by Mia Ford
“I’m having a hard time doing anything,” I replied. “I can’t concentrate on work. I’m worried I did something and don’t realize it, and I feel like a fool for opening up to her.”
“That’s what you do in relationships,” Caleb said. “You take a chance and open up. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. That’s how it goes.”
“I know, I’m just freaking out,” I said, letting out a deep breath.
“Well, do this,” he said. “Finish your work, get dressed, and meet me at Dressler’s at seven for dinner and drinks. We can talk about it there. Besides, the last thing you need to start doing is being pathetic and sitting around your house crying into your beer and talking to your AI.”
“I don’t talk to my AI,” I said defensively.
“Don’t act like it hasn’t crossed your mind in the past,” he said, chuckling. “Doesn’t matter. What do you think? Dinner and drinks? Or am I going to have to come drag you out?”
“I was supposed to talk to Reese tonight, but since I can’t get ahold of her, then sure,” I said miserably. “I’ll meet you there at seven, but I’m not there to pick up chicks or get wasted.”
“That’s fine,” he said. “I just want to have dinner and some whiskey with my best friend, who obviously needs me to save him from himself. Pull it together, bro. This is not the end of the world. God, you sound like a girl stressing over a guy.”
“Whatever,” I said. “I’ll see you at seven.”
I took a deep breath and continued with my orders, actually getting the work I needed to get finished, accomplished. I probably looked down at my phone a hundred times, but I got it done. I got up from the desk and looked at the time, realizing it was already close to six. I got dressed in a nice suit, did my hair, and headed out to Dressler’s to meet Caleb. When I got there, he was already seated, sipping a glass of whiskey and waiting for me. I was about ten minutes late, but then again, I was always late, so it was nothing new.
“Hey, buddy,” Caleb said as I took a seat. “You aren’t as late as usual. You’re getting better at this.”
“Thanks,” I said quietly.
“Still haven’t heard from Reese?”
“No,” I huffed. “I just don’t get it. It isn’t like her at all. She usually texts me back within an hour at the most, and that is usually when she’s at work. All the other times, it only takes a few minutes. She hasn’t even attempted to contact me in any way.”
“So, tell me about you guys,” Caleb said. “I mean, you’ve been dating now for a while, and you never talk to me about her.”
“She’s great,” I said, smiling. “We have the same interests, she likes comic books, she is easy to talk to, she is funny, and we laugh constantly.”
“And the sex?”
“Freaking mind-blowing, dude,” I said. “Like seriously, some of the best I’ve ever had. Maybe it’s just because it’s her, but I can’t seem to keep my hands off her. She responds to me so well, and we can actually have intellectual conversations. It’s crazy.”
“It sounds great,” Caleb said, smiling at the waitress as she brought us two drinks. “The thing is, it’s got you caught up in knots. She is obviously, at this point, not communicating with you on purpose. Girls know what that kind of shit does to a person. I just don’t understand how you got so wrapped up with this chick so fast. I mean, man, I’ve never heard you freak out over anything like this, even when the parts for projects are showing up late. It’s like she has you wrapped around her finger, and now she’s fucking with you.”
“No, seriously,” I said, leaning forward. “I can promise you she isn’t that kind of girl. Something happened that I obviously missed, and now, she’s spooked.”
I sat back and listened as Caleb continued to talk, trying to make me feel better about the situation. The reality was, though, nothing he could say would make me feel better. I needed to talk to her, to fix whatever it was that was going on. I realized fast that my feelings for her were far beyond lust, and now, I was worried that I had lost her forever.
Chapter 18
A Week Later (Saturday)
Reese
It had been a week since I last talked to Blaine, but I felt like I was in a situation that had no good outcome. Sulking had become my new thing, and I was desperate for some relief, so I woke up and headed over to the office for a bit to play with the dogs and try to clear my mind. They always had a way of making me feel better, even with just a silly wag of their tail. I greeted Lindsey, one of the weekend staff, as I entered and headed back to the pens. As I reached for the door handle, my phone started to buzz in my pocket. Relieved to see Leena’s name and not Blaine’s for once, I answered.
“Where are you?” she asked.
“I came down to the shop to clear my head,” I said with a sigh.
“This Blaine thing still got you twisted up?”
“Yeah, I mean, I just don’t know what to do,” I said. “He’s still calling and texting every day, and I haven’t said a word back yet.”
“Well, I mean, you freaked out, and for good reason,” Leena said. “I know he had a really traumatic experience and you don’t know how to tell him that you own this shop, but you’re going to have to either let him go or make a decision to be honest with him. Think about how he’s feeling right now, not being able to get ahold of you.”
“I know,” I sighed. “I just don’t know what to say. The whole thing has me spooked. I have some really deep feelings for this guy, and I never thought about the fact that I didn’t specify what I did until he told me his story. Right then and there, I was lost, completely unable to process what I was supposed to do in that situation. I want to tell him. I really do, but I’m afraid that he’s just going to run away from me, especially now that it’s going to look like I purposely held back that information and tricked him.”
