Puppy Love

Soft fingers caressed my ears gently, awakening me from my sluggish state.  I gazed up slowly at the blurry outline of a boy sitting up in front of me, a soft smile resting on his lips and affection pouring from his eyes.  Blinking a few times, I licked his hand and then returned to my former position, my head resting on his leg and closed my eyes.  

He chuckled softly and reclined back onto his pillow.  After a few moments, he sniffled and pulled his leg out from under me and the sheets, trying to be as smooth as possible.  Stepping onto the floor, he slid his feet into furry slippers and walked over to a tissue box.  I groaned with annoyance, his movements disturbing me from my comfortable position and loud honking from his nose snapping out of a filmy drowsiness.  Might as well just get upl.  Placing my paws in front of me, I pressed my hindquarters pack into a particularly pleasuring stretch.  A slow, but strong yawn surged through my jaw.  I could see through the window that outside, the sun was shining brightly, raining down rays of gold and warmth.  Today would be a phenomenal day for a walk!

 Full of excitement buzzing through me like electricity, I jumped down from his mattress, shaking away the sleep, sending some furs flying around the room.  I trotted after the boy as he walked down the hallway to the kitchen, my paws making soft pitter-patter sounds on the polished wooden floor.  He stretched as he walked, raising his long arms up as if he were trying to touch the ceiling. Suddenly, he doubled over as explosive, rough sounds shot out of his mouth painfully.  I flinched as the thundering sounds reverberated around the hallway, attacking my keen ears.  I looked up at him, cocking my head in concern.  His face seemed red and irritated from the coughing fit.  

Are you okay, I whined at him, licking his calves gingerly.  He has been coughing for about two weeks now.  It seems that his summer allergies are particularly bad this year.  So bad that he hasn’t left the house in weeks, but I’m not complaining.  It’s more time he’s spending with me anyways.  

 He responded with a few smaller, drier coughs as he stumbled toward the kitchen.  With disheveled motions, he lunged for the glass on the marble counter, snatching it and filling it with tap water.  

As he gulped down the water, his blotchy face gradually returned to its normal olive tinted state.  He’ll be fine.  I cough all the time, I reassured myself.  Suddenly from the corner of my eye, I noticed a silver blob loitering in our front yard.  I could recognize that dog anywhere! Griffin!  I sprinted to the humongous clear window barricading me from the front yard.  Griffin’s human was still walking quite a few houses down our block, holding on to Griffin’s leash that she had unclipped from his collar.  She was distracted, talking away at her phone while playing with a black fabric at her chin, which reminded me of my collar.  I barked excitedly, at the stunning, ice-eyed dog in front of me. I haven’t seen him in ages-since the boy started coughing!

 I pulled over a giant bean bag chair-which was incredibly heavy, I’m still quite impressed by the strength in my jaws if I may state so- in front of the window and clambered onto it to get a better view of him.  Griffin stood up on his hindlegs, pressing his gorgeous, big paws against the window, to his human’s clear disapproval who was now gesturing at him disdainfully.  I pressed my own much smaller paws against the window with my paws fitting inside his. Staring into his icy blue eyes, I whined at him yearningly, I miss you! I miss you so much Griffin!   My tail was now wagging aggressively, and I had no control over my rear which was wiggling from excitement.  I miss you too, Fefe.  I’m sorry I couldn’t come see you sooner.  My human didn’t take me out for weeks!  He barked back in a sexy deep tone, the sound traveling in from an opened window on the side.  Same here!  The boy is not feeling well, I responded.  I brought you a gift! He yelped excitedly.  He dropped his front limbs back down to the ground and searched the ground for something.  After a second, he came back up holding a crisp chicken leg in his mouth.  My human gave this to me this morning and I saved it for you! He barked, excitedly, his eyes sparkling and furry tail wagging.  My face turned tender and my body melted in a puddle of honey as I processed the information.  I’ll come out! Wait for me! I barked.  Hopping off the bean bag, I scurried to the boy, scratching at his leg for attention.  My eyes scanned the room for a certain object.  Spying what I was looking for, I ran over to the coffee table, where my leash was laying.  I pulled it down from the table with my jaw, scampering to the boy and shaking it in front of him.  He followed me as I ran back to the window, to Griffin, scratching at it.  Griffin’s human was now walking onto our front yard sheepishly, uncoiling the blue leash in her hand.  A sense of urgency surged in me, and I ran to the front door, scratching at it frantically.  

The boy looked at me with a sad smile and muttered something with tender, soothing strokes on my head.  Meanwhile, the human girl clipped the leash back onto Griffin’s collar, reprimanding him and then muttered something to the boy with an apologetic expression.  Now understanding that for some reason, the boy wouldn’t take me out, I hopped back onto the bean bag cushion, matching Griffin’s paw on the window.   I stared into Griffin’s eyes of polar ice, cold of color but full of tenderness, longing for the glass to disappear.  And for a second it did.  But then, the glass reappeared once again, and I could only watch as the girl pulled Griffin away.