Life's A Riot.
Ten.
JC POV.
I stretched and yawned as I looked out over the field. Danny stood next to me, his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth as he panted happily. There were a couple of people out walking dogs that they wanted to adopt, but otherwise, the field was quiet. Danny cocked his head at me. I smiled.
“Alright then.” I pulled a tennis ball out of my pocket and threw it for him. He raced off. I smiled. I brought Danny into the SPCA with me as we used him to socialise other dogs and to test cats. I left Vodka at home with Johnny usually as she was much more nervous and wasn’t too keen to come back into kennels with me. Danny just didn’t care. As he ran, I pulled my phone out of my pocket. I scrolled through my contacts until I came to my brother, I pressed call and whistled for Danny to come back.
“Yellow?” He answered after a couple of rings.
“Red.” I replied, grinning. We always seemed to start phone conversations like this.
“What’s up baby sis?” I picked up the tennis ball, now thoroughly slobbered.
“Have you guys got half an hour free this afternoon?”
“Yeah, I think so. Why?” I threw the ball again.
“I need you four, and Matt if he wants to tag along, to bring Vodka down to work. I want to introduce her, and you lot, to a dog I’m considering fostering for a while.”
“Yeah we can come down in a bit. When’s good for you?” I turned and headed back towards the shelter, Danny following a few metres behind.
“Well, I’m on lunch now, then we’ve got to walk again. So a couple of hours’ time?”
“Sounds like a plan. We’ll come down then.”
“Awesome sauce. See ya then babes.”
“See ya sis.” We both hung up. I sighed, I guess that I’d have to face Syn. I’d – thankfully – managed to avoid him for a couple of days due to working overtime at the shelter. I think he’d been at Michelle’s for a while too, which helped. Ah well, at least the rest of them would be here so it wouldn’t be too awkward. I hoped. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy kissing him – I did—but I really regretted it. Things would get complicated and I’d feel guilty around Michelle. I was also, and I’m ashamed to admit it, scared about where it would lead. I still wasn’t sure if I actually wanted a relationship with him. If a relationship would actually work out between us. After all, most of the time that we spent in each other’s company was spent arguing, or insulting the other. Yes, there was I sighed again and looked down at Danny.
“Come on, let’s go and get some lunch.” He cocked his head and lifted his ears. I should have known that the L word would have got his attention.
~*~
Syn POV.
“Why does she need all four of us?” I grumbled, letting my head thump back against the headrest in Johnny’s SUV. I couldn’t work out if Cait had been deliberately avoiding me, or if it was just coincidence that she was working more often. I’d not seen her since we’d kissed. Zacky had told me that it was probably best just to leave her too cool off for a couple of days. I can’t say that it was doing me any harm either, I was absolutely terrified that I’d found what my relationship with Michelle was missing in our kiss. I was almost certain that I knew what it was. But I’d be damned if I’d say it out loud, let alone to Cait. I was snapped out of my thought by Johnny, who was looking at me through the rear view mirror.
“Because she needs to know if the dog will get on with all of us and if we think that the foster situation will work.” He explained. I raised an eyebrow at him,
“And you know this how?” He smiled wryly.
“She has been there since she was a teenager. This isn’t the first time that she’s fostered a dog.” I grunted in reply. I didn’t want to have to face her, even if I was with the guys. I was so fucking nervous. It was why I’d stayed at Michelle’s the past couple of days. Probably not the wisest decision of mine, considering how I felt for Cait. I had no idea how she’d react. She could be so unpredictable.
“You should talk to her.” Murmured Zacky, looking at me. I stared at him. This was not a conversation that I wanted to have full stop. Never mind when I was in a car with her twin brother. I raised both of my eyebrows at him.
“It won’t end well.”
“It won’t if you don’t decide what you want and act on it.” Retorted Zacky.
~*~
JC POV.
I stood watching as Vodka and Danny played happily together off lead, slowly Tizzy – the German Sheppard that I was hoping to foster – was starting to join in. I was pleased. When she first came to us six months ago, with a litter of ten puppies, you couldn’t get her anywhere near another dog. Now, after some rehab, she was starting to play. I couldn’t describe how it felt to see such a change in her. She’d gotten on well with the guys too, which had surprised me a little. The reason that I had offered to foster her, rather than another member of staff, was because she was scared of strange men. A result of being beaten by her previous owner. I would be interested to see how she reacted to Matt, but otherwise she had been really good. I stood next to Johnny and nodded happily.
“I’ll let Jenny know and I’ll bring her home with me tonight.” He smiled. He knew that having a project like Tizzy to work with would take my mind of not having Gin around anymore and probably help me to move on as well. He looked down as Danny dumped a Frisbee at his feet and sighed.
“Fine.” I felt a hand touch my arm, I looked away from Johnny and the dogs to meet a pair of deep chocolate eyes. Syn.
“What?” His eyes never left mine.
“We need to talk.” I looked away, unwilling to have the conversation.
“No we don’t. What happened was a mistake. It shouldn’t have happened and it won’t again.” Behind me, he sighed.
“Cait, how much further into denial are you going to go?” I ignored him. “There’s something between us Cait, do you seriously think that we should ignore it?”
“You’re with Michelle.” Was my answer.
“And if I left her?” I turned to look at him in shock. I really hadn’t expected that.
“Are you seriously asking me if I would consider a relationship with you if you left my friend?”
“Yes… no… maybe. I don’t know Cait! But what I do know is that we can’t ignore what’s between us.”
“Yes we can. And we will. Well I will anyway. You and I both know that a relationship between us wouldn’t work out, even without the complication of you dating my friend. Leave it there Syn. My answer is no.” As much as it hurt my heart to say those words, it hurt it even more to force myself to turn away from the guy that I was most possibly falling for and walk away.
