Paper Folds | On Hold

Gem

Sara face-palmed herself, and followed me to her room-my room of course. 

"Ray, and her crazy antics about staying clean, a bit too much. You know that, right?"

I nodded my head, and sat down on my bed, gesturing to the bathroom.

"Yes of course, sweat smells so good."

"Shut up."

"Right."

****

After cleaning up and resting for a bit, Sara lay with me on my bed, companionable silence  holding us together. She turned her face towards me, after staring at the ceiling for a while, and pursed her lips.

I knew she wanted to say something, so I raised my eyebrows, silently asking her to just spit it out. 

"I want to talk to you about something."

"Well, is it gonna be full of obscene language again?"

Sara pinched my arm.

"It's not funny. We need to talk. About serious shit."

I nodded my head.

"Okay." 

"But first, where's the dog you bought? "

"Oh. Him. He's next door. Since I'm not allowed to go out, Mrs. Brooke takes him out for a stroll every morning. It's afternoon now, but since we've been busy, I didn't get him yet. You know what? Let's get him first."

I got up hurriedly, Sara muttering behind me, as I pulled her along to Mrs. Brooke's apartment. Smoothing my hands down my hair and clothes, I rung the doorbell, then knocked twice.

Muffled sounds, then the door swung open.

"Oh Ray. I was just wondering why you didn't come today, though I loved every second of the delay. Will you take him now?"

I smiled and nodded, then pointed towards my companion.

"But firstly an introduction. This is Sara Miller, my childhood friend, here, visiting sick me."

Mrs. Brooke laughed.

"Well, hello Sara. Nice to meet you. Would you like to come in?"

Sara smiled sweetly.

"Not today, I'm sorry but I'm so tired. Maybe tomorrow?"

"Sure. Let me get him."

Mrs. Brooke went inside to get my no-more-little pup, while Sara leaned sideways on the wall, looking at her nails. 

"Not my kind of having a nice time. Where's the boy?"

I raised my eyebrows at Sara, and with all that raising they were probably going to fly out of my forehead. What? Was I even listening to what I was thinking? Did eyebrows fly out of foreheads?

I punched Sara playfully, and she rolled her eyes at me haughtily before bursting into laughter. I shortly joined in with my own sputtering laughter, while a bark resounded, and I turned my eyes away from Sara, and there he was! All golden curls shining, a cute package so full of joy.

Ace jumped up and down with excitement, while I picked him up, all his six months of existence making him not much weighty. 

"Don't lick me, no, oh, okay Ace, fine, yes, I'm a nice snack, yep, hmm."

The dog was too excited, his pink tongue now hanging out with adorable guilt at expressing his happiness in seeing me with too much licking of my face and hands. Sara had a pinched expression, looking at Ace with her lower lip between her teeth, full of indecision.