Trip To The Inferno [OLD VERSION]

Part 16

When I walked into the main room, I instantly felt Tlaloc's eyes on me. The dress became too short in my eyes and I began fiddling with my fingers, feeling super uncomfortble. By my mother's standards, this dress is slutty and I could hear her shouting on me and that made me cringe, unaware that Tlaloc was watching my every move.

I was brought back from my mother with Tlaloc cupping my cheek. It was so weird and alien for me that I flinched and took a step away from him. Jack's body appeared before my eyes once again and I had to look away from the man in front of me. He, however, didn't seem to mind my reaction. He simply turned away and went to the fire and began mingling around it with pots. I watched him cook something from my spot. He looked so out of place with those ingredients, but the view amused me just enough for me to get Jack out of my mind for a minute.

I gathered my little courage that was hiding deep inside me for a really long time and walking to the fire, sat down arm's length away from Tlaloc.
My eyes did not leave him since I didn't feel completely safe. Just because he brought me to his house, that doesn't mean he is with me and not with others like him.

Soon Tlaloc finished cooking and outstretched his arm with a bowl towards me. I looked at the bowl suspiciously for a moment and took it from him only to be met by warm sides of the bowl and delicious smell of the venison stew. Looking down I saw potatoes and carrots swimming together with meat and.... mushrooms. Just looking at them made me want to throw up. I was fine with gathering them, but not eating them. My mind and mouth just couldn't be friends with that slimy thing. I looked at my food for a moment, unsure on how to eat it and avoid slimy yukies. My eyes traveled to the man again and I saw him eating it, more like drinking it, while staring at the fire. It looked like he was deep in thought. I used this time to look at him. He was definitely near 40 and you could see maturness in his stance and face. His body was really well taken care off as his bronze skin that glowed with fire's help, hid a huge mass of muscles. There was no fat in his body, not even that small protective ring around bellies that girls hates so much. I noticed a long scar running across his chest, from left shoulder to his mid chest. It was slim, but jagged, indicating that skin was ripped in a quick motion. My eyes traveled to Tlaloc's face. His bright blue eyes were fixated on the fire and it looked as if the light of the fire bounced away. I could see small, almost invisible wrinkles at the top of the nose bridge that said frowns were more common than smiles in his life. He didn't have his pelt on his head, allowing me to have a better look at his face. His strong jaw was chiseled low accompanied by wide cheekbones, giving the face a bigger overall mass. His short raven black hair was shuffled a bit from sleeping and even there light couldn't leave its orange glow. It was as if the hair ate all the rays shot at it. I had to admit, he looked wild and rough, but handsome in his own way.

I blinked and quickly looked down at my steaming stew. Sitting here and gawking at the man definitely won't help me in my situation, so I took a sip of the stew and was shocked by how good it was. I wasn't implying that it was good for the man's cooking, I was surprised by how different and richer the taste was. Of course, he used fresh and chemical free ingredients, but never thought that the taste would change that drastically. Now it made my home cooked meals disgusting in comparison.

I began eating more confidently since all the process was made before my eyes. If one of the ingredients was a poison then.. well... I won't be able to do a thing. Maybe dying is even better than living in here? My soul would travel back home and I wouldn't have to survive in this foreign style of living.

I frowned at my dark thoughts and maneuvered my lips away from the slimy mushroom and continued eating. I shouldn't think like that. Just because this place was different, that didn't mean it was horrible. But then again, two innocent lives were brutally taken in here.

I sighed and finished my stew. Just one bowl and I was full. Looking down I saw a small mush of mushrooms and felt proud on how skillfully I managed to evade them.

Tlaloc came into my vision and I turned to him. Before I could even blink, he took my bowl and flung it up to his mouth, eating all mushrooms in one go. My stomach squeezed in disgust, but I kept it from showing on my face. Tlaloc walked towards the bathroom entrance and threw the bowls on the ground. To my surprise, they disappeared, but I heard angry clank. Next to his feet was a bucket that I missed. Was that like a basin or something?

I didn't have a chance to find out because Tlaloc did nothing with the bowls and simply walked back to the fire, but this time he sat next to me. In one swift motion I was pulled into his lap. His strong arms snaked around me and pulled me to his chest. My response to that was freezing and waiting for him to do something, but he didn't. He was simply hugging me and holding me close. I felt awkward sitting like that, me being pressed to his bare chest. He began drawing circles on my lower back, relaxing me in the process. I felt my muscles unfreeze and my eyelids dropping. His body warmth and soft orange glow from the fire made me feel really comfy and warm.

Before I knew, I fell asleep in his arms.