"Hope, come here bub!" Mark called out from the back door of his new house to the golden puppy as she playfully chased after a squirrel in the backyard.
Hope yipped in reply and trotted inside, her tail lightly hitting Mark's leg as she entered.
A year had passed by as if Mark was in a dream, everything finally turning out great for him after so much heartbreak.
His cancer had finally been eradicated, Hope was a healthy puppy, his shoulder was fully healed, and Amy had agreed to move in with him and date.
But there was one thing missing.
Chica was still gone.
"Morning babe." Amy chirped as she pressed a kiss to Mark's cheek, pulling Mark from his thoughts.
"Morning sweetheart." Mark replied as he kissed her back on the lips.
Hope laid down in between them out of boredom, her big brown eyes looking up at Mark with the same expression Chica always used when she wanted him to play with her.
"C'mon, let's go on a walk." Mark suggested, walking to the front door where Hope's leash was hung up.
Hope bounded after him and could barely sit still as he attached the leash to her collar, her tail thumping against the carpet floor in excitement.
Mark threw his lucky flannel on before slinging his guitar over his shoulder and opening the door to walk out into the warm June air.
The sun shone like a spotlight on the three, warming them up with its bright rays as they walked towards the park.
Amy and Mark held hands as they strolled down the sidewalk, watching Hope pad ahead and sniff everything in sight like she usually did.
They stopped at the tree where Amy and Mark had first met, their initials carved into it from the first time they came back as a couple.
Mark sat down on the grass and retrieved his guitar from its case, tuning it while Amy rated her head on his shoulder.
"You've been getting better." Amy remarked as she watched him meticulously fiddle with the strings.
"Practice makes perfect." Mark shrugged as he strummed the strings.
Hope curled up on Amy's lap and rested her head on Amy's hand, her eyes closed in content as Amy pet her.
"Wanna hear a new song u had been working on?" Mark asked as he adjusted the position of his guitar.
"Always." Amy smiled.
Mark took a deep breath before beginning, lightly picking the strings to play the correct notes.
"I met you in the dark
You lit me up
You made me feel as though
I was enough
We danced the night away
We drank too much
I held your hair back when
You were throwing up
Then you smiled over your shoulder
For a minute I was stone-cold sober
I pulled you closer to my chest
And you asked me to stay over
I said, I already told you
I think that you should get some rest
I knew I loved you then
But you'd never know
'Cause I played it cool when I was scared of letting go
I knew I needed you
But I never showed
But I wanna stay with you
Until we're grey and old
Just say you won't let go
Just say you won't let go
I wake you up with some
Breakfast in bed
I'll bring you coffee
With a kiss on your head
And I'll take the kids to school
Wave them goodbye
And I'll thank my lucky stars
For that night
When you looked over your shoulder
For a minute I forget that I'm older
I wanna dance with you right now, oh
And you look as beautiful as ever
And I swear that every day you get better
You make me feel this way somehow
I'm so in love with you
And I hope you know
Darling, your love is more than worth its weight in gold
We've come so far, my dear
Look how we've grown
And I wanna stay with you
Until we're grey and old
Just say you won't let go
Just say you won't let go
I wanna live with you
Even when we're ghosts
'Cause you were always there for me
When I needed you most
I'm gonna love you 'til
My lungs give out
I promise 'til death we part
Like in our vows
So I wrote this song for you
Now everybody knows
That it's just you and me
Until we're grey and old
Just say you won't let go
Just say you won't let go
Just say you won't let go
Oh, just say you won't let go."
When Mark finished, he glanced over at Amy with passion burning in his chocolate brown eyes.
"You've been with me during my toughest times and my best times, my heart breaks and celebrations. You never gave up on me, even when everyone else had. I want to make more memories with you for the rest of my life, whether they are good or bad. So,"
Mark laid his guitar to the side as he fished a black velvet box out of his flannel pocket and kneeled on one knee.
"Will you marry me?" Mark finished, opening the box to reveal a stunning diamond ring that glittered in the sunlight.
Amy squealed and hugged Mark tightly, causing him to fall to his back onto the ground.
"I'm guessing that's a yes?" Mark chuckled as he stared up into Amy's eyes that shone with mushed tears.
"Always." Amy nodded, a tear sliding down her cheek as she kissed Mark, Hope running around them in excitement before licking Amy's face.
"I love you too Hope." Amy giggled once they broke off for air and sat up, allowing Mark to get up too.
They walked back home and called family to tell them the news, spending the afternoon deciding when to have the wedding while cuddling on the couch.
For dinner, Mark cooked chicken and dumplings, using his mom's recipe as a baseline.
Mark, Amy, and Hope went outside to sit on the bench, the night sky sparkling with stars that peppered the black canvas.
"It's beautiful." Amy gushed in awe as she looked up at the sky.
"Not as beautiful as you." Mark replied with a smirk as he took her hand in his.
Amy fell silent as she looked at their intertwined hands, the ring on her finger looking like one of the stars in the sky.
"Chica would love this." Mark remarked, looking over at her grave he made for her in the backyard underneath the pine tree.
Her grave was marked by a heart shaped gravestone, flowers planted over where she was buried.
"I'm sure she can see us wherever she is now, and she's glad." Amy assured him, squeezing his hand gently.
"Yeah." Mark sighed, looking back up at the sky.
He could see Chica's face in the stars, her brown eyes sparked with happiness as she looked down at them, the tinge of sadness she used to have gone.
"She's a good dog, and she'll never stop being my good dog." Mark told the sky, a smile lighting up his face despite the tears gathering in his eyes.
Hope barked as she nuzzled Mark's free hand, pulling him from his thoughts as he looked down at her.
"You'll always be my good dog too." Mark promised her as he stroked her soft golden fur, scooping her up and placing her in his lap before finishing eating with Amy and going back inside to go to bed.
أنت تقرأ
Good Dog
قصص الهواة"Hi, I'm looking for a dog." Mark told the lady at the counter of the animal shelter. "I'll show you our selection." The woman smiled kindly as she guided Mark to the back. Mark's eyes scanned the many good dogs, listening to their barks while fee...