I stretched and yawned as I looked out over the field. Danny stood next to me, his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth as he panted happily. There were a couple of people out walking dogs that they wanted to adopt, but otherwise, the field was quiet. Danny cocked his head at me. I smiled.
“Alright then.” I pulled a tennis ball out of my pocket and threw it for him. He raced off. I smiled. I brought Danny into the SPCA with me as we used him to socialise other dogs and to test cats. I left Vodka at home with Johnny usually as she was much more nervous and wasn’t too keen to come back into kennels with me. Danny just didn’t care. As he ran, I pulled my phone out of my pocket. I scrolled through my contacts until I came to my brother, I pressed call and whistled for Danny to come back.
“Yellow?” He answered after a couple of rings.
“Red.” I replied, grinning. We always seemed to start phone conversations like this.
“What’s up baby sis?” I picked up the tennis ball, now thoroughly slobbered.
“Have you guys got half an hour free this afternoon?”
“Yeah, I think so. Why?” I threw the ball again.
“I need you four, and Matt if he wants to tag along, to bring Vodka down to work. I want to introduce her, and you lot, to a dog I’m considering fostering for a while.”
“Yeah we can come down in a bit. When’s good for you?” I turned and headed back towards the shelter, Danny following a few metres behind.
“Well, I’m on lunch now, then we’ve got to walk again. So a couple of hours’ time?”
“Sounds like a plan. We’ll come down then.”
“Awesome sauce. See ya then babes.”
“See ya sis.” We both hung up. I sighed, I guess that I’d have to face Syn. I’d – thankfully – managed to avoid him for a couple of days due to working overtime at the shelter. I think he’d been at Michelle’s for a while too, which helped. Ah well, at least the rest of them would be here so it wouldn’t be too awkward. I hoped. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy kissing him – I did—but I really regretted it. Things would get complicated and I’d feel guilty around Michelle. I was also, and I’m ashamed to admit it, scared about where it would lead. I still wasn’t sure if I actually wanted a relationship with him. If a relationship would actually work out between us. After all, most of the time that we spent in each other’s company was spent arguing, or insulting the other. Yes, there was I sighed again and looked down at Danny.
“Come on, let’s go and get some lunch.” He cocked his head and lifted his ears. I should have known that the L word would have got his attention.
~*~
Syn POV.
“Why does she need all four of us?” I grumbled, letting my head thump back against the headrest in Johnny’s SUV. I couldn’t work out if Cait had been deliberately avoiding me, or if it was just coincidence that she was working more often. I’d not seen her since we’d kissed. Zacky had told me that it was probably best just to leave her too cool off for a couple of days. I can’t say that it was doing me any harm either, I was absolutely terrified that I’d found what my relationship with Michelle was missing in our kiss. I was almost certain that I knew what it was. But I’d be damned if I’d say it out loud, let alone to Cait. I was snapped out of my thought by Johnny, who was looking at me through the rear view mirror.
“Because she needs to know if the dog will get on with all of us and if we think that the foster situation will work.” He explained. I raised an eyebrow at him,
“And you know this how?” He smiled wryly.
“She has been there since she was a teenager. This isn’t the first time that she’s fostered a dog.” I grunted in reply. I didn’t want to have to face her, even if I was with the guys. I was so fucking nervous. It was why I’d stayed at Michelle’s the past couple of days. Probably not the wisest decision of mine, considering how I felt for Cait. I had no idea how she’d react. She could be so unpredictable.
“You should talk to her.” Murmured Zacky, looking at me. I stared at him. This was not a conversation that I wanted to have full stop. Never mind when I was in a car with her twin brother. I raised both of my eyebrows at him.
“It won’t end well.”
“It won’t if you don’t decide what you want and act on it.” Retorted Zacky.
~*~
JC POV.
I stood watching as Vodka and Danny played happily together off lead, slowly Tizzy – the German Sheppard that I was hoping to foster – was starting to join in. I was pleased. When she first came to us six months ago, with a litter of ten puppies, you couldn’t get her anywhere near another dog. Now, after some rehab, she was starting to play. I couldn’t describe how it felt to see such a change in her. She’d gotten on well with the guys too, which had surprised me a little. The reason that I had offered to foster her, rather than another member of staff, was because she was scared of strange men. A result of being beaten by her previous owner. I would be interested to see how she reacted to Matt, but otherwise she had been really good. I stood next to Johnny and nodded happily.
“I’ll let Jenny know and I’ll bring her home with me tonight.” He smiled. He knew that having a project like Tizzy to work with would take my mind of not having Gin around anymore and probably help me to move on as well. He looked down as Danny dumped a Frisbee at his feet and sighed.
“Fine.” I felt a hand touch my arm, I looked away from Johnny and the dogs to meet a pair of deep chocolate eyes. Syn.
“What?” His eyes never left mine.
“We need to talk.” I looked away, unwilling to have the conversation.
“No we don’t. What happened was a mistake. It shouldn’t have happened and it won’t again.” Behind me, he sighed.
“Cait, how much further into denial are you going to go?” I ignored him. “There’s something between us Cait, do you seriously think that we should ignore it?”
“You’re with Michelle.” Was my answer.
“And if I left her?” I turned to look at him in shock. I really hadn’t expected that.
“Are you seriously asking me if I would consider a relationship with you if you left my friend?”
“Yes… no… maybe. I don’t know Cait! But what I do know is that we can’t ignore what’s between us.”
“Yes we can. And we will. Well I will anyway. You and I both know that a relationship between us wouldn’t work out, even without the complication of you dating my friend. Leave it there Syn. My answer is no.” As much as it hurt my heart to say those words, it hurt it even more to force myself to turn away from the guy that I was most possibly falling for and walk away.
7/16/13