Juneau

Tuli

Jayce was putting in the effort, but I wasn’t about to make it easy for him.

~Does he think I’m playing hard-to-get? I’ll change my mind when ~I~ want to, not because of him.~

~Guess they don’t cover that in MFA programs.~

We grabbed dinner at a quaint sandwich shop nestled within the amusement park. We both ordered sandwiches.

I bit into my sandwich. Turkey and Swiss. Jayce started on his own.

The song “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” began to play over the radio.

Jayce seemed lost in thought, gently stroking his short beard, then he stood up, extended his hand to me, and flashed a bright smile.

“Dance with me, damsel.”

“I don’t dance. Unless it’s a party with a heavy beat and bodies pressed together.”

He rolled his eyes. “I can dance. And it’s not that hard. Pretty please?”

He gave me the puppy-dog eyes. ~Ugh~.

“Nice try, but I’m not falling for that,” I muttered.

“Well, then I’ll just have to pull you onto the dance floor.”

He wrapped his fingers around my wrist and gently pulled me towards him.

“Jayce, there’s no dance floor! This is a picnic area!”

“That’s what makes it fun! Trust me, you’ll like it. If not, at least you can say I made a fool of myself.”

He pulled me close against him, and I found myself unable to resist. Not with his arm around my waist and the other gently holding my hand.

I couldn’t find the words to argue. “Just this song,” I whispered in his ear.

He smiled sweetly. “Just this one.”

We swayed to the rhythm of Elvin Bishop’s song. When the chorus came, Jayce leaned in and whispered, “I fooled around and fell in love.”

He continued to sing softly in my ear as we danced. Finally feeling at ease, I rested my head on his shoulder as we swayed.

Then came the Ferris wheel. We boarded and sat in silence.

It was chilly. Jayce noticed my shivering, shrugged off his jacket, and draped it over my shoulders.

I was grateful but felt a bit embarrassed.

I couldn’t deny I was having fun. Jayce didn’t say anything, but I’m sure he knew.

Without thinking, I let him take my hand and lead me back to the car after the park closed.

“Are you taking me home now?” I asked, yawning. The warmth of his jacket and all the walking had worn me out.

~Wow, I sound like a kid.~

He smiled at me. “I have one more thing to show you, then I’ll take you home.”

“What is it?” I asked, studying him closely.

He smiled brightly. “You’ll see.”

I wanted to press him for more information, but I doubted he would give me a straight answer. So I stayed quiet as he started the car and drove out of the parking lot.

A few minutes later, we stopped in front of a house I didn’t recognize.

“Oh my God, it’s official. You’re planning to murder me and hide my body in this house!”

Jayce rolled his eyes.

“Really, Tuli? If I wanted to kill you, don’t you think I would have done it by now? We’ve been alone together plenty of times.”

“Maybe you were just trying to gain my trust.”

Jayce blinked. Then he smirked. “Well, did it work?”

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. “Just tell me why we’re here.”

“I told you, you’ll see. I’m not going to kill you.”

He got out of the car, and I followed him up to the house. Jayce knocked, and a red-haired guy opened the door.

“Hey, Jayce!” he greeted him warmly.

“Hey, Seth,” Jayce replied, “I wanted to show Tuli your puppies.”

I spoke up as Seth turned to look at me. “Yes. I’m a ~friend~ of Jayce’s. Nice to meet you, Seth,” I said, extending my hand to him.

He shook it and smirked at Jayce. “If you two aren’t dating, I don’t suppose you’d like to go out with me?”

Jayce raised an eyebrow, but Seth laughed as he patted Jayce on the back. “I’m joking, dude. You never stop talking about her.”

I looked at him in surprise. He blushed and scratched the back of his head. “I don’t talk about her all the time.”

Seth smiled at me. “He’s lying. Unless ~I’m~ the gorgeous redhead he’s talking about.”

~It’s nice to see Jayce be the one blushing for a change~.

Seth opened his door for us. “Now that introductions are out of the way, why don’t you two come inside?”

Jayce ushered me in. Seth led us to his living room, where a litter of husky puppies were playing.

I would have squealed with excitement if Seth and Jayce weren’t there. But oh my gosh, they were adorable.

“How many are there?” I asked, my voice filled with excitement.

“I believe Lady had six,” Seth said. He whistled. “Here, Lady!”

A black-and-white Siberian husky walked into the room and approached him. He scratched her ear and smiled at me. “She’s very friendly if you’d like to pet her.”

I extended my hand to Lady’s snout. She sniffed it for a moment before giving it a lick. I smiled and gently rubbed her head. “Such a pretty girl,” I murmured.

Jayce chimed in, “Seth mentioned we could play with the puppies, if you’re up for it.”

“Sure.”

The husky pups were absolutely adorable. They were frolicking and tumbling over each other, and I couldn’t help but want to join in their fun.

A pair of tiny paws brushed against my leg. I glanced down to see a small, beautiful husky standing on her hind legs. She gazed up at me with her striking blue eyes.

I scooped her up gently. We locked eyes, and then she gave my nose a quick lick. I laughed and stroked her fur. Her tail wagged enthusiastically, her eyes never straying from my face.

“Who’s this little darling?” I asked Seth.

“Ah, she doesn’t have a name yet. She’s the smallest of the litter, but her mom and I made sure she pulled through.”

“Can I name her?” I asked.

“Of course, whatever you want.”

I looked down at the sweet pup who was playfully nibbling at my thumb. She looked back at me, her adorable blue eyes twinkling.

“How about Juneau?”

Her tail wagged and she licked my face.

“Like Alaska?”

“Exactly. Don’t you think it fits her?”

“I think it’s a perfect name.”

“Do you like her, Tuli?” Jayce asked.

I nodded. “I adore her.”

Jayce handed Seth a few hundred dollars. “Thanks, man. We’ll take Juneau.”

I stared at him, stunned, as Seth responded. “Make sure she gets a good home. She deserves it.”

Jayce bid him farewell and held the door open for me. I left the house with Juneau cradled in my arms.

“Hold on, did you just buy me a ~dog~?”

Jayce just scratched behind Juneau’s ear. She wagged her tail again, licking his fingers.

I pressed on as he opened the car door for me. “I can’t afford a dog right now!”

“It’s okay, I can help with that. I want to help. When I showed you the picture of Bones, I saw a longing in your eyes. Consider this an early birthday gift.”

I gave him a skeptical look. “Do you even know when my birthday is, Jayce?”

Something flickered in his eyes. I couldn’t quite catch it, and then it was gone.

“No. Not exactly. If it’s close, then this is an early gift. If not, then it’s really early.” He chuckled.

We fell silent. Neither of us knew what to say.

Eventually, we pulled up in front of my apartment. I sat for a moment, letting Juneau lick my hands contentedly.

“Jayce. I can’t accept Juneau. I can’t take your money. I appreciate the gesture, but Megan and I can’t take care of her. And I still need time to think.”

I studied his face in the dim light.

“Tuli, don’t feel guilty. Juneau is a dog, not a diamond necklace. I want you to have her. What if there’s no other dog like her for you?”

“That’s a risk I’ll have to take,” I sighed, placing the pup in his lap. “There will be other dogs I can love, when I’m ready.”

He didn’t respond. I continued.

“You can return her to Seth, right? I want to make sure you get your money back.”

I stepped out of the car and shut the door before he could argue further.