A Heart Divided Chapter 2
Chapter 2Building Bridges I woke to find that I was back near where my families wagon was. I was a little ways away and I had been covered with a large wolf skin. It was warm and had a pleasant almost smokey smell as though it had spent a lot of time near open fires. I found myself wanting to nuzzle into it’s warmth when I heard shouting and panicked voices. I suddenly heard my name being called. I stood picking up the pelt with me, then dropping it feeling a twinge of panic surge through me. If they saw me with this and with my disheveled appearance they’ll either think that I have sided with the natives or that I was attacked and they’ll go looking for any natives they could find, and kill them. I shuddered at the thought of my captor...no my rescuer being slain because of me. I dropped down quickly before I could be spotted and hid the hide in some nearby bushes, covering it slightly with leaves. I then Stood and brushed myself off and slowly made my way to my families wagon where my mother was standing looking around frantically. I gently placed my hand on her shoulder and she nearly jumped out of her skin. Upon seeing me she yelped happily and tightly wrapped her skinny arms around me, squeezing me in a hug that made her delicate frame look like a joke. My arms ached a bit as she embraced me with her apparently immense strength. She finally released me from her bear hug and looked at me with tears gathering in her eyes. I smiled weakly as I frantically searched my brain for a lie to explain my current appearance and why I had been missing. She rubbed my arms and then pulled me in for another hug, this one much gentler. “Where were you?!” She demanded, abruptly pulling away from me. “Everyone was so worried about you! Mr. Grant even took his horse to look around nearby to see if he could find you!” She said flustered and clearly still recovering from her panic. “I… um…” I said nervously still trying to come up with an explanation. “I was attacked… by a coyote…” I said finally scratching at my head awkwardly. “It grabbed me by my tunic and dragged me away. I managed to get away by ripping my tunic, and kicking the coyote into a small canyon… But then I got lost…” I said looking at her sheepishly, wondering if she actually bought the fabrication. She starred for a moment then sighed deeply. “I’m just glad you’re back and safe.” She said again rubbing my arms and smiling softly. “Lets get you some food.” She said placing her hand on my back and leading me to the wagon. She handed me an apple and told me to sit and relax. I sighed as I sat beside the wagon, rubbing the apple against my ripped tunic. Before I could take a bite my mother appeared before me holding a neatly folded article of clothing. “It’s your late birthday present.” She said handing me the faded blue cloth. I smiled setting my apple beside me, and stood to receive the gift. I lifted the tattered tunic to remove it and as I did I began to hear a familiar clopping of horse hooves. I lowered my arms and turned my head to see that Mr. Grant had returned. His horse trotted to a halt and Mr. Grant leapt from his horse and ran up to me placing his hands on my shoulders in surprise. “Where were you?!” He shouted. It was a little too intense for someone I had only just met the previous day. I starred back at him in surprise. “I… I…” I stuttered suddenly forgetting what I had told my mother. “Fuck fuck! What did I tell her?!” I shouted inwardly at myself. “Thank you so much for looking for Maya Mr. Grant. He was attacked by a coyote and was dragged away in the middle of the night and then got lost.” My mother said in my stead. “He must still be shaken up about the whole ordeal.” She said gently ruffling my hair. Mr. Grant released my shoulders and stepped away looking at me incredulously. I swallowed hard and quickly dropped my gaze to the ground. I grabbed my arm feeling like I wanted to disappear. Did he know? Could he tell? So many thoughts ran through my head as we stand there in an awkward silence. My mother then took the new article of clothing and unfolded it to show Mr. Grant the new Tunic. “What do you think Mr. Grant?” My mother asked displaying it against herself. Mr. Grant’s expression softened and he let out a soft chuckle. “It’s very nice Mrs. Marlins.” He said with a smile. She smiled back playfully and batted her eyes at him. “Please Mr. Grant Call me Mary.” She said in what I could only assume was her seductive voice. “Only if you call me William.” He said raising an eyebrow meeting her playfulness head on. I felt gross to be standing there with them. “Maya put it on. You can’t be comfortable wearing this tattered old thing.” She said tugging at my clothes. I sighed and lifted the tunic over my head removing it clumsily. When I finally had it off I handed it to my mother and took the faded blue one from her, glancing briefly at Mr. Grant as I did. His expression was confusing. He appeared to be looking away, which wasn’t confusing, however his cheeks were flush, perhaps he was warm from riding around looking for me. I returned my attention to my new tunic and quickly pulled it over my head and pulled it into place. My mother straightened out the back then stepped away standing next to Mr. Grant. “What do you think Mr.