The Dog Walker

I take a deep breath and ring the doorbell, a loud chime sounding from inside the large house. Instantly, a chorus of dog howls and barks spring up and there’s an echo of heavy footsteps as someone approaches the door.

It swings open to reveal a guy about my age with sandy brown hair and forest green eyes. My heart speeds up and my eyes widen a bit when I notice he doesn't have a shirt on. He looks bored until those green eyes meet mine and they light up with curiosity.

"Yes?" He asks. His voice is deep but the man on the phone had sounded older than him. I decide to push it aside for now.

Voice, don't fail me now! I cover my awkwardness with a cough and smile. "You phoned me about walking your dogs? You said that I should come over to meet them first.”

He raises an eyebrow. "My dad was the one who called you, you must be Asena. Come on in," he says, moving back. I hesitate before stepping inside. This could be a murderer’s house but I take comfort in the fact that my sign is up for a lot of people to see, not to mention I had the common sense to tell my mom where I was going. Taking a deep breath as I pass by him, the scent of pine almost seems to hit me in the face.

He shuts the door and I look around. Standing in the living room, there's a flat screen TV, two comfy-looking couches, and a chair. He walks over to one of the couches and picks up a shirt before slipping it on. I can immediately feel myself breathe a little easier.

"What kind of name is Asena anyways?" He asks, crossing his arms.

Deciding to ignore that, I shove my hands in my pockets to hide my clenched fists. "Just show me where your dogs are.” Rolling his eyes, he walks past me and it’s all I can do to not laugh at him. I settle for mocking him instead as I follow him into the kitchen where he slides open a glass door and steps outside into a big yard.

A privacy fence blocks the backyard from the forest behind it, a couple of trees on either side of the space. Three dogs look up at me curiously, one abandoning its bone, before running over, their tails wagging furiously. Grinning, I hold out a hand for them to sniff — their noses cold against the palm of my hand — before crouching down to pet them.

"Hey there," I greet them. He tells me their names, pointing to each one in turn. The black Labrador is Collet, the Husky is Willow, and the German Shepherd is Pike. "So why do you have so many dogs?"

"My dad rescued them. He just got a new job and travels a lot so we need someone to walk them. That's where you come in," he explains and I nod before my stomach begins to growl loudly, reminding me that I didn't eat breakfast today. He grins.

I try to fight it but find myself reluctantly returning it. “Sorry. I didn’t eat breakfast today.”

"Come on I'll get you something to eat." He chuckles and walks back into the house, waiting by the door as I come in to make sure the dogs stay outside. He points for me to sit down and I do, albeit awkwardly, on one of the chairs at a table that sits in the middle of the kitchen.

I’m hesitant about this but the feel of my cell phone in my back pocket that contains the texts between my mom and I helps relax my nerves. I’m going to be walking his and his father’s dogs too. He’s been friendly so far as well. No harm in trying.

“What’s your name?”

He looks through the fridge and pulls out a container of already cooked burgers before reheating them on a plate. “Adrian.” I nod as he pulls out some buns from a cabinet and an assortment of other things from the fridge before arranging it all on the table. Sitting, he stands back up with a laugh. “Forgot the burgers.”

Once everything’s ready, he sits beside me and starts making his own. Thanking him, I grab a burger and bite into it, the delicious taste of smoke and other seasonings filling my mouth.

"You eat it plain," he observes with a raised brow.

"Yes and it tastes delicious," I mumble through the food, trying to move past the fact that he feels as if he’s judged me two times now.

"What do you do other than dog walking, job wise?" He takes a large bite out of his burger, tomato juices running down his chin before he wipes it away.

“Nothing.”

He scoffs. "I hardly think that walking dogs makes you a lot of money.”

My eyes are narrowed at this point. Three times I feel he’s judged me. What is this guy’s problem? "Actually I make about two hundred dollars a week," I decide to inform him. His eyes widen in surprise.

"Wow, I need to get into the dog walking biz,” he attempts to joke. I just take another bite out of the burger.

"Where is your dad anyways?"

"On a business trip for two weeks, I get the entire house to myself,” he smirks, polishing off his burger and standing to clear away the mess.

I nod, placing my own unfinished burger in the trash. "Thanks for the food. I'll come over tomorrow morning to walk them." He nods and walks me to the front door. "Bye."

"Bye.” He grins and I walk out, the door shutting behind me.

Letting out a long sigh, I decide to head on back home taking the shortest route where I know a friend will be waiting. As I walk through the forest, fallen twigs crunch under my feet. It's the beginning of April, buds are starting to appear on the branches of trees, and almost all of the snow has practically melted. I breathe in, a sweet springtime air filling my lungs. It's nice out here, calm, almost silent outside of the distant scurry of wildlife and the songs of birds.

I’m soon met with a familiar scent and I stop walking. A female grey wolf appears out of the undergrowth and I smile. "Hello again."

She stalks forward, almost seeming to huff at my hand and clothes but I know she’s scenting me, her way of a greeting. A grin on my face, I remember meeting her before on a walk through this forest. I’d been scared and at the same time, excitement and anticipation had been like fire in my veins. After assuring her that I mean her no harm, she’d eventually accepted me. I’d decided to call her Talia. She turns around and is about to run off before stopping to look back at me.

“Race you,” I grin. Immediately she takes off and I run after, my hair whipping behind me as I gain ground and keep up with her, struggling to over tripping over any debris and running into trees. Eventually, she stops a few yards away from the edge of the forest where I would soon be walking out. The air I’m huffing and puffing is like razor blades in my throat while my shirt slings to my lower back.

"Next time." There’s an imperceptible nod of her big head and then she runs off, a blur disappearing into the darkness of the forest. I step out of the forest and turn left, walking until my house comes into view down the road. Once there, I step inside, taking off my dirty shoes after my breathing has returned to normal.

"Mom, I'm back!" I yell before walking into the kitchen. Mom is there in front of the stove, making tea.

She looks over at me and smiles. "Hey, how did it go?"

"Really good, I'm going over there tomorrow morning to start," I tell her, leaning against the watch her pour herself a mug full of hot water.

"That’s good. You want some tea?"

"Yes, please,” I grin. “Milk, with three sugars." She rolls her eyes at the sugar part. After making the tea and handing me a mug, I take a sip and close my eyes at the soothing relief it brings my throat. "Thanks. I'm gonna go upstairs. I still have to write an essay for school on Monday."

"Okay,” she nods, turning to look down at her own mug.

I walk upstairs, tea in hand, before entering my room and closing the door behind me with my foot. Sitting at my desk, I put down my tea before turning on my laptop and opening Word. Except I don’t start writing. I just stare at the screen before standing with a huff and going to the bathroom to stare into the mirror.

Almost desperately, I search my eyes for anything only to find nothing. I finally just close my eyes, hands braced against the sink before deciding to just get ready for bed and brush my teeth. After splashing some water on my face, I find myself looking in the mirror again almost annoyed with myself. Pressing my lips into a thin line, I turn the bathroom light off and pad into my room. Shutting down the laptop, I slip into some pajamas before climbing into bed.

Claws click on the hardwood floor and I look up to see that Audi had walked in. She wags her tail and I pat the bed, giving her permission to lie beside me. A brown lab and border-collie mix, she never fails to bring a smile to my face.

Relaxing once again, I gently scratch her stomach, the black fur delicately covering her stomach soft against my fingertips