A Wall Between

Chapter 57

Sasha lay in bed, slowly drifting into wakefulness as the quiet vibration of Cooper's alarm hummed beneath his pillow. From Cooper's futon mat on the floor, Sasha heard the rustle of sheets as Cooper shifted to switch off the alarm, followed by the soft whisper of fabric as he sat up. Cooper drew in a deep breath, stretching his limbs, and let it out slowly, the sound gently breaking the morning silence.

With careful, quiet steps, Cooper tiptoed out of the room, Sunny padding along behind him, having spent the night nestled in the crook of Cooper's arm. Sasha kept his eyes closed, listening as Cooper made his way down the hall to the bathroom, and then to his own room to change into his jogging clothes. The soft click of the front door signalled Cooper's departure, and Sunny's gentle footsteps traced a path down the hallway.

As Sunny rested her head on the edge of Sasha's bed, he reached out to pat her soft fur. She chomped her jaws a couple of times, and then, with a wet plop, dropped a slightly slobbery tennis ball beside him. Sasha grimaced at the damp offering.

Although nearing her adult size, Sunny still possessed the lanky, squirmy frame of an adolescent dog. In time, when she was older, Cooper would take her jogging in the mornings, but for now, she was still growing, her body not yet ready for the strain of long runs.

Sasha picked up the ball and carried it with him, setting it down next to the sink while he used the bathroom before heading outside with Sunny. After she'd peed, Sasha tossed the ball for her for a few minutes until she was ready to do her other business. He then cleaned up after her, and they headed back inside.

For breakfast, Sunny got some kibble, a couple of spoonfuls of the special food Abra had prepared for her, and, as a secret morning treat, a small piece of sausage. As she happily ate her meal, Sasha went back to his room to grab some clean clothes before starting his morning shower.

Today, luck was on his side, as he'd timed his routine perfectly. Just as he finished his shower, the sound of the front door opening and closing reached his ears.

"Good morning," Cooper greeted as he slipped into the bathroom, a smile on his face and his eyes on Sasha as he stripped out of his sweat-dampened jogging clothes. Sasha loved the sight of him, his skin flushed and sweaty, the subtle scent carried by the steamy air until Cooper joined him under the shower's warm spray.

They played together under the water for a few minutes, all quiet giggles and gentle touches until it was time for Sasha to get out and give Cooper his turn to wash properly. While Cooper finished his shower, Sasha dried off and got dressed. He had the bottle of sunblock ready by the time Cooper got out of the shower.

During summer, Sasha had started to realise just how much time Cooper spent in the sun and how careless he was with sun safety. He hadn't wanted to be pushy or controlling, so he'd let his anxiety over the matter build and build until finally, he'd confronted Cooper in what must have been a very baffling show of emotion. Cooper had agreed that it wasn't good for him to skip sunblock, but he also had a really hard time remembering to put it on.

So they'd made it a part of their morning routine. After drying off, Cooper presented his back to Sasha, and then he let out a long sigh as Sasha began rubbing the sunblock over his skin. It was a joint effort of their household and beyond to get Cooper to remember to reapply sunblock later in the day, but he was always well-slathered in the morning.

Sasha gave Cooper a gentle bop on his ass to let him know that he was done and earned himself a giggle in return. As he left the bathroom, Sunny got up from where she'd been sitting waiting for them in the hallway and followed after him towards the kitchen.

There were fresh flowers in the vase on the kitchen counter that hadn't been there when Sasha had given Sunny her breakfast. Ever since Cooper had given him the big, speckled glass vase for Christmas, Cooper had made it his mission to keep it filled with flowers. Sometimes they were gifts from people's gardens, sometimes they were weeds, and sometimes they were discounted bouquets from the supermarket, but it never sat empty for more than a few days.