Chapter 6 Wilderness 6

Chapter 6

Savannah

"My best friend's in the cabin.." I murmured and clutched the blanket closer to me. It smells good...like earthy, spicy, and some sweet wooden scent, it smells just like this man beside me.

"What's your name?" He asked, I felt his gaze on me.

"Savannah." I replied as the fire cackled. I looked back at him. "You?"

"Silas." The way that he said his name was accented. His accent reminds me of that one exchange student that we had from Greece when I was in my second year.

"Go, lay down and rest. You can go to your friend when the storm is over." He said and then finally stood up.

The dog made a sound and I startled again. Gosh. I really do not like dogs.

"Don't worry, he doesn't bite or attack unless I tell him to." He said when he noticed my distress.

"Dog, let's go." he said and the dog walked to his side.

Dog?

"What kind of person names their dog, "dog"?" I whispered.

"A bad man."

My eyes widened as I swallowed at his answer. I slowly looked up. He's now wearing a shirt. He's so freaking tall that I had to crane my neck, and even then, his face looks dark in my view.

"I will not hurt you or even touch you, if that's what you're thinking."

"How do you expect me to stay when you just said that you're a bad man?" I replied.

"You have no choice but to be here or else you will die in hypothermia outside. So, rest and get warm." He said and then turned to walk away.

I unconsciously stared at the fire.

What the hell did I get myself into? And what does he mean he's a bad man?

With so much that has happened in the past few hours, I don't know what exactly I'm feeling right now. I want to cry because of what happened to my relationship with Terrence, but no tears are falling down my cheeks. My chest aches but I can't bring myself to cry, because somewhere down the line, a part of me already saw it coming that after all the shitty things that he'd done to me and me still forgiving him and staying with him despite that; he would still have the audacity to be unfaithful.

But it doesn't take away the fact that it hurts like hell to see it happen.

I also can't bring myself to cry and embrace the ugly feeling caused by Rence's infidelity because first of all, I am literally in another man's house whom I don't really know. I'm still here in his simple but cozy living room.

He left me to rest in front of the fire while I heard him in the kitchen nearby. Instead of sleeping again and relaxing, I was just wide awake and staring blankly at the fire.

I am also kind of overwhelmed by the feeling of a little fear, because the man with a Greek accent who calls himself Silas, just saved me from hypothermia, and also flatly told me that he's a bad man?

What does he want me to do with that information?

And for all I know, he could be a criminal on the loose. I took a deep breath to stop my racing heart beat.

"Dinner time."

I almost jumped when I heard his deep voice. I immediately sat up and looked up at him. He's now standing with his full height while the dog stands beside him like a loyal soldier.

"I'm not hungr-"

My treacherous stomach made a growling sound when the smell of cooked food filled my nostrils once again.

"I-I–"

"You're going to eat, end of this discussion." He authoritatively replied. My stomach already betrayed me and disobeying him doesn't look like much of a choice, so instead of arguing, I just nodded.

"I-I can do it." I said when he was about to help me stand up. He just made a light groaning noise at the back of his throat before he took a few steps away. He didn't touch me, but I felt his heavy gaze on me.

When I stood up, I briefly looked around. Almost every part of the cabin is made of sturdy wood. There's a small hallway on the side of the fireplace, I assume that's where a room will be. There's a large white carpet laid out here in his living room, there is a wooden coffee table and two simple wooden chairs.

And if you take a few steps to the right, you will find his cozy kitchen and a wooden table with two chairs. He led me there and pulled the seat for me. God, he is so huge that the chair sinks in his presence.

I sat down with the blanket wrapped around me. Meanwhile the dog walked to his own bowl of food and started eating.

"What's this?" I murmured to myself as I stared at the bowl of food in front of me. It smells so good, but it looks like a "yassified" version of ginisang munggo, because it has extra bean and spinach toppings.

"White bean stew with rosemary and spinach." He said.

That sounds like what Martha Stewart would cook, and not this massive man.

When I looked at him, he's already sitting on my opposite side with a bowl in front of him. His hand was meaty and his fingers were long and thick, that the spoon dwarfed in his hand.

Without saying a word, I picked up my spoon and dug in.

The deliciousness spread on my tongue when I tasted it. Okay, damn. That is a good soup.

"Thank you for not letting me die outside." I said after a few moments of silence. I realized that I haven't thanked him.

He nodded at me.

I thought he would answer 'you're welcome' but he replied, "Did the boy hurt you?"

I froze there as I was enveloped in wonder. How could he know I was with a man? How could he know that unless........ he was watching me ever since.

I swallowed. Unconsciously, I left the spoon in the bowl, and immediately reached for my glass of water, which is also made of wood.

His heavy gaze was fixed on me as I took a big gulp of water. I licked my lips, before putting the glass down beside my bowl. When I looked up at him, I caught him staring darkly at my lips.

I should be creeped out, but I wasn't. Instead, it felt like his gaze awakened something inside me, that it caused an unfamiliar heat spread in my body.

"W-Were you watching me?" I asked, almost like a whisper.

"Yes." He replied without missing a beat.

I gripped the blanket wrapped around me. Holy shit. I wasn't crazy when I felt like someone was watching me.

"W-Why?"

"Because you fascinate me." He replied while looking at me. His gaze is burning my skin.

My heart thudded.

"A-Are you always this honest?"

"I do not see the point in lying."

Great. He should tell that to Terrence.

I swallowed again. Crap.

I should be scared and I should be running away outside, in the storm of snow, but I am here glued in my seat. Stunned. Surprised. Curious. And many other emotions.

"I do not lie, Savannah. So, you better believe me when I tell you that I may be a bad man, but I would never hurt you or even touch you against your will. I will cut my own hands before I even do that." He said seriously while looking at me with his almost silver eyes.

I reached for the glass again and finished its contents.

"...Y-You do know that watching someone is.....strange, right?" I asked, after putting the glass down again. I am surprised at how well I am taking this whole situation.

He nodded.

"Yes, but I don't care. I like seeing my woman."

My breath was caught in my throat for a moment.

"Silas, I am n-not your woman."

He didn't answer, instead, he was silent for a moment, as though he was pleased that I said his name.

"What did the boy do?"

"His name is T-Terrence."

A flash of hatred glinted in his now dark eyes. His hand is still gripping the spoon.

"I don't give a fúck if his name is George Washington. What did he do?"

"None of your business."

He clenched his jaw.

"Do you love him?"

I stared at him.

"Why do you care?"

One of his fists clenched on the table. I wasn't afraid that he might hurt me, because for whatever reason, I believed what he said that he wouldn't hurt me.

"He doesn't deserve an ounce of love from you, Savannah." The way my name left his lips felt sensual. "A man should not make his woman cry, except when it's because of... pleasure."

I unconsciously clench my thighs.

"That boy is not a man. He is an idiot." He replied firmly.