Page 16 of A Winter Awakening
Orteo got to his feet, taken aback by his thoughts. “I’ll be back.”
“I’ll see you soon,” Gael said breathlessly.
Orteo felt Gael watching him as he left the cabin.
Orteo set off through the snow towards the village store. He let out a breath, and it rose before him.
Gael was a beautiful man. And the way he looked at Orteo made Orteo want to bundle him up and care for him. But he also wanted to do other things to Gael. Things he hadn’t thought of in a long time. And it was startling to want someone after desiring no one for years.
ChapterTen
Orteo stood outside the store door. He’d only known where the store was because they’d been heading there the day before. But he didn’t know how to go about buying food. He knew that some oreads bought things from human stores. But he’d never done it.
He felt slightly nervous being out of his element like this. But he wanted to do this for Gael. He would do this for him. He would care for him and look after him and earn the thank-yous and the admiration in Gael’s eyes.
He raised his hand and knocked. He waited.
The door opened. A lean human with brown hair smiled at him. “Hello,” the man said. “I’m Aryn. Can I help you?”
“I’m Orteo, and I need some food, please.” Orteo held up the coins. “I have money.”
Aryn’s brows shot up. “That’s a lot of money. How much food do you need?”
“Enough food for a few days. It’s for a human,” Orteo said. “He is injured and is staying in Sariah’s cabin.”
“That’s Gael, isn’t it?” Aryn said.
At Orteo’s surprised look, Aryn said, “Sorry. Village gossip. Come on in and have a look around.”
Orteo entered, taking in all the food and other objects on shelves around the room. He’d never seen so much food in one place.
“In the future, you can just enter the store. No need to knock,” Aryn said.
Orteo nodded. He frowned at all the food on display. What would Gael want? What did Gael like? He walked along the aisles. He stared at the food behind the counter.
“I can put together some food for you. Perhaps some bread, cheese, sausage, and some other bits and pieces,” Aryn offered.
“That would be helpful,” Orteo said.
A short while later, Orteo left the store with food wrapped in brown paper. He still had most of Gael’s coins too. Apparently, Gael had given him quite a lot.
His steps lightened as he approached Sariah’s cabin.
He’d done it! He’d bought food for Gael. Even though he’d never bought food before, he’d done it for Gael.
“I brought food,” Orteo called out as he entered the still-warm cabin.
Gael perked up. “You’re back!”
He sat in an armchair now, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. He wore only trousers. Not the ones he’d worn yesterday. He must have borrowed some. But peeks of his pale torso could be seen in the places where the blanket gaped.
Orteo’s throat grew dry. He placed the parcel on a small table next to the armchair and unwrapped it.
“Thank you!” Gael reached out and grabbed a bread roll. He inhaled it before biting into it.
Warm satisfaction spread through Orteo’s body as he watched Gael eat the food he’d provided.
Gael broke off a bit of cheese and popped it into his mouth. He groaned.
