CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Trees sway with the soft winds, sun beating down on the entire farm. It’s oddly peaceful, and for a moment I let myself forget about all the horrifying things that have happened here.
It happens more often than I’d care to admit. Every morning when I go to water our flowers I get a reminder that things can be beautiful. They should be, honestly. But for some reason they aren’t, and it just… sucks.
Inside the barn is where things get gross. It smells of old hay, animals, and something else I can’t put a finger on but can barely stand. But Toro looks all handsome in his work gear, flannel sleeves rolled up and his favorite pair of overalls on.
Being on a farm is all new to me, but I could grow to like it, maybe. Especially when we finally get to our destination: the cattle area. There aren’t many cows on the Tavera farm, but there’s a few adults and some babies milling about.
The horrible smell becomes a thing of the past once Toro opens the gate. Instead it feels as though I’m in a petting zoo, with every adorable cow in sight getting headpats.
Toro is doing the actual work, occasionally glancing over at me but not doing anything. I help him fill up their water, plucking out some of the random hay strands that got in before turning to find another task to keep myself busy.
But then I feel it.
A tiny little head butting itself against my leg. One of the calves vacantly staring up at me with its cute face. It immediately finds a new home in my arms, and while it’s heavier than I thought it’d be I literally don’t even care.
“Hi, sweetheart!” I babble, talking to the creature as if it’s a human baby. There isn’t a thought behind the chocolate brown eyes staring up at me, and the first thing I think of is Toro. It’s basically a condensed version of my boyfriend, and now all I wanna do is pepper it with kisses.
The minute my lips come in contact with its brown fur I find myself full of regret. As cute as it is, it doesn’t taste or smell right, but it’s fine because the calf is just that cute. “You’re so adorable, aren’t you? Aren’t you just the sweetest thing ever?”
Even without seeing him, I can feel Toro’s eyes boring into me. When we finally look at each other he doesn’t give a little wave or anything, lips drawn tight. His gaze wanders down to the calf in my arms, face souring further before he finally turns away and gets back to work.
The calf moos delicately, still cozied up against me. I hold it closer to my chest, smothering the poor thing with my love. I don’t think it minds though, since it’s nuzzling up against me like the happiest little baby in the world.
Toro is tending to the goats on the other side of the barn, so I wander over. “Toro!” I call, but he doesn’t even turn around to face me. “Do the cows have names?”
He doesn’t move or react, even though I know damn well he heard me. “Toro?” I try again, the calf squirming in my arms now. “Hello?”
I set my new baby down on the ground, letting it go saunter over to the rest of the cows while I myself approach Toro. “I know you can hear me.” Despite his best efforts to ignore me I grab his shoulder, noticing the extra pouty expression he’s wearing.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, keeping my hand on him. “Is everything okay?”
Toro nods hastily, leaving it at that since he pulls away from me and goes off to keep working. I have no clue why he’s all upset, which sucks because now I don’t even get to enjoy how cute all these goats are.
I replace the rest of the drinking water since it’s all Toro showed me how to do, and then sort of just sit around waiting for him to finish. The calf—which I’ve named Toro Jr.—comes up to me and sits near my feet.
Petting him helps me feel a bit better, but when I notice Toro leaving the barn without me I have no choice but to chase after him.
The sky outside has darkened with rain clouds, which isn’t helping the mood at all.
I have to jog just to keep up with his walking speed, only catching up to him once we’re back in his room.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I ask, unable to hide how annoyed I am. But even that doesn’t change the fact he’s just being absolutely miserable, kicking his boots off and collapsing onto the bed with a huff. “Toro, I’m talking to you.”
He finally looks at me, lower lip quivering like he’s about to burst into tears. “Special.” He finally speaks, only leaving me more confused.
I sit on the edge of the bed, raising my brows with worry. “What are you talking about?”
“Special!” Toro raises his voice, but not in an angry way. He sounds hurt, betrayed even. “Not me… Cow… S-Stupid cow…”
I can’t even be proud of him for saying so many words because none of them are making any sense. “What cow? What are you—?”
Oh.
That cow.
“Toro Jr.?” The absurdity of the situation makes me chuckle weakly, especially when Toro immediately perks up at the mention of its name. “Toro… You’re… You’re not jealous of the little baby cow, are you?”
That frustrated expression is back tenfold now, with Toro groaning and bringing his knees up even further against his chest. “No,” he lies—which is definitely another first for him.
I inch closer to him, bringing a hand up to rest on his knee. “It’s okay if you are. You should be honest with me, Tor.”
“...Yes.”
As much as I want to laugh I know that wouldn’t make him feel very good, so I keep it inside and force my way into his lap. “You know you’re special to me, don’t you? I’m not going to replace you with a literal cow, Toro. It was just really cute. It reminded me of you.”
His nose scrunches up, seemingly not convinced yet. “Me?”
“Yeah,” I nod while kissing up his jaw. “It was all cute, looking up at me the same way you do.”
“I…” His gravelly voice trails off momentarily, cheeks turning red. “I… Not cow…”
God, he is going to be the death of me. I finally break into genuine laughter, bringing him into a warm hug to help ease his mind. “No, you aren’t. But you’re just as cute as one.”
It’s obvious he doesn’t totally get it, but he doesn’t seem nearly as upset as he did before. Toro hugs me back, pulling me as close as he can. There’s a shaky exhale that follows, followed by many kisses to the head.
“Do you feel better?” My tone is soft now, letting him pull me down to cuddle with me properly. He wordlessly shakes his head yes, resting his head against my shoulder.
“Love you…” he says quietly.
“I love you too.”
“More than cow?”
The question makes me smile so wide I look stupid. “Yes. Much more than any cow.”