Page 16 of Love in Training
I look around as a few people pass by on the sidewalk. I’ve seen Lydia do this a million times, but I feel stupid trying to talk to an animal like it’s a person.
“Um, come here, dog... um, Rufus?” I hold out one of the treats.
Immediately, the dog runs through the door and snaps the food out of my fingers.
“Ouch!” I shake my hand, inspecting the skin. It isn’t broken anywhere, but I am smeared with saliva. “Eww. I’m not doing that again.”
Together, Theo and I try to navigate the building’s one small elevator, but it’s clear we’re not all fitting inside with the crate.
“Go ahead and take him up first,” he says. “Unless you want to take the stairs.”
I frown. Normally, I avoid the stairwell. It’s creepy and deserted, and has always felt like a place I wouldn’t want to be caught alone. But I feel different with my brother present. I know he’d come looking for me in less than two minutes if something came up.
I leave the elevator to Theo and open the stair door, glancing at the animal waiting on the other end of the leash. “Come... Rufus.”
He follows. And I’m grateful it’s not at the sacrifice of my fingers. Actually, the dog seems enthusiastic, sniffing all the way up to the fifth floor. He doesn’t miss a single corner. We don’t run into anyone else on the way, but as the powerful canine tugs me up the dim stairs, it occurs to me, they’d probably leave us alone if we did.
Theo’s in front of my apartment door with the crate standing up on one end when we exit the stairwell. His posture tells me he’s already cleared my entire floor like an enemy stronghold, and now he’s peering into my peephole camera as if it’s a captive in need of interrogation.
“I can’t wait to review the footage of your nostrils,” I say in the most bored voice I can muster. He watches closely as I pull out my keys, scanning the hall and apartment door.
“What’s the current threat level?” he asks in a low voice.
I’d roll my eyes, but he’s been talking about my life like a military operation for months now. “Pretty status quo. Nothing new for almost four weeks.”
I’m grateful this isn’t a lie. When he calls from thousands of miles away, I can get by with some omissions. When we’re together, however, I can’t keep the truth off my face.
Before he can reply, the door of the apartment next to mine swings open. “That you out there, darlin’?” asks a frail voice.
“Yeah, hi Arlene,” I say, perking up. I try to wave at my elderly neighbor around the giant dog crate and giant SEAL between us. “You remember my brother, Theo?”
She nods at him, eyeballing the dog with skepticism. I’m sure she’s going to comment on the building’s pet policy, which I don’t know off the top of my head. But she just smiles sweetly. “I’ve got another novel for you.”
“Oh, is it book club week already?” I ask, unlocking my door so Theo can carry the crate inside.
Her eyes light up, and she cackles. “This one had some spice. Stop over sometime and I’ll lend you my copy. I marked all the good pages.”
“I’ll have to think about it,” I say, watching my brother plunk Kyle’s dog’s enormous crate in my living room. “You know love stories aren’t really my thing.”
Once we’re both inside, I stand numbly, holding the leash while Theo checks my bathroom and closets for intruders.
I just watch, trying to figure out what to do next and wondering why it feels hard. I should set down my keys, hang up my coat. Find something for us to eat. But my burly houseguest, the leash in my hand, and the memories in my head disrupt anyroutine I might’ve had. Finally, a low whimper snaps me back into the present.
“Oh... guess I should take this off,” I mutter, reaching to unclasp the leash like Lydia does with Heartthrob when she brings him over.
But this dog isn’t my friend’s chill Akita mix. Instead of turning a circle and settling down, he dashes all over my little studio as soon as he’s loose, sniffing every inch of every corner the way he did in the stairwell. Almost like he’s searching for something.
“What is he—hey, get down!” I yell when he puts his front paws on my kitchen counter. He doesn’t seem to hear, or maybe doesn’t care, sniffing around briefly before leaping across my bed, then making a second circuit of my living space. “Notcool, beast. Stay out of my bed.”
“He’s just checking out his new digs.” Theo chuckles, pulling a metal bowl and a small bag of dog food out of his duffel. “Rufus? You hungry, dude?”
I raise a skeptical brow, watching the dog beeline for my brother and immediately sit while Theo empties kibble into the bowl. I move to the kitchen to wash the now-dried saliva off my hands.
“I don’t know, Theo... I’m not sure I should keep him.”
He crosses his arms over his burly chest. “Why’s that?”
“Just...” I press my lips together. My brother and I are pretty brutally honest about our feelings most of the time, but for some reason, I hold back on the string of protests in my head.I don’t like dogs. I have never wanted a pet. I don’t need this constant reminder of Kyle.“Like, my apartment is small enough with just me.”
