by Jamie Knight
The following day I wake with a yawn, then sit up and stretch. Excitement fills my body. I hear the sounds of barking in the living room. Quickly, I get out of bed and put on my clothes.
Mylah is already awake. She is seated on the floor in the living room. I pause for a moment and watch her play with the puppies. The mother dog is out of the box and sitting next to her. I walk over and stand there. “Can I join you?” I ask.
She pauses and nods her head in agreement. I sit beside her and look at her. Mylah is back to being shy and quiet. She goes on cuddling the puppies. The mother dog walks over and sniffs my hand. I pat her head gently, glad that she is friendly. I keep looking at Mylah. I want her to open up and talk to me.
I clear my throat softly and ask, “Tell me about your business? What inspired you to become a vet?” I know I won’t be able to get her to laugh, but hopefully, she will at least talk. Several minutes pass, I’m afraid she is going to ignore me.
In a soft voice, she explains, “I was alone a lot as a child, and also as a teen. I had no friends. Which was okay, I prefer the company of animals. They are much nicer than people sometimes.” She gives a tiny laugh devoid of any humor.
As she speaks, she keeps her eyes on the puppies. Her answer leaves me puzzled. I’m curious about her. She seems a little sad and vulnerable—honestly, I kind of like it. I’m not ashamed to admit it. It suits her, just like her sweet innocence.
Chapter Six - Mylah
I play with the puppies for a while. Kyst excuses himself to the kitchen. He fixes breakfast and coffee for both of us. I know I’m quiet and seem sort of on guard. That is how I have always been, though. Animals have been my only friends. Not to mention the hellish nightmare I experienced yesterday. I sigh deeply. I really don’t want to think about that right now. I want a few more moments of peace.
The puppies wrestle around on the floor in front of me. I watch them, but I’m not really paying attention. I keep thinking about how kind it is of Kyst to let me stay here. I hope I am not too much of a burden.
Just then, he pokes his head out of the kitchen. “Breakfast is ready,” he announces.
“Oh. Okay. I’ll be right there,” I reply.
I start putting the puppies back in the box. Their mother sees and jumps in with them. They immediately go to her side. I watch them with a happy heart. I’m so glad that none of them were harmed in the fire.
Getting up off the floor, I walk to the kitchen, hesitating a little.
“Don’t be shy, Mylah. Have a seat,” Kyst says in a friendly tone. He puts two plates of food on the table—fresh eggs and bacon. My stomach growls at the fragrant aroma.
I slide into one of the wooden chairs. He brings two cups of coffee to the table, then sits across from me, giving a polite smile. I offer a smaller one, then stare at my food. He mixes cream and sugar into his coffee. Eventually, I do the same. Breakfast is a quiet affair. I can’t think of what to say to this handsome man. The only sounds are the clanking of silverware.
After breakfast, I start to take my dishes to the sink. “No, I got it. You go relax,” Kyst insists. I stare at him, uncertain but follow his instructions.
In the living room, I watch the puppies. I can hear the soft clinking of dishes from the kitchen. I guess he really is cleaning up. I wasn’t expecting that from him. I sit on the couch and look around. The curtains are closed, but you can see the sunlight through them.
The fireman’s cabin is lovely. Modern, but kind of rustic as well. It’s a very manly sort of place. I stare at the stripped rug on the hardwood floor. Suddenly, it hits me.
“Have you seen the snake? Huggie?” I ask as I walk back to the kitchen. I pause in the entryway.
Kyst stands at the sink with a soapy sponge in his hand. “No. Not since I brought him in last night. I left him in the living room,” he explains. He drops the plate he is scrubbing back into the sudsy water.
“Oh. Okay,” I reply. I know Huggie has to be around her somewhere. I turn away and head back to the living room.
A few minutes later, Kyst joins me. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you find him,” he says.
We both go to different sides of the living room. We check behind the bookcases and side tables. Kyst even opens the doors on his entertainment unit and looks inside. I check the curtains and windows. On his hands and knees, he checks the floor. He lifts the rug, then crawls along until he reaches the couch.
