FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Jaecob sat with a cute bengal kitty in a floral summer dress. One of his arms was extended and wrapped around her, playing with her long, stringy braids. Sam sat uncomfortably in his seat, glancing over occasionally at his date, an awkward black lab playing with the chopsticks. A waitress walked by with their drinks, clinking them down.

"Can I get you chatty bunch?" She offered amicably. Her feathers were a pretty shade of fluffy azure.

Sam laughed awkwardly and ordered a Peking duck. He didn't pay much attention to what the others ordered, as he was awkwardly staring at his lap and clumsily folding a napkin.

"So." The bengal, Andrea, piped up. "Haven't met you much before." She said to Sam.

"Nope. Heard good stuff about you." Sam said. What little Jaecob said about his girlfriend had been positive, that was true. But it wasn't details about her. Just of her achievements and his dating prowess. Jaecob was a serial dater, he said. Dedicated to a girl or guy at a time, no one else during that time. But he couldn't eat just one meal his entire life. He had to have diversity, you know man? But this one he seemed quite fond of. When Sam brought up the one-dish idea Jaecob insisted he was a changed Hyena and that, really, he could get used to this one. She wasn't a food. Stop being so materialistic, gosh. At that they both laughed.

"I'm glad. I hear you've..." Andrea paused. "Been quite successful." She decided on the appropriate adjective with a tiny smile.

"Thank you. I try."

Andrea looked pointedly at the lab, one of her old friends, and cocked her head furiously towards Sam. The two exchanged a glance then looked away, laughing nervously.

"Come on, our two best buds can get along, can't they?" Jaecob intervened. "Come on, Miles. Bulk up. Get your dawg on."

"Don't do that ever again." Miles said, but smiled all the same. He looked at Sam with a weak "hey wassup?"

"Well, we were both dragged here with good intention. I suppose we can make the most out of it. You always should." Sam stopped himself from preaching and reminded himself to act as normal as possible. Jaecob knew snippets of his past. But not enough to justify lengthy, teary-eyed sermons.

Miles shrugged. "I guess so." He had a plain grey t-shirt and even plainer red sports shorts. His tail was waging lamely, thumping against the back of the booth.

Andrea sighed loudly. "Miles is a toxicologist in training. He's a professional drug dealer, you could say."

"Never heard that one before."

"Really? I thought it was a pretty obvious joke. I'm delighted to have enlightened you."

Jaecob nuzzled his girlfriends neck. "Come on, babe. They're young, gay, awkward as all hell..."

"Replace gay with bi and we have you." She countered.

"Look, I appreciate your doting affection, and coming from a dog this should mean quite a lot: get a room."

Sam smiled. "Hey, they're only trying their best to make themselves the most awkward and uncomfortable ones at the table. So by comparison we seem comfortable and almost normal."

"They started this whole business." Miles didn't look at Sam. He focused on trying to grip the ice cubs floating in his lemonade with his chopsticks. He wasn't very successful.

Sam sighed. Here, he said, and reached over. He placed his paws on Miles' and helped adjust the modified little strap around the sticks to his paw, so by flexing his digits he could better cinch them. Miles tried again, and again, and by the fourth or maybe fifth time he managed to grip the sliver of ice between the flanks of wood for roughly three seconds. It plunked back down. His efforts had nearly melted it away anyway.

Miles put his chopsticks down. "Thanks."

Sam shrugged. "They put those straps on for a reason. Some paws are more dextrous than others."

Miles nodded. "Uh huh, sure."

Andrea leaned forwards and hid half her muzzle with a speckled paw. "He's not always a massive dick. He's just uncomfortable and angry with me. I didn't tell him he'd have a date."

The insides of the lab's ears reddened. Before he could retort, however, the waitress came by with their food. She set it down steaming before them. Sam ate in absolute silence while the others made idle chatter. Only when he finished did he mutter a thank you.

