Relations
Fiona smiles at me, that teasing foxy grin of hers that tells me she has something to say. She's not going to say it right away, of course. She likes playing games with me.
I grin to match her expression as I take a sip of my coffee, and playfully roll my eyes at her. "Well?"
"I got you a date tonight."
"Ooh, who is he?" I pounce on that answer almost before she finishes it. Fiona had set me up on dates before, and while none of them had really played out very long, I know she has good taste in character. It's been a while since I've found anyone new to be interested in, so I'm more than happy to be set up.
"He's a cute Dalmatian guy, his name's Eric, about your age, maybe younger." Fiona takes another sip, her slender paws cradling the drink. "I've known him a while at work. A lot of people have been thinking he's gay for a while, and so I just went and asked him. Turns out he's single."
"Awesome. So, how do I meet him tonight?"
Fiona, on cue, flips a folded bit of paper out of her paw, and tosses it toward me. I catch it with about half as much grace. "You're picking him up at 6 tonight. And I wanna hear all about it right here tomorrow." She grins at me.
I smirk back. "You got it." Not like there'll be much to tell. I'm not the type to get under someone's tail on a first date, but I'm sure she'll want to know either way. I suck down the last of my coffee, grimacing just slightly at the thick, almost grainy quality of that last mouthful. It's far too strong to be pleasant, but for some reason I like to drink it anyways.
Fiona swallows the last of her tea as well, and stands up, giving her full, sleek tail a good shake to work out the kinks from sitting down over lunch. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then, Tom. You show that boy a good time." She gives me that same smile again for a moment. "Tired of seein' ya lonely."
"I will, and thanks again," I answer, not being able to come up with anything better. I don't know why, but I stay there, sitting down, paws idly playing with my empty cup as she walks out the door. I could have stood up and left with her, I could have at least given her a hug goodbye or something, but instead I sat, eyes fixed on her twitching tail and swaying hips. It's easy to see from her body and her voice why the local newspaper had practically begged her to be their receptionist, regardless of her arts degree. If her face and her backside could draw the eye of a rainbow-bracelet-wearing ferret fag like myself, I could only imagine what it did to the men at her job.
Letting out a quiet sigh and grinning stupidly to myself, I toss the coffee cup into the trash and make for the door. I've got a class back at the University in half an hour, might as well start walking now. Even as I step outside, paws taking me back towards biology professors and notebooks, my mind remains thinking about the night to come. I'm always nervous about meeting someone new, but I'm still so happy just for the chance.
I stuff a paw into my pocket and remember the scrap of paper Fiona had tossed my way.
146 Alpine Rd., room 3, 6:00. I think he likes Italian food!
A smile breaks out across my pointed muzzle.
Eric's apartment is easy to find. Alpine is only a block away from campus, and every building is an identical numbered apartment. I've got a place in mind we could go for dinner. It's only a fifteen minute walk away, but I drive anyways just so we have the choice.
My car pulls into the small, nearly empty lot, and I turn off the engine. I pause for a second, checking my hair in the mirror, straightening my shirt, and trying to make my paws stop trembling for a moment. I always seem to forget how nervous I am in those first few moments until I'm right there all over again.
Taking a deep breath, I hop out and stretch, only to find a cute Dalmatian guy already coming out the door. I wave. He waves back and comes over to meet me.
"Hi, I'm Tom," I offer, stretching out a paw to him.
"I'm Eric. Nice to meet ya!" He has a nice firm handshake, and a genuine smile to reflect mine. I can see his tail wagging behind him just a little, and it makes a lot of my nervousness melt away, even with the somewhat awkward pause that follows.
"So, I was thinking of heading over to Gino's for dinner, just over that way, but I've never been there before. You know if it's any good?" I'd decided ahead of time that was the best way to give him a say in the matter without putting the decision on his shoulders. I could be so tactical about relationships sometimes.
"It's actually really good; a little expensive, but worth it." His tail wags just a bit harder.
"Well, I guess that's where we'll go then. Want a ride, or would you rather just walk there?" Even as I say it, I silently hope he'll ask for a ride. I'd glanced up at the sky and noticed a thick bulk of foreboding clouds rolling in from the west, and I'm really not crazy about walking through the rain.
"I'll take the ride, not every day I get to go somewhere in a car instead of a bus." He chuckles a bit.
Eric had been spot on about the restaurant. It turns out to be a very nice place; not too classy but clean, friendly and quiet. We sit down across from each other and spend an only slightly awkward moment looking at the menus.