“Found him!” I hear Kyst yell.
I turn around to see him with his arm under the couch. I rush over. “Be careful,” I caution him as I kneel on the ground beside him.
Kyst moves slowly, and I watch with anticipation. Gently he pulls his arm out from under the couch. His hand wrapped around Huggie, who starts to coil around his bicep.
“Oh gosh. Sorry,” I apologize, taking the weight of some of the snake’s loops.
“It's no problem. But where should we put him?” Kyst asks, looking at the snake on his arm.
“Do you…..have a container? Or something he can’t crawl out of?” I ask.
Kyst frowns in thought. “The bathtub in the guest bedroom,” he says.
“Okay. Let’s see.”
We both get up carefully, trying to not jostle the snake. I follow Kyst into the room I was sleeping in. We walk into the large bathroom. He opens the glass shower door.
“Oh, nice. A big bathtub with high sides. He definitely won’t get out of here,” I say.
Together the two of us get Huggie off of Kyst’s arm and into the tub. We close the shower doors and stand there catching our breath.
“Well, that was an interesting start to the day,” Kyst says in a friendly voice. He laughs lightly. “Hey. It’s a beautiful morning, and I’m off work. Would you like to go for a walk outside and get some fresh air?”
I just nod my head. I still feel shy and nervous around him. I have to resist looking into those gorgeous blue eyes of his.
“Cool, let’s go,” he says.
Together we walk out of the bathroom. In the living room, we pass the box of sleeping puppies. Kyst opens the door for me. Once outside, he shuts the door.
I look around. This is my first glimpse of his property. It's enormous. I see where the car is parked and the long driveway that winds between the trees. The woods are pushed back from the house by the lawn that surrounds the entire area. I never figured a fireman would have a place this nice.
It is a gorgeous morning. The sunlight is sparkling beautifully. Kyst gives me a friendly smile as we walk together. The silence is enjoyable. Which is good. I am glad he understands that I’m not that great at conversation.
He stretches his arms, making his broad shoulders roll. “I love it out here. It’s so beautiful and free being out here in nature,” Kyst says.
“Yes. It's gorgeous,” I answer. After that, I revert back to silence, not knowing what else to say. I’ve never been around a man this attractive. It feels like a dream I will wake up from.
As we walk, the sun climbs higher in the sky. It grows a little warmer out. We can hear birds chirping.
My phone rings loudly in my pocket. The sound disturbs the peace and silence. I hurry to answer it, nearly dropping it in the process. Kyst moves away a little to give me some privacy. I have barely said “hello” when Grayson starts yelling at me on the phone.
“I just heard about the fire. What the hell happened!” he yells. His anger is abundantly clear. I feel myself flinch at his tone.
“I honestly don’t know, Grayson. I haven’t figured it out. It was an emergency, and I was concerned about the safety of the animals, so I was only concentrating on getting them out of there—” I try to explain.
My ex cuts me off with more yelling. “Damn it, Mylah. You should have been worried about your own safety. Not those stupid animals. You need to be more careful!” I give a small sigh, but Grayson ignores me and keeps talking. “Seeing as how this fire has destroyed everything, now you have no choice
but to come and stay with me.”
I stop walking. “No, I don’t,” I answer.
“Mylah, stop being ridiculous. You have nowhere else to go except with me,” Grayson snaps.
“I assure you I’m fine. I can do this on my own. One of the firemen who helped me during the fire was kind enough to offer me a place to stay. I don’t need you,” I explain with determination.
“What the fuck do you mean? You can’t just stay with some random firefighter!”
Grayson starts yelling uncontrollably. I can’t even get a word in, so I do the only thing I can think of, I hang up on him. Putting the phone back in my pocket, I try to put that behind me. I need to regain the sense of calm I felt before, but it’s not going to be easy. I’m actually afraid of what Grayson is going to do because of that. However, I can’t let my fear show.
Kyst stands beside me. I can tell by his expression that he knows something is up. “Who was that?” he asks.
