"Kier, are you even listening?" Brinny asked from where she'd stretched out on the couch, her feet resting on his lap.
Kieran had zoned out a few minutes ago when she ranted about the unsurprising event of Cole cancelling a visit to Winnipeg. According to her, if Kieran wasn't dragging her around the province, Cole wasn't interested in visiting, which fit his personality to a tee. He only paid attention to her when the relationship was at risk.
"What's up?"
"My parents said I need to find my own place or get rid of Rusty if he keeps destroying things. I can't afford to move right now, and if Cole visits and Rusty is gone, his heart will break. He loves that dog!" The desperation in her eyes looked genuine, but he'd seen it so many times he'd grown desensitized.
"I dunno, Brin. Maybe the dog isn't worth the headache. Plus, people love adopting puppies. He'll find a good home."
Brinny pulled her feet toward her. "How can you suggest that?"
"Okay, train the dog to keep it from pissing off your parents."
"I've tried." She glanced at her phone. "Rusty is a wild soul used to roaming. Traditional methods don't work with him."
He was willing to wager she hadn't stayed off her phone long enough to train him. "Have you tried an obedience school?"
"They're full even in July."
He knew that because... wait, Naomi!
"Would you pay for a private dog trainer?"
"I'll try anything."
Kieran smiled and pulled out his phone. "I'll see what I can do."
He left the living room and headed out the sliding patio doors to the backyard where they'd left Rusty attached to a stake, which the dog had yanked out of the ground. Rusty rolled in the fresh mud. Kieran groaned as he'd be out in the drizzle later, hosing the dog off as Brinny invented another excuse. At least he'd to talk to Naomi today. He hoped it wouldn't make the situation with her boyfriend awkward.
The picture of a chocolate lab beside her name made him smile. He'd tried to forget about her since last weekend. It was bad enough he was tangled in Brinny's relationship. He didn't need to add another complicated friendship to the tab. But this was business.
The phone rang three times before a faint voice greeted him with a weak "Hello". Had she given him a fake number?
"Is this Naomi? Dog trainer extraordinaire?" He put French flare on the last word.
She sniffled. "It is."
Did she have spring allergies, or was she upset? "Hey, it's Kieran."
"Kieran?" her tone brightened a little. "I didn't think you'd call."
He honestly wouldn't have if it weren't for Brinny. "I wasn't planning to after the party. Didn't want to stir up drama for you."
"There's no more drama."
"Oh?"
"I told him." The defeat came through in her weak tone.
Her excitement at the grocery and the party crossed his mind. Even if the guy was a douche, they had chemistry, and that split had to hurt like a bitch after ten years of pining for it.
He pressed the phone harder against his cheek. "Oh shit, you okay?"
"He said he'd think about it." The line was quiet for a moment. "He's had enough time to consider. He doesn't want to give me his answer."
"I'm so sorry, Naomi."
"We are perfect for each other in every other way, but this." She sniffled.
"If you want a bright side, he was a rude, jealous dick. You'll be free of that. It's hard to have a relationship without real trust."
People did, but they never lasted long. His parents were a case and point. His father had once accused his mother of hiring someone to flirt with him so she could blame him for cheating. Even after their screaming matches carried into Kieran's bedroom, their family never found out who was lying.
"I trust him." Naomi's voice was faint.
"I can tell that you do."
"It's always going to end this way for me, isn't it?"
She was more of an expert than him. Perhaps she'd blocked it out in her emotional state.
"Does it work for other people?"
"For some, for a while."
"How do they make it work?"
"They develop a strong connection with someone, and that person will put aside some of their needs or have them met less frequently or in a different way to be together."
To an extent, most relationships had an element of compromise. People who weren't asexual established sexual boundaries without breaking up.
"Which option did you offer him?"
"The second one."
His heart ached for Naomi. She was willing to go all in as much as she could. "That ups your odds."
"He looked horrified when I told him."
If it came as a shock, it would be difficult news. But the guy could have kept that reaction to himself to spare her feelings if he cared. She offered to do something that made her uncomfortable to keep him from leaving. It wasn't like going for a run or spending the morning cleaning. There'd be another person shoving himself inside of her, which Kieran had never understood how women enjoyed. He was glad many of them did because it felt incredible for him, but he sympathized with Naomi's discomfort.
"You sound like you need a pizza, a physical, cheesy one."
"That and a hug."
He blurted his response. "I can bring you both if you text me your address."
Shit. That was forward. The few seconds until her reply were tedious. He'd probably blown their friendship and his shot at ending his and Brinny's nightmare.
"You'd do that?" She sounded like he'd offered to scale a mountain for her.
"Of course, it'll get me out of dog washing duty if your offer to train my friend's dog still stands."
"Oh damn, that's why you called, wasn't it? And I started ranting."
"You're perfectly justified in your feelings."
"I'd be happy to train your friend's dog, just not today and probably not tomorrow either."
"I figured it was a pizza and ice cream kind of day. Thank you. She is freaking out about his behaviour, so she'll be excited. We'll work out the details later."
"Are you coming over soon?"
Kieran smiled at the eagerness in her tone. "Whenever you want me there."
"Sooner the better. I'm in Transcona."
He'd worked a few jobs there. It was a brief drive from his condo but further from Brinny's folks' place.
"I'm at Brinny's in River Heights, but if you order the pizza for thirty minutes from now, I'll swing by and pick it up. Choose whatever toppings you want. I'm not fussy."
"Thanks, Kieran. I'm really glad you called."
As Rusty jumped into the mud like it was a slip-n-slide, Kieran smiled. "Same here. Text me directions, and I'll see you soon."
Kieran slipped his boots off on the patio and carried them through the house to place them outside the front door. Her mom freaked out about a little dirt and remembered who'd tracked it in like his mother. He returned to Brinny's room.
"Hey, Brin, so good news. I found Rusty a trainer who comes highly recommended. But I'm leaving to take care of a few things."
She wrapped her arms around him in a big hug. She pressed her face into his chest. "You're the best, Kier."
"I try," he joked as she pulled away. He walked toward the front door. "Also, you may want to check on Rusty. He's got a lot of energy for that backyard." Kieran would leave it up to her to discover how much of a mess he'd made since he was her dog.