Devil's Backbone (Muke)

10

We visit multiple shops inside the mall, and I practically buy a whole new wardrobe. It's about to be June, but I start my Christmas shopping as well. I love Christmas more than anything, and I always start shopping about six months or so in advance.

Calum actually does buy a whole new wardrobe. With the pregnancy weight and all that, none of his old clothes fit him. He's resorted to wearing Ashton's shirts, but even those are starting to get tight on him. Poor guy.

He buys a whole bunch of different sizes, wanting to be prepared for the four months of weight gain that are still to come.

"Everyone says you gain the most weight in the last couple of months," he tells me as we're leaving one shop for pregnancy attire. He got the cutest little light blue sundress that shows off his bump in the best way and makes his legs look amazing.

"That's scary," I say. He nods in agreement, his eyes wide.

"I feel like a whale, dude. I've already gained fifteen pounds. And I still have four months to go!"

I chuckle. "You're not a whale, Calum. Besides, you're supposed to be gaining weight."

"I know, but still."

We approach a shop that sells all kinds of clothes, but a cute, lacy, black bodysuit catches my eye. Lingerie.

"Can we stop in here?" I question. It's been a long time since I've gotten new lingerie, and I know Michael and I both will appreciate it.

"Of course." Calum follows me into the small shop, where the scent of cherry greets us at once. Soft rock music is playing through the speakers.

There's a whole section towards the back with the word lingerie at the top in fancy gold lettering. It's organized by color. I walk straight to it, looking at the different styles.

"Okay," Calum says. "I've got to come here after I lose the baby weight."

I laugh and pick up a dark red piece. It's like a leotard, but all lace. I find my size and decide to buy it.

I leave the shop with four new lingerie outfits. I'm happy with my purchase, and can't wait to show them off to my boyfriend later.

Around mid-afternoon, Calum starts to get tired. He drops me off at home and I grab all my bags.

"Thank you for today. I had fun," I tell him before I leave.

When I get inside, Michael is playing video games in our room. I drop all the bags into our closet and he pauses the game, looking up at me.

"How do you feel about going out?" He mentions.

"Out where?"

"First, to get your nails done. I know it's been a while."

It's been about three months since I've gotten my nails done, so it doesn't sound like a bad idea.

He continues before I can answer. "Then, to the pet store. After that, to the shelter to pick out a dog."

"Yes!" I blurt. "Let's go!"

He laughs and stands up to put shoes on.

The nail salon is only a few blocks away, so it doesn't take long to get there. Lucky for us, they aren't even busy.

The wait is short, and I choose a soft pinkish color with glitter. When I've picked my color, the lady starts working. I don't do acrylics since they're horrible for your nails, so the process is quicker than most. She finishes in about half an hour and we wait for them to dry. When they're dry, Michael pays and we leave.

"To the pet store to shop for our little buddy," Michael says as he starts to drive. This is when I get impatient, because the pet store is two blocks from the shelter. The drive feels like it's forever, though it's no longer than twenty minutes.

Michael helps me pick out everything we'll need for the dog, with help from a supply list that one of the employees gives us. I want the best for our soon to be pet, and so I choose the softest of everything. We get a huge variety of treats and a high quality dog food.

Once our entire cart is full, we check out. The total is pretty hefty, but no problem as Michael swipes his card. We share a bank account, though I do little to nothing to contribute to it. I've offered and attempted to get jobs before, but Michael doesn't really want me to. I don't really want to, either, but I feel bad for sitting around doing nothing while he works his ass off.

Next is the part I'm most excited for. We drive over to the shelter, and I all but drag Michael inside. The sound of a little bell greets us as we walk in, then we hear barking from some dogs.

A boy no older than twenty stands behind a counter and greets us.

"Hello. How can I help you guys today?" He asks.

"We'd like to adopt a dog," I state, a grin on my face.

"Wonderful! Right this way."

We follow him through a door, a room of cats in kennels, and then through another door. The barking gets louder as we step into a huge room. All around us, dogs sit in kennels with patient looks on their faces. It breaks my heart to see all of these poor animals caged up.

"I want them all," I say. How am I supposed to pick just one?

Michael laughs. "I wish, honey."

I sigh and start looking at all the dogs. Some of them cower away from me, which brings literal tears to my eyes. Others rush up to me with joy, while some ignore me entirely.

I know which one is mine as soon as I see him. He walks to the front of his kennel, displaying a more calm type of excitement. He's beautiful, too. He's a golden orange Pomeranian, with fluffy hair and a cute little tongue that shows when he pants.

"This one," I say. "What do you think, babe?"

I turn to Michael, who walks over to the small dog. He examines the animal, then pets him twice.

"Perfect."

The employee takes my new dog out of the cage and puts him on the leash we brought in. We head back to the main lobby and fill out tons of paperwork. The final thing to do is pay the fee, and then we're set to take him home.

As we're on our way home, Michael looks at me cuddling the dog.

"I think we should name him Pepperoni," he tells me. I snicker.

"Really?"

He nods. "Yep. He's round and a reddish color. Plus I like pepperoni."

"Pepperoni. Do you like that name?" I ask the dog, who just responds with pants and a stare full of joy.

"Alright." I say. "Pepperoni it is."