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Riley’s feet moved on their own, pink unicorns obscured by muddy paw prints. She was not a chase-after-a-man-in-a-park-at-night kind of girl. What am I doing?

“Hey, Saint?” Being brave, apparently.

He turned and Cookie bounced towards her at the end of his leash.

Riley jogged over. “Not to make this weird or anything, and I don’t want to read into anything, or make the park uncomfortable for you…”

The corner of his mouth tipped up.

Bravery and stupidity are the same thing, only differentiated by outcome. She clenched her fists together. “Uh, I was wondering if I could get your number? Just in case Cookie escapes again or something, but if you don’t want to, I totally understand.” Her heart pounded in her throat. “Sorry. That was too weird. I get it if you need to run screaming. I won’t chase you or anything.” Fuck me.

Saint huffed a laugh. “You’re fine.”

So are you.

She took a tiny step closer.

He held out his hand. “I can put it in your phone. For Cookie.”

“Of course. Just for Cookie.” Riley dug her phone out of her pocket and handed it to him, biting her tongue as their fingers brushed. Calm. Down.

Saint’s fingers flew over the screen, a little furrow forming between his dark brows as he leaned over, protecting the phone from the rain.

Cookie shoved his head under Riley’s hand, his cold nose startling a smile out of her. Rain collected along his dewy nose as he beamed up at her with black liquid eyes.

“There.” Saint handed her phone over, and Riley managed to take it from him without grabbing his hand again. Nice work.

She put her phone into her pocket and then yanked it back out, shaking the water off the case. She kept meaning to buy a new raincoat, but it never made it to the top of the priority list.

“You walk a lot in the rain?” Saint looked at her raincoat rather skeptically.

“Yup. I just really like being freezing cold.”

He raised a single eyebrow.

“It’s like walking for your mental health and doing that ice bath thing at the same time,” Riley said. She wiped her phone dry on her pants.

Saint huffed softly. “How’s that going so far?”

“Real well,” she drawled and dropped into a miniature curtsy.

Very cool.

This time the quiet laugh came from deep in his chest, and it felt like she’d won something.

Cookie gazed up at her, chin touching her knee—any closer and the three of them would be sharing her umbrella, which wouldn’t be the worst thing. But she was being cool.

“I’ll let you get back to it,” she said.

Neither of them moved.

“It was nice to meet you, Riley.”

She liked his easy rumble, and the way he gave her his full attention when she spoke. She might’ve liked a fair bit more than that, too.

“Bye, Saint. Bye, Cookie.” Riley took a step back and with a last half-smile, Saint turned and walked away. Cookie held his tail high as he kept pace with Saint’s long strides.

Riley watched them fade into the rain and turned to make her way home. Maybe Kristi was right and it was time to start dating again.