Fur vs Skin | on hold

7.

↠C h a p t e r S e v e n↞
GRATITUDE

❝You don't need to throw me to the wolves; they come whenever I call.❞

▼▼▼

        Time was flying. I haven't seen that girl, Grey, the two days I've been held in the cabin. Marcus stopped by some time yesterday and Santha told him what happened and he simply shut his eyes and heaved a heavy tired sigh, apologizing to me was another thing he did but I brushed it off saying that 'it happens'.

I watch Arsen chop wood outside again, his arms swinging the ax in the air then bringing it down upon the middle of the wooden block. Crossing my arms under my chest, I lean forward against the window sill my eyes observing; he was naked from the waist up, a small coat of sweat slicked against his back as he worked hard.

The urge to talk and get to know something about him was growing stronger each passing day; until now. Gazing for a second longer, I click my tongue at myself and finally decide. Moving away from the window, I shuffle toward the coat rack and pick out the thickest coat I see and push my arms through it and button it up.

My hand hovers over the knob after I push my feet into a pair of boots, my heart constricting tight within my ribcage at the thought of being close to him. The door swings open, welcoming the cold blast of air that nature controls as I step out into the world, shutting back the comfort I wish to return to.

The snow has stopped falling a few hours ago, the forest truly looking like a winter wonderland; the kid within me taking everything in with fascination. The tree branches were covered in light sheens of ice, glittering from the morning sun's light, leaves scattered around the base of them. My breath clouds in front of my face, white wisps of it filling my vision as I breathe out.

Arsen was still chopping away at wood but from the way his body is positioned now, he knows I'm out here. I stand in front of the door, looking around, every so often my gaze lingering towards him before I soon make my way down the few steps and into the snow.

The crunching beneath my felt satisfying as I advance a few steps in his direction, his body locks just as he swings the ax down with a loud thump!

My teeth dig into my lip as I tug at it, "Hello," I begin.

He stops mid-swing, fingers curling tighter around the handle as he casts a look over his shoulder, those hazel eyes claiming all the air from my lungs. He bobs his head — in a sort of greeting — and resumes his work.

I stay where I am, watching him and deciding if I should head back in the house or not. My feet decide for me, moving me closer towards him to a spot where I stand in front of him.

"Is this for the fireplace?" I ask stupidly, the answer already known.

He chops another wood cylinder.

Thump!

He nods.

My hands play with the lint inside the pockets, a chilling breeze swirling up particles of snow into the air in a disarray. A shiver vibrates down my spine with an intensity of going over a bumpy road, despite the thick jacket that covers my body, I still felt the cold seep in. It felt like it was below twenty degrees Celsius (around seventy degrees Fahrenheit) and not once did I see Arsen shudder from the loss of heat; he was actually shirtless.

"Are you not cold?" I wonder aloud.

He shakes his head, looking over towards me, staring for a little longer, he assesses me up and down; lingering a bit on my face. When he didn't look away, I felt a slow burn start from the depths of my chest and move to my cheeks as I flush deeply from his gaze.