Page 42 of Heat Haze
“Don’t want nap, want you.”
My eyes roll so far into the back of my head they almost get stuck there. “A nap is going to make you feel better. Cuddling with me is just gonna make your temperature rise again.”
“Nope,” he says plainly, and for a second it doesn’t seem as though he has a hard time talking at all because he’s being pretty damn stubborn. “Feel better.”
“You feel betterbecauseyou napped.” My chest presses up against his, sprawling out on top of him like a human weighted blanket. “I promise I’ll be here when you wake up.”
Toro raises his brow at me, not all that convinced that I’ll actually come back. He kisses my forehead, before settling into bed properly. “...Bossy.”
“I’mbossy?” I laugh harder than I’ve laughed in a while. “Shut up and go to sleep.”
“Like it…” he yawns again, shutting his eyes and resting his hands on the small of my back. I almost doze off alongside him, but after a good twenty minutes or so his snoring wakes me up.
Making as little noise as possible, I crawl off of him and put my shoes on. My beat up old sneakers have been through so much, and all of Toro’s boots are way too big for me. Once they’re on I make the short walk over to the chicken coop.
It stinks in there, because of course it does, but the chickens are so cute I’m just happy to see them. My favoriteis Mabel, this fat little thing who does nothing but eat and sleep all day. She’s kind of living the dream, I think.
I say hi to all the chickens, grabbing their eggs and putting them into the basket Mr. Tavera mentioned earlier. I’m almost done when I hear footsteps approaching on the dry grass behind me. Pulling my head out of the coop I turn around to see Damien.
“Hey there,ciervo,” he grins, all dead-eyed and sleazy. “Where’s Toro? Not clingin’ to ya for once?”
Every part of my body is telling me to just run. But I just stand there shaking like a leaf, awkwardly clutching at the wicker basket in my hands. “Uh… He’s sick. He’s taking a nap.”
Damien steps forward. “Really? That’s mighty interestin’. Thought he was stuck up yer ass twenty-four seven.”
“Nope.” My mouth feels dry. “Did you need something?”
He gives me a one over before shaking his head. “Not exactly… But it’s just me and you, y’know? So you can be honest…” Before I can ask any questions he’s circling me. “Ain’t you worried about Toro? About who hereallyis?”
“No. I… no.”
“Really? You ain’t worried about the shit he used to do before you got here?” Damien’s grin is gone now, replaced with something more sinister. “Y’know he’s pretty aggressive when he wants to be. Half the time the meat wasn’t even recognizable when he was done with ‘im.”
My thoughts trail back to when I first saw him back in that cabinet, meat tenderizer in hand. Is that what he used to kill my friends? I must have cringed at the thought since Damien’s smiling again.
“We’ve all done bad shit, even Alma. But here you are stayin’ with us like it’s normal. Yer’ either brave or really fuckin’ stupid, Nico.”
I’m definitely not brave.
“I just… You’re still people…” God, that excuse sounds so weak as it leaves my mouth. He just has a way of getting under my skin in a way no one else does. Not even Mr. Tavera. “People can change…”
“Sure they can,” he nods thoughtfully. “But not Toro. Especially not after last week…”
My blood runs cold, body going so still I might as well be a statue. “What… happened last week?”
His eyes scream ‘gotcha,’ and I know nothing good is going to come next. “‘Member when we went to town? Picked up this pretty little hitchhiker on the way home. Boy did he enjoy carvin’ her up like a Halloween pumpkin.”
They went to town, that was true. I remember because Toro brought me back a chocolate bar and was extra cuddly that day. But why? Did he feel remorse over what he did? Did he regret it?
Or is Damien just a fucking liar?
I don’t know. There’s no way for me to ever know unless I ask him. I take a few steps away from him, trying to recompose myself. How am I supposed to justask? ‘Hey, sorry but I still don’t fully trust you.’ Yeah, I’m sure he’d love to hear that.
“No he didn’t. He didn’t do that.” The quiver in my voice doesn’t exactly sell the fact I fully believe what I’m saying. “You… you’re just…”
“Just what? I’m just lookin’ out for you, Nico. Who knows what he’d do if you tried to up and leave again…”
I need to talk to him. I need to hear it from his mouth, not Damien’s. “Okay,” I mumble. “I’ll see you later.” Damien howls, his laughter following me when I speedwalk away.