"So you go to Borden?"
I nod, setting the menu down for a moment. "Yup, finishing my fourth year right now, biochemistry."
"Cool, I'm a student there too, just doing my work term at the Record. Third year, journalism."
"Nice," I nod again.
A bouncy feline waitress steps in then, cutting off the beginning of our conversation with a friendly introduction. As best I can guess, she's some sort of tabby. She smiles genuinely, her ears perked up and her tail curled gently about her legs.
"Hi there! My name's Amanda and I'll be your server tonight. Have you decided what you want yet, or do you need a few more minutes?"
I hadn't really taken the time to look at the menu, but Eric gives a bit of a nod, so I take the cue. "I think we're ready."
"Would you boys like something to drink then?"
I nod and turn to Eric. "You like wine?"
He smiles cutely again. "Love it. I like red best."
"Alright, we'll split a bottle of the Merlot then." I glace at him, my eyes silently asking, is that okay? He's oblivious but happy. "And I guess I'll have the lasagna with it."
"I'll just have the spaghetti n' meatballs." He passes his menu to the cat and turns to me right after. "I know it's boring, but they do it so well here."
I chuckle and sit back, nodding. There's another brief pause while we both just look each other over, a bit more relaxed now. He really does take good care of himself. His fur practically shines. The outline under his shirt leaves little doubt that he exercises regularly. He even has a pretty attractive face, which is a rare thing to find in guys, in my opinion.
"So what sort of things do you do for fun?" I ask just to try to keep some sort of dialogue going. I always feel awkward leaving much of a break.
"I play soccer a fair bit." That explains his trim figure. "I like music."
"What sort of music?"
"Well, I listen to almost anything, really. I enjoy a lot of techno, trance and stuff." He trails on for a little bit, listing some of his favorite bands, none of which I recognize much. I just knew the genres, and they weren't really my thing. "You?"
"I listen to almost anything too, I'm more into rock, bit of metal. Mostly anything that has a lot of talent." I list a couple bands of my own, he nods much in the same way I imagine I did moments before. So we don't have much common ground there. I think around for a bit looking for another subject as we pass small talk back and forth, before a thought pops into my head.
"So, you're a student at Borden, how is it I missed a cute Dalmatian like you for so long? You don't come by the club get-togethers?" The club was, of course, the university's gay and lesbian gang. They'd only been around a few years, so they hadn't officially got a nice witty, rainbow-y name yet.
I know his answer before he says it, just by the quick sharp glance around he makes as I'm asking him. He leans forward just a bit. "Well, I'm not really... out."
"Why not?" I ask on reflex. We did after all live in a pretty accepting city. I was out to everyone I knew here, and hadn't taken any flak for it yet.
"Well," he begins again. I can actually see the faintest trace of a blush through the short fur on his muzzle as he paws at his neck nervously. "It's mostly my parents, and well, I don't know. I'm not really that sure of myself, I guess. I don't want to make a big deal of it."
I'm kind of glad our food shows up right then, it might have saved me from a bad answer. I've been around the open, often flamboyant crowd at the club for a long time; it's hard for me to remember back in my first year when I was still in the closet. All I know is that I've done enough sneaking around and hiding in my life, and it's something I have no desire to go back to. Somewhere in the back of my head, a disapproving mark is made, and a tiny bit of my enthusiasm drips away.
The wine is good, and the food is better. I'm not the most ecstatic about footing a sixty dollar bill (tip included, and I wasn't going to take no for an answer from Eric), but I have to admit it's worth it. I've never had better lasagna before, it came with bread that's delicious, and the wine makes all of it that much better. We talk a little more over our food, and by the time we're finished I can tell both of us are satisfied.
"That was great," I say aloud. Eric nods back at me, finishing the last of his glass. I slip out the cash before the Dalmatian can object, and stand up. "You feel like heading somewhere else, doing something?"
"Well, to be honest," Eric starts, and I immediately feel more of that excitement drip away. "I've got work again early tomorrow, I don't think I could hang around long enough to get into anything. I oughta head home."
I nod, and we turn to walk together towards the exit. I hold the door for him. "Maybe another night then, maybe a weekend when there's no work." I smile, making sure it doesn't look any less sincere.
"Oh, definitely." He digs into his pocket and flips out a cell phone. "I can give you a call sometime, if you give me your number."
"Sure." I give him my number, he gives me his, and we hop back into my car. I pause, for a moment painfully aware of the wine I'd had to drink, before deciding I'm still fine to drive.
