Women And the Demons Who Love Them

Bad At Love-3

Halsey- New Americana 

Chapter Three: Why Are You Being Shy All Of A Sudden?

    Even with the reminder on Tuesday, I had almost forgotten about Evan's appointment with Oliver. At two-thirty, the reminder binged in my messages as I drove home. These past few days had really screwed my head up. I kept my phone by me and every so often I could glance at it expecting it to ring but for once that ass hole kept true to his word. Not one call or message had come through from him. 

    A part me wanted him to. I don't know what I'd say to him. I just wanted to hear his voice and with that, I've become some kind of emotional sadist. A little tiny part of me, the part that had no self-control or regard to my morals begged me to call him. It was like an itch I couldn't scratch. The rest of me fought it and right now the best I'm doing is waiting by the phone for anyone to call to distract me from my misery. 

    "Alright, Evan it's time for your appointment with your new buddy," I said waiting for the soft top to cover my bug. She glanced in the direction of the building next to us and sat in the seat. She refused to get out when I went around to get her. "Come on, Evan. Oliver is waiting for you," I said tugging on the leash. She didn't budge. Instead, she lifted her giant paw and let it fall on the leash ripping it out of my hands. "Evan, why are you being shy all of a sudden? Come on," 

    She retreated back lowering her head. I looked back at the building. It looked a lot like the building I had gotten her in. The only differences were the name and the fact that this building didn't look like it belonged in a horror movie. It's actually really flashy. This place is going to cost me some money. I'm convinced.

    "Hey, I'm not going to leave you here," I said crouching down in front of her. Her big pale blue eyes met mine. "You're stuck with me for the rest of your life. Believe me when I say I need you a whole lot more than you need me, Evie. Come on, we need to make sure you're as healthy as the horse you look like," 

    She let me pull her out. We both walked into the building after locking up my beetle. The smell of citrus and pomegranate swirled in the air of this place. Which is a whole lot better than the kennel I got her in. Evan stayed really close to me as I approached the front desk. I recognized the girl on the phone right away. She had been the receptionist in the financial aid office when I first started working at the university.

    "How can I help you?" she chirped turning to look at me after hanging up. "It's you," 

    "Hi," I smiled. "You work here now?" 

    "God, yes. I hated that damn financial aid office. People are monsters. This place pays better and I get to play with animals all day," she leaned over the desk to look down at Evan who looked up at her with the same sad look she had given me when we were in the car. "She is gorgeous," 

    "This is Evan," I said as she came around with a handful of treats. Evan looked away from her declining the treats which is completely out of character for. 

    "Does she not feel good?" Amber asked looking up at me with real hurt in her eyes. 

    "She was fine a little while ago. She didn't want to get off the car just now. I have no idea why." she nodded. 

    "Okay, who do you have an appointment with?" 

    "Oliver Ward," 

    "Oh, good. I swear that man is the dog whisperer," he said going to her desk. "Go ahead and take a seat he's with Malfoy right now. He's one of those dragon things. Super scary but super cute," 

    "Okay," I said looking down at my dog. I took a seat. She jumped up into the seat next to me pressing her body to mine resting her giant head on my shoulder. "You're okay, Evan. I'm going to be right here girl," 

    She jumped when a kid came out with his giant lizard that can easily be mistaken for a freaking alligator. Evan hid her head in my back when he lifted his giant lizard into his arms and walked out. I laughed when he was gone because I had been just as scared to make any kind of move. I looked back at Evan who now had tears in her eyes. I wiped the away leaning into her trying to offer the same comfort she had me when I had cried myself to sleep the other night. 

    "Hey," 

    I looked up to see the same guy that had saved my spazzy baby at the pier the other day. He wasn't dressed in board shorts and a tank top. Now he has some expensive-looking black slacks, a grey button-up, a black fitted vest, and tie all covered by a white lab coat. He looked like a completely different person here. 

    "Hi," I said looking back at Evan. 

    "How long as she been like this?" he asked looking her over worriedly. 

    "Just now, when it was time to get out of the car to come in," he nodded taking the seat on the other side of her. She pressed her body closer to mine trying to get away from him. 