I don’t want to get into this right now. I want to enjoy the rest of the walk. “No one,” I answer. I look at Kyst. He stares at me for a few seconds, like he wants to push the issue further. To my relief, he doesn’t. He turns, and we continue our hike. We walk around the tree line that surrounds the edge of the property.
It's warmer now as we walk back to the cabin. Kyst opens the door, so we can get back inside. “Thank you for a nice walk. Your property is stunning,” I say.
“No trouble,” Kyst answers with a friendly smile. “Why don’t you go ahead and move the puppies into the room with you? So, you can keep a better eye on them.”
“Okay. That’s a great idea. Thanks.”
Kyst walks into the kitchen. I carry the box of puppies to the guest room and set them on the floor by the bed. They are still asleep, looking so peaceful. The mother dog follows, and I pet her on the head. “It’s probably time to give you a name, huh?” I ask. She whines softly. “How about Bella?” The feminine name seems to suit the sweet mother. She licks my hand, so I think she accepts that.
I close the door, feeling a little grimy and sweaty after the fire and our hike. Taking a moment to clean myself with a wet washcloth, I make myself more presentable. After a quick wash in the bathroom, I walk back into the bedroom.
It dawns on me that I am going to be staying in Kyst’s home for a while. I look around at everything. I’m not trying to be nosy, just curious. Everything looks clean, maybe a little sparse. I sit on the edge of the bed. I still can’t wrap my head around this. Why would a handsome fireman like him be so nice to me? It's amazing! He seems so friendly and caring—different from other men. Though, I’m not one to talk. I have little experience with men. Probably because I’m still an awkward virgin. In fact, I was only kissed once in my entire life before I met Grayson.
I don’t think I’ll ever get married. Why would I? Few men have ever shown any interest in me. I don’t blame them. No one wants a shy mousey girl. Grayson was the only man to ever approach me, but I don’t think I can count him because I don’t think he ever really liked me. He just wants me back because I left him. He likes to own or possess things. I don’t think I ever thought he was attractive—decent looking, maybe.
Kyst, on the other hand, is very cute. Do I dare say handsome? Deep down, I do love all the attention he is giving me while I’m here. I wonder what it would be like to date him? I wish he would ask me out.
I look over at the dog and puppies. They are asleep cutely, in a pile. A knock on the bedroom door startles me. I get up to open it. Kyst is there. “Lunch is ready,” he informs me.
Chapter Seven - Kyst
After getting Mylah from the bedroom, we walk to the kitchen together. I already have everything set up. As we sit at the table across from each other, I can’t help but notice that she looks more refreshed now. She probably washed up. I don’t want to make her uncomfortable, so I keep my eyes on my own plate.
“Wow. This looks and smells delicious!” Mylah compliments the salad I made. We share a smile then start eating. Lunch is a quiet affair.
After we finish eating, we remain sitting there. We just sip our drinks and relax for a while. To be honest, I did make quite a bit of food. I am happy to have someone else to cook for. Usually, it is just me. Once I finish my drink, I get up and start taking the dishes to the sink.
“Please let me help you this time?” Mylah insists. She jumps up from her chair.
I look at her eager face. “Uh, sure. Go ahead and start taking the dishes. I’ll put the leftovers away,” I say.
I’m eager to spend this time with her. Hopefully, she is breaking out of her shell a little. I watch Mylah a second. She takes the empty dishes and puts them in the sink, then comes back for more. I start scraping the leftovers into a container which I put in the fridge. I put more dishes on the counter before wiping off the table and then go back into the kitchen. I stand next to Mylah at the sink.
“How about I wash and rinse. You dry and put away?” she asks, looking at me. Her green eyes seem happier than yesterday. I’m hoping being here has something to do with that.
“Sounds good to me,” I say, taking a dish towel and moving to the other side.
Mylah fills up the sink with soapy water. She starts adding dishes in, letting them soak for a few minutes. She picks up the sponge and squeezes more soap on it, then starts scrubbing the dishes. There is something about being together that feels almost natural.
I want to know more about her and her childhood, so I ask, “Animals have always been your friends?” Hoping to pick up our conversation from yesterday.
