Page 7 of The Grumpy Vet
I’m also coming to understand how similar the two of us are. How much I, consciously or not, am becoming a lot like my father, minus his mean streak. I may not be the friendliest guy in town, but I'm pretty sure no one is outright scared of me. I'm quiet and keep to myself, but kids aren't crossing to the other side of the street when they see me approach. Just like my father, I love animals more than people, but I can still interact with them. Mostly.
"Did you want to go through some procedures?" Dario asks, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Or are you preemptively worried about your future farting situation?"
His lips quirk, so I'll take that comment as a joke.
"No. I've got time." I finish the rest of my tea and automatically make myself another one because a cup of tea, much like animals, never lets you down. "Come into my office, and we can go over a few things."
Dario
I let out a tired yawn as Linus and I leave the clinic together after a brutal day. The first six hours of my shift were non-stop with case after case after case, reminding me of the one-year stint I did in one of Sydney's busiest animal rescues. After the last couple of hours, my head is swimming in calving assistance procedures, snake bite treatments, and hoof trimming.
Initiation by fire, but at least I survived.
"I know it was hectic, but you did great today," Linus says, accompanied by what I gather is his attempt at a smile.
"Thanks. I enjoyed it."
He opens the door and waves for me to go ahead. "You did?"
"Yeah." We step out into a still brutally hot day, the afternoon sun carrying a sting as it lowers in the western sky. "There's no word for the feeling of pushing yourself to save an animal. You've worked your balls off, you're tired as all hell, but it leaves you…almost high. That probably doesn't make any sense. Sorry. I'm rambling and beat."
"No. I know exactly what you mean. It's why I love being a vet."
Our eyes meet. His are hazel like mine, but they lean more towards deep-brown than green. I think he might just know what I mean. He workedhardtoday. Some clinic owners are hands-off and only step in as a last resort when absolutely necessary. Not Linus. He was in the trenches all freaking day.
"I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then?" I say.
"Sure." He draws in a breath through his teeth, his keys dangling in his hand. "Do you want a lift to Ryde's?"
"Oh. No, thanks. It's not that far, and I should walk."
He tilts his head and glances down. When I do the same, I see that I've instinctively reached for my arch nemesis—Blug Blug.
I amnotabout to reveal my nickname for my recently expanded belly to my new boss, so I figure blurting out the horrible truth is actually the lesser of the two evils. "Had a bad breakup, and I've piled on the kilos." His lips press together as he studies me, but he doesn't say anything. "Part of the deal I have with Ryde is that he's going to get me back into shape. I don't know if you've noticed, but he's got a banging body."
He sucks in another breath through his teeth,muchlouder this time.
Oops not oops?
I am genuinely too tired to have premeditated a fishing expedition to find out whether he thinks Ryde is attractive, but now that we're here, I'm watching Linus like a hawk.
He swallows then lets out a small cough before clearing his throat. "Uhh… Yeee… Iiii…"
Okay. Him being reduced to single-syllable sounds establishes there is some level of mutual physical attraction. I bite my tongue, not wanting to smile and embarrass the guy any more. The tips of his ears are turning red, and that's probably about as far as I should push it.
On my first day, that is.
"It's all good," I say with a wave. "See you tomorrow."
"Yeah. See ya."
I take off towards Ryde's place, my backpack bouncing against my shoulders. I take no more than a few steps when Linus calls out, "Hey, Dario?"
I spin around. "Yeah?"
Linus scratches his arm and walks over to me. "Listen, I have a little gym setup in my carport. I haven't used it in a while…"
That's obviously a lie.