“I know you’re scared,” she said. “I know that you opened up to a man for the first time ever, and you don’t want your heart broken, but you need to just suck it up and tell him the truth.”
“I know,” I said.
“Or better yet, surprise him with it,” she said. “I mean, make it a happy thing. Bring him there, and let him meet the pups. Show him firsthand that not every animal is mean. Make him realize that your job is your life, and that if you trust those fur balls, then maybe he should open up a little bit and trust them, too. Don’t even tell him where you’re taking him. Just tell him it’s a surprise. Then he can’t back out at the last second.”
“God, maybe you’re right,” I said, thinking about it. “I mean, he might be upset at first, but once he holds Mr. Floppy or sees Rupard’s big sad eyes, there’s no way he can’t melt. It would be a surprise meet and greet, a way for him to realize that all dogs aren’t vicious and mean. And then I can explain to him why dogs do become mean so he understands that who he should really be angry with is the person that made that dog mean to begin with.”
“Precisely,” Leena said.
“Thank you, Leena,” I said with a deep sigh. “I was really thinking I was just going to have to end things with him. I mean, I don’t want to end things with him, but the way it all played out was just so messed up.”
“I know,” she said. “But remember this isn’t a failsafe. Some people are just afraid of dogs, and there is nothing you can do to change that. You need to walk into it knowing there is a chance that he will turn his back on you.”
“I will,” I said. “Thanks again. I’m going to hang out here today for a while, and I’ll call him when I get home.”
“Okay,” she said. “Good luck!”
I hung up the phone and opened the door to the kennels, walking about halfway down and sitting on the floor against the wall. The dogs in front of me quieted once they recognized me, and I looked into their big doggy eyes and wondered what happened that made that dog attack Blaine when he was just a kid. He went through something so awful, and I couldn’t blame him for not wanting to be around animals. A
huge part of me was really excited to bring him to the shop, to give him the chance to maybe move on from that horrible ordeal after all these years. The other part of me was nervous, knowing that fears can get the best of you, and that his fear was much more than that. It was an actual phobia, probably remnants of untreated PTSD from when he was just a child. I was scared that bringing him to this place would dig up some old memories, forcing him to turn his back on me, forcing him to tell me that it was over.
He could be extremely happy to finally feel that overburdening fear just disappear, or he could be absolutely livid at me for forcing him to try. Either way, both my career and Blaine were important to me, and I just couldn’t give up and not try. Animals were my livelihood and my therapy, but he had become a solid staple and a beautiful partner in my life. I had to take a chance on this and hope that I didn’t have to give up one to have the other. As much as I cared about him, I didn’t know if I could walk away from this.
I took in a deep breath and pulled myself to my feet, deciding that I wasn’t going to think about it anymore. I walked into the exam room and smiled at the puppies running around in their enclosure. They were so adorable, and they were growing so damn fast. I sat down on the floor again and opened the gate, letting Mr. Floppy come running out, laughing as he tripped over his ears. I spent the rest of the afternoon right there in that spot, playing with the puppies, giving them kisses, and making sure that they were all healthy and safe. They were my favorite animals at the shop right now, and I needed to start trying to find them homes. I knew they would be the perfect ones to introduce Blaine to first.
I had really become attached to Blaine, looking forward to his texts, his calls, and everything else on a daily basis. He made me light up, feel whole again, and he had really opened up to me, especially lately. I’d come to find out he was just as awkward and just as nerdy as I was. He was just better at hiding it than me. He had stolen my heart. There was no other way to describe it. It was as if when I gave him my virginity, he gave me something back, and I didn’t just mean his dick. He gave me an inside look at who he was, and I felt terrible that I had been blowing him off the last week.
I looked down at the puppy who was staring back at me with his big brown eyes. I was positive that when he took a deep breath and looked into the eyes of one of these pups, there was no way that he couldn’t melt. They were extremely sweet and wouldn’t hurt a fly, which was the perfect way to introduce dogs back into his life. I just knew that once he opened his mind to them like he did me, he would love them with everything he had. I wasn’t trying to change him by any means, but I was trying to help him through this.
I pulled out my phone and scrolled down through the messages he had sent me. After the first couple, I just stopped reading them, not wanting to feel any worse than I already did. As I slowly moved down the messages, I realized that I had been avoiding him hardcore. He probably hated me by that point, and I started to feel really, really bad about it. It was never my intention to hurt him or push him away. I just needed to think and figure out how in the world I could fix what I didn’t even realize I had broken until it was way too late. I just knew that I didn’t want this to end, and I would do everything I could to make sure that it didn’t.
I helped the weekend crew close up for the night, knowing they would be back early in the morning to take care of the animals. I smiled as I told them goodbye and walked out to my car, feeling the chill in the air getting a lot worse. I couldn’t wait to get home and cover up with a blanket, which was exactly what I did. I walked up to my apartment and in through the door, throwing my bag to the side and plopping down on the couch. I grabbed the fleece throw from the corner and pulled it over me, curling up in a ball. I pulled out my phone and dialed Blaine, butterflies fluttering through my chest.
“Reese?”
