hand as he looked at me. He smiled gently.

Soon, the partner came back with a plate of food and a glass of water. Ezra took the plate of food and glass of water from the partner, who then walked away. Ezra was now holding the plate and glass for the both of us as he started to lead the way back to the shack.

I followed him slowly, I looked back and heard the other men starting to whisper.

Ezra noticed the way the men were starting to whisper and glance at me as we two walked by. Ezra squeezed my hand gently, it was as if was sending me a signal to just ignore the men and focus on him. He was just trying to make me feel more comfortable and protected. Ezra led me back into the shack and sat back down on the couch.

I sat down on the couch next to him.

Ezra looked at me, his voice was still soft and gentle as he spoke. "You can have the plate of food now." He handed me the plate of food, it was a decent amount of food. Ezra looked at me expectantly, he wanted to see if I had any questions or if I needed something before I started eating.

I gently took the plate and started to eat really fast.

Ezra chuckled quietly as he watched me eat. I was eating at a really fast pace, he could tell I was hungry since I hadn't eaten in a while. Ezra just continued to watch me and kept his gaze on me, still paying attention to my movements and behaviour.

As I ate, I could see a few of the men outside the shack start to look in my direction, and then they would quickly look away once I made eye contact with them. Ezra noticed this change in behaviour from the men. He didn't know what was going on outside, but he was being extra vigilant just in case something did happen.

I started to get insecure with the other men watching so I moved the plate away saying that I was finished.

Ezra raised his eyebrow as I said that I was finished, already. Ezra could tell that I was lying, he could see how hungry I was. Ezra took the plate back and kept a hold of it, he wasn't going to let me stop eating so quickly.

He spoke softly so the men outside the shack wouldn't hear him. "What do you mean? You just got started. Take another bite." Ezra moved the plate closer to me, he was going to make sure that I finished my food. Ezra still kept his gaze on me.

I gently took another mouthful.

Ezra watched me take a mouthful of food and then he smiled reassuringly at me. "You're doing great, keep eating." Ezra encouraged me to eat my full portion of food. It was obvious that my stomach was still rumbling, Ezra was going to make sure that I finished all of the food on the plate.

Ezra continued to watch me eat. He had noticed that the men outside were still looking in my direction and then quickly looking away when they were caught looking at me. Ezra tried to figure out what was going on. The whole situation was beginning to bother him, but he didn't want to worry me with the concern he was feeling. Ezra kept his gaze on me, he was still hoping that I would continue to finish the plate of food.

He continued to keep a close eye on me as I ate. Ezra could see that I was slowly eating more of the food, but my pace was still extremely quick. Ezra was encouraging me to eat a little bit slower. He could see that I was still hungry, even though I had already eaten so much quickly. Ezra was watching my movements and my facial expressions. He was trying to see if I needed anything. Ezra kept his gaze on me the entire time that I ate, he really wanted to make sure that I ate the plate of food completely.

Once Ezra noticed that I had finally slowed down my pace and I was actually going at a reasonable speed, he relaxed a little. Ezra could tell that my portion of food was starting to diminish slowly. Soon there was only one bite left. Ezra was closely watching me, he just wanted to make sure I ate that last bite.

Ezra smiled as he saw I ate the last bite. He relaxed even more now that I had finished my food. Ezra was satisfied with the fact that the plate was now empty, I had eaten all of the food. Ezra smiled even more at me, he could see that I was now much calmer, more relaxed, and more comfortable.

I looked up at him. "You didn't tell me your name..." I said quietly.

Ezra looked at me as I spoke, he had realized he never even told me his name. Ezra felt a bit embarrassed, but he was also feeling more comfortable, more relaxed, and less tense with me as time passed. He spoke up in a more gentle tone as he replied. "I didn't, did I? I'm Ezra."