The Journey

Chapter 12

Elisha

Mittens snuggled closer to me, seeking warmth from the air conditioner blasting straight at us from the car vents. I adjusted the slats upward and sat back, stroking his fur gently. He really was a very sweet dog.

"Watch out, you're getting too attached to the furry critter," Nick teased.

I grinned, "I am not. Anyway, Mittens doesn't have a collar so he probably is a stray dog so I can keep him if I want to."

He chuckled, "Mittens? You already named him? And why Mittens in particular?"

I held up his paws, "see his feet? They have these cute brown spots covering them all over. He looks like he's wearing mittens."

Nick laughed and shook his head again, "I can't believe you're even thinking of keeping him. Do you even know how to take care of dogs?"

"Of course I do! We once had a Labrador before...and Mittens is a small dog so it won't be too hard to take care of him. Besides, he would be perfect company on lonely nights," I nuzzled his soft fur to hide the melancholy in my face.

Nick glanced over at me and diverted his attention back to the road, "you know, you can always call me. If you're lonely or something. We're still friends, even if you and Newt..."

I smiled at him, "thanks, Nick. You know, this is the first time we've been together for a long time. We never talked much before, even in school when we were classmates."

"I know why that is, in school. You were the popular girl on campus, I was the class nerd. We were basically oil and water," he said sardonically.

I frowned, "yeah, but I never made an effort to reach out to you as a friend. That was selfish of me. I missed out on knowing what a really great guy you are."

Nick chuckled, "well, at least now you know."

I laughed, "and modest too!" We shared another laugh before I said softly, "but seriously, Nick, I'm sorry I was such an aloof person to you. I was too obsessed with being popular or I was too busy with all my extracurricular activities and such that I neglected you."

He blushed slightly, "hey, that was all in the past. No harm done anyway. I had Newt."

That much was true. Newton always looked out for Nick. It was partly why I loved him.

We arrived at an animal clinic near the city and got out. Mittens whimpered when I shifted my hold on him and I immediately cooed to him, "it's okay, sweetie. We're going to visit the good ol' doc and he'll patch you up in no time, okay?"

"After this, I think we'd better hit the mall for awhile to grab some dinner and I'd better shop for some clothes for tomorrow. I didn't bring any change with me," Nick remarked, opening the clinic door for me and Mittens to go through.

"Shopping. How exciting," I commented drily. It really wasn't one of my favorite pastimes. "Tell you what, why don't you go ahead and visit the mall while Mittens and I get settled here for a bit? That way we save time too."

He appeared startled at the suggestion, "you mean you don't want to go shopping?"

I nodded, "yeah. I'll just stay here with Mittens. I can buy him a collar and leash and some food and stuff here anyway. I don't need to go to the mall for anything. You go ahead."

He seemed perplexed, "well, I'll be a monkey's uncle. I thought girls lived to shop."

I laughed, "not this girl. Marcie buys all my clothes for me because we're almost the same size, she's just slightly bigger and shorter. I never went shopping in my entire life! Well, except for gifts."

"You mean you never shop for yourself?" Nick inquired as he pressed the bell to ask for assistance at the front desk.

"Yup," I rubbed Mittens behind the ear and he purred.

Nick smiled at me tenderly, then a young man appeared behind the desk, his black hair slightly disheveled and his brown eyes weary but friendly, "hey there. Welcome to Gerry's Animal Clinic. I'm Dr. Chris Sanders. How may I help you?"

I stepped forward, "Dr. Sanders, pleased to meet you. We found this little dog by the side of the road and he really needs help."

Dr. Sanders' face lit up when he took Mittens from my arms, "oh, hey there, little guy. I see your leg has a boo-boo. Come on in and let's get you checked out. And you are not the owners, I presume?" He asked as he looked at us.

Nick shook his head, "no, but she's thinking of adopting the critter."

I smiled, "I'll take full responsibility for him, Dr. Sanders. Is there any paperwork that I need to take care of?"

Dr. Sanders grabbed a clipboard with a piece of paper on it, "here you go, my dear. Fill that up and we're ready to patch this baby up. What's his name?"

"Mittens," I absently replied, answering the questions on the paper.

"It's very noble of you to adopt Mittens, Miss Winters," Dr. Sanders commented after he glanced down at my name on the form I was filling up. I looked up and he flashed me a disarming smile, "not many people would do what you're doing. You are very humane."

Nick suddenly placed an arm around me. I swiveled my head up to look at him, noticing how icy his sea-green eyes were and how clenched his jaw appeared. "Will this take long, Dr. Sanders? We have to be someplace in a hurry."

Dr. Sanders backed off behind the desk a bit, "not at all. If you like, you can leave him here and come back later to get him. An hour will suffice."

"Good. Let's go," Nick took the clipboard, banged it on the front desk, and dragged me out the door.

I was bewildered at his rude behavior. Once we were outside and in the parking lot, I exploded, "what the hell was that?"

He wrenched the door of the passenger side open, "that guy was making googly eyes at you."

My jaw dropped to the floor as he slammed the door on my face and went to his side of the car. Once he was in, I spluttered, "he was not making 'googly eyes', as you so articulately put it! He was just talking to me!"

"Trust me, Eli. I know when a guy is flirting and when he's not, and believe me, that dude was pulling out all the stops. Didn't you see the lascivious gleam in his wicked eyes, the way his teeth flashed unnaturally white like he was trying to lure you in? His license should be revoked for harassment," he grumbled, starting the car and driving too fast out of the parking lot.

I held onto the dashboard for dear life, "for heaven's sake, he was merely being friendly and nice! And stop trying to kill us, will you?"

He took a few deep breaths before easing up on the gas pedal. Running a hand through his hair, he exhaled, "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."

That really was so sweet of him. His actions, although unreasonable, showed me he cared about me. I pried my fingers from the dashboard and touched his arm tentatively. His muscles were all bunched up and tense. "Look, I can take care of myself, Nick. You're probably just so used to thinking that Newt and I are together and you reacted protectively. But you have to realize that I am now single and if I wanted to entertain suitors, which I don't, or if I want to flirt with other guys, which again I don't, you have to let me."

He gazed out the window and nodded, "you're right. Of course, you're right. I'm sorry."

I smiled at him, "and for the record, I also thought his teeth were unnaturally white. Seriously, he must visit his dentist twice a day to get them bleached that white!"

Nick guffawed, and I couldn't help but feel my heart take wing again.