When we reach his apartment and I get us parked again, he leans over and gives me a quick hug. I can see his tail is still wagging somewhat, and that brief moment of closeness reminds me just how much I've missed holding someone like that. I hold on to him probably half a second longer than I ought to, I just can't help myself.
Before I know it's over, he's standing outside, hunched over and looking in at me. "See you again soon, Tom." He waves, I wave back, and the door closes. That was it.
I sit there for a second, watching him walk away, before I start driving again. I really don't know how to feel, at that moment. It was a nice enough night. I got the feeling he was sort of interested in me, but there was a stack of lingering concerns that kept piling up through it all. We don't have all that much in common, in fact, I can't think of one thing we do have in common aside from an appreciation for a flat chest and bulging pants. But that isn't all of it.
He's still in the closet. I don't know if I can handle dating somebody that way again. I'd had one boyfriend back in high school, and tried to keep it a secret. The strain nearly drove us both crazy before we split up. Sure, I could probably put up with it if it were going to change sometime soon, if I had faith that we could really make it in the long term.
Then there's the rest. I know his work isn't that early. I know from Fiona that nobody comes in to work before 8:00 there, and it was only 8:30 at night right then. If his heart had been in it, Eric could have stuck around for a while, even just talked with me if nothing else.
I sigh, and take a red light to cover my face with my paws for a moment. I can already feel a twinge of an old bitterness welling up from my stomach, clenching everything in its path. I'd heard all these people talking about love, how it can take you at first sight, how it just "happens", how you just "know". Well, it had never "just happened" to me before, and it certainly didn't tonight with Eric. Just another cute guy who seemed mildly interested, someone I doubted I'd get along with in the long run, and who would probably be snagged by somebody more forthright before I even had a chance.
A loud blast of a car horn from behind me shakes me out of my wallowing, but it does nothing to clear the feeling. I drive along by reflex, my thoughts feeding off each other and growing more bitter as the streets go by. Of course he's not going to call me. The last guy I dated didn't either. It's never going to work out, why do I even try. By the time I reach my own apartment, I'm on the edge of tears.
I sit in my car for a moment, trying to collect myself. I don't want to go inside. Nobody is there. I'd just spend the rest of my night stewing in the same dramatic crap all night long. So, I decide I'll go somewhere else.
I lock the car and start my paws down the sidewalk, heading past the apartment buildings back the way I'd driven in. There's a sort of bar-club-place only a ten minute walk away that most of the gay types in the city hung around at. I usually enjoyed myself there when I stopped by. A bit of alcohol, some shameless flirting, and some loud music (even if it wasn't my style) might do something to take away the clouds from over my head.
And on that subject, I'm almost there before I hear a rumble of thunder, and look up to see those foreboding clouds from earlier now right overhead. Just my luck, I growl to myself though luck has nothing to do with it. Now I'll have to walk home in the rain.
I only get caught by a light mist before I slip inside the door, watching the real storm start through the glass. I shrug it off and stroll right in past the carefree masses of furred bodies of every kind. I'm not in the mood to dance or really socialize at all just yet. I want a drink first.
The bar is a nice place to be. They keep it clean, the seats are comfortable. I recognize the otter behind it, who's busy passing time by juggling some glasses around. If there's one thing this place is known for, it's people screwing around and having fun, employees included. I smirk just a bit, but it doesn't really lift my mood any.
The otter notices me, and after slowly slipping in my direction, he carefully sets down the three glasses he'd been juggling in a nice pyramid in front of me. He smiles an honest smile, and shouts over the thumping music. "What can I get for ya?"
"Give me the strongest, gayest drink you can make." I say back to him, with only a bit of that smirk. "Two of 'em."
He chuckles and nods, swiping up two of the glasses he'd been juggling with.
I don't watch him make whatever he puts together. I don't want to ruin the mystery of it, I guess. I just stare ahead at the row of bottles and think. It's going to be hard not to disappoint Fiona tomorrow when she asks how the date went, even if it still went "alright". Thinking about it makes my heart sink a bit more.
The otter returns and slides two small glasses in front of me, each one has an umbrella sitting in it stuck through a cherry. The drink itself is bright pink and thick. I sniff it curiously, then throw back half a glass.
I recoil a bit, and see the otter laugh out of the corner of my eye. He'd taken me seriously. The drink is sweet and creamy and fruity, but it burns my throat like nothing I'd had before. I like it a lot, and make quick work of both the glasses he'd given me.
