CHAPTER THREE: PUPPY LOVE
song of the chapter: so hot you're hurting my feelings, caroline polachek
Athena and Bobby's parties are famous.
Athena is the most gracious hostess with the mostest, and Bobby's skill and expertise in the kitchen and in crowd control compliment her perfectly. Every time they decided that they'll be hosting a gathering at their gorgeous home, you'd be stupid to miss it.
Even if it makes Indiana stupid, she wishes that she had just stayed home.
She loves her family, and she loves the extended family that they bring with them. They make for a funny bunch, what with Athena and Bobby, who bring Athena's biological and Bobby's honorary work children. Then there's Jasmine and her younger sister Rosalie, who is never far from May's side at these gatherings, hooked on the feeling they get from one another from the minute they met four months ago.
This is the first time that Indiana is meeting everyone, though. Somehow, every time Bobby's firehouse children are at these gatherings, Indiana is absent. They don't happen as often as anyone would like, and Indiana spends 90% of her free time nowadays training her dog not to tear up the mail as it comes through the door and preparing class work for her students.
So, now that the school year has drawn to a close for the fall break and Indiana is finally able to free herself up from any and all responsibilities for a few hours, she thought that coming here would be the perfect way to let loose.
Indiana thought wrong.
She crosses through the threshold of the house with Clover at her side, still on the leash until she has gotten to know everyone properly enough to not jump on them. The first thing she notices is the noise, booming music coming from the backyard and raucous laughter filtering into the quiet parts.
She feels at ease until she spots Athena standing at the bottom of the staircase, looking like a woman on a mission that Indiana wants nothing to do with.
"Hello, sweet girl," Athena coos, her attention on Clover from the get go, no mind paid to the dogs owner. "Oh, you are just as sweet as your mommy said, aren't you? Yes you are, yes you are."
Indiana watches with a gooey feeling in her stomach as Clover licks all over Athena's face, her tiny German Shepherd body barely the height of Athena's knees so that the older woman has to kneel down almost completely to receive the affection.
They haven't met yet, Clover and Athena. Indiana has taken special care to make sure that Clover was fully potty trained, non-destructive (mostly) and good in large crowds before she dared take her around anyone she knew would revel in the presence of her four month old puppy.
But, with an unfathomable amount of time and money later, Indiana is finally comfortable enough in her ability to control Clover and bring her to meet everyone. Everyone except Jasmine, because god knows Indiana couldn't keep Jasmine away if she tried.
Now, as Athena stands up to hug Indiana in greeting, the reality of the situation kicks in. She can see outside from up here, and there looks to be at least twenty people in attendance already, and Indiana starts to wonder if this was such a good idea after all.
"They've all been briefed about the situation," Athena tells her, like she can hear the gears turning in her cousins head. "I told them all that she's still very little, and that they need to let her approach them when she's ready."
Sometimes Indiana wonders how they are cousins and not sisters, with they way they seem to read each others minds.
Indiana pushes a breath out through her pursed lips, "She should be fine, we've been to six puppy training and socialising classes in preparation for this, but I'm just-"
"Being overdramatic," Jasmine finishes her sentence, appearing at the foot of the staircase. She's clad in her favourite light wash denim jeans and black tank top, not that she ever wears anything else. "Clover is going to be just fine, Indiana. You should be more worried about yourself."
She feels her brows furrow of their own accord, and points a look at Athena. "What does she mean by that?"
If there is one thing in particular that Indiana doesn't like about the fact that Athena and Jasmine have formed a relationship of their own, it's that they now have the ability to keep secrets from her. Before, it was Indiana confiding in them both separately and getting individual advice. Now, they've somehow become one brain, and it seems with the missing cells comes even stupider advice.
"Don't worry about it," Athena says, like it's nothing. "Come, now, people are waiting to meet you."
And with that, Athena walks away from her and retreats down the stairs, and really what choice does Indiana have other than to follow her blindly.
The nerves start to settle in her stomach then, anxiety creeping up her neck. It's not that she's unfamiliar with everyone here, she recognises more people than she doesn't, it's just that Clover is only four months old and Indiana is worried that the puppy may try to steal food from someones plate.
It definitely doesn't have anything to do with the look that Athena and Jasmine exchange as they exit the back doors that lead into the garden, and Indiana pretends not to notice the smirk on Jasmine's face as she follows silently. Almost immediately May is at her side, pressing into her side quickly before she's kneeling onto the floor to fuss over the dog.
Typical, Indiana thinks. She should've seen it coming.
She ignores the blatant favouritism that her family is showing Clover in favour of greeting Rosalie, pulling the younger girl into her chest and pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Hi, Rosie. You doing good?"
Rosalie hums in response, pulling back and taking a piece of her hair around her finger, twirling it, "Did Jasmine tell you about the hot guy you're here to meet?"
Suddenly, it all makes sense. The look of determination on Athena's face, Jasmine telling her she should be more worried about herself, the knowing looks exchanged between Athena and Jasmine.
Sure, Athena said she would set Indiana up, but it wasn't meant to happen like this. She thought that Athena would show her pictures of her prospects, ask her what she thought of this person and that person. She thought she'd get some say in the matter before she was thrown into the deep end.
Indiana doesn't know why she expected anything different.
Athena looks at her then, sheepish, "I was going to tell you that he was your suitor after I introduced you to him, let you make your own assessment without the pressure."
