Outcome

down at Bunsen.

'Oh, baby.' He laid on the sidewalk at my feet, his tongue hanging out of his mouth, his pants coming out in snorts. I was this far, may as well go on. I picked up the tired Pug, walked down the street, seeing Haley’s townhouse coming up. I hurried up the stairs, suddenly finding myself at her door, and feeling like a kid again. My stomach was doing flip flops, my palms beginning to sweat, sticking to Bunsen’s short fur.

What the hell was it about Haley that made me feel like I was 17 again?

Rubbing my hand on the side of my shorts, then pulled my fingers into a fist to knock. I rapped three times, and waited, petting Bunsen’s head, his panting slowing, but he still needed some water. We had walked nearly two miles; far too much for a little guy.

I heard movement inside the townhouse, and my butterflies came back full-force. Would she be mad that I had just shown up at her place unannounced? God, grow up, Andi. You’re not a kid.

The door opened, and Haley stood before me, her hands grasping the ends of her robe together, her hair wild, eyes droopy. I glanced down at my watch, mortified when I saw it was only seven-ten in the morning.

'Andi?' I looked up at her again, putting a smile on my face to attempt to cover my embarrassment.

'Hi, uh, good morning. We were taking a walk and,' I looked down at my dog, then up into confused, tired eyes. 'Got any water?' She looked at me, a brow raising. 'For Bunsen. He’s not used to such a long walk.' Oh yeah, I felt really stupid now.

'Sure. Come on in.' Haley stepped back from the door, letting us to pass. 'Can I get you some water, too? Juice maybe? Unleaded?' I looked at her over my shoulder.

'Unleaded? You’re offering me gasoline?'

'Well, no,' Haley walked by me, leading me to the kitchen. 'It is an unnatural color, has an unnatural taste and smell, but this one is produced from beans. Coffee beans, to be exact.' She grinned at me, and I smiled back.

'Alright. Unleaded it is.'

As she set to work on the coffee, I looked around. The place was nice, spacious and open. These townhouses were relatively new, only going up in the last five years or so. The vaulted ceilings in the kitchen led up to a skylight, the early morning sunlight coming in to light up the room, reflecting off the egg-shell colored walls. The black appliances were spotless, as were the hanging pans and utensils mounted on the wall.

'Nice place you’ve got here.'

'Thanks. Care for a tour as that brews?'

'Yeah.'

'Will Bunsen be okay down here by himself?' We looked down at my dog who had found a comfy spot right in the middle of the living room to lie down. 'Oh. Water.' She grabbed a cereal bowl, and filled it from the tap, then brought it over to the Pug. 'Drink, little guy,' she said quietly, gently lifting my dog’s head. Bunsen drank greedily, then plopped back down, falling asleep with a snort.

Haley led me through the living room, then back to the small second bedroom toward the back of the place, which was where she had her computer and bookshelves, though it was only about half full. There were a few pictures here and there, but overall, the decorations were sparse.

The main bathroom was good-size, with a nice, big bathtub in the corner, and a separate shower stall. The narrow flight of stairs led to the loft, which was the master bedroom. A beautiful four-poster bed was the room’s centerpiece, and a single dresser.

'What a beautiful set.' I said, running my fingers across the smooth, dark surface of the cherry wood.

'Thanks. My grandmother died a few years back, so my parents had it in storage. They’re letting me use it.'

'Oh.' I glanced over at the bedside table, and grinned when I saw the familiar orange Koosh ball sitting by the table. 'It’s like an American Express, can’t leave home without it.' I grinned at Haley who looked at me. She nodded, grinning.

'I’ve sent many a date running scared from that little guy.'

'I imagine so.'

'If they can’t accept my Koosh, they can’t accept me.'

'Oh, I see how it is. Planning on staying single for a while?'

'Ha ha. Funny girl. Come here and meet my bunnies.'

I walked over to the small rabbit pin in the corner by the closet. There were two rabbits in there, but they had a little bunny palace.

'Those are two very spoiled little Bugs’.'

'You’re telling me.' She smiled at me, and unlatched the cover on top, lifting it. I looked down at the two. 'This one here, the friendly one, is Oreo.' She lifted one out. He had the long, floppy ears, and his entire body, including his ears, were black and white splotches.

'I didn’t know rabbits made the Dalmatian variety. Hey, little fella.' I tentatively reached my hand out, stroking his soft back, his dark eyes ever watchful, whiskers twitching. 'Wow, he’s so incredibly soft.'

'Aren’t they, though? That’ s probably the thing I like about rabbits the most. Here.' She handed the furry little beast to me. I took him, holding him close against my chest. It always amazed me how fragile little things like this felt to me; like their bones were made out of mere paper, and could snap or tear in an instant. 'This little one is Peggy.' I looked up to see a pure white rabbit, with one brown leg in Haley’s arms.

'Why, pray tell, is she called Peggy?' Haley indicated the brown leg.

'Peg Leg. Peggy.' I looked up into Haley’s eyes. She was smiling.

'Please don’t have children.' She grinned, kissing the top of the rabbit’s head.

'Nah, she loves me. Just no one else.' The rabbit was shaking in her owner’s arms, her whiskers going fifty miles an hour as she sniffed this new scent. 'So, what do you and Bunsen have planned for today?' I shrugged as I continued to pet Oreo’s head and ears.

'Well, I have to teach my class at nine. I imagine we’ll leave soon so I can get us home, and I can get changed.'

Haley glanced at her alarm clock. 'Andi, it’s only seven-thirty.'

'Yeah, but it took us a while to walk here.'

'Oh, hell. I can drive you.'

'No, that’s okay. I don’t want to be anymore of a nuisance than I already have been.' I kissed the top of Oreo’s head, taking his ears in my fingers, running them through, amused as the ears flopped back into place.

'Nonsense. Besides, I think I’ll go to class with you, if you don’t mind.' I looked up at her, brows drawn.

'Don’t you still go to Wednesday’s classes?'

'Sure. But I’ve been too busy this week to do any workouts here. So, I’ll do them there while you teach.' I smiled.

'Works for me.'

My head turned as I heard my baby’s barking downstairs, shrill and scared.

'Uh oh. Someone woke up.' Haley grinned at me. I quickly put Oreo back into his cage, and hurried downstairs. Bunsen sat in the middle of the living room, looking around desperately for me. When he heard the noise of me plowing down the stairs, he stood, tail going nuts, his barking turning to whimpers and snorts.

'Hey, big fella. Did you get scared?' I picked him up, and brought him up so we could look eye to eye. He pushed forward, trying to lick my nose, but only managed to lick his own. I kissed his forehead, and turned to see Haley making her way down the stairs, the ends of her robe flapping behind her, showing bits of long, tanned leg as she took each step. At one point I could see all the way up to her knee.

Tearing my eyes away, I turned my attention back to my dog.

'Is he okay?' I nodded.

'Yeah. He’s fine. Just didn’t know where either he or I were.' Haley headed into the kitchen.

'Coffee’s ready.'

I put the Pug down, and headed into the kitchen, the smell coffee filling the air. Bunsen followed, his nails clicking on the tile.

'How do you like it?' Haley handed me a mug.