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The bullmastiff stopped in front of me after he figured I was okay and then tilted his head. I crouched down, and we had a little stare down. I recognized the wariness in his eyes. He was curious, but he was also watchful. He wanted to explore, get closer, but a small amount of fear held him back.
“You’re a survivor,” I said, my voice low so as not to frighten him as I held out my hand to invite him to approach me.
He inched closer, keeping his eyes on me. There was distrust in his expression, but he wanted to examine me closer, find out if I really was a friend or a foe. My hand remained steady as I held it out, patience my middle name. I would wait as long as he needed me to. There wasn’t anything else to do, and I wasn’t excited to go back to my empty home.
When the dog got close enough, he lifted his head and bumped my hand. Still, I didn’t move and he backed off enough to lick my hand, as if telling me to pet him already. I smiled and started between his ears, and he made a satisfying grumble that seemed to come from his chest. I shifted until I was sitting down on the sidewalk, and he lay down, putting his head in my lap.
The dog was beautiful. I ran my hands along his back, feeling the hairs underneath my palm, covering the muscles that revealed how powerful he really was. He was healthy. I smiled at this tidbit. He may have had a rough past, proven by the small hairless spot on his right shoulder, but not anymore. He was a tough guy.
We sat like that for a long while, a strange bond forming between us. We both recognized that we held darkness inside us, that there was a reason why our touches were hesitant, wary.
“He isn’t a fan of strangers,” a familiar and yet strange voice said, breaking the moment.
I snapped my head up and drank in the guy standing before me. He was the oldest boy, wearing jeans and a white shirt that said ‘Duct tape can’t fix stupid, but it can muffle the sound.’ Biting my lip, I muffled the laughter that bubbled up inside of me.
“Seth, right?” I asked, my voice laced with humor as I continued to pet the dog and draw comfort from him.
He smiled and nodded before pointing to the house I was sitting in front of. “I live right there. Moved here a couple months ago, after I graduated.” He looked around the neighborhood. “Do you live around here? Or are you stalking me?”
Snorting, I shook my head. “You wish.”
He hummed as he looked between the dog and I. “Actually, yeah, I do. You’re good to him.” He nodded at his dog. “What brings you to my home, Miss Not-A-Stalker?”
I fought a smile and pointed at my home two houses down and on the opposite side of the street. “I moved in this weekend.”
Seth broke out in a grin, his honey brown eyes lighting up as he stared at the house. “I thought I saw a moving truck the other day. Didn’t see anyone but the movers though.” He focused back on me. “Looks like we’re neighbors.”
My smile came out weak, and I glanced back down at the dog. There wasn’t much else to say.
Seth looked between the dog and me curiously.
I cleared my throat. “You mentioned he isn’t a fan of strangers?”
“Uh, yeah.” Seth ran a hand over his hair. “Bebe prefers to stay completely away. I got him out of a bad home about two years ago.”
I rubbed the dog and leaned my forehead against his. “He’s happy now.”
Seth’s expression softened, everything about him saying he completely adored his dog. “Yeah. He’s come a long way.”
“Seth,” a kid called out and we watched as Calvin came running down the driveway, head bent down as he focused on running fast, arms pumping. Once he got close, he finally looked up and noticed me. His face turned red and he slowed down, becoming shy.
“Oh, don’t go all shy on me now, Calvin. Not after I shared Starset with you.” Starset was one of my favorite alternative rock bands. Calvin broke out in an adorable smile when I said that.
“Can we listen to music again?” His question was so full of hope that I couldn’t let him down.
Shrugging, I said, “Anytime I’m free. It looks like I’m neighbors with Seth now, so I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around.”
His smile widened, and he practically hopped around and talked a mile a minute. “Are you free now? Seth is making dinner. He always does Sunday dinner. He’s a really good cook. Can you come eat with me?”
“Uh.” I looked up at Seth, hoping to get a clue on what kind of response would be appropriate. Frankly, I wanted to say no. The idea of eating with people I wasn’t familiar with made my stomach tighten in anxiety.
“Yeah, Cadence. Come join us. The others are just finishing up with some cleaning I made them do. It’s only fair if I have to feed them.”
Not exactly the response I was looking for. My shoulders slumped, but I managed to plaster on a smile, not wanting Calvin to think I didn’t want to be around him. “Sure. I have time. Just let me call my mom. I need to check-in with her.”
“I’ll go let Paxon know.” With those parting words, Calvin took off with a little extra hop in his run.
Seth grinned, his eyes laughing at me. “Join us when you’re ready.” He strolled away.