- I mean William. She said winking at him awkwardly.” He chuckled softly then looked at me and smiled softly, although there was something in his eyes I couldn’t quite make out. I smiled a little and looked away. “It looks nice, and comfortable.” He said looking into my eyes. I dropped my gaze to the ground as I began to feel my face heating up. I smiled at my mother hugging her in thanks. She returned my smile then turned to Mr. Grant and hooked her arm in his leading him away from me. I sat back down and took a big bite out of the apple, only to find that it was quite ripe and had some squirmy tenants. I immediately spit out the bite and threw the apple toward the tree line. I leaned my head back against the wheel of the wagon and sighed starring at the sky. I closed my eyes briefly and I remembered that the native man had kissed me. My first kiss. My cheeks burned as the memory played on repeat in my head. I put my head on my knees and sighed again. Just then I heard heavy footsteps nearby that came to a stop just before me. I looked up slowly to find Mr. Grant standing before me with his hands on his hips. His muscular frame seemed to be outlined and accentuated by the sunlight beaming down on him. “What’s up Maya?” He asked with a toothy grin. I looked back down and rested my chin on my knees wrapping my arms around my legs. “I thought you were flirting with my mom?” I said in a snarky tone. He raised an eyebrow and a playful smirk appeared on his lips. “Were you feeling lonely Maya?” He asked sarcastically, I looked up at him with an irritated scowl. I opened my mouth to make a snide comment, when my stomach let out a loud growl. I looked up at Mr. Grant and blushed a little embarrassed by my stomachs obnoxious interruption. “Are you hungry?” He asked laughing. I scratched my head looking away. “N-not really…” I said looking away, obviously lying. “Well your stomach seems to think you are.” He said laughing harder. “What happened to the apple your mother gave you?” He asked looking around. “It had creepy crawly owners.” I said wiggling my fingers trying to illustrate my disgust. He scoffed softly then grabbed my arm pulling me to my feet. “Come with me.” He said nodding toward his wagon which was now in front of the plot of land the two of us had claimed. I nodded, following after him. Despite looking quite close, this particular plot of land was quite far from my parents. By the time we reached his wagon there was a painful emptiness in my stomach reminding me that I hadn’t eaten in two days. He undid the tie that secured the canvas flaps to the wagon, pulling one up, and inviting me in. I looked down to see that he had no step up. I, determined to look cool, tried to hop up onto the platform on my own, only to flop back down onto my butt. I look up at Mr. Grant my cheeks burning with embarrassment. He chuckled softly then climbed up into the wagon with ease, and reached down offering me his large calloused hand. I took his hand then steadied myself against the wagon platform ready to try to climb up. Just then I felt my whole body being jerked upward. Mr. Grant hand effortlessly pulled me into the wagon. I stumbled forward, falling against his broad muscled chest. I suddenly felt a hot hand around my waist and I realized my hands were on his chest. If I were a girl this could be seen as being very romantic. However being a man, I pushed away slightly as I step back, and nearly fell off of the wagon. Mr. Grant caught me by my waist again and pulled me back in. My face burned. There was entirely too much physical contact between us. I pushed him back a bit this time keeping myself planted so as not to fall off again. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a glass jar that had dried meat in it. This man had dried meat! I quickly pushed passed him and stepped forward toward the meat jar. I could feel my mouth watering with anticipation. Suddenly I fell flat on my face, having tripped on an a large ax that was sticking out hazardously. I curled into myself and groaned loudly. The silence was broken by Mr. Grants boisterous laughter. “You really are the clumsiest person I have ever met.” He laughed holding his side. He grabbed me by my elbow and helped me to my feet once again. I rubbed my sore nose and scowled at him. He lead me to the jar of meat and opened it pulling out a perfectly preserved piece of meat. I licked my lips and leaned forward swiping at the meat. Before I could retrieve it Mr. Grant retracted his