After a moment, she answers. “Yes. I was the nerdy girl in high school. I had no friends, so I was always alone. My own parents even ignored me. That’s okay because it left me plenty of time to study. That came in handy when I decided to become a vet,” she explains with a bit of a smile.
I keep a smile on my face, but my heart aches for this lonely girl. “Yes, I can see how that would be beneficial,” I reply.
She puts a few dishes in the other sink and rinses them with water. I pick up a plate and dry it. Afterward, I set it on the counter. I pick up another dish and do the same thing.
“You certainly made a lot of food,” Mylah comments. I’m genuinely surprised. She actually wants to have a conversation.
I put the plate down and focus on her. “I love to cook. I always have,” I answer. She looks away from the dishes briefly. It feels nice to have her attention on me. “I like being able to create things and experiment with all these different ingredients,” I explain. I’m all passionate and happy just talking about cooking.
“Not to mention you get to eat everything,” Mylah jokes. She is blushing a little.
I laugh at how cute that sounded. “Yes, that too. I honestly think I could be a great chef,” I say, then stop talking. I can feel her gaze on me, so I finish my thought out loud. “But I know I’ll never leave the fire station. I love my job, and it’s too important.”
There is a moment of silence. Our conversation has taken such a serious turn. Mylah is staring at me. I think she has forgotten about the glass she is holding. It slips from her hand and lands in the sink with a dull thud. She jumps as soapy water splashes her. The front of her shirt is wet, and she has suds on her cheek. She stares down in disbelief as her cheeks turn bright red.
I try not to laugh, but I can’t hold it in. “I thought you already took a shower today?” I ask. Realizing that I’m joking, Mylah turns to me and laughs. That makes me smile. Her laughter is beautiful and sweet, just like her.
“Here, let me help,” I say. I grab the dish towel that is on my shoulder. I move closer to her and start wiping the suds off her cheek. She even has some in her hair that I didn’t notice before.
Mylah stands there stiffly, almost frozen. I didn’t mean to startle her. I’m just trying to help. I gently grab her hand to hold her in place as I continue to wipe her face. She looks at me, almost shyly, like she's embarrassed. Her gree
n eyes shine brightly. Her lips tremble.
My heart hammers in my chest. It seems like this is new to her, being touched this way. Is it possible that no one has shown her any kindness before?
I put the dish towel down while continuing to gaze at her. I see that same sweet innocence. I lift my hand to her cheek. Her skin is smooth and soft beneath my fingertips. I can hear her breath quicken. Slowly I lean towards her. Our eyes close as our mouths meet. Her lips are soft and plump. I don’t want to frighten her, so I kiss her in the same kind and sweet manner that I have been showing her.
Gradually she starts to melt. Her lips loosen. Gently she kisses me back. She is shy and afraid. I move my hands to her waist and bring her close to me. I need her. I want to feel her. I press my body against hers. This is what I was dreaming about last night.
Mylah reacts unexpectedly. Her arms wrap around my neck. I can feel her hands and fingers running through my hair. She is enjoying the kiss. Maybe she wants more.
Suddenly she stops kissing me and jumps backward, nearly knocking me off balance. I remove my hands from her waist. Embarrassment is written all over her face. Her cheeks are flushed bright red. “Thank you for a wonderful lunch,” she says and runs out of the kitchen.
I can hear her footsteps reach the guest room, then the sound of the door closing. I stand there wondering what just happened. Did I push her too far?
Chapter Eight - Mylah
Night came quickly. I’m lying in bed tossing and turning. I can’t sleep. I just can’t get comfortable. Being here in the cabin is weird. I’m not used to sleeping in places I have never been before. I always feel strange and awkward.
The room is dark. The puppies are asleep in their box. I can tell because the room is quiet. I toss and turn. Laying sideways, I end up looking at the wall.
Despite the phone call from Grayson, today was a pretty nice day. I enjoyed my hike with Kyst this morning. It was lovely of him to make lunch for us. I liked getting to know more about him. Underneath his handsome good looks, he is also a very kind and caring person.