Page 6 of All I Want Is Love
*LEO*
Barkley is the size of a bear but has the peaceful mindset of a little lamb. The moment he is in my apartment, he drops down on his stomach and drifts to sleep. Whenever I walk past him, his tail wags slightly.
I always dread the evening hours between coming home and going to sleep, that is, if I manage to sleep at all. Tonight, however, thereisBarkley with me to chase the monsters under my bed away. Or at least block them.
We watch TV first, a lighthearted sitcom. I avoid watching anything too heavy or disturbing, especially before I go to sleep. Once it’s past midnight, I know it’s inevitable. I have to try to sleep. Barkley follows me to the bathroom first, watching me curiously, not even leaving when I take a shower. Soren is right, he is truly human-focused.
Then he follows me to my bed. He stares at the bed first, then at me, then grunts and lies down on the small carpet next to it, like he is too lazy to heave himself up on the bed.
When I let my hand drop down, I can feel his fur.
I am not alone.
I can sleep safely.
It does take me some while to finally fall asleep, but for once, I don’t wake up constantly or toss around restlessly. For the first time in months, I sleep well.
Early in the morning, a persistent ringing startles me awake. Barkley is up, wagging his tail and slobbering over my hand. I can’t help but smile and cuddle him. “My cute little bear.”
He grunts.
The ringing continues.
“Oh shit,” I mutter, grabbing my bathrobe and throwing it on. “It’s probably Aspen,” I tell Barkley. “Huh? Yeah, he is an early riser.”
Barkley follows me through the apartment, down the staircase and to the door.
“Absolutely,” I nod at my pup. “It’s weird.”
Ripping the door open, I expect to come face to face with my brother, but I am looking right into a pair of deep brown eyes behind glasses and gentle curls that frame a handsome face. “You,” I squeak. “Soren.”
“Good morning,” he says with a smile, like I’m not a complete sleepy mess.
“Oh, my god!” I blurt out, closing the door again. My heart is in my throat. Did I just open the door, barely dressed with messy hair and sleep in my eyes!?
There is a gentle knock against the door.
“Sorry,” I exclaim while opening again. “It’s just—“
I don’t get to finish my sentence as Barkley runs past me, barking joyfully and running headfirst into a mountain of snow.
Snow?
Everything is covered in thick white!
“Where did the snow come from!?”
“Well, when temperatures are low enough, ice crystals form in clouds and—“
“I know how snow happens in theory,” I say, slightly annoyed. “I was just surprised because yesterday it didn’t look like it would snow.”
“I know,” Soren says with a smile, a twinkle in his eyes.
I feel my cheeks flushing again. He is teasing me. Fortunately, Barkley chooses that moment to bark again and roll through the fresh snow. The snowplow that cleaned the streets shoved little hills of the white mass to the side, much to his pleasure. Watching my pup finally startles me fully awake. “Oh no, Barkley! Come back!”
In my slippers and bathrobe, I am about to hurry after Barkley when Soren’s arm catches me. I am so close to him all of a sudden, my breath hitches. “How about I catch Barkley and you dress in something warmer?” he offers. He sounds warm and kind, but at the same time, like he is not going to accept any objections. “I brought coffee with me. We can go for a walk with Barkley then. Don’t forget your winter jacket.”
I nod, dumbfounded, and stumble back into my apartment to get ready. In my old life, it would take me ages to get ready, because appearance was everything. For work, I had to have the perfect face with the perfect hair and a perfect suit. Fashionable, but not too flashy.
