Page 40 of Heat Haze
I sprawl my hand out on his face to push him back, reaching over to grab the stuff Lucio brought. “Yeah, yeah,” I grumble while giving him the glass of water. “Open your mouth.”
He follows the command instantly, staring at me with his stupidly big mouth hung open. I pinch the pill out of my palm, dropping it on his tongue. He doesn’t even need the water since he just swallows it, before randomly deciding he wants to start licking my fingers.
“T-Toro!” I shriek, face redder than any tomato. “What the hell was that?!”
“Soft,” he says as though it’s an answer.
With a huff I draw my brows together. “How would you like it if I lickedyourfingers?”
That was a very stupid thing to say.
Of course he perks up at the idea, nodding over and over. “No!” I shout, before realizing that he hasn’t even had the towel on his forehead for who knows how long. It’s almost as if he doesn’twantto get better.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Getting that man to go to sleep was far more difficult than I expected. He clung to me the whole time, and when I thought he was finally asleep it turned out he was just waiting for me to try and get away so he could pull me back.
Finally, at three in the afternoon, he conked out. Now I’m in the Tavera kitchen trying to find something to make for him. It’s not promising. I’m wary of every meat-like thing I see, and despite being farmers there aren't many vegetables around.
“Top right cabinet,” Alma instructs without looking up from the shirt she’s sewing at the breakfast table. If I had to guess I’d say it belonged to Mr. Tavera. “We got canned soup. Lucio told me Toro was sick.”
“Thanks,” I say with a sigh. “He went outside last night in the rain without a jacket. Just to give the animals blankets.”
Even without seeing her I can hear the smile she’s wearing. “Always did really care ‘bout the animals. He’s sweet with ‘em.”
“He is.” The can hisses when I crack it open. I dump it into one of the many chipped pots sitting around, before placing it on the stove. “But now he’s being extra clingy.”
“Better than before. When things got tough he used to just hide out in the shed.” She says it like it’s totally normal, like everyone just goes to tough things out in a shed when things get hard.
“Even when he was little?”
“Especially when he was little.”
“Oh.” My heart sinks at the thought of little Toro all alone in a shed that came straight out of a horror movie. “That’s sad.”
Alma shrugs. “He has you now. He’s a lot happier than he used to be.”
She sure doesn’tlookhappy, and now I’m feeling bad for both her and little Toro. “Yeah…. But… I don’t know. He was just a kid going through so much… It’s not fair.”
“Nothing in life ever is. I did what I could for him, but Papa used to be a lot more angry.” The thought of Mr. Tavera being even worse somehow sends a chill down my spine. “He’s mellowed out over the years… I know it’s not perfect, but it’s better.”
“What about you?”
“Whataboutme?”
“Are you… better?” The way she looks up at me tells me I probably shouldn’t have said anything, but it’s my stupid desire to make everyone happy that got me in this situation to begin with.
Her expression shifts to one of amusement, as if my question was just so silly. “You ain’t fixin’ me with hugs and kisses, Nico.”
“That’s not…” My cheeks go red. “That’s not what I meant. Just… Is there anything I can do…?”
“Nope.” She diverts her attention back to the shirt in her hands, amusement being replaced by something more solemn. “This is my life, Nico, and that’s okay. S’nice that you care, but you can’t fix everything.”
Ouch. That hits me right in the heart. “Okay…”
“You’ve made Toro’s life so much better, so just focus on him okay? It makes me happy when he’s happy.” Icatch the way her fingers are trembling as she patches up the shirt. “It’s not everyday you meet someone capable of stopping your little brother from eating human flesh.”
She chuckles dryly at her joke, so I do the same despite the fact it makes me squirm internally. It’s so easy to get caught up in this whole game of house to forget that these peopledokill people, and they fucking eat them too.
