Ch. 45 - Bloodied Streets of Trost

                                    

                                          
"Come here, Amaya," El said through a laugh. 
Yes, he was smiling, and yes, he was in a good mood, and yes, I wanted to run to him, but what the silly man didn't realize was that it was what was in his hand that was why I did not want to go to him. Specifically, he was holding my coat. I danced away from him again when he attempted to grab me once more and I dashed my way into the kitchen with a giggle. 
"Amaya," he said, rather exasperatedly now. "Come here, please! Don't you wanna go take a walk? You seemed so excited a minute ago."
"I do," I answered, crawling underneath the table. "And I am! I am excited to take a walk!"
"Then why won't you come here? You can't take a walk under the table, look at you!"
"Because I don't wanna wear my coat," I huffed, plopping my butt on the floor and crossing my arms. El came into the kitchen and crouched down, looking at me with a smile between the legs of the table and chairs.
"If we're going outside," he said slowly, "you need the coat. That's the rule."
"It's a stupid rule," I insisted, "and I don't like it."
El frowned and, still set in a crouch, he set his elbow to his thigh and rested his chin in his palm. "Amaya, what have I said about using that word?"
"It's not nice," I recalled, remembering about a dozen times that those exact words had left his lips.
"That's right," he told me. "It's not a stupid rule, because it's meant to keep you healthy. It can get chilly down here, and you know that. Beside... you almost hurt my feelings." He put a hand on his heart and lowered himself now to sit on the floor with crossed legs. I watched him with wide eyes, suddenly incredibly upset. I made El sad? I... did that?
"It makes me even sadder thinking that I might have to go without you," he continued. My mouth dropped open in shock and my tongue suddenly felt dry. "I mean, if you don't put your coat on, you can't go outside. And then you can't go see Uncle Reyes with me. And then he'll be sad, too!"
Well, that I could handle. But El...
He dropped his head into his hands, his shoulders slumped and I felt the urge to go to him, and so that's exactly what I did. I crawled out from under the table, stood, then tapped him on the shoulder. "El," I said quietly, frowning. He lifted his head slightly, just enough so I could see his eyes. "Are you sad?" He nodded and I felt my bottom lip quiver and tears well up in my eyes. I couldn't believe it - I had made him sad!
It was then that I remembered what my grandmother had told me so long ago about boys. They couldn't really take care of themselves. When telling me about how my parents fell in love, she told me that boys were confusing. Like, really confusing. She had said that I'd know it was love if I wanted to do whatever I could to keep someone - even an icky boy - happy.
I tugged on El's sleeve. "How can I make you happy?"
"If you put this coat on," he said, lifting it so I could see, "then I'll be happy again, because then I won't need to go without you and leave you all alone here at home."
Well, if ever my young mind had heard reasonable terms, these were the best.
"Ok," I chimed, reaching for it with a grin. He smiled then, and helped me put it on. He buttoned it up for me and I smiled up at him as he did. "Are you happy now?"
"I am," he said, lifting one of his hands to my face. He gently ran his thumb under one of my eyes, and though the feeling was strange, I realized he was trying to dry the tears that formed and I trusted him to do it.