I sat on the chair opposite her. “What should we name him?”
“Lucky?” Darcy offered.
I laughed and shook my head. “You never had animals growing up, did you?”
She shook her head.
“That was an amateur name if I ever heard one.”
“Wait, does this mean you’re keeping him?”
“Yes. That is definite,” I said, looking at him.
He was coming around now and sat up, looking from me to Darcy. His eyes were still drowsy, but I imagined he’d be hungry.
I showed him over to his food and water. He took a few kibbles and spit them out, opting to drink some water instead.
“Where’s Little Rascal?” Darcy asked, looking around.
“I put her in another room with all her supplies for a few hours until this guy gets his bearings. I might keep them separated tonight.”
“You know so much about dogs,” Darcy commented.
“I grew up with dogs. There’s nothing like the unconditional love they give you,” I explained.
We gave the dog lots of attention, and after about two hours, he seemed comfortable with us. “How about Chance?” Darcy suggested. “Since this is a second chance for him to have a wonderful life.”
“I like it. Chance. It has a great ring to it,” I agreed. “Should I bring out Little Rascal? What do you think?”
“I have no idea,” she said.
“Well, if he’s staying here, he’ll have to get used to her. Here goes nothing.” I went to get Little Rascal, whose tail was wagging uncontrollably when I opened the door. I grabbed her and brought her over to our new guest. I let them sniff noses. He licked Little Rascal’s face with his big tongue, and she sneezed.
“What do you think, Little Rascal? Is he okay?” I asked her. She barked her response, and I nodded. “They should be alright.” I sat on the sofa beside Darcy. “I really appreciate you coming with me. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Are you going to be alright if I go, or do you want me to stay?” she asked.
I pointed at the dog. “He wants you to stay,” I said. I had mixed feelings.If she stays, I’d want to take her to my room and do unspeakable things to her, but if she leaves, I’d never get the chance.“Stay.”
“I’ll stay.”
“Want to watch a movie?” She nodded. Picking a movie out was easier than I expected. We settled on a science fiction movie about an alien invasion. I was shocked she seemed to like it. Things were looking up.
We had a hard time settling the dog for the night, and after, I asked Darcy if she would stay the night.
“I’ll sleep on the couch,” Darcy told me.
Halfway through the night, the dog began to whine. We tried everything, but he wouldn’t be quiet and go back to sleep. The only thing that seemed to work was if we were both on the bed on either side of him. We finally all fell asleep. It took me longer than them, and I found myself watching Darcy sleep. It was the only time I could ogle her without her knowing, and she was truly a beautiful sight.
* * *
Darcy
I knew I wasn’t in my own bed before I even opened my eyes. The bed was more comfortable than any bed I’d ever been in. And there was no light shining in my eyes. I loved the heavy feeling of the duvet on me and thought I would never want to get out of bed again.
Until I felt it. Something sticking in my back. My eyes popped open as memories of the night before flashed in my brain. I wasn’t alone. I could feel his warmth all around me and looked down. His arm was wrapped around me, so I looked over my shoulder and saw him right there.He’s spooning me! And is that his morning wood I feel in my back?
I got out of bed as carefully as possible so that I didn’t wake Thane up. I slid my clothes on and crept quietly out of the room and made my way downstairs. I would have left the house undetected, but the dogs followed me, and Little Rascal started yipping to be let outside to go pee.