Chapter Thirty Six

"I didn't really fall, you know." I informed him before securing my arms around his neck and nuzzling my face in the crook of his neck.

Nicolas just hummed in reply and continued to walk while carrying me in his arms.

"I can walk on my own." Contradictory to my words, I made no move to try to get him to put me down.

He hummed again, just to let me know that he had heard me.

"You're not going to let me down?" I asked again with a smile playing on my lips.

This time he finally spoke. "Every time I take my eyes off you, you end up crying. So, no. I won't."

His reasoning shut me up right away.

"I'm going to look for another job. Somewhere closer." I let him know a few moments later.

"You should think about it more before deciding anything." He suggested calmly.

I shook my head instantly. "I've decided."

When he didn't reply, I rubbed my nose against the side of his neck, trying to get attention.

"Blue…" He let out in a breathy voice. I heard him inhale and exhale slowly a few times before continuing. "You shouldn't-"

His words were cut off as my stomach growled loudly. The weird voice sounded excessively loud in the quiet atmosphere and I felt my cheeks warm up in embarrassment.

His chuckle increased my embarrassment tenfold. "We'll talk about it after dinner. You didn't eat anything during the day either."

~~~

"I don't know why I'm surprised that you can cook." I said as Nicolas handed me the wooden bowl.

"I learned it a few years back. We don't really cook much, unless we have a young one. Pups can't shift until they're nine. So, until then they eat like humans." Nicolas took his own bowl and sat beside me.

"And after they can shift?" I questioned before placing a spoonful in my mouth.

Nicolas looked at me from the corner of his eyes as he replied. "They eat like wolves."

My eyebrows furrowed, not only because of his answer but also because of the taste permeating my mouth. I placed another spoonful in my mouth, trying to decipher the strange taste.

"How's it?" Nicolas asked after I had swallowed yet another spoonful.

I nodded my head immediately, trying not to cough as a bitter aftertaste filled my mouth. "It's good. What's in it?"

The longer I waited for the bitter taste to dilute, the more intense it got. The urge to cough got so strong, I could feel myself tearing up.

"Whatever edible we could forage from around here." He responded as he swallowed spoonfuls after spoonfuls with an ease.

I tried to clear my throat quietly to make sure I don't end up coughing out my next spoonful. "Fresh ingredients. That must be why it tastes so good."

Nicolas was close to finishing his second bowl by the time I finished half of mine. The bitter taste had gotten into every nook and cranny inside my mouth and I was struggling not to throw up every time I swallowed yet another spoonful.

"Would you like some more?" Nicolas asked, already extending the brimming ladle toward my bowl.

A cough disguised as a chuckle left my mouth and I shook my head immediately. "No, thank you. I'm full."

"Already?" Nicolas pulled back the ladle and I felt like I could finally breathe again.

"Yeah. I ate too much during breakfast." I lied through my teeth before looking down at the bowl again.

"That's alright." Nicolas placed the ladle back in the pot and I resisted the urge to sigh in relief.

"I'll just finish this." Ditching the spoon, I placed the bowl at my lips and gulped down the rest of it in a single breath.

Placing the spoon back in the bowl, I extended it toward him. "It was amazing."

He extended his hand to take my now empty bowl from me with a huge smile on his face.

I had never felt as relieved as I felt that moment when I handed my empty bowl over to him. It felt like an accomplishment to empty such a huge bowl of that liquid.

"I'll clean up here. You can go on ahead." He pointed toward the cabin he lived in as he took both of our bowls and stood up.

"I'll help you." I stood up beside him immediately.

"I'll do it. Go." He insisted again. "You can use anything you want. And if you need clothes to change into, just pick whatever you like from the closet."

Despite his kind words, I stood still, hesitant to enter his house on my own.

"I'll be there soon." He reassured again before stepping aside to let me pass by him.

I looked at him once again, silently asking him if it really was okay and he nodded as if giving me his permission again. I walked past him reluctantly and headed toward the cabin with small steps.

There still wasn't much furniture inside the cabin. The round tall table with two chairs from before was still on the right and it still looked just as chipped and out of use as before. On the far left, the stack of neatly folded futons and pillows was still there as well.

An almost new looking table was now placed right beside the door. On top of it was a vase full of white daisies. The slightly wilted flowers put a smile on my face. Despite the fact that they didn't look as fresh as before, they smelled just as good and so did the whole cabin because of them.

I walked further inside and noticed the circular table from before was moved in the corner right beside the wooden closet from before. On my right, I noticed a door which I assumed led to the bathroom.

Remembering the taste in my mouth since before, I entered past the door into the bathroom. A new and packed toothbrush was sitting on top of the wooden sink and I figured it was for me since another one was in the stand beside the sink.

Though there wasn't a mirror in there, the rest looked the same as any other bathroom I had seen before. The only exception being the fact that almost everything except the pipes and taps was made out of wood - even the bathtub.

I turned on the tap on top of the sink right away and opened the packed toothbrush. I couldn't wait to get rid of the weird taste still lingering in my mouth.

I had been brushing my teeth for a while but the persistent bitter taste had yet to leave my mouth. I gave up after a few more minutes of struggle. Instead I moved on toward the shower before remembering I still had to get something to change into.

I hesitated before opening his closet. The fact that Nicolas still hadn't returned didn't help much either and I was starting to feel awkward without him around.

The first thing I noticed was how organised his closet was. Though there weren't much clothes in there, the ones in there were all folded neatly and placed in different stacks according to their kinds.

I picked up a pair of loose shorts and the t-shirt from the top before I saw something slip out of the t-shirt I had picked. The curiosity got the best of me and I picked up the card from the ground. It was the birthday card I had prepared for Tobias the last time I was here.

I looked around to see if there were any more cards but there were none. I placed the card underneath the next t-shirt and closed the closet back again just in time for the cabin's front door to open.

Nicolas shut the door behind him quietly and I turned around to face him in surprise.

"I'll be borrowing these." I showed him the clothes I had in my hand.

Nicolas smiled and slightly nodded in reply and I felt content once again.

"I'll take a quick shower." I pointed toward the bathroom as I headed there. "And I used the new toothbrush by the sink. I hope that's okay." I said, suddenly remembering and halting in my steps.

Nicolas walked over to me and pulled me in his embrace. "I left it there for you. It's alright. Relax."

The anxious feelings left my heart the moment I felt his warmth. "Thank you."

He kissed the side of my head before letting go. "If you need anything else, just let me know."

I nodded and reluctantly walked back into the bathroom for a quick shower.

Just as I had expected, his clothes were way too loose on my build. His t-shirt reached past my mid thigh and the shorts were past my knees. Though I never felt like the tallest person ever, I still had never felt so short either. I tried adjusting the length of the shorts to make myself feel better but to no avail.

Giving up, I smelled the soap again. I had never seen a soap with no scent before, though other than that it looked like a normal soap. Even the toothpaste from before had no scent either.

Where did he even get these things? I wondered in my head as I walked out of the bathroom lost in thoughts.

Nicolas was laying down the futons on the floor and I rushed over to help him with it. I laid down the second futon right next to the one he had already placed and adjusted the blankets on top of both.

Once satisfied with the almost overlapping futons, I stepped back to see Nicolas' reaction, only to find him already staring at me. My cheeks reddened under his intense gaze and I lowered my head.

When he still didn't move after almost a minute had passed, I called his name softly. That seemed to have done its job and he walked over to me.

He placed another kiss on top of my head and headed to the bathroom without another word.

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