Dog Days

6 ~ painting

I MISSED HOME AFTER SPENDING AN ENTIRE WEEK IN NEW YORK.

Out of Logan Airport, I turned my phone on as I rolled my luggage with me. I muttered thanks when the driver hopped off to tuck it into the truck and settled into the back seat to scroll through my missed calls and messages.

At the top of the messages was from Nick, which was a selfie with Max. He had sent me one every single day this week as evidence that he was handling his duty pretty well, and each made my day but also made me miss my dog more than I should have. I sent him a smiling emoji and opened the next one from Caroline. Her text was a simple Can we meet tonight, and I left her on seen for now to call her later to decide on the location.

Our relationship had developed ever since that lunch date. We had a few more lunch dates and a supper date, but there was something bugging me off about our thing. She was so pretty and nice, and probably had one of the best laughs I'd ever heard, but she lacked something that I was looking for. I couldn't put my finger on what it exactly was though, and was dwelling on the fact that I was too picky and this uncertainty would pass as we would get to know each other.

With a soft jazz song playing in the background, I first called Mila to let her know that I'd landed in the Hub safely. The phone rang a few times before she picked up. "Hey, Austin," she said breathlessly. "What's up?"

"Thought you'd be glad to know that I'm in Boston. Safe." I could hear hiss and hum in the background, suggesting that she was in her morning jog. "Are you jogging?" She let out a harsh hmm, seemingly in trouble with catching her breath. "I'll call you later, sis."

"No, wait," she said in panic at last. "Of course, I'm glad to know."

"How are midterms doing?"

"Not bad," she said. "I'm almost done, and that's what matters. I'm not a geek like you, but I'll pass all of them, don't worry. How was the conference?"

"Interesting—really refreshing." I supposed she wouldn't want to know more about what I'd learned. "Anyway, keep on jogging. I'll see you."

"Wait," she said in panic for the second time. "It's your turn to dare me."

I huffed. "I dare you to end this madness. Seriously, Mila. I mean, we were young when we started, but this isn't funny anymore." I heard her defensive grunt followed by but it is a tradition mutter. If something was impossible, that was convincing Mila Mayer. "Okay," I said in defeat. "I dare you to visit me as soon as possible."

The chuckle she'd let out on the line was worth it. "Easy peasy. I'll see you soon, brother." After we ended the call, I leaned back in my seat. I didn't feel it back down in New York, but fatigue was slowly catching up with me. Since I was taking the day off, I couldn't wait to go home and sleep all day.

When I entered home, it was pleasant to find it neat. I threw the keys into the bowl in the hall stand and stumbled toward my room. Nick was still out with Max, so I seized my leisure without the noise. As I was about to plop down on my bed, I spotted my canvas standing on the corner of the room. The cleaning lady must have taken it out of the dresser when she was tidying up.