Missing Dog

Zoe

I hung my head in despair and didn’t bother to acknowledge his comment. Not only did I just lose the people who raised me a few months ago, but I lost the last thing they gave me while they were alive. English was the last family member I knowingly had, and I wasn’t sure how I would make it without him. In a way, English was like an emotional support dog. Any time I was feeling blue he was always right there to cheer me up. English touched my soul in a way that no human ever could.

“The good news is that you had him microchipped, so if someone picks him up and takes him to a shelter or the vet, then they’ll be able to contact you.” At the mention of vet, Elijah pulled into his driveway. I Internet-stalked him yesterday, so I knew he owned a vet practice.

“Thanks again for all your help today, Cole, but I think I’m gonna call it a night.”

“Yeah, it is getting kind of late. Walk me to my car?”

“Sure,” I replied, easing myself off the steps.

“I’ll call you tomorrow?” Cole asked.

“Yeah, sure.” My eyebrows rose to the top of my head when Cole leaned in for a kiss. I quickly turned my head so that his tender lips landed on my cheek. Don’t get me wrong, Cole was great. He was a really sweet guy, but he seemed like the type to catch feelings, and he seemed like a relationship type of guy. There was absolutely nothing wrong with that, but it was the classic case of “it’s me, not you.” I didn’t want to give Cole false hope that we would be anything more than friends or fuck buddies. I would only end up hurting him in the end if I led him on.

“I’m sorry,” Cole sheepishly apologized. “I guess I read the room wrong,” he nervously said as he scratched the back of his head.

“Don’t worry about it. Be safe,” I wished him as he climbed into his car.

As soon as Cole turned the corner, I crossed the street to Elijah’s house. I rang the doorbell and waited patiently for him to answer. “How may I help you this evening, Miss Justice?”

“You may call me Zoe. We’re friends now, right?”

“I suppose so. Any luck finding English?”

“No,” I sadly answered, as I sniffed away the tears. “That’s actually the reason why I’m here now. I was hoping that maybe you would hang my flyer in your office, just in case someone sees him. I’ve been looking for him all day and I haven’t had any luck. We think he might have slipped between a loose slat in the fence.”

“How did you know that I own a veterinary practice?”

“I’m a creeper, remember?” I sniffed.

“How could I forget?” Elijah scoffed.

“If it’s any consolation to you, for an old guy you run a very tight ship,” I teased, letting my eyes momentarily wander.

“You’re a foul young lady, you know that?”

“Oooo, Eli. I love it when you talk dirty to me,” I purred. He instantly snatched the flyer out of my hand and poorly attempted to hide his blush behind the flyer.

“I’ll hang it in my office. Good luck finding him, Zoe.”

“Thank you, Eli. Good night.”

“Good night.”