Page 30 of You're Not My Mate

“I know.”

“You wanted to make sure I’d not done a runner?”

“It could happen.”

“True,” Graham said with a sigh. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’d thought about it. Just so you and Rose could figure out your shit. You know.”

“Why didn’t you try to run?”

“And go where? I ran into this place and I didn’t even know where I was going.” Graham laughed. “You guys are fucking real-life wolves, and I’m this experiment. You don’t have a clue what hope I have with the human world. Knowing my luck, they’d hunt me down, stuff me, or worse, throw me in a cage and experiment on me. None of those options are good. I’d rather take your kind of cage, thank you.”

“Rose’s place is not a cage.”

“I wasn’t talking about this place. I was talking about your actual cages. They were comfy, and I even got a hot woman to give me a care package.”

Rocco growled. “Be careful. You’re lucky you don’t stink, otherwise, you and I would have a problem.”

“Yeah, I am curious, though, I wonder if my farts stink.”Just then, Graham tensed up and then let one out.

“Are you for real right now?”

“Rose isn’t around, and it’s just you and me. I don’t smell, so I guess neither do my farts.” His face scrunched up and he seemed to go a little green. “That was a bad idea.”

Rocco couldn’t even believe he was entertained by this man. In the last few days, he’d come to the conclusion he wasn’t a bad guy, and because of that, he also found it incredibly sad because there was no way of helping him. One day, he was going to die.

“So, now that we know my farts do in fact stink, why don’t you tell me how you’re going to fix things with Rose?” Graham said.

“Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t meddle in something that is not your business.”

“Seeing as I live with you, and I can see you stealing little glances at one another, I kind of think it is my business. Besides, last time I checked, you were still trying to make up for being an asshole. I’m a guy, I might be able to help.”

Rocco laughed. “You think you might be able to help me?”

“Well, I can tell you not to pick your dog over a woman, and I don’t see you with a dog, so I guess that won’t be happening.” Graham shrugged.

“You picked a dog over a woman?”

“Hey, Buster wasn’t just any kind of dog, all right? I truly believe he was my soul mate, and I loved him. I loved him enough to help with an experiment that, let’s face it, has gone very badly.”

Rocco leaned against the wall of the porch and turned his full attention to Graham. “Doesn’t it scare you?”

“Dying?”

He nodded.

“I guess. I mean, I don’t want to die, but if I do die, and what people say is true, there is a Heaven and Hell, hopefully I’ve done everything right, and when I do, Buster will be there waiting for me.”

There was an odd smile on Graham’s lips, and Rocco knew what it meant. The man was happy with the thought of finally seeing his dog again. He’d never had that connection with a pet, or anything. He thought about Rose and how he’d messed up big time.

“So, tell me how to fix this with Rose,” Rocco said.

He couldn’t believe he was asking a human to help him, but he didn’t see what else he could do.

Graham laughed. “I know this is going to sound crazy, but have you ever thought of just hanging out with her? Getting to know her, talking to her, learning what she likes?”

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