when all is said and done | e.d.

forty-one

ethan

friday at the office was boring.

i kept waiting for the moment i could leave just so i could go home and be excited about seeing ruby again. i'm not going to lie, i was also starting to miss visiting harper's house. it always smells like coconut and almonds in there.

at 7:00 on the dot, i arrive at her front door and knock a little before opening it slightly.

"harper?" i call out. my words seem to hang in the air for a moment, but then i hear bustling and her voice.

"come in! i'm finishing up."

as always, i slip my shoes off on the rug and place them neatly in the corner. ruby comes bounding down the hallway, and i literally almost cry when i realize she's grown a lot.

"hi, ruby!" i say in an overexcited tone, crouching down to be at her level. "miss me?"

her tail wags, and she sticks her tongue out to lick my cheek. i laugh and dodge it just barely.

"well i missed you too," i mumble quietly as she rolls on her back, allowing me to rub her belly. "you know, the big, mean old lady who lives here doesn't let me see you anymore. can you believe that? tell her—"

harper clears her throat, and i slowly lift my head to face her.

as expected, she doesn't look necessarily overly ecstatic to be called a mean old lady.

"oh hey," i try to play it off nonchalantly and stand to my feet. "you snuck up on me."

"i'm not as much offended by the 'mean old lady' as much as the 'big' part," she smiles sweetly, but it's clear she's shooting daggers at me.

i roll my eyes, doing my best at hiding a grin. "i'm sorry. ruby and i were just catching up."

"i'll bet," she moves from her spot and starts to rummage on the foyer dresser for her purse.

i can't help but admire her. it's hard not to. not necessarily her body, but more in the way she moves. she's nervous— i can tell by the way she constantly tugs gently on the small silver hoops in her ears.

shouldn't being around you significant other be easygoing, not nerve racking?

clearly someone should tell her that.

"where are you guys going?" i ask as ruby starts to gently bite at my ankles, trying to get me to play with her.

harper swivels back to me, and forces a smile. "to a restaurant, then an art exhibit."

"what restaurant?"

"girl & the goat."

i give a small little whistle. "fancy, yes?"

"i think," she breathes out and turns back to her mess of a purse on the table. three tubes of lipstick, crumpled bills, and some mints are randomly strewn about. "god damn it, why can't i find my phone?"

my eyes begin to search to house, trying to spot the familiar oxblood color case. just when i'm about to turn back and tell her i can't find it either, the phone catches my gaze on the kitchen counter.

"the counter," i say with a small nod. "it's in the kitchen."

she sighs dramatically, giving me a pouty lip as a thank you. "i've been looking for this since 6:00."

her hips sway in the right black dress with a small slit on the side, and she plucks the phone from the counter. as she turns back to me, i catch sight of the front of the dress that i didn't necessarily process earlier.

the v neck scoops low, and gold jewelry hangs down and sparkles in the light, which holds my attention on her chest for longer than what feels comfortable.

great. now she thinks i'm a creep.

"i like your necklaces," i blurt out, just in case she got the wrong impression.

harper laughs lightly, ducking her head a little. "thank you."

i'm quiet as she puts on a pair of strappy black heels and grabs a coat from the closet. it's one of her really expensive ones that she only wears to the important meetings.

"well," i say, holding the door open for her. the car she called earlier is waiting on the street. "have fun."

it pains me to say that, and it's a knife to the chest that i have to see her all dressed up for a guy that isn't me.

i feel like a dad sending his daughter off on her first date.

she must notice the comparison, because she giggles and steps out the door. "i will. please call me if anything happens! ruby's owner's number is on the kitchen table! along with the nearest veterinarian!and—"

"just go!" i wave with a laugh.

ruby jumps at my feet, and harper gives me one last look of gratitude before sliding into the backseat of the car.

i close the door and sigh immediately.

"well, ruby. just you and me tonight."

she doesn't seem too put off by that, and follows me to the kitchen where sure enough— a list of every single number you could possibly think of is placed strategically on the counter.

"you're a dog," i say down to ruby. "how hard can this be?"

even though i promised harper no snooping, i do throw away the multiple tubs of double fudge brownie ice cream that she's stocked in her freezer.

not going to lie, i ate a couple bites first.

turns out dog-sitting is mildly boring.

we play tug of war, lay on the ground and i vent about life, then we eat (she eats the dog food, i eat the human food), and then we play tug of war again. it's a never ending cycle of a life i would never want to live.

"you know what, ruby?" i ask out loud, pacing the hallway into harper's room. "you're a good listener."

her ears perk up, but she doesn't move from her tuckered out position on the hardwood.

"like, you just sit there. and i talk. that never happens. no one ever lets me talk. so thank you."

then i realize something.

"god, i'm really confiding in a dog, aren't i?"

picture frames that my eyes have always seemed to skim over finally catch my attention for the first time.

i walk down the hallway slowly, analyzing each one.

i laugh at the one of harper and her mom with cakes smashed into both of their faces. the date at the bottom of the picture reads 07/08/1998.

"must've been her third birthday," i mumble to myself and skip to the next frame.

it's of her surrounded by all her cousins. she looks about 16 in the photo, and it makes me smile. i've known harper only as an adult, and seeing her as a kid is different.

i'm almost at the end of the hallway when my phone buzzes in my pocket.

i reach out to grab it and stare at the message on my screen.

harper brown: i need you to pick me up. please?