AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Grey smiles widely at me, and I lean up and kiss the corner of his lips.
“I’ll be nice.”
“You better be, or I’ll have to dole out a punishment,” I say, and Grey’s cheeks flush. Now I’m imagining him bent over, his pants pulled down his thighs, his ass jiggling with each swat of my hand.
The dog whines again, and I force my gaze to it, meeting its one-eyed stare. The doggo is a little worse for wear. I mean the one-eyed thing is unfortunate, but it also has this rogue tooth sticking out of its mouth. It makes him look a little derpy.
“Hey,” I say, leaning down a bit and speaking softly. “Hey, you.”
The dog wags its tail, doing small tippy-taps, seemingly happy to see us. But then again, most dogs do this, right? They really are the best of friends. I had one growing up, but she got out one night and never returned.
I always wondered what happened to her. I’d like to think happy thoughts, like maybe she went into the woods and met some friends.
I don’t like to think of the alternative.
“Does it have an owner?” Grey asks, sounding a little doubtful, as we move closer. The dog woofs happily and pants, its tongue lolling out of the side of its mouth as we approach.
“It’s pretty scraggly-looking. I think it must be a stray,” I say, leaning down and scratching at its ears. It doesn’t have a collar or any identification. As I pet it, the dog whines happily as it peers up at me with twinkling eyes, and I melt. Derpy and all, everyone needs love, and I am a total sap when it comes to this shit.
“We need to see if anyone knows anything or something…” I begin, already plotting a course of action. I’ve basically adopted this mutt. It’s mine now.
“I mean, look at it. It’s a pretty distinct dog. You’d think someone would notice if it was missing,” Grey says, tucking his hands into his pockets, almost like he’s reluctant to get attached.
“Should we ask someone?” When he doesn’t respond, I nod. “Yeah, let’s ask. Someone should know something. There’s like a couple hundred people in this town. I’m sure they all know each other’s middle names…”
I move inside the restaurant, leaving Grey outside, and speak with a waitress, confirming what I already thought. No one’s lost a dog with one eyeball and a snaggletooth. The dog outside is probably a stray. Then she gives me the address of the local vet in the area, which I punch into my phone.
When I make my way back outside, I expect to find Grey standing at a distance, but instead, he’s on the ground, his legs stretched out in front of him, the dog sniffing at his face. A smile curves his lips up and I die a little at the sight. I want to sketch it.
I’ll fucking sketch it.
“No one seems to know anything about a stray or a missing dog and you’d think in such a small town, they’d know. Especially one that looks like him. The server suggested we bring it to the vet to get checked out,” I say, and Grey’s gaze turns up to me.
“Sounds good,” he says, and the dog nuzzles up to him.
“I see the one eyeball didn’t deter you for long,” I say, trying to bite back a smile, but failing.
“He was lonely, so I figured I’d sit down here with him and hang out for a bit.”
Like he needs to explain it to me. I think it’s fucking amazing. I want to marry this guy for being such a damn marshmallow. I’ll be his graham cracker, his s’more. Just as long as he’s mine.
“Mhmm. So it’s a boy?” I ask, keeping those crazy thoughts inside. No need to scare him off prematurely. I’ve already nearly blurted that shit out multiple times…usually when I’m stuffed inside of him, but still.
I need to play it cool.
“Think so. Vet can confirm it,” he says as he pushes himself up and brushes off his pants. “They say where the vet is?”
“Yep, gave me an address and general directions.”
We head the way I think we should go on foot, the dog trotting happily beside us, panting loudly. It’s almost like it knows we’re its new family.
This is our dog.
I believe in signs, and this is a good fucking sign for me. Dogs mean permanency and commitment. Everyone I know that has settled down or gotten married, has gotten a damn dog.
So I know this means maybe we stand a chance. Maybe there is a future for us.
After a few missed turns, we find the vet. It’s a bright blue house on the corner of the street with a wooden sign outside. Not like we could miss it. This house is a beacon. We approach the bright yellow door and push inside, the bell chiming above our heads as we cross the threshold.
