The Dog Walker

Chapter 1- edited

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.