I'm only vaguely aware of the cheetah that had sat down next to me moments after I arrived. He'd ordered himself something similar, an interesting blue drink of the same size, and he sat there sipping it quietly. For some reason, I don't feel like turning to him and practicing some pick-up lines on him before I get drunk, and I'm pretty glad he's not doing it either.
It doesn't last long. I can feel him about to say something before he does it.
"Y'know, they say you shouldn't drink alone. How 'bout the two of us drink alone together?"
I groan to myself, rolling my eyes just a little bit. I've heard that one before, I'm pretty sure. But then, I'm already feeling a bit lonely, so I decide not to turn down a free drink. "Sure, if you're buying."
The cheetah doesn't say any more, but I can feel the grin on his muzzle. My eyes catch an excited twitch of his tail, and just for a moment I imagine the voice of a fisherman inside his head. Oh, he's bitin'! I got one!
After a moment that completely slips away from me, one of the cheetah's blue drinks appears before me, so I grab it and sip at it. It's pretty good too, not too strong, something minty, but the warmth of it going down is nice. I still have that clenched, depressed, cold feeling inside, and I figure the alcohol isn't helping at this point, but what the hell. I finish the rest in one swallow.
The cheetah puts his arm over my shoulder. "You okay, bud? You look a bit down."
"I'm fine," I manage.
"You sure? You can talk to me if you want."
I look at him, then I look out the window. "It's raining."
"Yeah. Gotta walk home through it, I guess?"
"Yup." I finish staring at the glass in my paws, and set it down a little harder than I mean to. I'd forgotten the half-bottle of wine from dinner, that's why I'm already so loose. I'd probably already had too much, but I really can't care.
"You're welcome to come to my place instead, I live just across the street." He grins wider than ever, and I cover my face with my paws again. The arm he put over my shoulder had slipped down my side to my waist. I know what he's really asking, and I don't really do the whole one-night-stand bit. Still, with his strong arm curled around me, his tail playing with mine, I find myself leaning against his shoulder before long.
"Wanna get out of here?" he asks, and the question hangs there for a moment. Of course my mind is shouting no at me, but my mind was also what made me depressed and sad. To hell with my mind.
"Sure."
The next few moments blur together. I'm pretty sure he paid for my drinks for me, and before I know it we're bursting in the door of his apartment, laughing about something and dripping wet.
He leads me over to his couch and lets me sit down, and disappears from my sight. I'm pretty sure he said something, but I'm too busy swaying back and forth, reveling in how very drunk I am. I feel something land in my lap, and look down to find a towel sitting there. I hug it to my chest and giggle, then start to dry myself off a bit.
More moments slip past me. I know I'm missing a lot of time because I'm amazed when he hands me a warm mug of coffee, after what seems like seconds in his apartment. I take a sip of it, and before I know it the mug is empty.
I look over at him for the first time in a while, noticing idly that he's completely naked on the couch beside me. I can't help but giggle to myself again at how stupid I am, but I'm resolved to pay for it later. For now, my eyes rest on his thick furry sheath.
"I never caught your name, cutie," he whispers in my ear, his paw kneading into my chest.
I shiver, my tail writhing at his touch. "Tom."
"I'm Luke." The paw drifts lower pretty quickly, and my eyes fall shut. I'd only just learned his name, and his paw is already below my waist. I find it hard to care, especially when those soft, firm pads close around what they find inside my soaked jeans. I lean over and kiss him, hard.
The next while is another blur. My clothes find their way to the floor, and I'm left adrift in an ocean of pleasure, his paws expertly finding every last sensitive spot and exploiting them for all he can get.
I feel his arms encircle me, and lift me off the couch. "Let's go somewhere more comfortable," he murmurs into my ear, and carries me. I nuzzle against his chest, listening to his racing heartbeat as he carries me. And then, gently, he sets me down on my knees, my head falling forward onto a pillow.
It takes only a second for him to get on top of me, his chest pressing against my back, his soft purr flooding my ears, and his hard shaft pressing against my rear. I let out a quiet squeak, claws already digging into his pillow, my breathing sharp.
I hear a soft rustle of plastic behind me, and with a quick glance back, I relax completely. I wouldn't have had the will to insist on protection and I'm glad I don't have to. As soon as I feel those paws return to my chest, that hard point stabbing against my tail end, searching for a way inside, I give in. I press back against him, guiding his shaft home, and I clench my jaws as I feel him finally slip inside.
