CHAPTER 15: COLD HEARTH AND QUIET TRUTHS

 Guillermo

 She stood by the wooden table, looking at the dried beef cecina, the smoked cheese, the apples, and the metal bottle filled with water that I had placed there.

"Where did you get this?" she asked quietly.

"From the scout," I answered.

Her eyebrows rose a little. "You took his food?"

"He won't need it for a while."

She gave me a look that made it clear she didn't like what I had done, but she sat on the wooden bench anyway. She picked up one of the apples, turned it around in her hand, then placed it back on the wax paper.

"Eat something, Xitllali," I said gently. "You haven't had a proper meal since yesterday."

She looked at the food, then back at me. "So should you."

"I'm not hungry."

"You're bleeding, you've barely slept, and you fought a man with your bare hands," she said, her voice low but annoyed. "Don't sit there and pretend you don't need food."

I didn't answer. I just watched her face in the pale morning light.

She let out a tired sigh and pulled one of the packages closer. She broke a piece of the dried beef in half and pushed the bigger piece across the table toward me. Then she cut a thick piece of the smoked cheese and held it out to me.

I looked down at the food she had given me. A small warmth spread through my chest. Even while keeping her distance from me, she still couldn't bring herself to let me sit there hungry.

"What?" she asked when she caught me staring at her.

"Nothing," I said, taking the piece of cheese.

"Then eat."

A small smile almost appeared on my face.

For a few minutes, the cabin was quiet except for the steady sound of rain hitting the roof. We ate slowly, sitting across from each other in the warm light from the fire.

"You screamed in your sleep last night," I said quietly, breaking the silence.

She stopped moving, the piece of dried meat still in her hand. She didn't look at me right away.

"It was just a dream," she said under her breath. She swallowed and put the food down on the wax paper. "I don't want to talk about it, Guillermo."

"It's okay. I won't make you talk about it," I said. I rested my arms on the table and leaned a little closer. "But what happened before you went to sleep... when I kissed you."

Her cheeks turned red at once. She looked up at me, her face guarded, but I could still see the confusion in her eyes.

"I told you not to touch me like that again," she said firmly, even though her breath caught for a moment.

"I heard you," I said calmly. "I'm not going to lie and say I didn't want to kiss you, Xitllali. I've missed you every day for the last two years. I would give almost anything to hold you again. But I'm not going to force you to give me something you're not ready for. I respect what you told me."

She stared at me for a moment. I could see that she hadn't expected me to answer like that. The tightness in her shoulders slowly eased, though she still looked unsure.

"Thank you," she whispered, looking down at the table again.

She picked up her cheese and took a small bite. After a moment, she looked back at me, and the look in her eyes had changed.

"Guillermo?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think Xiaro is okay?"

There was real worry in her voice.

"Xiaro knows how to take care of himself," I said, keeping my voice calm. "He knew what to tell the local police. By now, I'm sure he's back in his shop, cleaning flour off his counters."

She let out a quiet breath, and her shoulders relaxed a little.

"He was always good to me," she said softly. "He brought warm pan dulce every morning. He never asked where I came from, and he never let anyone bother me in the shop."

I looked at her in the pale morning light. Knowing she had someone to be there for her made me happy.

"I'm glad he was good to you," I said quietly, looking into her eyes.

She looked at me in surprise. "What?"

"If he gave you quiet mornings and made you feel safe," I said, "then I owe him for that."

She stared at me, her lips slightly apart. She clearly hadn't expected me to say that.

The tension between us changed. It was still there, but it wasn't as heavy as before.

"You really mean that?" she asked softly.

"I do," I said quietly.

She swallowed and finished her food without saying anything. Every now and then, she pushed another piece of smoked cheese toward me without a word.

When we finished eating, I stood and pulled my dark wool coat over my shoulders. I winced when the heavy fabric brushed against my injured shoulder.

Xitllali stood too. She grabbed her dry wool sweater and wrapped the blanket tightly around her shoulders. She looked at my shoulder one last time before stepping closer.

"You're a fool, Guillermo," she said softly, her voice full of worry. "Going into those woods with your bare hands when you're already hurt."

I reached out and gently brushed my fingers against her arm, feeling the warmth of her skin through the thick fabric.

"I'd walk into those woods bare-handed a thousand times if I had to," I whispered. "I don't care about a cut on my skin. As long as Severo's men don't get near you, I'll bleed as much as I need to."

Her breath caught.

She didn't pull away from my touch, but I could still see the distance in her eyes. She cared about me, but she wasn't ready to let me close again.

"Let me carry the bottle", she whispered.

I nodded, lifted the iron bolt on the heavy wooden door, and opened it. I stepped aside to let her go first, then followed her out into the cold morning fog.