#freyaswolf

He readied himself for overstimulation, moving to open the door gingerly when it suddenly slammed open and he jumped back, a middle-aged woman emerging, led by a giant husky that barked constantly.

“Shut up, you goof,” the woman grumbled, but she was smiling.

Her iron hair matched the dog’s, something that made Steve stare after them, a smile threatening to form on his face. The door was left ajar and he heard a female voice call out from within:

“Next?”

He walked inside, rubbing the back of his head as he went to the front desk where a young brunette stood in her navy polo shirt and dirty matching pants. Her clothes were covered in different types of fur and her arms had little nicks along them in varying stages of healing. Her shirt pocket had a name across it in italics – Darcy.

“Hi, I, uh… I was thinking about adopting a pet.”

“That’s great!” she said, and she seemed to mean it, smiling up at him.

She had a gap in her front teeth and Steve nodded at her, a little distracted. He felt obligated to talk more, to give her context. Usually with strangers he wanted to fly under the radar but this was somehow different.

He wasn’t an idiot – she was cute, but it was hardly the place or time to try to impress her when he was meant to be deciding on a pet.

“What were you thinking?”

“Pardon?” he said, and she chuckled.

“Do you want a cat?”

He respected cats, but he knew he’d only disappoint a cat. A dog seemed like a safer option; they were man’s best friend after all. He shook his head.

“Uh, better not.”

“Okay,” she said, chuckling again. “I’m free now, so I can show you the kennels.”

She detached keys from the carabiner on her pants, which made Steve stare at her hips for a beat before he looked away. She gestured to an exit and he followed her out, the barks growing louder as they slipped through another backdoor Darcy propped open for him.

There was a long line of dogs, with another worker walking one in the middle of the courtyard at the center of the kennels. She gave Darcy a little wave, the dog she was walking deep in thought, sniffing the teeny patch of grass. It was some type of border collie, with one blue eye and one yellow eye. It tilted its head at Steve as they passed.

“He’s getting picked up in a little while,” Darcy explained. “I knew he’d be adopted fast.”

“Good for him,” Steve said. “What’s his name?”

“Bandit.”

Steve nodded, watching Bandit go back to sniffing and circling. Darcy gestured to the line of dogs and he followed her. He felt inexplicably nervous.

“I’ll let you check them out,” she said, and Steve nodded once more. “I should take over for Lizzie.”

She swapped with the other worker and began walking Bandit, cooing at him and petting him as Steve delayed the inevitable. He drew in a breath, unsure of how he was meant to decide on anything.

Some of the dogs were hiding at the back of their little fenced off spaces. A couple barked at him, snapping their jaws. Others whined and paced. It was overwhelming, Steve’s nervousness turning to a kind of guilt. It felt wrong that they didn’t have a home, but he couldn’t take them all. Maybe this was a terrible idea.

He stopped at the end, seeing a dog come up to the fence, its tail wagging. It was a mix of orange-golden and white fur with a long snout and big brown eyes. Steve didn’t know why, but he crouched by it, placing his hand against the fence for it to sniff his skin.

“Hey, little fella,” he murmured.

The dog reacted immediately, its front paws hitting the cement floor with alternating stamps. It ducked down and sniffed, its tongue darting out to lick what it could reach.

“You wanna come home with me?” Steve asked.

The dog seemed to understand the significance of this, bounding back and barking. Steve gripped the fencing, glancing over at Darcy. She was already watching him, Bandit sniffing her sneaker.

“What kinda breed is this one?”

“Boxer-cross,” Darcy said.

She wandered over, Bandit trotting. She stopped beside him, sorting through the keys. Bandit started to bark and bounce. She unlocked the little doorway and Steve stepped inside, the boxer-cross jumping on top of him instantly. He was licked all over his face, his laughs spilling forth as Darcy chuckled.

“That’s Buddy, he was surrendered last week,” she explained.

He kept wanting to lick at Steve, his paws on his thighs, tail wagging faster. His fur was soft and silky, which led Steve to believe he was health.

“How come?”

