Silver Lining

Chapter 45 - Scruffy's Mischief

Chad's POV

I was in a shower when I heard the sound of my skype buzzing off. It must be Dorris!

I quickly pulled a singlet over myself and threw on a towel over my bottom as I dashed out of the shower in hope that this was indeed a call from Dorris. I was still dripping wet from my shower but I couldn't care less about it as my heart lurched at the flash of Dorris name on the screen of my laptop.

"Hi, Dorris!" I greeted her with my brightest smile as I panted. The jolt of excitement coursing through my body couldn't wait to be freed upon the sight of her.

"Hi Chad, Oh... What happened to you?" Dorris asked as she raised her brows at my pathetic wet look.

"Oh... I... er... just came back after being caught in a downpour," I smiled foolishly as I tried wiping away the wetness with my bare hands. I lied as I didn't want to look stupid in front of Dorris.

"Er... Caught in a downpour of foam you mean?" Dorris said as she gestured her hands to her head with a doubtful look.

I peered at the image of myself on the screen and realised that I still had remnants of shampoo foam up my head.

Shit! How am I supposed to explain my way out to her without being seen as stupid?!

"I... Er... I..." I stammered while racking my brain for an explanation. My train of thoughts was disconnected suddenly when Scruffy hopped onto my lap and barked loudly in his puppy pitched voice.

"Woah! What's that?! You've a dog?!" Dorris squealed in excitement, she must have been a dog lover.

I picked up Scruffy and raised it up to show Dorris. "Yeap, this is Scruffy, found this puppy left abandoned in a box not long ago. I thought maybe I could be a good dad to him," I said.

Scruffy stuck out his tongue and wagged his little tail excitedly upon the sight of Dorris. Dorris seems even more excited to meet Scruffy as she waved heartily at Scruffy, "Hello little one... Aww... You're so cute... Come to mummy!"

Scruffy barked non-stop in response to Dorris's love for him. I was getting annoyed and jealous that he stole all the limelight from me.

"Alright, buddy, you need to calm down and go back to where you belong," I said as I placed Scruffy back on the floor. He tried to use his puppy eyes look on me, but that ain't happening, nothing can come between me and Dorris, not even this cute little puppy.

I cleared my throat and asked, "So...how's Clara?"

Dorris shook her head and said, "Not good... She is literally like a walking zombie, I just can't bear to see her like this, " then she sighed, "I can't believe Luciano gave up on her just like this. I mean... I just don't see how Clara should be responsible for Amelia's death. Why should she be the one suffering because of a mistake that wasn't even hers? It's just too cruel..."

I agreed with Dorris too, I've never felt that Luciano and Clara should pay for this mistake with the price of their love. Nevertheless, I can't say Luciano is cruel, he is also in a terrible state after all.

I could only sigh and try to defend for Luciano, "Luciano isn't doing good either, both of them are just victims of this twisted fate."

Dorris rolled her eyes and exclaimed in an agitated tone, "That's still not an excuse... As long as Luciano can overcome his mental problem, Clara could return to him happily, but Luciano is just not making this easy for Clara! Perhaps I should go find him and kick some sense into him!"

I understand Dorris's fierce loyalty to Clara had blinded her from empathising all other involved parties broiled in this tragedy, but I also wouldn't want anyone to make life even more difficult for Luciano either.

"I feel sorry for Clara too, but we can't exactly pin the blame on anyone in this. Everyone is a victim in their own ways. I'm sure none of them would want this to have happened. Hopefully, they will learn to forgo the past and the pain to move on with life," I explained.

"Alright..." Dorris sighed in defeat and she softened her tone, "By the way, thanks for helping Luciano to stay rational against Rico. I heard all about it from Rico that you helped to stop Luciano from hurting him. Clara would have been even more hurt if Luciano had harmed Rico."

"You don't have to thank me, I merely informed him to stay away from
Luciano as I wouldn't want Luciano to make a costly mistake that he would regret in life," I explained.

"Chad, you're a nice guy," Dorris said with a smile of relief.

I'm a nice guy to her? Really?

My heart raced at her compliment, could it mean something more?

I asked Dorris nervously, "So... Since you claimed that you're Scruffy's mummy and I'm his dad, so does that technically makes us... OUCH!!!" I yelled in pain suddenly when I felt a bite on my leg and that jolted me up from my seat. I looked down and realised Scruffy bit me possibly out of my negligence for him or he was trying to fight for Dorris's attention.

"Scruffy!! What was that for?!" I groaned in pain.

Scruffy continues to bark at me while Dorris got a shock from my abrupt jolt and asked me, "What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm okay, Scruffy just bit me," I said. Before I could even sit down and get back to skyping with Dorris, I felt a tug at the towel wrapping around my waist, and it slipped off me entirely before I could even react in time.

God damn it Scruffy! What have you done?!

Dorris's POV

"Ahhhhhhh!!! Holy Crap!!!!!" I screamed at the sight of his large member revealed in full view on my laptop screen when his towel came off. I squinted my eyes in shock and heard him
shouting at Scruffy, he tried to pacify me but I couldn't help slamming my laptop screen down at first instinct.

What da f**k did I just saw?! Why isn't he wearing any bottoms?!

My heart raced madly and I felt a rush of heat over my temples when I was still in a state of shock.

Then my phone buzzed, I bet it's Chad trying to apologise to me about what happened. I picked up my phone with disgust, but then my face turned straight when I realised it was a message from Rico: "Dorris, Clara still doesn't want to see me, how's she now? Please let me know..."

I sighed at his message. Rico... Perhaps it's time you let go of her.