Blood Moon

9 | New Friend

"Here's what I've hunted," says Ciro. He lays down two rabbits that are bloodied on the kitchen counter.

I looked away from the dead rabbits. 

"Is this making you queasy, princess?" says Raff. "I'll take it away from your sight," again, smiling at me. 

Ciro looks at Raff and back at me with a discernible expression on his face. Is he mad? He looks at Raff as if he wants to rip his head off. 

"I'll let you cook the rabbits," says Ciro to Raff. "I'll look after Selene. And please don't try anything fishy or else." 

Raff laughs. "Like what? Poison the two of you? And what would I gain from doing that? I'd just be putting more errands on my list by burying two dead bodies." 

Ciro scoffs and shrugs it off and turns to me instead.

"How are you feeling?" he asks me warmly. 

"I'm okay, it just hurts when I move it." 

Ciro looks at my right ankle and tests its range of motion. I wince at every movement. Ciro looks so worried. Last night he was pretty pissed at me but now, he shows me none of that. I still wonder at what he was talking about though. Maybe I'll ask him some other time. 

"Tsk. This looks bad," he says, not minding my staring at him. "I don't think a day of rest will do." he frowns.

Is he seriously more concerned about getting out from here?  Just when I thought he actually cared. 

"I'll be fine!" I say grudgingly. "If you don't want me around, you should have just told me, instead of running off like that." I continued. 

"But I didn't run away. I just went to the woods for a while to get us some grub," he explains. 

"Let me put something cold on your ankle, it'll lessen the bruising. Lift your feet here. The swelling will lessen if you do so." he says, changing the topic so quickly.

He places a pillow under my feet and another under my head. He smiles at me and heads off to the kitchen.

What is this? I didn't even answer back and yet I can feel my heart pounding in my chest. Calm down, Selene. Calm down, heart. 

"I'm cooking rabbit soup!' exclaims Raff. He's very much proud of his cooking. I looked at him, distracting myself from my feelings.

"You'll love my dish, princess. It'll make you blush even more," he says with a wink. 

"I'm back," inserts Ciro. He places a cold rock on my ankle. 

"Where'd you find that?' I asked and chuckling a little. "It was just lying around, it's pretty cold huh?" he says while holding my foot and placing it on my bruised ankle. 

Oh heart, stop or he'll hear you.

"Yeah..." I answered although late. Our eyes interlocked for what seemed like an eternity.

My heart is about to burst out of my chest but I can't seem to look away. His brown eyes, I'm drowning in them. 

Ciro was about to say something when Raff interrupted. 

"Oh! Sorry, were you two about to kiss?" he boldly asks. 

I was caught off guard from Raff's remark. I felt the blood rush into my face. 

"Aww, look at you two!" he continues. 

I look at Ciro who was quiet and looking down.  "I... I better leave this here with you." Ciro hands me the rock. He stands up and asks Raff if he's already done with cooking. 

"Well, close," Raff says with a smile. 

"I'll help you finish, so I can see if you try to put something in the soup," says Ciro. 

Raff laughs but lets him. He looks at me and says "Sorry, princess. Prince charming's with me for now." 

~

I fell asleep for a while and was awoken by Raff. He tells me that we can eat now. Raff gently holds me "May I?" he politely asks. 

I nodded yes and he helps me sit up. He then hands me the bowl of rabbit soup and a wooden spoon. "This will make you feel better," he says. He stands up and gets himself another bowl and sat beside me on the couch. 

"Where's Ciro?" I asked. 

"Um yeah, he's in my room sleeping. He's pooped!" 

"I thought he was helping you with the cooking?" I asked suspiciously. 

"Hmm, he just looked at me cooking the whole time. He was looking at nothing for a minute or so, having deep thoughts I guess," he answers.

"Then?" I continued. 

"Well, then, he decided to give himself a tour of my home without my permission. I let him 'cause he really looked lost and confused. My little cabin might cheer him up." explains Raff. 

"When I was done with the cooking, I looked for him to let him know and saw him sleeping like a baby on my bed. The nerve of that guy huh? After he threatened me he sleeps on my bed? Huh! Anyway, I didn't have the heart to wake him up so, I just woke you up instead." 

"Aren't you the talkative type," I said to him. 

He chuckles and continued to eat heartily. 

I stared at him eat for a while. Well, he doesn't look so bad. Raff's dark hair crawls down to his nape and forehead. His long lashes are very visible when you sit this close to him. And he's naturally got that pinkish skin tone. His build is lean and tall. I bet he could also hunt very well. But what's captivating about him is his deep dark eyes. Those eyes could tell a story all on their own. I wonder how he got here and why is he all alone?

I sipped on some of the soup and complimented him on a job well done. I took a deep breath and asked Raff about his past and how he managed to find this cabin. 

Raff didn't stop eating and just went on to tell me that he had two companions with him previously. They all grew up on a farm far away from the city. When they fled that place because vampires appeared, they came across this small cabin. And for a while, they were okay until Newborns arrived and took the life of the two.  He wasn't in the cabin when it all happened. He was out hunting for food. 

He told me his tragic story without batting an eye. He just went on to eat his soup and tell me everything. He's an open book and you can see right through him. How refreshing and different from Ciro. 

"Enough about me. What's your story?" Raff asked. 

I looked at him and said "Nothing. I grew up with Ciro and our little family, you know other survivors too, here in the woods. All I've ever known or remember is surviving." 

"So you and prince charming go way back. Hmm."

"What? What's with the 'hmm'?" I asked. 

"Uhm, nothing. Just a little competition, I guess." 

"What do you mean?" I pried.

He smiled at me and just continued eating. Every now and then he looks back at me smiling until we finished our meals.

Raff took our empty bowls and washed them by the sink. He walked back to the couch and sat beside me. He looked straight into my eyes and said, "You're pretty." 

Stupid me burrowed my face in my hands and said "What? Uhm, ah, thanks?"

He laughed, "You're cute too."

I couldn't get away from his stare. I couldn't walk either!

"You don't know that no?" he says. "I bet I'm not the only one who finds you mesmerizing." 

And his eyes moved to the area where his room sits. He's pertaining to Ciro. 

I immediately removed my hands from my face and disagreed with him. 

"Are you sure?" he asks. "I can see it, in the way he looks and cares for you." 

I didn't answer.

"But it doesn't matter," he says. 

I stare at him bewildered by his thoughts being said out loud. 

He gazes at me and blurts out "I like you." 

"I like you, Selene."