I folded my arms, watching as Bella settled into a sit and tilted her head as she watched me. And then distracted herself with her own tail.
“Are you sure it’s a good idea?”
“It’d be nice to have a little companion around here. For us both.”
“Like an emotional support dog?”
“Si.”
I scoffed. “Right.”
“She was the last in her litter.”
“So, we got the reject?”
She gasped and covered Bella’s floppy ears. “Don’t be rude.”
“I’m kiddin’. She’s cute.” I scratched the velvet fur on Bella’s head, smiling a little when she flopped over onto her back and kicked out her paws.
“She does need food though. And a bed,” Mom winced.
I pulled my hand through my hair, breathing in sharply through my teeth before I swiped my keys from the counter. “On it.”
My mother beamed. “Grazie, mio bellissimo ragazzo.”
Bella the emotional support dog failed her job within the first couple of hours of being home. She peed on the rug, shit in the dining room, and then zoomed around with a stolen sock in her mouth until she miscalculated her leap for the couch and hit the side.
Yet Mom insisted the little terror was staying.
I made sure my bedroom door was shut before I headed to the basement in the evening. At least the dog had preoccupied my thoughts enough to stop me from thinking. But once I was downstairs in the deserted back room of the basement, the reminder of what happened by the punching bag consumed every thought again. Distracting me enough that Seb managed to get a swing in with the boxing glove, smacking me across the face as we sparred in the ring.
Seb looked surprised as he smiled. “You’ve got to block, remember?”
I gritted my teeth. “I know that.”
He rolled his eyes, dropping his shoulders as he straightened. “Alright, what’s wrong? You’ve been acting more broody than usual today.”
“Nothing’s wrong.”
“Sure.” The corner of his mouth twitched. “Does it have anything to do with a certain lil’ blue-eyed lady?”
“Can we focus please?”
“Ooh, I’m focused. You’re the one letting me smack you about the head.” Seb hadn’t resumed his boxing stance as he smiled smugly. I dropped my own arms with a heavy sigh, rolling my eyes when he continued. “Just admit it already.”
“Listen, if we’re not going to practice—”
“We don’t need the practice. This is a warm-up,” he scoffed and pointed at my face with a gloved hand. Proudly stating, “You have a thing for her.”
“I don’t have a thing for anyone.”
Seb barked a laugh. “That’s bullshit. You seem less tense when she’s around, you get easily defensive for her, and you talk about her—”
I frowned. “No, I don’t—”
“I’m not finished— You get a mushy look in your eyes that I have only ever seen you get with her too.” He pulled off one of his gloves to wiggle a finger near my eyes before I swatted his hand away. “You have a crush, my friend.”
I deadpanned, chewing at the inside of my cheek as I watched him. “Are you done?”