    "I don't know what happened. She was her usual playful self twenty minutes ago when we got in the car," 

    "Did she get like this as soon as you pulled into the parking lot?" I nodded. "Alright, I'm going to take her in the back with me and run a few tests," 

    "Do you want me to stay out here?"

    "Yeah, I want to see how she complies without you there," I nodded handing him her leash. She barked at him jumping onto my lap burying her face into the crook of my neck. I looked up at him surprised. "Okay then," he chuckled. "You can come too," 

"Okay," I said taking the leash back. 

    I stood up making Evan jump down. She stayed close to me as we walked back into the examination room. The place looked a lot more like a kid's clinic than a dog's. It made me want to laugh but I was way too worried about what was wrong with Evan to do anything else. 

    "Think you can get her on the table?" he asked. 

    "Evan, up," I commanded tapping the table. She crouched down and then jumped up on the table laying her body on it looking at me. He took a seat at the computer station. 

    "What can you tell me about where you got her?" he asked me. 

    "It was one of the shelter places that rescue animals in need. I have the paperwork," I said pulling it out of my satchel.

     He opened it up and began to look it over before looking the place up online. I just kept scratching behind her ears as he looked over the website. 

    "Did they tell you anything about the condition she was found in?" 

    "Yeah, the guy told me that she had been found in an abandoned house. Whoever was keeping them there had clipped her ears like this. They were still healing when they brought her out to me. She had a few other cuts on her face and throughout her body. Believe it or not, she wasn't this big. She came up to my knees when I got her. I was told she might stay that small because she was the runt. They gave me antibiotics and some cream for her ears. They also said she might be really aggressive and mean as she continued to develop but as you can see she's not," 

    "Okay," he said getting up to come over to her. He extended his hand out to her asking permission to pet her. She sniffed him. It was like she recognized him now because her tail began to wag back and forth. "Oh, you didn't recognize me back there huh?" 

    "Little hussy," I laughed when she moved closer to him. He smiled at me before turning his attention back to her. 

    "Can you come down?" he asked her. She leaped off the table sitting on the floor wagging her tail forgetting all about me. "Good girl," he praised her. 

    I sat back watching him examine her. It wasn't until he had to draw blood. He motioned me to go over to them so I could distract her. He pushed her down on the table until she lied down on her side rolling onto her belly. She didn't move a muscle when he stuck the needle in her hind leg. I swear it hurt me more than it did her. 

    "Are you an accountant?" he asked after a while. 

    "What? No. Why would you think that?" I asked rubbing Evan's belly. She had become her floppy self again. 

    "You're dressed for business. I made an assumption," 

    "I'm a counselor at Pepperdine and a part-time Sociology professor," he looked up at me surprised. 

    "A professor? That is impressive. You look like a student if you don't mind me saying," 

    "Not in the slightest. It's a big compliment," I said feeling my face heat up. "How long have you been a vet?" 

    "A year. I just finished at Cornell," 

    "Cornell? That is really impressive," I said with a smile.

    "Thank you, did you go to school at Pepperdine?" 

    "No, Wichita State," 

    "You're from Kansas?" 

    "Yes, I am," 

    "Well, Dorthy you're not in Kansas anymore," he smirked. I laughed.

    "If I had a dollar for every time someone said that to me here. I'd have enough to buy Evan one of those giant chew toys in your lobby," he laughed. 

    "Doctor, your results are ready," Amber said knocking on the door. "Hey, Doctor Porter," 

    "Hi, Amber," I said when she handed him some paperwork. 

    "Doctor?" he asked when she shut the door. 

    "Yeah, I have a Ph.D. in the Communications and Information technologies of Sociology," 

    "Wow," he said looking down at my dog. "That explains the discipline," 

    "I'm sorry?" I asked. 

    "The way you're not afraid to speak. How your voice is always so steady. There is a confidence about you," 

    "You got all of that from two meetings?" 

    "Yeah, are you not used to people noticing things about you?" 

    "Not, really. I'm usually the one who notices things and as of late I haven't been really good at it. I'm off my game," 

    "Moving is a little stressing. A big change can do that," 

    "No, it's not that. I think the change has been the only reason why I haven't lost my s**t yet. You are literally the first person I've socialized outside of work with," he nodded. 

