Mr. Fire

Chapter 7: Rocky Start

Two days had passed since we had first arrived.

Both days were the same, Chase would not talk to me at all and I started to ignore him as well, not knowing what exactly I did to him.

We fell into a routine of sleeping in the same bed and waking up with his arms securely around me. I would then escape the bed so he didn't wake up and be disgusted by the fact he was spooning me. I would get the fire started again and go fetch a pale of water to wash our faces and hands before making our way to breakfast.

After breakfast was finished, I would separate from Chase and go with the females to help and learn. He would walk off with the males who took him to show him how to hunt and gather. Everyone was so patient with us and would be kind enough to show us what we were doing wrong.

So far, I have learned to make baskets and weave blankets from fabric they got from the mainland. Some of the other ladies would tell me stories of their families or of people that had come and gone from the island. The only one not to be retold was that of Hito's mother. It was a sore subject among the ladies, one I thought would only affected Hito, affected everyone.

Chase would come back to our hut exhausted. But since he was ignoring me, I would take to working on smaller things than to ask him what he had done that day. We did this both days and so far it was working out.

But today was different and I could feel it. Chase was the first to get up this morning and fetched the pail of water for us. I had awoken before he stepped through the threshold with the water. Getting off the bed, the fire was starting to die and needed to be set again.

Stepping around Chase, I took a few sticks from the pile and laid them in the pit and worked on setting the fire ablaze again. He had not moved from where he was standing and was waiting for the fire to set the pail down atop it to warm the water.

It was different in the fact that his moves were more calculated this morning as well. He made a point of being closer to me, leaving only a foot or two between us. Where as previously, he would leave six or seven, whatever space allowed him.

He was the first to speak also. Muttering a quick good morning.

"Good morning, Mr. Fire." I said aloud, making sure I did not call him Chase.

"Avalon, please call me Chase while we are here." Looking at him, a fleeting pleading look crossed his eyes. His tail.

"Okay, Chase. Can I have the water?" I smiled as I said his name. It was only the second or third time I had said it out loud and it was still foreign.

He handed the pail over to me and I set is atop the fire moving a few stick around in the process. It took only a few minutes for the water to heat up and in that time I took it to studying Chase.

He had a scruff building on his jaw line and cheeks making the man look delectable. His hair was unruly in a sense, taking its natural curl and letting it spring free instead of being held in place by wax or gel. His skin had started to get darker and more rugged looking. I knew for a fact that when he worked with the guys, the only thing he would wear were his pants that were now cut shorter.

He was starting to look more like a man and less like an uptight city dweller. This look suited him better than Armani suits and well kept hair. Chase looked more relaxed as well, having started to settle into the slower pace of life. Letting stress that had built up from work, fall away into the oblivion.