Page 153 of Make Me Trust Again
“Nobody is you, Rose.”
Nobody would ever be her.
Not for me.
There’s only Rose Hathaway.
And I’ll cherish every second of time I have with her.
Something shines in her eyes, and I can feel pressure building in my chest. Her lips part, but before she can utter a word, I press my mouth against hers, swallowing her words. And then I muffle every sound and cry she makes as we take off our clothes, and I sink inside her until both of us are so spent, and she falls asleep in my arms. And then I hold her, watching her as she sleeps in my arms until I can see the first rays of sunlight peeking through the trees on the horizon.
Groaning, I curl my fingers around the bar in my hands and push it upward. My muscles are aching at this point, but I grind my teeth as I push through the last set, counting slowly in my head until I reach ten and am finally able to put the bar back in place.
My chest is heaving as I fight for breath, sweat dripping down my face. I close my eyes for a second as I try to even my breathing before I reach for the towel I left on the side and run it over my face. Blinking my eyes open, I’m met with big blue irises staring at me from above.
My heart kicks up a notch, the erratic heartbeat pounding in my eardrums not helping with the ringing in my ears.
“Fuck, kid, you shouldn’t sneak up on people.”
Kyle tilts his head slightly but doesn’t make an attempt to pull back. “I’m not sneaking around. I called your name, but you didn’t answer. You’re as deaf as me. And you shouldn’t be saying bad words.”
I wince slightly at the accusation. I’m totally schooled by a seven-year-old. “I’m sorry, I was just surprised.” I start to sit up, so Kyle pulls back, giving me a little room as he crouches down and unhooks Teddy’s leash. “Done with homework?”
School started a couple of weeks ago, and since then, we’ve gotten into a routine of sorts. Rose worked while he was in class, and then when they got home, he had to finish his homework before he could come over so we could train Teddy together. The little guy’s pretty smart and catching on to things quickly, so I hope that soon we can start training him to alert Kyle to sounds. I’ve been doing some research on the best way to approach it; now, it’s all about teaching Kyle how to do it. I want Teddy to see Kyle as his handler and not me.
Kyle sits down on the floor cross-legged, his little pouch with dog treats around his waist. Teddy has already wandered off, sniffing around the room. Kyle glances at me, and I give him an encouraging nod, so he pats the side of his leg twice. The sound reverberates in the air. Teddy’s ears perk up, and when his gaze connects to Kyle, he repeats the motion, two taps. “Come,” he says, verbal command accompanied by the sign.
Taking a bottle of water, I take a sip as I watch Teddy walk to Kyle, who’s extended his hand, but Teddy ignores it, wanting to play. Instead of getting frustrated, Kyle shakes his head. “Sit.”
Teddy barks in protest, so Kyle repeats the command and, after a moment, the dog makes a circle around himself and sits down. Kyle gently gives him a treat, which Teddy takes. He repeats the command a few times before switching to the next one.
Moving closer to the two of them, I crouch down, and Kyle glances at me. “He’s doing really well.”
“You both are doing amazing so far. How about we try something new? Did you bring your ball?”
“Yes.” Kyle slips his hand into his pocket and pulls out the ball, and immediately, Teddy’s tail starts wagging excitedly. “What now?”
“We’ll start easy. What’s the sign for touch?” Kyle touches his middle finger against the back of his other hand. “Good. Show him the sign, say touch, and then touch the ball with your free hand.”
Kyle’s face is all serious when he nods.“Okay. Teddy, touch.”
He does exactly as I said, but Teddy just wiggles around, waiting for Kyle to toss him the ball. So he repeats it again and again.
“He thinks we’re playing,” he mutters, his shoulders slumping a little.
“That’s fine. He’s still young; it’ll take time. You just need to practice more.”
“Teddy, touch. Like this, touch.”He repeats the motion, which gets him a bark from Teddy. “We’re not playing. Touch.”
Just then, Shadow passes by the younger dog and presses her snout against the ball, making Kyle laugh. “Good job, Shadow.”
He slips his hand into his pouch and pulls out the treat, handing it to her. Shadow takes it and glances at Teddy almost as if she wants to gloat, and the younger dog doesn’t miss it either.
“Tell him again.”
So he does. Teddy shifts his attention to the ball and slowly comes closer, lifting his little nose at the ball, not quite touching, but definitely a step in the right direction.
“Touch.”