    "Is that a compliment?" I laughed. 

    "Sure, you should feel special," he smirked looking at the paper in his hands. 

    "So, Evan here is partially Great Dane. She has a little Greyhound and a little Doberman in her as well. From what I can tell she's only ten months old. She's actually still teething. Almost everything is perfect," 

    "Almost?" I asked. 

    "She is partially deaf in her left ear. Probably because her ear was very infected after having in cut," he said running his index down her ear. 

    "Oh no," I said feeling a jolt of pain in my chest. 

    "She's okay. She'll live normally," he said looking over at me. "All we need to do is register her and the hard part," 

    "What's the hard part?"

    "By law, we have to neuter and spay all dog now. I can set up an appointment for you to bring her in," 

    "Is she going to be in pain?"

    "For a little while. She'll probably use this to her advantage so you can baby her a lot more. She'll be back to normal within a week after the surgery. After that, all she'll need is the rabies vaccine," 

    "Are you sure it's by law?" I asked looking at my big baby. 

    "Yeah, if she ever runs out of your yard and is taken into a pound they will fine you and then do it themselves. She wouldn't be released to you until she's all healed up. If I do it, you can wait here for her. You can take her home and baby her all you want. She'll never be out of reach," 

    "Okay," I nodded looking up at him. "Umm, the school is going on Spring break next week maybe we can do it then so I can stay home with her?" 

    "I can do that," he laughed going back to his computer. "Evan is really lucky to have you," 

    "I'm the lucky one," I said. The sound of a dog barking outside the door made her jump up. She growled. 

    "That's my kid," he said going over to the door. "Want to meet him?"

    "Yes," I nodded. He opened the door to reveal the beauty of a dog. 

    "This is Brutus. He's a Weimaraner," Oliver said. "Hey, man," 

    "What's up, bro? Almost done?" the guy holding Brutus' leash asked. They were nearly identical except this one had on a pair of glasses and his hair is a lot shorter.

    "Yeah, just setting these ladies up to come back on Monday," Oliver said. Evan stood up looking down at the beautiful silky gray dog. "Lannyesville, this is Tyler. My older brother. Ty, this is Doctor Lannyesville Porter," 

    "Are you two twins?" I asked. They both smiled the same cute smile. 

    "No, but we get that a lot," Oliver smirked.

    "She's the girl from the pier," Tyler said pointing at me. "That's the crazy dog that almost jumped into the water," 

    "Yeah, this is Evan," I laughed.

    "Nice to meet you," he said extending his hand out for me to take. I shook it.

    "Nice to meet you too, Tyler," I said. He looked me over before looking back at his brother. 

    "Did you invite her to the dog show Saturday?" 

    "No, I didn't," he said his eyes meeting mine. "Maybe it's time to get back on your A game. You want to come to the dog show-down at the beach. Tyler's wife Kelly has a champion rough Collie,"

    "I have no idea what that is," I admitted. 

    "Lassie," Tyler laughed. 

    "Oh, okay. I do know what that is," 

    "I don't think I've ever seen a white Doberman," he said coming over to Evan. She snapped at him when he tried to reach for her. 

    "Evan, no," I said looking at him surprised. "Are you okay?" 

    "Yeah, I get that a lot. I'm not a dog guy," he said. 

    "He's not he owns a sphynx," Oliver smiled holding an appointment card out for me. "Are you in?" 

    "Uh, yeah. I think she can use some fun before you cut her open and steal her ability to procreate," his mouth fell open before I started laughing. 

    "It makes me sound like a complete ass when you put it like that. I feel kind of guilty now," he said smacking his hands together.

    "I'm just kidding. Yeah, I'll come," I said laughing. Evan barked at me she always barks when I laugh. It's like she's telling me she likes it. At least, that's what I want to think.

    "It starts at noon," Tyler said handing me a flyer he pulled out of his back pocket.

    "Amber will finish you off," Oliver said making Tyler burst into a fit of laughter. 

    "Dude, we have to work on the way you talk to people," he said. 