"Hey man, treats on me." Jaecob insisted.

Sam gave what he hoped was a grateful and not simpering grin.

The others took longer to eat, pecking at their food, chatting, taking long sips from their drinks. Andrea cracked a joke and Miles laughed. It was a warm, rumbly sound that Sam found to be extremely pleasing. Sam smiled at him and tried to mop up the few sauce-doused peas and gave up. He didn't have any bread for it.

The fortune cookies came with the cheque. Jaecob and Andrea argued briefly over paying for it. Sam refrained from throwing the fortune cookie out the second Miles placed it in his paw. He forced himself to crack it open and nibble on the thin cracker. The paper was printed with smudged blue ink.

ALL YOUR DREAMS WILL COME TRUE ON A WEDNESDAY.

Sam shared it with Miles. Miles seemed perturbed. "You can't share that, or it might not come true."

"It never was going to anyway," Sam retorted. "They're pre-made in a factory and sent out by the thousands. Someone who wrote this probably was up on a tuesday and didn't give a single care. It's just words on paper handed at random."

"And at random, out of thousands as you say, that exact one happened to fall into your paws. So it's meant for you, in a way." Miles reread his fortune then tucked in his pocket. His claws clicked against his mobile.

Sam shrugged it off. Jaecob looked dismayed and Andrea looked downright disappointed. She turned to Jaecob and hissed in his ear about what a mistake was. Just because they have the same sexuality doesn't make them compatible instantly! They're both flimsy bottoms. Don't say flimsy. Flimsy flimsy flimsy! Should I say flaccid? Babe... They continued for some time. Sam cleared his throat.

"Do you guys still want to take a walk around the park?"

They broke apart, a tiny ring of hope blossoming. "Sure!" Andrea roped her arm with Jaecob and they left, popping mints in their mouths and nodded at the waitress as they left.

The park was paved with pastel pathways. Stark trees with the same shade of green leaves all across and decorated with tiny white lights surrounded them. As evening began to drip into the sky each light flickered on, decorating the sky like stars fallen to earth. The smell of flowers, greenery, restaurants, and wet earth rose up. Light pop was playing over the speakers. A fountain trickled somewhere. Jaecob and Andrea walked ahead, muttering amongst themselves.

Sam and Miles walked closely behind. They were mostly in silence, enjoying the scenery, watching the moon steadily show her face. Sam smiled up at it, as if saying hello. They reached the end of their walk when Jaecob decided the rest was futile.

"Maybe we should part here?" Andrea asked.

"I think that's a good idea." Miles said.

"Yeah..." Jaecob gave Sam a hug and patted his back. "I'm heading to Andrea's for the night. Don't leave the stone on or the tap running."

"I'll do just that."

"Sam, please."

Sam turned to Andrea and kissed her cheek. She smiled at him and apologised softly in his ear. He forgave her and shrugged it off with another pathetic laugh. He felt like he'd cringe inwards into a black-hole.

Andrea and Jaecob turned towards her car, leaving Miles and Sam. Sam had his hands deep in his jean pockets.

"Sorry this didn't work out." Sam said. "I'm not really into the dating scene anyway." I'm in love with someone else. He wanted to say, I can never fall in love again. I've been robbed of that ability. I used it up. Sorry pal, find someone else. The neon open sign is no longer on.

Miles shrugged. "Not to be rude or anything but you're too clean, vanilla, you know - good for me. You seem like a sweet guy and all but I can't handle your preachiness. Jaecob did say you're off and I thought he meant off in the way I liked it. Sorry for assuming."

"Sorry for being assumed."

"Hey, but you're cool. We can chill for a tea or something later."

"Sure."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Sam watched Miles head to the parking lot and slide into his bulky grey car. Sam turned and began to walk to his apartment. Jaecob and Sam had walked to the restaurant. It was hardly a quarter hour walk.

And, all in all, Sam didn't regret that evening too much. Nothing to regret, really.