“His owner died,” Darcy murmured, and Steve looked at Buddy again, giving him some harder rubs.

“Poor guy.”

“Yeah, his owner’s daughter had to bring him here, her landlord wouldn’t let her keep a dog in her apartment,” Darcy said, sounding frustrated. “Which is ridiculous. He’s like, the nicest dog I’ve ever met, and I’ve met a lot of ’em.”

“I believe you,” Steve said, Buddy’s tongue swiping at his cheek.

Man and dog stared at one another and Steve felt something unfurling in his chest.

“Could I…? I mean, can I keep him?”

“Yes!” Darcy said, and Steve found himself pulling Buddy into his arms.

Steve loved Buddy. He knew that the second he held him to his chest. The dog wriggled, too excited to contain himself, licking him as Darcy took them back to the main reception. Steve had to put a leash on him and keep him next to him as he filled out paperwork.

Darcy leaned against the table, watching him do this, and Steve began to feel self-conscious.

“You changed when you saw him,” she said, and he looked at her, pen hovering.

“Yeah, that’s probably true,” Steve admitted. He shook his head a little. “I wasn’t too sure about coming here, but I’ve been told I needed someone else…”

He trailed off, unsure of whether to divulge too much. He could come across a little nuts if he wasn’t careful.

“My therapist, uh,” he muttered, eyes ducking back to the paperwork. He initialled the bottom of the page and flipped it over. “She thought it was a good idea to get a pet. So I was less lonely.”

He dreaded looking back at her but he made himself, seeing Darcy nod at him, empathetic.

“I’m glad you gave it a shot,” she said. “I think we all should have a pet to keep us company.”

There was a short silence, Darcy’s eyes studying him, her head tilting.

“Why weren’t you sure?”

“I’ve never had a dog before,” Steve said, and she nodded. “Uh, does that exempt me?”

He’d already signed everything. He just had to pay the adoption fee. Darcy shook her head, smirking.

“Absolutely the fuck not.”

He let out a short laugh, relieved. “Great. Except now you know I don’t know what I’m doin’.”

She began to laugh, and Steve’s stomach flipped. She reached for something beside the computer monitor in front of her and took out a business card.

“My cell number’s on there,” she said. “Call me if you’ve got questions.”

Steve took it, eyes lingering on hers. Darcy was the one to look away that time, eyes falling to Buddy.

“You’ll be very happy together.”

Steve nodded, sure of this. He already felt a flurry of affection every time Buddy’s tail hit his leg as it wagged. He looked at Darcy again.

“Thanks.”

“It’s my job,” Darcy said.

Once he paid and took his receipt, Steve turned to walk out the door. Darcy waved them goodbye and they set out into the parking lot, the sun beaming down on Buddy’s fur.

The dog looked up at him when they got to Steve’s car.

“You gotta sit in the front seat,” Steve said. “I don’t have a cage for ya.”

Maybe Buddy was hesitating because he wasn’t sure. He could sense the trajectory of his life – or maybe Steve was romanticising this a little. He just really cared about this little guy, and he’d only known him half an hour.

Buddy gave a bark, and Steve frowned.

“You okay?”

Buddy’s head turned toward the shelter’s front door. Steve thought about Darcy, and how she’d made him stare and fumble his words. He swallowed.

“Alright, I got it.”

He’d already taken a risk today and it paid off. Another wouldn’t hurt. He could picture his therapist punching the air when he told her how his week had been and he shook his head a little.

He opened the door again, Buddy tugging him inside. Darcy glanced up from her monitor, a pair of spectacles on this time, which she pushed up her nose.

“Oh. Did you forget something?”

“Your number,” Steve said, putting a hand on the desk between them. “Can I use it for non-dog-related reasons, too?”

It took a second for his words to register, and then Darcy’s cheeks flushed, her lips parting. She bit her plush lower lip as she grinned.

“Yeah, sure. Anytime.”

“I meant for dinner and movie sometime –”

“Yeah, I figured,” Darcy said, and she put out a hand for him to shake.

“Steve.”