“Hey, Blaine,” I said quietly. “Before you say anything, I want to apologize for being MIA for the last week.”
“What happened?”
“It’s a really long story,” I said with a sigh. “Well, it’s not a long story, but it’s something I want to explain to you in person.”
“All right,” he said warily.
“What are you doing tomorrow?”
“I, uh, I didn’t have any plans,” he said.
“Would you let me come over and make your breakfast?”
“Everything in me that is intelligence-based says ‘no,’” he said. “But everything else is screaming ‘yes.’”
“Good,” I said with a sigh. “I’ll come over early tomorrow morning, make you your favorite omelet, and then I want to take you somewhere. It’s a surprise, but it will also explain why I disappeared like that I did.”
“All right,” he said.
“Look, I know that I hurt you, but I didn’t mean to,” I said. “I never stopped thinking about you, but it took me until today to find an answer to the problem that I was facing.”
“Well, I look forward to hearing all about it, especially if you solved it,” he said.
“I might have solved it,” I said. “It will all be up to you.”
“Okay, this is starting to sound crazy,” he said, chuckling. “Can’t you at least give me a hint at where you’re taking me?”
“Nope,” I said with a smile.
“Not even like, what I should wear?” he asked, laughing. “If I should bring a weapon, if I should wear a flak jacket?”
“Um, if the patrons of where I’m taking you have weapons, we’re all in deep shit.” I laughed.
“This sound terrifying,” he replied.
“Don’t be scared,” I said. “It’s going to be okay, and you just have to wait and see.”
We talked a couple more minutes, and then we got off the phone. I felt better knowing he was going to give me a chance to explain, but I was even more nervous about taking him to the shop. The last thing I wanted to do was alienate him or make him feel uncomfortable, but this was the best way that I could think of to help him and reveal the secret I spent a week avoiding him for. I would just have to cross my fingers that this would turn out all right.
Chapter 19
Blaine
I woke up to the sound of the front desk ringing me from downstairs. Reese was there before dawn, ready to get cooking in the kitchen. I shuffled to the door and let her in, rubbing my eyes as she entered. I could feel a serious calm fall over me, knowing she was back in my apartment and close to me again. I smiled at her as she entered, closing my eyes as she leaned in and kissed my cheek gently. Sparks flew through my chest, feeling her skin close to mine, and I followed her to the kitchen, taking a seat at the breakfast bar. She put a cloth sack on the counter and pulled out stuff from the grocery store, knowing me all too well, since I barely ever kept food like that in the house.
She looked over her shoulder at me and smiled, lining everything up and then going through the cabinets looking for the pots and pans that she needed. I directed her to where I kept the coffee and was glad to see that was her first order of business. I was only half awake, having stayed up half the night thinking about what she would be taking me to do. My anxiety had gotten the best of me, and now, I was more than tired and a little bit grumpy.
“While I brew the coffee, why don’t you go jump in the shower and get ready?” she asked with a nervous smile. “We’re going to leave right after we eat.”
“All right,” I said, forcing myself off the stool. “I’ll be back in a few.”
I went into the bedroom and turned on the shower, shivering as I removed my clothes. It had gotten cold in Philly, and I was just then starting to notice. I hopped in the hot, steamy shower and rushed through, cleaning well with my soap and washing my hair before jumping out and drying myself off. I picked out some jeans and a sweater to wear, unsure of what the destination would be. When I walked back out, Reese was just finishing up pouring us both a mug of coffee. I sat back down at the bar and took the coffee from her, smiling as she passed me a plate with an omelet, ba
con, and toast on it.
“So,” I said, taking a bite of the omelet. “Are you going to tell me now where you’re taking me?”
She smiled. “No, not until we get there, or at least, almost there.”
“I want you to know that I really hate surprises,” I said, scrunching my nose.
“No, you don’t. No one hates surprises.” She laughed. “You’re just being impatient.”
“How have you been?” I asked.
“Good,” she said, looking down. “I mean, the best I could be with all of this plaguing my mind.”
“I don’t understand why you can’t just tell me,” I replied. “I mean, wouldn’t it be easier?”
“I don’t know,” she said, sighing. “But I do know that by taking you where I want to take you, I am killing two birds with one stone.”
“All right,” I said, sighing. “Do we need the car?”
“No, I’ll drive,” she said. “It’s not too far from here, and I want it to just be you and me.”
“Sounds good,” I replied, eating another bite.
We finished up breakfast, and Reese did the dishes before we headed out. I was nervous, not being used to someone planning a surprise for me, though I had this gut feeling that the surprise wasn’t necessarily a good thing. I hopped in the passenger side and buckled in, smiling at Reese as she started her SUV and put it in drive. We pulled out of the parking garage and out on the street, heading away from the center of the city. She took several turns as we made our way to the mystery spot, and it was quiet while we drove. I glanced over at Reese’s hands, and she looked nervous, gripping the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles were turning white. I wanted to comfort her, but I had no idea what I would be comforting her for. After about fifteen minutes, she pulled into a small parking lot on the outskirts of town. The building in front of us was small and gray, and she had parked in the back.