Clay's Hope

Nine

It took longer than I'd intended to run off the steam from the evening's events, and it was close to dawn when I let myself back in. Standing there naked in the kitchen, I heard Gabby softly call my name and smiled.

I shifted, went to her room, and jumped onto the mattress. She exhaled when I lay on her cold, roaming feet.

"Thanks."

Yep. She needed me. I closed my eyes, content with that thought. Just as I started to drift off, she spoke.

"Hey, Clay. Wanna go get breakfast with me?"

Of course she wanted to go to breakfast after I'd stayed up all night. Not thinking clearly, I sighed and left the bed again.

"You could have said no," she said with a soft laugh.

I watched her get out of bed, grab clothes, and walk to the bathroom.

As I stared after her, a thought occurred to me. She wanted to go to breakfast with me. That meant a restaurant. Restaurants didn't allow dogs, which is how humans saw me. Did that mean she wanted me to be a man? I cursed to myself. I still didn't have any damn clothes.

Refusing to lose an opportunity, I trotted to the back door and sat to wait.

She didn't seem surprised to see me when she emerged.

"You up for a walk?" she quietly asked.

I still had fuzz between my ears because it took a minute to figure out what she was asking. Walk to breakfast or drive to breakfast. Before I could think of how to respond, she grabbed the leash, clipped it on, and then loosely wrapped it around my collar.

Curious as to why she wasn't holding her end, I looked over at her.

"What? I'm following the law...you're on a leash. Let's go."

She didn't fool me. She knew she didn't need to hold the leash because I wasn't a dog. She was starting to see me as more. The thought chased away my need for sleep, and I stepped outside with her and stood near as she locked up.

We walked in the direction of the campus, close to the same route I'd taken, only this time on the main road. Everything seemed a little quieter now. I listened to her breathing and steady heartbeat as I scanned the shadows. I wasn't worried about my kind as much as I was her kind.

We'd made it halfway to campus when I heard the faint scuff of shoes ahead.

"So what do you like for breakfast?" Gabby asked. "Oatmeal?"

I laughed as I scented the air. What was oatmeal? She smiled at me.

"Yeah, I was thinking you're more a steak and eggs kinda guy."

The faint musk of a man tickled my nose. Older. Not a threat.

"Who you talking to dar'lin?" he called as he stepped out from the shadows across the narrow street. His sudden appearance made Gabby's heart race.

"My dog," she called.

"Clay," she whispered. "Can you bark mean?"

She was afraid, and she was coming to me for safety. I grinned and barked as she asked.

"Damn," the man said, keeping pace with us on the opposite sidewalk. "That thing on a leash?"

"Yep, but there's no holding him back. I'm safer letting him go, or he'd just drag me along."

The man laughed. "I bet. Have a good morning." The man turned at the next corner to walk around the block.

"You trust that?" Gabby said as she stared in the direction the man had disappeared.