A Different Slice

4 - Rusty (Kieran)

Photo credit: Keren Buttrum from Unsplash

***

When Brinny mentioned a surprise, the last thing Kieran expected was an animal, let alone a tiny one attacking his legs in her parents' backyard. The dog wouldn't stop yelping and yipping as it jumped for the toque sitting upon his head, despite the impossibility that the dog would reach it.

"Isn't he the sweetest?" she asked.

Kieran had a word for the animal, but it wasn't sweet. He tried to nudge it off his thighs with no success. Her denim overalls and a thicker long-sleeved shirt underneath were better armour than his t-shirt.

"Since when did you want a dog?"

Brinny crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "I've always liked animals."

From his knowledge, she enjoyed adorable pictures of them, but he couldn't imagine her taking care of one. She didn't stop this dog from harassing him and just filmed the ordeal on her phone while cooing at the supposed cuteness.

"Where did he come from?"

"Cole found him abandoned up north, and he couldn't bear the idea of the little guy being neglected. He's so thoughtful." She sighed wistfully.

Using a puppy to apologize for breaking up with Brinny for another woman and ignoring her for weeks wasn't Kieran's idea of thoughtfulness. But she had a soft spot for Cole. An argument would only upset her, and she was finally out of her melancholic bubble.

"So he's yours now?" Kieran asked.

The Jack Russell Terrier kept nipping at the knees of his jeans.

"I can't believe I got so lucky."

"What did you name him?"

"Rusty."

Kieran winced as the dog's claws dug into his calf. "That's so fitting." Both were reasons to get a protective shot. 

He spotted a ball on the ground, picked it up, and tossed it across the backyard. Rusty had already damaged her parents' typically immaculate lawn. Kieran was curious how long this pet situation would last. More than that, he needed confirmation of her relationship status.

"So you and Cole are..."

"Back together, isn't it great?" Brinny's blue eyes almost sparkled as she searched his face.

If she was going to pretend last night didn't happen between them, he could too. "Yeah, if that's what you want."

She tucked a few strands of her dyed blonde hair that had escaped her messy bun behind her ear. He'd preferred her as a natural brunette, but his opinion didn't count for much anymore.

"It is. I'd forgotten how much I missed being with him."

The validity of her statement didn't convince Kieran, given the number of emotional rants he had endured over the past three weeks about what a lying, selfish bag of dicks he was.

"I'm happy for you," he lied. 

Perhaps it wasn't so bad if you wished it were true. She sighed and looked away. What answer had she wanted from him?

Though he had hoped she'd be lonely enough to give in someday to at the very least sleeping together, two eventless years had come and gone. She flirted with him often when they first met, but as she got more confident, lost weight, and changed her style into this more boho, travel vibe, she'd stopped. She also had more offers and options now, but she still always made time for him.