Happy Endings

14. pets

"Pathetic as it sounds, I'm still chasing a feeling that I never found."

☼

Vic Fuentes was in the middle of hanging a Welcome! banner sign to one of the main entrance poles when his brother Leo asked,

"Who's Kellin?"

Which made Vic stop mid-air to turn and look at him, suddenly realizing none of his closest friends, and family, knew about his newest... friend.

And, okay, it wasn't a difficult question, nor one Vic didn't have an answer to. He was only listing the people he told about the adoption event, because Leo asked first, and when he mentioned Kellin, he was interrupted. Maybe he just didn't expect him to ask. Maybe that's why it took him a few seconds to gather his thoughts.

And Leo, who was holding the other end of the banner while he waited for an answer, spared him a confused glance.

"He's a parent at my preschool," Vic said at last, turning back to his job at hand and pinning his side of the banner in place. "Also we're working together, were working together."

"How's that?" Leo asked again.

"He works at this ad agency and hired me for a job, but that's over now..." And somehow, saying it out loud made it too real. It was only just yesterday that he sent over all his work and he had to admit he enjoyed working on that project a lot. "I thought they could enjoy the fair and have fun. It's only Kellin and his daughter Penny. She's four."

Leo frowned as they both got back down from their ladders, the banner already neatly in place. "You never told me about that."

Vic shrugged, "never came up, I think."

"...Sure. You and your double life."

"Don't," Vic laughed, and together they picked up the ladders and headed to the backroom of one of the nearby restaurants on the site, which served as a storage room for the duration of the event.

"Well, I'll be glad to meet them if they show up. I'm always down to meeting your friends." Leo said after they were done.

"Yeah..." In all honesty, Vic wanted them to come too.

It was a few minutes past 9 a.m. meaning the adoption event would be officially starting in less than an hour. Most arrangements were ready by now, all their hard work the night prior truly paid off. The town square by the bay looked fuller than usual, with all the tent stalls scattered throughout, food trucks parked near the tables and chairs on the makeshift food court, and people walking up and down getting the last details.

The pets were in the center of it all, waiting expectantly in their crates and kennels. Vic looked at all of them with a million hearts in his eyes. He wished he could adopt one of them or all of them, but his apartment building didn't allow pets. Maybe someday if–

"What about Matt? Is he turning up?" Leo asked after they walked around checking up if anyone needed help. Vic ignored the way his brother said his boyfriend's name and didn't want to pinpoint the exact feeling he got thanks to it.

"You know how his schedule is," Vic answered calmly. And truly, Leo knew. He was only asking because he didn't like Matt and wanted to find more reasons. He didn't even know why.

"Figured," was all Leo said next.

"He wanted to come, he loves dogs. But, you know, he had a night shift and it's so early now," Vic reasoned.

"He could come in the evening," Leo shrugged.

Vic didn't want to continue this conversation at all. "I'll give him a call later. Can we go see the doggies now?"