It's a good thing I enjoy playing with myself a lot, because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to handle the cheetah's sharp thrust in, burying his entire length all at once. As it stands, though, it's complete bliss, and the whimpering moans that come from me let him know that.
He never lets up once, even for a second. As soon as he's inside, his hard shaft stabs at my insides mercilessly. His hips slam into my own so hard I have to push back just to keep from being thrown forward. My claws dig into his pillow harder, and my own shaft leaks a steady pool onto his sheets.
I don't know how long it lasted, all I know is it didn't last long enough. I never wanted to stop feeling that filling sensation. I knew it could only be a matter of time before I burst onto his bed sheets as it was, but then I feel one of his strong, velvety paws squeeze around me. I can't help myself; I bite a hole in his pillow.
I finish first, there's no way I can stop it. His paw milks me dry, and keeps teasing me for so long after I can hardly bear it. But then, as he finally releases me, he hugs his chest to my back hard, and his thrusts slow. I moan softly, almost completely limp as I relax in the glow of my climax. His frenzied pounding is now a soft, steady motion, in, and out. I think I'm going to fall asleep in the comfort of it, before he finally twitches, takes a few more jagged thrusts, and then shivers against my back while a flood of warmth breaks inside me.
We fall onto our sides, panting, exhausted. His bed is a mess, our scent floods the air, and there are bits of stuffing from his torn pillow strewn about. I've never had a ride like that before, not even close. He slips out of me after a while and rolls to his back. I follow suit, lying there, staring quietly at the ceiling with him.
That's about when I start to get a bit of a headache, and realize that through our wild humping, I'd sobered up. I don't want to be sober, because being sober means thinking, and thinking means regrets.
He must have heard me sigh, because he rolls over to face me, propped up on an elbow, and traces a claw down my chest. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know," I start and trail off. A lot is wrong. I'd just had great sex, but I still feel as devoid of love and closeness as I ever had. I want to kiss him after what we'd done, but I don't feel it's right. We both know it was nothing more than sex. And the way things are going, that might be all I can get.
"Tell me what's on your mind, bud. I'd hate to see you down after all that fun."
He asked for it. My entire stream of consciousness comes spilling out of my jaws. "I've just spent all this time looking for love, and I've never found it. I had a date tonight and I went okay, but I don't think he's going to call me back, I don't think he's interested. That's just the way it always is, I meet guys and they always wind up with someone else. All I want is for someone to hold me, to say they love me and mean it, and I don't think that's ever going to happen." I realize there are tears in my eyes and stop talking. I brush them away angrily. Great, crying after sex, that's not the absolute worst thing I could do.
"What makes you think he's not interested?"
I pause for a second. All the things I'd been running through my head all day suddenly seem so flimsy. So he didn't want to stay out late tonight, so what? So he's in the closet, I could deal with that. I remember seeing his tail wag when he hugged me, and I sigh. Okay, maybe he was interested. "I don't know," is all I say.
"Sounds to me like you're shooting yourself down before you even have a chance."
He's right, and it upsets me that he is for some reason. The more I think back, the more I find it. Guys I never got around to calling again. Guys whose numbers I never even asked for, when I knew they would give it.
"You sure you're gay?"
Now that question catches me by surprise. I lay there blinking for a second, trying to come up with an answer. All I can manage is a confused squeak. "What?"
"Are you sure you're into guys?"
"Do you really have to ask that, I mean, look at us!"
"So you like being dominated, so you like having your tail stuffed. So what? I know there are straight guys who like it too. Let me ask you this; have you always liked men?"
"Well, no." Through most of my life I'd been certain I was straight. I never even considered guys as an option until my last year of high school.
"So what made you decide you did?"
I can't really think of a straight answer. "It just kinda happened. I met a lot of cool gay friends back in first year, and I went to the club with them, and I liked it. I liked hearing them talk about their boyfriends and everything. All the straight guys I knew used to talk about their girlfriends like toys, y'know? Something you had to spend money on, that you used for sex. I'd never really heard people talk about..." I choked up for a second, and I took a moment to calm myself. "Talk about love, and all that."
"Sounds to me like you just met all the wrong people." He smiles and rests his paw on my chest, kneading those claws in. "You don't have to be gay to be passionate and romantic."
I turn to him and smile back. "Maybe." I lean over and bump noses with him. "But I still like cock."
He chuckles and kisses me just briefly. "Fair enough. You ever been out with a girl, though?"
"No, not really."
"Ever met a girl you wanted to go out with?"