hand, holding the meat just out of reach. “Ah ah ah… I’ll let you have it and however much you’d like, but…” He said making eye contact. “You need to tell me what really happened last night.” He said his expression going from playful to serious. I sat back and crossed my arms frowning. “My mother already told you, I was attacked by a coyote and dragged off.” I said looking away irritated by his questioning. “He should just give me the meat, I walked all the way here after all.” I thought to myself feeling the hunger gnawing at my stomach. “We both know that that is not true Maya.” He said his expression becoming hard and almost angry. I suddenly felt a shiver run up my spine. “I-it’s true…” I stuttered uncrossing my arms. He intensified his gaze and straightened his posture, making himself look much larger and far more intimidating. “I heard something last night, but it was not a coyote.” he said in his deep voice. “What. Happened.” He demanded. “Y-you have no right to be questioning me!” I said standing and taking a step toward the back of the wagon. Mr. Grant raised his thick arm blocking my path. He continued to stare at where I had been sitting. “I won’t tell anyone what really happened. Just tell me.” He said his tone softening slightly as he turned to meet my gaze with a look of worry on his face. I took a deep breath starring at him, then sat back down. I placed my hands in my lap and pulled at the hem of my tunic keeping my eyes on my lap. “W-what…what did you hear…?” I asked softly not looking up. “I heard someone whimper as if they had been startled.” He said still staring at me. “There…there was an Indian…” I said softly. I quickly glanced up at him to see that his expression was soft but was still intensely listening. “He…abducted me…and brought me to his camp…” “He took you to his tribe?!” He asked shocked. “No! No, there was just a small scouting party that had made camp…” I said nervously. “What did they want?” He asked watching me. I dropped my gaze back down to my lap and grabbed a handful of my tunic and squeezed it firmly. “They…They were looking for women…to bear children for them…” I said softly feeling embarrassed. Mr. Grant sighed and ran his hand through his hair brushing it back. “I see…” He said softly looking down. “What do you mean you see?! If they are looking for women, why the hell did they take me?! I’m obviously a man!” I barked looking at him angrily. “Well I mean, I can see why they mistook you for a woman…” He said softly not meeting my gaze. I felt angry by what he had said, like I was some helpless girl. “What the hell does that mean?” I hissed feeling tears biting at my eyes. “You’re very…beautiful Maya…” He said looking up to meet my eyes. “That’s why when your father first introduced us I was so surprised when he said you were his eldest son.” He said smiling awkwardly. I felt the familiar warmth in my face again. I turned away blushing and crossed my arms again. “Well? Can I have the meat now?” I asked impatiently. “How did you get back?” He asked suddenly, his smile gone. My chest tightened as I remember what happened after I had been captured. The fear was still so fresh in my mind, it was as if I were still there. I felt myself begin to tremble slightly as I opened my mouth to speak. “T-they just let me go…because I told them I was a man…” I lied not looking at him. Did he believe me? Would he figure out that I was lying. So many thoughts ran through my head and they all made me nervous. “…ok” He said handing me the meat. I looked at him overjoyed and excited to be presented with the delicious food. I snatched it from him and chewed off a piece savoring the flavor. It was salty, and sweet, and peppery, and my mouth watered at the explosion of flavors. I finished the first piece faster than I was expecting and reached for another when Mr. Grant grabbed my hand and handed me a peach. “Pace yourself. This stuff can dehydrate you because its so salty.” He said smiling. I frowned slightly and took the peach. I licked my lips looking at him as I bit into the peach. Juice from the peach gushed into my mouth and down my face and dripped from my chin. Surprised I leaned forward to avoid getting the sugary fruit juice on my new tunic. Just then I felt his large hot hand against my chin, as he wiped away the juice. My eyes met his and my cheeks felt hot. He ran his thick rough thumb across my lips wiping away the fluid. I felt a familiar throb in my waist. He pulled back his hand and smirked at me, as he pulled his hand to his face and licked away the juice from his thumb. The heat in my face extended to my ears as I watched him not breaking eye contact. I looked away suddenly feeling nervous. Just as I did his lips smashed into mine in an intense kiss. I thought my heart might explode from the speed at which it seemed to pound. I stare at him in astonishment when I felt something hot and wet