"KARA, WOULD YOU BREED YOUR DOG WITH MAX?"
Mila, you will pay for this.
As the woman in front of me stared at me stunned, I bit my inner cheeks not to cringe at my own words and kept a soft smile plastered on my face to convince her about my sincerity. The phone inside my right pocket weighed with guilt in my gut. Dear God, please let me never ever cross paths with Kara again.
When Kara took her sweet time, it gave me the chance to peek at my watch. I was already five minutes late to work, and if we kept staring at each other like this, I'd never make it to my appointment. As Kara parted her lips, anticipation clenched in my gut. Please say no. Please.
"I have to think," Kara said. Evidently, the poor girl was trying not to break my heart. Would it hurt her if I admitted that this was my sister's doing, and I had to fulfill her wish because this was a thing going on for years between us?
Mila and I dared each other to do stupid things — like spin the bottle without a bottle and truth. Since I was away from home after fourteen, it was our way to connect with each other. We also recorded proofs each time. If one of us failed, they would do whatever the other person wanted. However, it never happened up to this point.
If I told Kara about this, it would clear the first impression of me in her head. "It's not a decision I should make, anyway," she added, rubbing her neck. "It's Daisy's call."
I looked down at our dogs, who were looking at each other with tongues out. They didn't seem to have a problem with it. I tightened the leash of Max, in fact, to stop him from sniffing her dog. He didn't help me at all.
With her head ducked down and her coffee-stained t-shirt, Kara looked worn out. When she sighed with a look in my direction, as if she was using the last bit of her energy, I wanted to know more about her. How could someone as young as her be that tired? Was she tired because of her finals? Did she fight with her boyfriend?
I wanted to tell her that this was only the beginning — life treats us less tender as it goes. But, also, you learn from falling, falling again, and again. At the first fall, you bleed, you cry — but after the umpteenth, you start to get numb to it.
You don't try to heal your scars when you've got lots of them — instead, you own them.
The scariest is, the more you fall the more you become indifferent to the pain it induces.
I cleared my throat to change the subject. "I'm running late for work." The first accurate statement I'd made in the last five minutes. You're going well, Austin. "It was nice meeting you and Daisy."
If I surprised her, she didn't show it. When I extended my hand out, she shook it without hesitation this time. It wasn't hard to guess that she internally celebrated her riddance of me and this madness. "Yeah." She beamed a smile. It was the first time she smiled at me since we met, and I couldn't help but note she should have smiled more often. "It was nice."
I stopped the voice record after I walked away from her at a safe distance. She thinks I'm a creepy prick. I let out a sigh at the thought. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and called Mila. From her muffled tone as she answered, she was sleeping. "Austin." She groaned. "Jesus, it's seven—give me a break."
You give me a break, Mila. If Kara found out I recorded her voice, I could go to jail for this.
"I did your stupid dare."
"Wait, what? Seriously? Wow. I didn't think it would be this fast—you stepped up the game. Will I need to wake up at freaking five to win next time?" Her laughter rang in my ears. "Did you ask someone if Max can breed with their dog? Oh, wow. I know you can do anything to win but this, Austin Mayer, this is a whole new level."
"Well, I will not be doing any stupid dares for the next six months. Remember? It was the deal."
"Pity but yeah. A promise is a promise." I said I was going to be late to work. "Hey, Austin. I want that record." Little but cunning. "Now, I can go back to my beauty sleep." After we finished, I fished for my keys in the sports bag.
As I unlocked the door, I ushered Max into the apartment and threw the bag aside to get in the shower. In ten minutes, I was ready to go, but my growling stomach stopped me. I went to the kitchen to make myself a quick sandwich and turned the television on as I looked for the ingredients in the fridge.
When the news was so depressing to listen to, I zapped to a documentary channel. I prepared one sandwich for myself and one for Caroline. As far as I knew, from her socials, she didn't have breakfast in the morning because she liked to spend that time sleeping. We had been colleagues for months now, but the only reaction I could get from her was a plain good morning or good evening.
I packed the sandwiches and slid past Max, who was pulling my leg for breakfast as well. I poured dried dog food into his bowl and looked at my reflection in the mirror above the hall stand. "The housekeeper will be here at nine," I told Max as I pulled the door open. "Behave, boy." The poor woman was complaining about his aggressiveness around her, barking and sabotaging her chores.
Bidding Max goodbye, I left my apartment. I took a deep breath and descended the stairs with a whistle. Pull yourself together, Austin.
The streets were full of people running to work, students getting on their school buses, aggressive horns from the cars. I jerked with the drop falling on my head. I looked up at the sky. It started raining. I forgot to take my umbrella. Quickening my steps, I pulled the collar of my coat up.
However, what started with gentle drops ended up pouring in a very short while. I arrived at the hospital with the least damage. You're not sugar, my mom used to say, you won't melt. However, I could never like rain.
The worst things in my life happened on rainy days.
Pushing the dark thoughts aside, I ran to my office and hung my coat on the hanger, and pulled on my scrubs.
I grabbed my ID card and went out to the corridor with the sandwiches in hand. Hey Caroline, I have a spare sandwich. No. Caroline, I made you a sandwich. Too bold. In the meantime, Caroline was walking toward me with a friend, and her gaze slid onto me as her friend turned east. Caroline nodded her head to me in acknowledgment as she walked past me, and my heart sank. Now or never.
"Good morning."
Pulling her hand into her pocket, she turned around. "Hey." There was a question in her tone.
"I'm Austin," I said, extending my hand out. She shook it firmly with a smile. "I'm sorry we haven't met before."
"Caroline," she said. I know. You are from Minnesota and you have a cat. Thanks, Instagram. "Yeah," she chuckled. "I don't get time to meet everyone as we are all so busy."
"Would you like to share my ham sandwich?" Unwrapping it, her eyes dropped on it, and I just hoped she was going to take on that offer.
"Oh, thank you," she murmured. "But I'm a vegan. Sorry." There goes my plan. "I prefer green tea in the morning."
"Oh." Fuck you, Harrison. He'd told me she liked her extra sleep. "Sorry." I wrapped the sandwich back as if the sight of it would offend her. That made her chuckle and my heart made a drum at her voice. God, she was so pretty.
"I should go," she said, leaving me heartbroken and defeated. "Oh, Austin, if you like, we can, you know, have lunch at the diner on the corner."
"Yeah." I watched her back. "I'd love to."
I waited until she disappeared in the corridor to walk back to my room and do a happy dance.
Hey!
Austin reminds me of George (from Somewhere Only We Know). I guess that's why I already love writing about him.
What do you think of Caroline?
Don't forget to let me know your thoughts & press on that ⭐️ to vote!
See you next Friday,
Sev xx
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