"My suitor," Indiana repeats. "Athena, what is this, 1802? You could've just gave the guy my number."
The only response that Indiana gets back is an eye roll, and she has to force herself not to do one right back. This is typical Athena, and quite frankly, Indiana's more annoyed at herself for not seeing this coming. She should've seen it coming.
Jasmine loops an arm into Indiana's, leading the way into the garden, "Nothing you can do about it now, Indi. Just take the day as it comes, and if you fall in love, you fall in love."
"I'm not going to fall in love-"
Indiana feels the dogs leash slip free of her grip then, and Clover has taken off running before she can say a word otherwise. Indiana doesn't spare a second, taking after her dog in a sprint with her cheeks already burning in embarrassment.
By the time she gets there, Clover will have probably devoured half the food, shit on the grass and covered a child in saliva, she can almost guarantee it. She knew she should've have come here.
Then she spots Clover smack dab in the middle of the garden, looking perfectly content and relatively well behaved.
Her chase comes to a sharp half as she takes in the sight in front of her, breath caught in her throat. Clover has tackled a man to the ground, and she's all over him with kisses and excitement like he's her long lost soulmate. The man writhes on the floor beneath the puppy and laughs joyously, hands running up and down Clover's back as he attempts to calm her antics.
He sits up now, grinning so hard his cheeks must hurt, pressing kisses to Clover's head as he continues his fervent effort to calm her down. He's muttering words to her, clicking his fingers to capture the dogs attention.
When Clover listens, sits down on the grass and tilts her head in that adorable way, the man shouts out in glee and praises the puppy like she's just solved every issue in the world; Indiana feels like sobbing with relief.
Clover seems to have noticed her presence now, pouncing over to Indiana with such excitement you'd think they had been separated for longer than a few short seconds. The man looks up then, pretty blue eyes locking with Indiana's, and her breath catches in her throat.
She definitely doesn't fall in love.
(It just feels like it.)
The man approaches her, a tinge of nervousness to his posture that Indiana can't quite explain, and he extends a hand for her to take. "Uh, hi."
"Hi," Indiana replies, stupidly, a laugh tumbling out of her lips before she can stop it as she shakes his hand. It's so formal. "I'm Indiana, this is Clover. You've already met her, though, apparently."
He nods, "We did, she was very enthusiastic."
"Yeah?" Indiana questions, teasing. "She's not usually this forward with people, really. Bit like her mother."
A grin breaks out on his face, "I'm the opposite, really. I've got more confidence than I do common sense, Bobby says."
Indiana hums in response, "Is that so? With that amount of confidence, I imagine you get yourself into trouble quite a bit."
"Depends on the situation," he replies, a lopsided smile on his face. "How about you, you get into trouble often?"
"Not when I can help it," she answers, truthfully, "I'm a teacher. Part of my job is keeping people out of trouble."
There's a pause then, then a look falls over his face. He seems to be solving some sort of puzzle in his head, and then it clicks, and he points at her like he's about to accuse her of a crime.
"You work at Durand, don't you? Christopher Diaz is in your class."
Indiana furrows her eyebrows, confused, "How do you know that?"
It seems to dawn on him then that he shouldn't know this, not without prior knowledge that he hasn't disclosed to her.
"God, that sounded so weird, I'm so sorry," he's visibly cringing now, baring his teeth in a show of embarrassment. "I work with Christopher's father, Eddie. I just realised that you're the one in Chris' school picture."
He's not wrong. Christopher is in Indiana's class- or, he was, the year previous. It's just strange that this man seems to know all of this stuff about her, and Indiana doesn't even know what his name is. She wonders how it all connects, if it's an invisible string or just a coincidence.
Coincidence is another word for fate, one suited to people who are afraid of the latter. But Indiana doesn't believe in fate, and she definitely doesn't believe in fear.
"You seem to know an awful lot about me," Indiana notes, keeping her tone light. "This the kind of trouble that you're talking about, hm, knowing everything about everyone but keeping your own cards close to your chest?"
He splutters, spreading his arms out in an attempt to defend himself silently, "Listen, I'll tell you whatever you want. I can, uh, tell you about the weirdest place I've ever hooked up? Or I can tell you where the greatest burger spot in LA is? Oh, or I can tell you why Christopher was really skipping science club!"
Indiana let's a laugh slip free then, and the incredulous look in his eyes makes her laugh even harder, and before long she's crouched down to the floor with tears in her eyes as the giggles just keep coming.
A silence follows when she finally manages to catch her breath, standing to her full height once again, barely managing to hold herself together when they make eye contact again.
"Please," he whispers, sincere enough that Indiana wonders if she imagined the lighthearted conversation they were just having. "I'll tell you anything, just to prove that I'm not sone psycho stalker weirdo."
"Okay, psycho stalker weirdo," Indiana mocks, smiling at him gently now. "How about we just start with your name."
He frowns, "My name?"
"Your name," Indiana confirms, nodding at him.
"My name is Buck. Uh, Buckley. No, sorry, Evan. My name is Evan Buckley."
Indiana grins at him, stretching out to shake his hand for a second time, "Well, Buck Buckley Evan Buckley, I'm Indiana Carter. It's a pleasure to meet you, officially."
In that moment, Indiana wonders if things will go right, just this once. If this goes her way, if Evan is as dreamy as he seems, maybe things will work. Maybe she wins this time.
Oh, how naive she was. So, incredibly naive.