    "Thank you," I said putting the leash back on Evan. She jumped down cautiously going over to Brutus. They sniffed one another's faces before she came back to me. "I'll see you guys tomorrow," 

    "Bye, Lannyesville," I felt my chest constrict at the way he said it. They both looked over at me noticing my obviously noticing my complete mood swing. I shook it off and walked out of the room before they could question me.

    "She looks so much better," Amber beamed. 

    "Yeah, she was just a little nervous," I said. 

    I almost choked when she ran the bill for everything  Oliver had done to the dog. I paid the amount and also the advance for her surgery. I looked down at her, her tail happily waging back and forth. 

    "Your check-up costs more than mine does," I whispered. She jumped up on her hind legs twirling around before she settled back down next to me. 

    "That was the cutest thing I've ever seen a dog do," Amber shouted. I laughed. 

    "We call it dancing. Want to see her do it again?" 

    "Yes," she said taking her phone out. 

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

    "This place is oddly small but big," Malcolm said dropping his duffle bag on the floor next to the couch. 

    "Yeah, it's a loft," 

    "This dog is big a f**k. I thought you said she was going to stay little," he said reaching dog to pet her. She let him. 

    "Well, they lied. Besides, I love her like this," I said locking the door behind me. "You should take a shower and go to bed. We're going to a dog show tomorrow," 

    "A dog show?" 

    "Yeah, Evan's vet invited us and since you're here you're coming with us. Unless you want to stay here all day by yourself," 

    "Not down. Where is it going to be?" 

    "Close to the beach. It'll be fun," 

    "I bet. So, is this vet a hot chick or a hot guy?" he asked. 

    I rolled my eyes at him. I am not unfamiliar with his likes. Malcolm doesn't discriminate against men or women. So as long as they catch his eye he quick to jump on the prowl. 

    "He's a guy. Maybe a couple of years older," he nodded. 

    "You did always like them a little older," he smirked. Not always I thought as I looked over at the boxes that had come in yesterday. I hadn't wanted to open them yet afraid of might find inside.

    "It's only been eight months. I'm not thinking about getting involved with anyone right now," 

    "What you need is a rebound. Something to get that familiar feeling off your body," 

    "What? No, I'm not like that," 

    "You never got to experience anything, Lan. You got married straight out of high school. All you've ever known was Joe. I think you need to get out there and get into a little trouble. Look at you, you're a beauty. You're independent. A doctor. You're a f*****g catch," 

    "So what? That doesn't mean I want to go out and be a little hoochie because I got dumped on my ass. I don't need anyone to get rid of this feeling in me. It would make me hate myself if I did it for some selfish ass reason like that one. I'm not wired like you. I can't treat my body like that," 

    "Judgey," he snarked going towards the bathroom. 

    "Leave the door open for Evan so she can use the bathroom or she'll do it out here," I said going up the steps towards my room. 

    "Alright, go to sleep. Take your ghost version of evil Scooby-Doo with you," he said before shutting the door behind him. My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out to see it was an unknown California number. 

    "Hello?" I answered. 

    "Hey, Lannyesville. I hope you don't mine I got your number from Amber," he said. I laughed. 

    "Of course not. Hi, Oliver," 

    "I know it's a little late but we never really made a plan for tomorrow," 

    "Right, I didn't even think of one. What did you have in mind?" 

    "We're going to meet in the Starbucks across the street at Eleven-thirty. Meet us there?" 

    "Yeah, I'm actually glad you called. My brother came in a little while ago I wasn't expecting him until Sunday. Is it okay if he comes along?" 

    "Yeah, Amber and Kelly's brothers will also be joining us. They're here from Florida," 

    "Okay then. I'll see you in the morning," 

    "Lannyesville, I wanted to ask you if you were okay? Was it something I said? Maybe the way I said it? I can't stop thinking about how you just shot off," I sighed sitting on my bed. 

    "I'm not okay with goodbyes. I- I 'm- I really don't know how to say it," 

    "That breaks my heart. I didn't think there was anything that could render you speechless," that made me smile. 

    "You're very sure of yourself aren't you?" 

    "Not as sure as you think I am," 

    "I'll see you in the morning," 

    "Yeah, I'll see you then," he said. It was me who hung up this time and I was very grateful that he hadn't said what I dreaded he would say.