“Hi, I’m Scott.”
Malia jumps at the sound of the voice, a cracker smothered in cheese lifted up toward her mouth. She turns to see a man standing before her, his smile bright and his hand sticking out for her to shake. Malia wipes her hand on her jeans before taking it warily.
“Malia. Great party, huh?” She gestures to the long table piled high with food.
Scott chuckles, nervously running his fingers through his hair. “Lydia always throws the best ones. Truth be told, I don’t like coming to them. I just come because of Stiles.” He jabs his thumb behind him and Malia looks to the left, raising up on her tiptoes to see a guy with spiky, dark hair dancing awkwardly to the beat of the music.
“He seems charming.” Malia takes a drink from a waiter that was passing by. Then she lifts the glass up to her mouth, taking a sip. “But I’m more interested in you .”
“So you work at a vet clinic?” Malia asks in a whisper as Lydia gets on the stage to welcome everyone to the party.
“Yep.” Scott tells her out of the corner of his mouth. He applauds as Lydia finishes her speech with a smile, her dress sparkling in the light.
Malia leans toward him, her mouth pressed against his ear. “Are there any labs?”
Scott turns to look at her, his eyes searching her face. “Yeah.”
“How about you and me ditch this party and we go visit the vet clinic?”
Scott smiles, nodding. Then he stands up, not caring that people are looking at him. Malia thinks that’s pretty cool. He offers her his hand and she takes it. This time she is happy to. She grabs a plate of crackers before they leave, Scott stifling a laugh behind a hand.
“What’s her name?” Malia laughs as the black lab jumps into her lap, licking at her face. As she pets the lab, Scott begins feeding the other pets, reaching down to rub at a dog’s belly.
“Her name is Grace.”
Malia rubs the dog’s ears, smiling. “How much?”
Scott comes over and kneels down beside Malia, sticking his hand out for Grace to sniff. “For her, around $200.”
Malia looks around the clinic, the white walls seeming to close around her. She can only imagine what it must feel like to be trapped here. To have no freedom. She looks down at Grace then towards Scott.
“I’ll take her.” Before Scott can open his mouth, she continues saying, “Not today. But I’ll save up the money. Just hold on to her for me. Please.”
Scott nods, hand reaching out to touch Malia’s. “Of course. Hey, do you like coffee?”
Malia smirks. “I love coffee. Why?”
“Would you like to get some?”
Malia pretends to think on it. “Hmm, what’s in it for me?”
Scott laughs, throwing his head back. “Uh, let’s see. You’ll be on a date with me?”
“Deal.”