"Well... Yes." Fiona. She's the only one that I'd ever really considered it with, a long time ago. She had a boyfriend back then, but they broke up a year back. She's single now. I'd just gotten so used to being her gay friend that I never asked.
Luke gets up and straddles my thighs, smirking down at me. "Do something for me. Close your eyes."
I do, and nod at him.
"Imagine she's here, she's the one on top of you. No clothes on."
I chuckle just a bit, awkwardly, as I feel the blood rush to my face. Even so, I do it. I imagine that vixen above me, looking down at me with that sweet, sly grin.
"Imagine reaching up and holding those soft, furred breasts of hers in your paws. Imagine she leans down to kiss you."
I squeak again. I think of her scent, wisps of it filling my nose as my mouth opens. I feel ridiculous, but I'm really getting into this. I imagine her eyes closing, her muzzle turning to kiss me deeply, her vulpine tongue slipping around mine. I imagine the feel of her breasts resting in my paws, soft and full, nipples slipping between my fingers. I imagine her waist pressed down against mine, slowly enveloping me, squeezing tightly down around me.
I feel Luke scratch at my chin playfully, and I realize he's stopped talking. I look down between my legs, and I'm standing up rock hard, ready to go again even after the play I'd had minutes before.
"Congrats. You're bi." There's a smug look on his face as he comes down to kiss me, and I can't help but laugh into it, my paws hugging him while his tongue slips around between my jaws. We stay that way for a long while, just holding that kiss, until he finally pulls away and rubs my chest once more with a caring look.
"Let's get some sleep, ferret boy. We'll talk in the morning, I'll make ya breakfast."
I nod and give a tired smile back up at him. We pull some sheets over ourselves, and fall asleep almost right away. That night, I dream of Fiona.
I awake in a strange bed all alone, and for a moment, I'm pretty scared. I only remember half of what went on the night before, the date, the bar, and a cheetah trying to sweet-talk me. When I see Luke step into the doorway and grin at me, though, that brings the rest back.
"Morning, ferret boy."
"Morning, sexy cheetah," I answer, and roll to my feet. I can't tell if he's turned to calling me 'ferret boy' because he's forgotten my name. If he has, I really can't blame him.
"I've got breakfast out in the kitchen for ya." He spins around and leaves me, his tail swaying out of the room seductively. I hop up right away and follow him, completely naked just like he is.
Breakfast is great. Fried eggs, toast and bacon, all done just perfectly. We talk through it, laughing and having fun. I'd only met him the night before, but it's like we're old friends.
"So," he says as we finish eating, "you going to ask this girl out now?"
Memories of the last night flood through my head again, and I chuckle to myself. "Maybe, I guess."
"Is she single?"
"Yup."
"Then do it." He reaches across the table and takes hold of one of my paws. "Trust me, and ask her. Do it today, even.
Tell her how you feel about her."
I stare into his eyes, and a bunch of worries come racing back through my head. What if she says no? What about Eric? What about my friends at the club, if I turn out all straight? The more I think about it though, the less it seems to matter. If she says no, I move on. My friends aren't going to disown me just because I have a girlfriend. And Eric, well... How many times have I been told there was someone else, and come out alright?
"I'll do it," I say at last. His grin returns, and he stands up.
"Good luck, ferret boy. If you and your girl are ever looking for a third, you know who to call." We laugh together at that, and I go over to kiss him once more.
"I've gotta ask," I manage, feeling just a bit awkward for a moment. "Why are you so..." I fidget with my paws, tail twitching. "I dunno. Nice? You just picked me up from a bar, and you gave me the best night I've had in years. I wasn't expecting this to end well."
He laughs and hugs me, and I take the time to revel in his fur for one more moment. "I like to make people happy. I like getting to fall in love with someone new every night. And besides, if I got a bad reputation, you think I'd be able to keep gettin' under someone's tail five times a week?" Our eyes meet again and he smirks at me.
"Good point," I laugh. "And sorry about that pillow."
"Don't mention it."
I step into the cafe, and Fiona's already sitting there, grinning at me. I nod to her, but I don't go over right away. My paws are shaking again as I order myself a coffee. I know what I'm going to say, right?
Of course I do. I turn and smile at her, we lock eyes for a moment, and my thoughts drift away into the future. It's really not hard to imagine things working out with Fiona. Not like anyone else I've considered. I really can see loving her, holding her, spending days and nights with her. I want to at least try.
In that moment, while I wait for my coffee and stand there just staring, I can read her through her eyes. I know she'll say yes. I just know it.