Pov Author
When he returned for lunch, Santo saw that Allan was still sleeping. Maria, who had already called the doctor, said it was normal due to the exhaustion of the little curly-haired boy and that he would wake up by the end of the day.
Santo went back to the street; he and Jotape were beginning to realize that Metralha was charging many unfair and unnecessary fees, which had seriously harmed the merchants on the hill. They were very angry to learn of such injustice.
Jotape, for his part, was tangled up with his own problems involving the owner of a snack bar on the hill. The girl seemed nice, but she was playing with fire, speaking—rather, shouting—at him like that. Jotape was a good guy but had a short fuse; in that regard, the two friends were alike.
Santo knew that this story was bound to unfold; it was just a matter of waiting. He wanted to discuss it with his friend, but he had other plans in mind. He needed to return home and check on how Allan was doing.
He arrived home, already smelling the wonderful aroma of Maria’s cooking. She was quite cheerful, stirring a wooden spoon in a large pot.
"Ah, Santo has arrived! I'm almost done with the food."
"Good evening, Maria. I hope everything is fine, and how’s the boy?"
"He woke up about 40 minutes ago, all disoriented, poor thing. I told him to take a shower before dinner. He was about to head downstairs to get water from the bucket to take a bucket bath like always, but he's so weak poor thing, and the doctor said he needs to rest. So, I told him to bathe in the room that Metralha claimed was his; there's soap, shampoo, a toothbrush, and everything he needs for a bath, plus clean clothes and towels. I hope I don't get in trouble, Santo; the boy needed to wash."
Santo couldn’t believe that even a bath was something the miserly Metralha wouldn’t allow the boy to take.
"Of course not, Maria; you did well. I'm going to head up to take a shower too, and then I'll come down for dinner."
Allan woke up feeling as if something was missing, an absence that made him stir. Despite the sensation of loss, he could still smell a familiar scent. Upon opening his eyes, the boy quickly realized he wasn’t in his little room; he was lying on a very soft bed. He knew whose room it was, and like a punch to the stomach, he remembered how the big tattooed man had defended him. He recalled the fear he felt when he saw Santo squeezing Yohana's cobra price, but he also remembered being carried in Santo's arms and the gentleness of that touch.
Allan knew a man like Santo would never look at him, but he could dream, couldn't he?
While still pondering, he saw Maria entering the room with a big smile, telling him everything that had happened, the changes, and how Santo had taken good care of him.
Pov Allan
Maria told me to take a shower; I really needed it. I was about to go down to my little room when Maria said I could take a bath in the other room. I was a bit hesitant, but Maria assured me it would be fine, so I went.
Maria filled the bathtub for me, and I got in. I couldn’t believe I was in that bathtub and it wasn’t just for cleaning.
Maria brought a bunch of scented things for me to apply to myself. She left me alone, and I sat there in the tub thinking that the big tattooed guy was being so nice to me; that was unusual. I shuddered at the thought of what the big guy would want in return for such kindness.
But as always, I had no choice, so I thought I would try to protect myself from any attack or retaliation that might come from that man. I had to be careful, or I would end up in deep trouble.
Pov Author
Allan applied a strawberry-scented body lotion; he loved that smell. Once he was all scented, he opened the door of that unnecessarily large wardrobe. He decided to wear a light pink tank top and loose-fitting white shorts. He looked at himself and thought he looked good; the clothes were nice and comfortable.
He descended the stairs feeling very happy, clean, fragrant, and comfortable in his outfit, since it was new and had no holes from moths or stains from food or bleach. He was genuinely happy, felt rested, and was starving.
He came down with a huge smile on his face and went straight to the kitchen, where a wonderful aroma of food was wafting.
He entered the kitchen excitedly, talking to Maria, and didn’t even notice the mountain of muscles and tattoos sitting at the table nearby.
"All set, pretty Maria! I'm all clean and smelling good just like you wanted. Can I eat now? I'm sooo hungry!"
Allan said, giving the cutest face he could muster, blinking his long lashes and pouting like a begging child, hoping to soften the heart of the older woman.
Santo’s POV
The scent coming from the boy was distracting; Santo couldn’t stop looking at the curve of his neck. He didn’t know how, but suddenly the image of kissing the curve of that neck, inhaling the boy’s scent, and burying his fingers in those curls popped into his mind.
Santo was startled by that thought; he had never in his life considered doing anything like that with another man. But his thoughts were interrupted when Allan made the cutest face in the world, followed by a pout. Damn, this was bad; despite the innocent gesture, Santo’s “little friend” had a different opinion, responding with a pulse that showed he enjoyed the view.
"Of course, you can, boy. The boss said you need to eat a lot, right, Santo?"
Author’s POV
Allan had just noticed the big guy there and felt very embarrassed and awkward; all his cuteness and shining teeth faded away, and the boy seemed to deflate like a balloon. Santo would usually be pleased to elicit such reactions from people, especially men, but in this case, he felt bad for the younger boy.
"Thank you, sir, for helping me. Now that I'm feeling better, I promise I’ll get right back to my job and to the little room in the back; you won’t even see me here."
Santo didn’t like that conversation at all.
"First of all, we already have too many workers in this house; I don’t need another one. I don’t want to see you doing any chores here. Secondly, that’s just a pantry, not a room. You’re going to sleep in the room that was meant to be yours. Maria, make sure this boy doesn’t screw anything up."
"Don’t worry, Santo, I’ll keep an eye on him."
"Here, for you. You can use it however you want, but when I call, you’d better answer."
Allan reached for the device, staring at it for a while with little enthusiasm.
Santo had sent one of his men to buy a new phone for Allan, knowing the boy didn’t have one. He thought he would be happy to be able to play, browse social media, and all those things. But the boy’s reaction wasn’t what he expected; he looked at the phone a bit confused, swallowed hard, and accepted it. Santo found it strange but decided to ignore it and eat; it was better than trying to guess what was going through the boy's curly head in front of him.
"Enough talk; let’s eat because I’m starving."
Santo noticed Allan wasn’t moving from his spot, and it was starting to get on his nerves.
"Sit down at the table, kid!"
Allan sat down immediately; he didn't want trouble with the big guy.
Maria started setting the table, the aroma was very appealing; it was meat with cassava, known by some as "Vaca Atolada." Santo loved that dish; it was tasty and nutritious, and it would be good for Allan to regain his strength. Without waiting for the older woman to finish, he quickly served himself, piling his plate high with food. To Allan, this seemed fitting, as he felt like a mountain himself.
Maria served Allan's plate. The curly-haired boy had never seen so much food on his plate. Knowing what was going through the boy’s mind, Maria quickly addressed him:
"Go ahead and eat, my little one. I made this thinking of you."
The boy had tears welling up in his eyes; for the first time in a long while, he would be able to eat until he felt satisfied, and for him, this was undoubtedly the best day of his life.
"Can I really, Maria? Can I eat it all?"
The elderly woman only nodded, tears streaming down her face at the sight of the boy's happiness over a full plate.
Allan couldn't remember a time in his life when he had eaten something so delicious. His plate was filled with meat, something he rarely experienced, only when Maria would give it to him, and it was always in small portions because neither Metralha nor Yohana allowed the boy to eat as much as he wanted or needed.
As he ate, his eyes, still filled with tears, sparkled and glistened in a blend of happiness and disbelief, as if he were waking up from a dream.
Santo watched the boy eat more than he did, feeling joy at seeing him so happy, despite the tightness in his heart at knowing how much hunger this child had endured. He vowed to himself that Allan would never go hungry again or face abuse; he would care for and protect this boy, a need that screamed within him.
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