Since when do cannibals fall in love with their food?

10. Since when do cannibals fall in love with their food?

CHARLIES POV

I have Foods hand tightly in mine as we make our way back to where we left Ronald last night. My other hand is carrying a shovel.

"So are you going to tell me now?" She asks after five minutes of silence.

I help her over a fallen tree and give her a curious look, "Tell you what?"

"About Ronald. The guy that we're about to bury."

I turn and start to walk again, she follows close behind, "There's not much to tell. He used to beat me up before I ran away."

"Who was Lippy?" She asks.

I shift uncomfortable, "A girl I used to know."

She pulls on my arm and I could have easily kept walking but I stop and turn looking over her shoulder, "I think she's more then just a girl you used to know Charlie. Who was she to you?"

"My best friend until one day she started to hang out with Ronald instead of me."

My eyes flicker to Foods, "Was she more then just a friend?"

I shake my head, "No."

"Did you want her to be more then a friend?"

I look over Foods shoulder again and rub the back of my neck, "I don't know. We were kids. I was way to young to think about having a girlfriend."

Food raises an eyebrow, "Speaking of girlfriends. Have you ever had one before Charlie?"

"What?" I ask. She has to be kidding.

"Have you ever had a girlfriend?" She asks again. This time more slowly.

I shake my head and give a small smile, "Even before I ate humans I was a freak. Who the hell would ever want to date me."

"I would. I mean... if the circumstances were different."

I look down at her shocked and then I realize that she's probably lieing. I turn and head towards Ronald's corpse, "You don't mean that."

Food shrugs, "Sure I do. I mean you're funny and nice. Way different then Jared." As soon as that name comes out she abruptly stops talking.

I turn quickly making her walk into me, "I'm not nice, I'm a cannibal. And why do you always close up when 'Jared' comes up."

She moves around me and starts to walk, "What up with the quotations around his name? If you're suggesting that he doesn't exist then you're wrong. He does." Food stops and looks around I know she's lost but she turns and starts to head in the wrong direction. I grab her shoulders and turn her.

"It's this way."

She makes a huffy sound before starting to walk again, "And I close up when Jared comes up because he has to be the worst person I've ever met."

"Yet you were engaged to him. Why?"

"None of your business."

"You're the one that brought him up." I say shrugging.

"You're the one that wouldn't let it drop."

"You're the one that always brings him up and expects me to act like you didn't."

"Well you should. I don't ever want to talk about him."

"You expect me to tell you everything about my life but won't tell me anything about yours. Why is that?"

"It's not my fault you're the softest kidnapper ever."

"I'm not soft."

Food stops abruptly and I almost walk into her but catch myself. She lets her eyes travel down me and then back up, "What are you saying Charlie?"