Effort At Its Finest (Brother's Bestfriend)

Love/Hate Feelings For Her

"Journey, come on baby, let's go to sleep." I heard Macy's voice when I got inside. It was around one in the morning and she was still up, I wondered if Jared was in the living room with her at a time so late.

I dropped my keys on the counter and she looked up at me from the floor where she sat by Journey. "Oh hey," She smiled gently, then looked back down at Journey who was stretched out on the living room floor, refusing to get up.

"You're up late?" I said, and decided it's time to be a friend. Or try to act like one, if I even could do that.

Journey stood up quickly and perked his head up and looked at me, then came to sit at my side. "Oh. Hi." I said to him.

Macy sighed and stood up and crossed her arms. "I'm trying to get him to go to bed but for some reason he refuses to go upstairs."

The dog looked up at me and grinned widely. "What the hell?" She asked, confused. "He wouldn't even get up when I asked him to." She sat on the couch sleepily and held her chin in her palm. "Where did you go?" She asked me casually and it kind of caught me off guard.

I looked at her and it took me a while to talk because I watched her watch me. She had all her attention on me and for a second I was about to close up- because it was an instinct. But I stayed how I was, because I wanted to try to figure out what was behind those pretty eyes again. "My brother's house." I said.

"You're talking to him?" She asked, again like it was casual to be talking to me like she cared. But it seemed more like curiosity to me.

"Yeah, we got... We got really close. Just like me and his father-in-law." I said with a short chuckle because saying it outloud seemed stupid.

I went to the kitchen to grab water and Journey was right by my side the entire time. "I think you've got me mixed up with someone else..." I told him, and Macy came in and laughed melodically.

"Well I know it doesn't really matter what I think but that's good you're talking to him. Why does he suddenly like you so much?" She asked, but it sounded like she was talking to herself mostly. It bothered me, how she thought what she thought didn't matter, because it did. More than she knew, but I was dumb and didn't say anything about it.

'Because I love you like he does.' I wanted to say to her almost rhetorhical question. But she was getting married. She wouldn't talk to me if I told her that. She'd tell me when and where and how she got over me, and as much as I wanted to know all that- I didn't want to believe it. So I kept it to myself. "I don't know, but it's kind of strange having a lion following me around." I told her, then I looked at Journey who was grinning up at me. "You're not planning to eat me, are you?"

She smiled and shook her head. "That's the last thing he'd even think to do." She said, and looked at him. "I love you, Journey." He said in fake excitement.

He stood still next to me, not moving. Her shoulders kind of drooped and she sat on the counter. The last time I saw her do that- she was eight-teen and had just gotten roses from Daniel. I know it was him because of a very unfortunate situation... But I didn't know it was him who sent them at the time. "He's mad at me." She sighed and stared down at him, who just nudged his head by my leg.

I patt his head dismissively, hoping he'd go back to her or something because it was late and I was tired and when I was like that I spilled the truth. I couldn't have that. "Why?" I asked.

"I don't think he's ever liked Jared... At all." She said a little quieter.

I looked down at him. "Is that true?" I asked him as if he knew what I was saying. I'm pretty sure he did too. "No? Well then go to bed, you're making your owner get bags under her eyes." I said jokingly but in all honesty I hoped her dog didn't like Jared, I didn't and I guess that's another reason why he liked me so much. I pulled out my empty cigarette box. I smoked the rest on my drive to to the house, so I had four more packs left.