In my late teens, I decided I’d had enough, and I was going to change people’s perceptions of me. I put on a lot of muscle, and kept my mouth shut and my gaze straight ahead, unless I really trusted the person I was talking to. All of which made me the big, scary, dumb kid.
That was fine with me. I preferred that people underestimate me.
Elliot didn’t let anyone see the real him either, not even himself most of the time, but I knew that a soft gooey center hidbehind a lot of walls. And I knew from talking to Fallyn in game that she was a lot the same.
“What’s that?” Elliot asked as we headed inside.
I’d been too busy processing our situation to have any idea what he was talking about. “What’s what?”
“That sound…” He veered toward the side of the restaurant.
I heard the faint whining at the same time Fallyn said, “Is that a dog?”
We followed the noise, and as we got closer, whining became growling and yipping.
Elliot dropped to his knees next to a thicket of shrubs and gingerly pushed his way through branches. “What are you… Oh, come here. It’s okay, I won’t hurt you.” His voice was soft.
He emerged with bush bits stuck to his jacket, and a tiny black, brown, and white puppy cradled his arms.
Elliot and I had been fuck-buddies and co-workers for a long time, and there were times like this, when he had a tiny, shivering ball of fur in his arms like it was precious cargo, when I wondered if I felt more than that for him.
Not that I had any idea whatmoreshould feel like. Having a high IQ didn’t give me any extra insight into emotions—mine or other peoples.
“He’s so precious.” Fallyn started to reach for the puppy, but her hand dropped away.
Elliot tucked the dog inside his jacket ever so gingerly.
“I’ll go inside, see if he belongs to anyone.” Was it wrong that I didn’t know what I wanted the answer to be? Ayesmeant we couldn’t take the little guy with us—not that I could care for a dog—but it also meant some asshole had left the poor thing alone out here.
It didn’t matter. After about five minutes of asking around inside, no one claimed the dog. Though, one guy who radiatedwhite van with no windowsvibes offered to take it andgive it a good home.
I assured him we had things covered. All I had to do was stand there and say the words, and he didn’t argue.
I headed back outside to find Elliot still cradling the puppy, and Fallyn standing close, gently stroking the dog’s tiny little head.
“No one claimed him,” I said.
“We should see if he has a chip. If maybe someone lost him.” Fallyn tweaked the puppy’s ears.
Elliot’s scowl was both cute and terrifying. “He won’t stop shivering. We need to take him to the vet.”
I had my phone out in an instant, looking for the closest clinic. “There’s a twenty-four-hour place not too far from here.”
“Let’s go. You drive. I’ll come back for my car later. Wait.” Elliot handed me the tiny bundle of fur. “Hold him for just a minute.”
The puppy was barely bigger than my hands, and I was both in awe of the tiny little bundle, and terrified I might hurt it.
Elliot shrugged out of his coat, folded it into a sort of portable nest, and held it out. I placed the dog in the middle, and it curled up soundly. The shivering had stopped, but it still looked so meek and tiny.
“Nowyou drive,” Elliot said.
We headed toward my SUV, but Fallyn hung back. I jerked my thumb toward the vehicle, and opened both the front and back passenger doors. “Come on. Don’t you want to know what happens next?”
Her grin was stunning and warm. Nothing like the smirks Fallyn wore in her videos. “Totally. I’m in.”
I drove us to the address I’d found, and the staff buzzed us in. The dog didn’t have a chip, but Elliot insisted we make sure it was okay.
There wasn’t anyone else in the waiting room, but they had a lighter staff for overnight—which was any time after five according to them—and this wasn’t an emergency, so we had to wait. The three of us settled into chairs, with me between Fallyn and Elliot.