invade my mouth. My loins throbbed deeply as this pleasant sensation caused my body to tingle. My body seemed to to move on it’s own as I closed my eyes moaning softly into the kiss. I pressed my body against his muscular frame and kissed him back passionately. I felt him wrap a hot muscular arm around my waist resting one hand on my hip as he ran his other hand up my back pulling me into him. I wrapped one arm around his shoulder gripping him tightly, while my other hand wrapped around the back of his neck and my fingers ran through his thick dark hair. I felt his hand snake from my hip to my butt causing me to moan again only louder. Hearing my own voice as I moan from the immense pleasure I was feeling, snapped me back to reality and I pushed myself away from him. He seemed quite surprised as I did. He unwrapped his arm from around my waist as he licked his lip starring at me in surprise. I stepped back and put my hands on my face feeling a combination of panic and fear. What the hell was wrong with me? Why was I feeling this way? I looked at him and snatched another piece of meat then ran out of the back of the wagon. I jumped out stumbling a little as I land. I took a deep breath of fresh air trying to settle my my heart. I walked around to the side of the wagon and sat beside the wheel chewing on the meat. I wanted something else to fill my head and the only thing that could beat out those confusing thoughts and feelings was food at this point since I was still quite hungry. I heard his heavy frame thud into the ground as he left the wagon to join me. His face was red as he sat down beside me chewing on some dried meat. We sat silently beside one another for a while listening to to the nature around us. I looked at him from the corner of my eye and noticed that he was looking at me. My eyes shot back down nervously as I wrapped my arms around my legs. “Have you ever built a house before?” I asked trying to break the silence but also not bring up anything that had just happened. “Yes, have you?” He asked leaning forward resting his elbows on his knees. I shook my head tugging at some of the grass around us. “I have never had to until now.” I said looking out across the plain at all of the families that were preparing for the day. “Have you ever had a girlfriend?” I asked feeling my face warm slightly. “Yes, I have been married before.” He said straightening his back. I shot up surprised as I looked at him. “What happened to your wife?” I asked relaxing a little realizing that it was normal for someone his age to have been married already. It was more unusual for him to be unmarried, especially since he was so attractive, and capable. Even my mom was interested enough to flirt. “She left me for my brother.” He said looking up at the clouds leaning back on his hands. “Oh…I’m sorry to hear that…” I said feeling awkward for having brought it up. “It’s fine, that was a few years ago anyway. Besides I’m in a new land, with plenty of new opportunities.” He said with his perfect toothy smile. I felt my heart throb as I look at his perfectly sculpted face. I looked away quickly realizing that I had been starring. Feeling a sudden surge of energy I jumped to my feet and smiled down at him. He looked at me confused and laughed softly. “What are you doing?” He asked also standing. “Teach me how to build a house!” I said in an eager tone. “Well, how about you help me build my house, and I’ll teach you as we go, then I can help you build your house?” He suggested putting his hands on his hips. There seemed to be an excited twinkle in his eye as he looked at me. I nodded happily as I rolled up my sleeve to indicate that I was ready to get started. He walked to the back of the wagon and pulled out the large ax that I had tripped over earlier and cradled on his shoulder. He leaned the ax against the wagon and grinned at me. I nodded feeling determined, and marched over to the ax. Filled with a feeling of capability I grabbed the ax and heaved lifting it off of the ground slightly. I lifted the head a little higher and suddenly lost my balance falling back onto my butt awkwardly. “Oowww…” I groaned leaning over to rub my wounded butt. Mr. Grant laughed at me again causing me to blush slightly. “Well, good thing I have a smaller ax, but you can’t just go swinging the ax wildly. You have to come up with a building plan first so that you know what you will need to chop down.” He said extending his hand to help me to my feet. I felt my expression soften as I still felt very encouraged and motivated. We were going to be building our houses and we could live together…wait...what was I expecting from this?….Oh my, Maya seems to be not only developing deeper feelings for Mr. Grant but also coming to have some interesting expectations. But what about that handsome native...?
Electric-Rainbow93
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