21: Can I touch?
**Kala pov**
At first, I was sure following the brute had to be a bad idea. After all, I didn’t know the man.
But, after doing some silent thinking, I decided I wasn’t losing anything by entertaining his idea about this so-called baking lesson.
His tent wasn’t located far from the one where Zion was resting, so at least that put my mind at ease.
If anything were to happen, I wouldn’t have to run far to get to him.
As the brute stopped by his tent and pulled back the flap for me to enter, a strange wave of calm washed over me.
It was almost as if I had been holding my breath underwater for too long and suddenly, I could breathe again.
Stepping inside, I couldn’t help but feel surprised at the view that greeted me. For someone so insanely large and gruff, this man had the most minimalistic and tidy living space I had ever seen.
Just to prove that I’m truly a judgemental asshole, the brute had a whole row of shelves lined by the tent walls, all of them filled with different dolls.
“Those aren’t collection edition dolls,” the brute grumbled behind my back. “I collect the ones I find in the forest, lost or forgotten by the human campers. When time comes, I hand them out to the little girls born in the camp.”
And now, everyone could officially call me an asshole because this was the last thing I expected to see from this man.
Darn it, I had to learn how to stop judging people by their looks and look beyond the cover, regardless of how it looked.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he spoke up again, this time stopping right next to me. “You shouldn’t. Everyone is different and I understand why you were so suspicious of me. I don’t exactly come across as the guy who collects dolls for children based on my appearance.”
I tried to laugh off his words and failed. Miserably.
“Don’t feel bad,” he muttered and gently nudged my side. “I understand, anyone with some brain cells would. Besides, we’re technically equally as bad since I questioned if you’re fat earlier.”
Yeah, that was all I needed to start laughing. He had a point, of course, he did ask me if I was pregnant or simply fat, so I could say we both judged too soon.
“Okay,” I muttered when I finally calmed down and slowly pulled up my sleeves. “How about that baking lesson you promised?”
The smile that spread across his lips had to be the most blinding and pure smile I had ever seen on an adult.
In no time, he was already rustling around, pulling jars of honey and flour out of hidden cupboards, humming as he carefully lined up every ingredient on the table and quietly counted under his breath.
For a moment there, I didn’t want to disturb him at all. He looked so at peace and at home that it felt almost unfair to intrude.
But then, he looked up from the ingredients, grinned like a kid again and waved me over. “Come, I’ll show you the recipe my grandmother taught me when I was just a cub myself. She was a very good baker, trust me, you won’t regret a moment.”
And just like that, for hours on end, I forgot there was a vicious world out there, one that carried the stench of blood and surprised you with the worst case scenarios happening every step you took.
Instead of thinking about the future I didn’t know if we still had or how Zion was going, I listened to every word the brute said and followed his every command.
Those were baby steps at first, but eventually, I realized it had been far too long since the last time I felt this free and at ease.
“Do you bake often?” I asked after a longer moment of silence, needing to fill it just to keep the fear at bay.
The brute hummed and nodded his head. “Could say so. I like baking, it’s calming and when nothing else works, in the kitchen I’m in control of everything. It’s stupid, I know, but sometimes being in control helps to settle your thoughts.”
I nodded in agreement. While he explained everything way easier than other people would, his words always carried a valid point.
“I couldn’t agree more. Plus, to be honest with you, I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed myself in the kitchen either. This is nice.”
“Wait till you get to try the result of your hard work. You’ll instantly fall in love with the cake, I tell you, you will.” He grinned again, even wider if possible and kept praising the recipe, mentioned some of his fondest childhood memories that were also connected to the cake and even shared some funny stories.
Inside this tent, we were just two strangers, baking together to kill some time and escape reality. It was way nicer than I initially thought it could be.
By the time we slid the baking trays into the oven, I was laughing so hard my stomach hurt and my little boy was actively kicking me, probably protesting the sudden tightening of my muscles every time I started laughing.
That fact didn’t go unnoticed by the brute. He pointed at my baby bump and grinned, “you’re growing a football star inside your body. Or a fighter. One of those two, for sure. I’ve seen pregnant women around the camp, but I’ve never seen bellies move as aggressively as yours.”
I looked down and smiled as I watched the baby kick and stretch from inside me.
“Can I touch?” The brute suddenly asked, catching me off guard. My head snapped up, eyes widened a little but he only offered a kind smile and raised his hands. “Don’t worry, I won’t touch you unless you let me. I’m not trying to force you, it’s fine if you’re uncomfortable with my request, I’ll back off.”
I thought about his request for a moment but eventually nodded. “I think it’s fine. Just don’t push too hard, the baby already is pretty cramped in there, no need to make him more uncomfortable.”
To my surprise, his hand trembled as he gently placed it on my belly. The look on his face, I can’t believe I was describing it like this, but it was precious. The amazement, the wonder and the look in his eyes, like he was experiencing something almost close to religious awakening - all of that was as unexpected as it was endearing.
We stood like that for a long moment, his hand on my belly, only the faint sound of the oven in the background, until someone pulled open the tent flap and gasped, “wolf girl, your man is asking for you.”
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