Tesoro

25 | The Welcoming

Yet, my worries here did not involve her clothing.

"How long have you been there for?" I questioned, closing the door behind me.

"Uh" she raised her eyebrows "Not a minute. I was passing by"

"Laura" I stared at her, not believing a word she said.

"It's the truth" she looked up at me with those big eyes, and I was left to stare.

"Why?" she placed a hand at her hip now "Was there something I shouldn't have heard?"

Oh.. I see.

Smart woman, this one. Flipping the coin.

Before I could reply to that, we heard a noise, and we turned around, to see my dog approaching us.

Maya walked over to us, standing by Laura's legs.

She was a large white labrador retriever, though due to age, her height wasn't as prominent anymore, as she stayed hunched over, and could barely slowly walk.

"Maya" I spoke up "You're walking"

I immediately scrunched to my knees to scratch her ears, and I could feel Laura's burning eyes on me.

"She found me when I opened the door to the room" she spoke up "And I pet her for some time. I hadn't realized she followed"

"She did?" I looked up at her "She hasn't walked for days from what mom said. That's impressive"

She scrunched down next to me, petting her back gently "She looks so fragile"

"I know" I pressed my lips "She's twenty years old, and has been sick for more than a month now. Several infections. I've called so many vets..."

I came to a halt at the realization, that perhaps I was saying too much. This wasn't information I shared with just anyone. Maya was a bit of a sensitive topic.

When I looked back at her, she was still staring at me, as Maya sat down in front of us.

She looked like she was waiting for me to continue, and once she realized I couldn't, she caressed the puppy's head, as she spoke up in that soft familiar voice "She seems very sweet. I'm sorry to hear about that. Poor baby"

She returned to petting her, then looked at me again "Age twenty.. you got her when you were eight"

"Yeah" I whispered, pressing my lips "My brother was six, and my sister was five. We grew up with her"

"And here she is" Laura spoke up, smiling lightly at the mention "This sweetheart"

"Yeah well-" I took a deep breath "Sweetheart's not sitting on the right spot. Let's get her down shall we?"

Laura chuckled, as I picked up the dog gently, and we started walking down the stairs.

Once I put her down on her dog bed, I looked back at Laura.

She was smiling at me so softly- it made my heart jump.

I couldn't look at her in the eyes- I felt a bit more naked now, vulnerable.

It was uncomfortable.

So, I changed the subject "Pants again? I thought you'd slip in something more comfortable"

"These are stretchy" she pulled on the pant, then hugged one of her legs up, to prove it, which made me laugh "They're pretty comfortable, and look decent, which is good considering I'm leaving again"

The reminder of that didn't particularly please me.

Still, her silliness made me smile.

I'd come to desire more of her. More than I thought I would.