AllFreeNovel
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After a beautiful day of boarding, I can’t help but notice that Kyle seems a little rushed as we doff our gear and get packed up. He hurriedly and wordlessly racks our boards and packs our bags in the trunk before pulling his parka sleeve up to check his watch.
“What’s going on?” I finally ask, only marginally uneasy at his level of distraction.
“Oh.” He looks up like he’d forgotten I was here. “I just uh… made us an appointment… somewhere.”
Umm…
Good sign or bad?
“What kind of appointment? And where?” I ask, hesitantly following him to the passenger side of the car..
“Don’t worry about it,” he murmurs as he takes my hand and helps me into my seat. It makes me nervous, but the smirk fighting to pull at the corner of his mouth calms me a fraction.
We drive through the winding roads that lead us from the resort to our little town. Kyle takes us down the main drag, past the Silver Lining, and almost to the edge of town on the opposite side before turning left into a gravel drive. We coast through a tunnel of trees for just a moment before a small brick building comes into view with eight-foot fencing extending on either side. It would look desolate if it weren’t for the grassy yard with plenty of trees adjacent to it. It’s when I notice the sign protruding out of the lawn just in front that I realize where we are.
I’ve heard of this place and always wanted to come but didn’t want to torture myself.
“What are we doing here?” I ask quietly, staring straight out the windshield as Kyle puts the car in park and grinning.
“Tomorrow’s your birthday,” he sighs, his eyes bright. “And you’ve always wanted is to adopt a dog.” He pushes his car door open and exits the vehicle, not giving me a chance to respond. He circles the front and appears at my side before opening my door.
“You know my apartment doesn’t allow pets,” I remind him sadly as he takes my hand and helps me out onto the pavement. He stands in front of me a moment, looking down at me thoughtfully before letting a knowing smile spread sweetly across his face.
“Mine does,” he offers, and my heart skips a beat while the butterflies in my stomach start a mosh pit. Then I freeze, replaying his words in my head, making sure I heard them right.
“What are you saying?” I squeak out.
“I’m saying we should adopt a dog and live together,” he states. Simple as that.
“What?” I practically hiccup. I’m shocked and elated at the same time. And then I panic when I remember one very important fact.
“We can’t do that! I can’t live with you!”
“Why not?” His face falls, and his eyebrows draw together in confusion.
“You have too many valuable collectors’ items, and I’m…me!”
“Those things are replaceable.” He shrugs and places his comforting hands on my hips. “You’re not.”
My ovaries are crying with joy and chugging margaritas at his words.
“I know this is fast, but life’s short, and I don’t want to waste another minute that could be spent living happily with you… and our dog.”
Now my reproductive organs have their arms around each other and are drunkenly swaying and singing “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran. They really suck too, but that doesn’t matter. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier than I am in this moment.
“Your lease is up next month anyway, so what do you say?” Kyle asks, gathering my hands in his.
I steel myself and take a breath.
“Yes… a thousand times, yes!” I tearfully exclaim as Kyle wraps me and my drunk ovaries up in a hug, spinning us around before gently setting us down and holding my elbows until he’s sure I won’t fall over.
* * *
Once we’ve made it inside and filled out the paperwork, we’re given a tour of the kennels where we meet dozens animals that I would love to take home with me. Like I could start my own sanctuary with the number of pets I fall in love with. But alas, it’s only feasible to care for one animal, and so I wait until I make that warm and fuzzy connection with just one. You know, kind of like I did with Kyle.
It’s not until we get to the kennel at the farthest corner of the cell block that I see him. The most adorably ugly creature I’ve ever encountered in my life. He’s brown and white and the size of a guinea pig. He’s got a smushed shnoz, giant brown eyes, and a feather duster of a tail. I stare into those big brown, crazy eyes, and there’s no questioning it. I must have him.
I don’t even realize I’m squatting down and poking my fingers through the chain link for him to come sniff me out until Kyle crouches down at my side, doing the same.
