This Heart of Mine

Ch. 18: The Confession

Soon did not happen the following day. Or the day after that.

But she was busy with organizing papers, sending invites to dignitaries who would be visiting for the opening ceremony and passing time away with Burrito, that the hours flew by.

It took several nights to get used to sleeping alone in the clinic. She'd check every door to make sure it'd been double locked, and then would do the same for her bedroom. Burrito slept with her, always perched at the end of Naina's bed like a little warm pillow.

She was due to deliver her puppies soon.

Ian had already made a small nest for Burrito in the corner of the bedroom. Soft newspapers lined the large cardboard box. A few toys sat in the corner, to fill up the empty space.

Naina also got used to seeing the construction workers. After a few days, they'd learned her name and would always make a point to come into the clinic and chat with her a bit.

Burrito almost always got pets from every man or woman that walked in.

Ian stopped by every night to check up on the place and Burrito. He was outside in the barn during the day, helping the workers or making sure the building was being built properly.

The first time she saw him grabbing Burrito and sticking up a thermometer into the dog's butt, she'd almost tackled him.

"What're you doing?" she shrieked.

He chuckled. "I've got to check her temperature every now and then. She's almost due. See how her nipples are swollen?"

He pointed to Burrito's underbelly and Naina nodded.

"That means it's going to happen soon, give or take a week. Once she starts getting settled into that nest and definitely once her temperature drops, those pups are gonna come right out."

"She won't have any problems?" Naina stared at the dog, which looked awkward with the thin rod sticking out of its rear end.

"No. Vet says she's good to go. It's gonna be messy; I'm warning you," he stated, giving her a pointed look. She moved back from the sharpness of his gaze. "And I'll definitely need your help, if you're okay with blood and, um, mess."

"No, it's alright with me. I can help," she said, trying to sound confident. Deep down, she had no idea how she'd react. This was the first time she'd be helping in this kind of situation.

He spoke, jarring her thoughts and bringing her back to the present. "Call me right away if she stops eating or doesn't finish her entire bowl. That's another huge sign."

Right. He went over what would happen in case she'd forgotten from his previous day's lecture. She could tell he was nervous; he pet Burrito more than usual and took more breaths.

She'd gotten used to his voice; it didn't give her shivers anymore. His voice was deep and smooth, calm like a small river.

"You're awfully calm about this," he noted.

She shook herself a little, trying to shake off the trance she always got when he spoke. "I—yeah, I mean it's a lot to take in and I'm a little scared, but also excited. I mean, it's not every day you can be around corgi puppies."

He smiled at her again and she felt her heart jump around again.

"You wanna go grab a drink in town?" he asked. "I feel like you've earned it. You've been great, coordinating every detail for the opening ceremony."

She had many contacts in the food and entertainment business and snagged several deals for it, saving a couple of thousands. "Yeah, well, if there's one thing I'm good at, it's finding the best ways to save money."

"So?" he asked.

"So what?"

"You wanna grab a drink? It's on me."

If it was free, she was game. "Sure," she said. Her voice cracked a bit and she could feel the palms of her hands starting to sweat.

Her foot wouldn't stop moving the entire time she was in his car. Spacious and wide, the car was clean and smelled slightly of a certain cologne. He'd set up a small baby cam for the nest, in which Burrito was snuggled into. His cell phone, which displayed the snoozing dog, was propped up next to her in the cup holder

"Is it safe leaving her alone?" she asked with a worried tone. She couldn't stop thinking about the worst possibilities.

He shot her a glance and turned back towards the road. "It should be fine. I've fostered a couple of other dogs and cats over the years and have been able to predict when they'll give birth. She should be ready within the next day or so."

She couldn't help but feel unsettled, especially with the way a chill had rooted in the lowest part of her neck. She wanted to scratch it out. "Um, wait, how about we do this after the opening ceremony? Just so the crazy, hectic atmosphere would settle—"

Wait. Now she was acting like a crazy woman. Agreeing one moment and saying no the next.

It was a good thing they hadn't gone too far away, because he did a quick U-turn without any questions and headed back to the clinic.

"It's actually gonna get worse after that happens...but I'm game. It's a date," he said cheerily.

The smirk he gave her exacerbated the chills, turning it into an Icy-Hot patch. Her brain short-circuited, sending sparks of confusion a mile high into the sky.

The following day, she went to visit Deme.

She had too many questions to ask: Are you and Ian still dating? When he says it's a date, does that actually mean a date? What should I wear if we're just grabbing a drink?

Why do I have feelings for a guy who's so goddamn out of my league?

Deme tackle hugged her the moment Naina approached the counter top. "Oh my god. I'm going to skewer that psychotic woman! Are you okay love? Why haven't you talked to me?"

Naina tried to talk, but Deme was squeezing her too tightly. "Let-go-can't-speak," she said, mumbling a bit.

Deme released her and Naina filled her in on everything. Yes, she was fine. She hadn't spoken to Deme because she was getting used to living in a different place and helping her boss with an event. And because she kind of forgot go and talk to her best friend about it.

"Lauren's trying to turn it into a shit storm," Naina grumbled.

"Oh yeah!" Deme banged down a glass. "I heard Carmella laughing about you being fired. Something's definitely up."

"I've got a question for you though," Naina said hesitantly. She had no idea how to approach this and thought the best way would be to be as direct as possible.

"Shoot." Deme started making a Bloody Mary for a customer.

"Are you and Ian dating? Cause he asked me to grab a drink with him and I told him to hold off for another week and he called it a date after I said that and like—" Naina said it in a rushed way and had to take a breath before continuing.

Deme beat her with a response. "Oh, finally he asked you out? Geezum, that man takes his time."

"Huh?"

Deme's cheeks turned the color of the drink she was making. "Wait, I wasn't supposed to say that."

"Deme. Talk," Naina ordered.

"About?" Her friend's innocent-sounding tone wasn't fooling Naina.

"What did you mean by 'finally he asked you out'?"

Deme bit her lip but spoke, though she whispered in the loud restaurant. "Okay, so you know how he and I went on that date?"

Naina nodded.

"Well it wasn't a date. He'd told me beforehand that he was interested in you." Deme started smirking before it turned into a full-on grin. "He wanted to understand you better, so he came to me."

~~~

I'd been waiting so long to put up this chapter haha (just cause of that end part)! As always, leave a little feedback if you can.

If you enjoyed it, please press that little star nearby. XD