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.“No.I’m done.Let’s go eat.” She took Sebastian’s arm and they started up the stairs.“And don’t think I’m unaware of the kinky stuff you’re into, young man.You used to sit and sniff my leather boots for hours.”“Gran!” He glanced back at me and his mom, his cheeks red as flames.She cackled, delighting in his discomfort.Both Mary and I stared after them for a shocked moment.Then I turned to her, blushing with embarrassment.“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” she said, her face somewhat pale.I cleared my throat, trying to think of something to say.In the end I simply held my arm out for her.“Shall we?”She smiled at me, thanking me with her eyes.“Of course.”EPILOGUESeveral months later I surprised Sebastian at work.We’d effectively moved in together by then, since he spent so much time at my place already.It wasn’t actually official, but he’d moved most of his stuff in and planned to give notice on his apartment at the end of the week.When the bells on the door announced my presence, I saw him glance over as he helped another customer choose a brand of dog food.A huge smile spread across his face and it seemed he had to force himself to remember what he’d been saying.He looked so cute in his blue PetLuv t-shirt.I walked over to the collars and leashes that hung on the wall near the chew toys.I really hoped the store carried something appropriate to my needs.I looked carefully through the selection, finally locating two collars that might work.Suddenly, Sebastian’s voice tickled my ear.“Do you need any help, sir?”I grinned, turning toward him.“Yes, actually.I’m looking for a collar for my pup.”His eyes widened as he saw what I held in my hands.It seemed he didn’t know what to say for a moment.He glanced around and I did the same.There were one or two other people in the store, busy with their own agendas.He cleared his throat, looking at me, blushing slightly.“What kind of dog is he?”My lip twitched.“He’s big.”His lip twitched.“Big?”I nodded.“Big.But well-behaved.Most of the time.”Sebastian pointed to the two-inch black leather collar in my right hand.It had metal studs all along it and some braiding near the buckle.“That’s a nice one,” he said softly.“You like it?”“Yes.”“Okay.I need a leash too.”Sebastian blushed more, shaking his head indulgently.He couldn’t help smiling and ran his hands over the leashes, finally selecting a braided black leather one.“This should be fine.It’s strong and durable, and looks good too.”I checked it over carefully.“I suppose you recommend leashing him in public?”Our eyes met.“Always,” Sebastian murmured, casting his eyes to the floor, his mouth still curved in a shy smile.I laughed.“Sold.”We started toward the cash.“Is that everything?”“Well, I’ll need a tag,” I said.Sebastian hesitated, staring at me, and I raised my eyebrows, challenging him to stop me.“Okay.We have tags.We can engrave it for you too.” He raised his eyebrows saucily.“Perfect.”He shook his head, smiling slightly, and moved behind the counter.“I’ll look after this customer, Dave.”“Sure.I’m gonna go finish the ordering,” his co-worker said, grabbing a clipboard and heading toward the dog food.Only one customer remained in the store.An old woman kept picking up different cat toys, trying to decide on one.She stood about three feet away from us but seemed intent on her decision.“These are the styles of tag we have available,” Sebastian said, showing me the display.“Hmm.Which one do you think would be best?” I asked, winking at him.Oh, this was so much fun.Without hesitation he pointed at a simple, large brass tag in the shape of a bone.“I’ve always liked this style.”I nodded.“That’s perfect.”He took one out of the drawer and passed me a piece of paper and a pen.“Write down what you want to have engraved on the front and back.”“Okay.”I wrote out the word blue in capitals for the front, and for the back I wrote, My Boy.I passed it to him when I’d finished.I saw his eyes glisten as he read what I’d written.He didn’t look at me for a minute.Then he cleared his throat.“Just… just regular block letters?” he asked quietly.I got nervous that he didn’t like what I’d put down.When I didn’t say anything, he looked up at me, his eyes so blue and brimming with some strong emotion.“Is that okay?” I whispered, leaning over the counter so the lady wouldn’t hear.He nodded.“Yeah.That’s perfect.I love you,” he said, the words rushing out in a hushed, emotion-laden tone.“I love you too,” I said quickly, glancing back to see the lady staring at the two of us, a rubber mouse in her hand.She looked down at the floor but her mouth seemed to want to smile.I cleared my throat as Sebastian worked the engraver.It only took a few minutes and the tag was finished.“How’s that, sir?” He showed it to me.It looked beautiful and I could imagine it hanging on the collar around his neck.“That’s great.I guess that’s all then.”He rang up the leash and collar and tag for me.“Seventy-four fifty, please.”After I paid, Sebastian wrapped the tag in tissue paper and put it with the other items in a plastic PetLuv bag.“That’s a lucky pup you have there.” The woman’s voice came from behind me.I turned to her.“Nothing but the best for him.” I turned back to Sebastian, whose eyes conveyed gratitude, passion, and affection.“Thanks for all your help,” I said, mouthing, “Later,” and shaking the bag slightly.Pushing through the door, I stepped out into the bright sunshine.I could hardly wait to try the collar and leash on my boy at home [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]