Angela watched as Gael played with the small dog in his arms. This was totally unexpected. For the life of her, she couldn't have put two and two together. Who would have thought that this… thing was 'Honey'?
The little furball wagged its tail back and forth, indicating that it was happy to see its owner. The pupper was so small that an infant would seem to be bigger than it. Heck—Gael carried Honey with one hand only while he scratched its belly with the other. It felt like they were in their own little bubble for a minute, and Angela was an unwelcome guest who was invading their time—she felt out of place.
Gael glanced at Angela, sensing her confused state, but he only slightly grinned and asked, "You okay?"
"This is… Honey?" she probed, her tone careful and curious.
"Yeah."
"But… I heard you talk to someone on the phone… and saw your phone ringing…" She recalled the incidents on the island where she heard him call Honey's name and even saw it flashing on his phone. Were dogs that advanced now? She saw one on the internet that could pee and flush the toilet but not call through the phone. Growing up not having any pets, she didn't know anything about it.
"Ah…" Gael chuckled. "That's Gabby's doing. It's her other number, and she saved it with Honey's name before I left for Esmea months ago—it's a long story."
All this time, she thought Honey was a person he was seeing—it turned out he was a fur parent all along. Angela still had questions, but that didn't matter at the moment.
Gael put the dog back on the floor, and as soon as it was free, it barked once and jumped onto Angela's legs as if it was asking to be carried.
"Oh, um…" She felt awkward as she bent down to pet it. Honey's tail wagged faster, and it leaned against Angela's knee, licking it. It was ticklish that Angela couldn't stop herself from smiling. This adorable little cutie stole her heart already. "Hi… Nice to meet you."
Watching the two, Gael let out a small sigh. He sat at the foot of his bed while Angela and Honey played a little. A minute later, Honey backed away from her and walked towards Gael's feet. It curled into a ball and closed its eyes after a big yawn.
Gael patted the space next to him, inviting Angela to sit. She hesitated at first but eventually went to sit on the bed next to him. His expression changed once his gaze landed back on Honey that was peacefully resting on the rug by his feet.
The room was quiet apart from the faint white noise from the heater fan on the wall. Angela scanned the room briefly and realized that this must be his room. It was a massive space with concrete walls from the original structure of the house. The king-sized bed looked brand new, and so were the other things inside the room. Compared to the living room they passed by earlier, this was at least a livable space.
Her eyes landed back on his side profile. Noticing his change in mood, she wondered if he was okay. "I didn't know you liked dogs…" she started.
"Me neither…" A small smile formed on his face, but his eyes remained at Honey.
She had never seen him look at something like that before. It was strange, yet also heartwarming how he looked at Honey so affectionately.
Just when Angela thought of asking Gael a question, he continued, "It was my first year in Italy. I had a hard time adjusting to a place I have never been to before. To top it off, I didn't know how to speak the language. I wasn't welcomed there right away. Not everyone knew I existed before my father brought me there. It didn't help that I was closed off and didn't try to get to know others. So I basically just… been by myself for a while."
"You got homesick…" she muttered, in which he nodded. She liked that he was opening up to her. And as far as she knew, Gael wasn't an open book. He was like a man with so many layers that he was unwilling to show to everyone. It was understandable—after all, his family background was unusual. Maybe it's why she was comfortable being around him. Because in some ways, she could see some of their similarities.
He nodded. "Gabby was still a child then. The little bugger followed me everywhere I went. It was strange knowing I had siblings I didn't know about, you know? She didn't speak much English, and I didn't speak Italian." He chuckled at the memory of little Gabby becoming so frustrated for not getting her message across because of the language barrier. "Anyway… My birthday came. My dad asked me what I wanted, but I honestly didn't want anything. When I came home in the evening, Gabby carried a tiny puppy into my room. She and Dad got it for me—I'm pretty sure it was Gabby who insisted, though."
"So you've had Honey since?" Angela asked, glancing at the little dog's resting face. Gael nodded, and that's when she furrowed her brows. "How old is she now?"
"Sixteen… Honey could be about eighty years old in human life…"
Looking at the small ball of fur, the corner of Angela's mouth curved into a small smile. "She doesn't look old. She still looks like a puppy."
"She does, doesn't she?" Gael lowered his hands, and the little movement caused Honey to wake up. When it walked towards him, he picked it up. He then laid back on the bed with one hand behind his head while the other gently patted Honey, which was now lying on his chest, resuming its nap. "Honey used to be so active—now she's… she gets tired easily."
"Is… she okay?"
"The vet said Honey's immune system is weaker. Yorkies' life expectancy is thirteen to sixteen years… She's old."
Judging by his tone, Angela could tell that he was sad. She couldn't relate to how much he was attached to the dog, but she sympathized with him. Biting her bottom lip, she clutched her shirt, feeling sorry for him.
"Daddy will right back," Gael muttered as he carefully placed Honey on the bed and got to his feet.
Turning to Angela, he nodded his head towards the door. "Come on. I'll show you around."
"Gael." She got up and stopped him before he reached the door. When he turned to face her, she said, "I appreciate you telling me all this. But I still don't think I should stay here. I—"
A loud crack of thunder interrupted her. She gasped in shock, but unlike before, she didn't scream. However, her eyes were tightly shut for a few beats before she opened them again. She snapped her head towards the window and saw the heavy rain falling. It was as if the sky protested her attempt to leave.
"Even the heavens doesn't want you to leave. Do you dare to defy it?" A playful grin flashed on his face before he turned and left the room.
Angela rolled her eyes. If she didn't know better, she'd think what happened tonight had been orchestrated by Gael. She followed him out of the room and saw him waiting for her by the stairs. "Why can't I stay in a hotel?"
"Because I don't want you to be alone. You were sick, and you went through a lot today. I can't let you be by yourself," he answered casually.
Pointing at the closed doors next to his room, he told her, "Empty, dusty rooms. Don't go inside. I haven't. Unless you want to explore and find something you don't want to find." Then he climbed down the stairs.
"Like what?"
"I don't know. Cockroaches. Skeletons. Ghosts."
Angela hurriedly followed him down the stairs; her brows knitted furiously. "Are you insane? And you want me to stay here?!"
Gael chuckled as he turned to face her. "I'm kidding. There's nothing there." He winked.
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