ive been watching friends consecutively for like a week now
Charlie leaped from the confines of her blankets, her t-shirt sticking to her lower back and her bangs clinging to her forehead. Her breaths were shallow and forced, as if she had just ran a mile.
"Not again," she murmured, fear settling deep inside her bones.
It'd been years since she'd had the nightmare. Months of intense therapy had been the only thing that had helped — she couldn't afford that now. Her insurance was pretty much nonexistent.
"It's happening again, no?" Charlie jumped in fright, her heart-rate picking up once more.
"Shit, Mona." She sighed and swiped the back of her hand across her forehead, the other hand against her chest. "Give a girl a warning next time."
Mona abruptly stood from her bed. "Scoot over, hermana."
It was second nature to Charlie to make room for her best friend in her tiny, twin bed. She'd lost count how many times Mona had held her until she fell back asleep on the bad days.
Mona climbed under the blankets, her body warm against Charlie's. Mona, always the big spoon, curled her arms around Charlie's waist. Though she had never had a sister, Charlie liked to believe that this what it was like to have one. Truly, it didn't matter if it was or wasn't.
Mona was her sister, blood-related or not and that's how it would always be.
—
Charlie had been moving a new arrival into her new kennel when the boys arrived. The little pup was terrified, with her tail tightly tucked between her legs and her eyes never raising higher than Charlie's foot-level. The other dogs yipped and howled as they always did, only scaring the poor thing that much more.
"Hey, Miss Charlie!" Dakota took his time greeting each dog he passed, making sure to scratch behind each of their ears accordingly. "The lady in the front said we could let ourselves in because you were busy."
She nodded, her legs crossed and her hair dangling in front of her eyes. "Hey, Kota. A new puppy came in a few minutes ago. I've been moving her in."
That quickly got Dakota's attention.
"Really? Can I see it? Can I see it?" Charlie nodded and patted the space beside her, which Dakota happily took. She took the time to fix her hair, making sure to keep an eye on the little pup in case she got spooked and decided to take a snap towards Dakota. "Come on, Ty!" Dakota crossed his legs and placed his elbows on his knees. He then placed his chin on his hands, admiring the little puppy from the distance he had been taught was safe. "What kind is she?"
"She's a Siberian Husky."
Charlie felt Tyler's warmth behind her, his familiar woodsy scent replacing the poop smell she'd become all-too accustomed to.
It was as if a switch had been pulled. The tiny puppy bound from the little cave Charlie had made her and leaped over Dakota, heading quickly for Tyler. Fear closed around Charlie's throat, her professional-side immediately believing that the pup was attacking one of the boys.
Fortunately, it was the opposite.
The husky bounded into Tyler's legs, her bright, blue eyes watching Tyler with instant adoration.
Tyler looked about as comfortable as one would with their arm between an alligator's teeth.
"Aw, Tyler! She likes you!" The blonde boy watched his cousin and the pup, wonderment shining brightly in his eyes.
Tyler hesitantly scratched the top of the dog's head, obviously unsure of the entire situation. Charlie couldn't stop smiling. "Looks like you've got a new admirer."
"A new admirer? Who's the old one?"
Charlie blushed from her head to her toes. "What? I—I don't know what you're talking about. I meant—"
Tyler's eyes scrunched up as he grinned, showing off his crooked teeth that Charlie never got tired of seeing. Tyler made a lot of things beautiful — especially smiling. Though she may never voice that to the brown-haired, doe-eyed boy, that didn't mean she couldn't think it.
Dakota, thankfully, saved Charlie from any further embarrassment by changing the topic. "How did you find her?"
"U-Uh," she began, breaking her gaze from Tyler's to look at the puppy. "A mother and son dropped her off saying that they found her outside in their shed."
"What's her name?"
Charlie shrugged. "As far as we know, she doesn't have one." Charlie slowly reached out to the pup, surprised that the pup immediately licked her fingers. Now that Tyler was around, she was a completely different dog. "Want to name her?"
"Really?"
Charlie smiled and nodded. "Why not?"
"Can I think about it?"
She nodded once more, reaching over to fluff the kid's already-spiky hair. "Of course."
—
By the end of the day, she was exhausted. She could barely keep her focus on anything for longer than a handful of minutes and each bark sent needles of pain into the back of her skull. Needless to say, her bed was calling her name.
"I gotta go pee. Don't leave!" Dakota pointed an accusing finger at Tyler before disappearing towards the staff bathroom. When Charlie had told him to use it for the first time instead of the guest, she had thought he was seconds away from bursting into happy-tears.
Silence settled between her and Tyler, which was almost enough for Charlie to begin dozing off. If only he'd given her two more seconds...
"So... You probably need the dog's name before next week, right?"
"I guess, why?"
Tyler shrugged. "Just thinking." He rocked onto his heels, wearing an I-am-totally-innocent expression which really meant that he obviously wasn't innocent. "I mean, you'd need to be in contact with him and he isn't old enough to have a phone so..."
Charlie slowly grinned, realization setting in. "Tyler Joseph, are you asking for my number?"
Seriousness settled in Tyler's face. "No."
Her heart skipped a beat. Oh my god. Way to go Charlie - you just embarrassed yourself in front of him again.
Tyler grinned wickedly, obviously either well-aware of Charlie's humiliation or completely unaware of it. "I mean your name is lovely, but I think the sound of you telling me your phone number will be even prettier."
Charlie shoved Tyler's arm, the color of roses dotted across her cheeks and nose. "You're a dick."
—
From: 614566090
(11:31 p.m) would it be weird if i asked you to come to my basketball game tomorrow?
Now comfortably tucked under her sheets and freshly-showered, a strange feeling bubbled in her chest. Though it'd been months since the last time she felt the feeling, she knew what it was.
She was excited.
Without another thought, she added him to her contacts and responded.
To: ty
(11:31 p.m) Assuming you are who I'm assuming you are, not at all.
(11:31 p.m) Give me the time and place and I'll be there.. unless I have class or work :-)
From: ty
(11:33 p.m) i look forward to seeing my number on your face
(11:33 p.m) oh btw, it's #3 ;-)
idk why but i love texts in books bc i just love imagining tyler and charlie laying in the dark grinning at their phones like lovestruck fools