“I’ll be free at four,” I said stiffly. Technically, I was free the whole day, but I wouldn’t drop my assignment and come running just because Leo asked me to.
“That’s perfect.” There was a hint of something…excitement?…in his voice. “Let’s meet at Flagstaff gardens. Near the water fountain on the south side, okay?”
“Okay,” I said, feeling dubious.
“Thanks, Wi— Edwin. I know this was out of the blue and stuff but — well, you’ll see when we meet. Anyway, I’ll let you go. Bye.”
“Bye,” I murmured, and after the call ended, I stared at my phone, totally confused.
I told myself to manage my expectations as I walked through the park. Wide grey-blue paths cut diagonally through green lawn, native flowers and oak trees. I walked slightly uphill towards the fountain. Now that it was late autumn, almost winter, the sun would set soon, and the park was busy with people getting their evening walks in. By the fountain, a crowd of people played with their dogs.
I hadn’t seen so many dogs in one place since the puppy cafe, the day I met Leo. Maybe this was some reoccurring dog meet, where puppies would get to socialise with each other. Most were on leads, yipping cutely at each other, though a few ran around, which I think was technically against the park rules, but they weren’t causing any trouble.
That’s when I saw him. He was faced away from me, and his hair had grown, brushing the collar of his jacket, which was turned up against the wind. He turned as if sensing me, and the first thing I noticed was that his cheeks had gone adorably pink from the cold.
Then my eyes fell.
“Why do you have a dog?” I asked.
The white puppy, connected to the lead he was holding, trotted over to me. The puppy looked like a Maltese, with fluffy white fur, two big black eyes, and a black nose, which the puppy used to sniff my shoes.
“It’s for you.”
I jerked my gaze from the puppy to Leo. He was smiling, but his eyes looked…nervous. “What?” I asked.
He switched the lead from one hand to the other. “You said that you liked puppies. So, I thought that —”
“You got me a puppy?” I asked, panic rising. I lived in a tiny apartment and wasn’t sure my lease even allowed pets. Besides, as much as I loved puppies, they were expensive.
Leo winced. “No. Not permanently, at least. I borrowed her from a friend. Tommy. You met him at the party. He was the one with the moustache.”
Oh, right. The one who put Leo in a headlock. It was slightly funny to think a guy like him owned the tiny, excited puppy before me.
“Anyway, her name’s Pippa,” Leo continued.
I leaned down, fingers outstretched. Her pink tongue came out and licked a stripe across my hand. “Aw,” I said. “She’s so cute.” When I scratched her behind the ears, she eagerly wagged her tail.
Leo squatted, too, his knee almost brushing mine in the process. “She is. She’s always excited, though — she barked at every tram that passed on the way here.”
I patted Pippa a little more until the joy faded, then stood straight. “Why did you ask me to come here?”
He was quiet for a moment, still petting Pippa’s shiny coat. It was strangely nice to look down at him, to see the crown of his head. Maybe it was a perverse satisfaction. But then he straightened to his full height, and I had to tilt my chin to meet his eyes.
“I wanted to apologise,” Leo said. “And to talk. And to make things better.”
“So you’re bribing me with your friend’s puppy?”
Leo’s eyes widened. “No,” he said. “I want to do something nice. I thought it’d be lame to just show up at your door, empty-handed.” His hands twisted the dog lead. “Maybe this was a bad idea.”
My heart clenched, and I felt guilty for being snarky. “No,” I said. “It’s…” I looked around at the puppies and dogs playing on the lush lawn, the sunset reflecting off the skyscrapers in the background. “It’s lovely.”
“I want to take you to dinner,” Leo said.
“Dinner?” I echoed.
“Yeah. I want to take you on a proper date.”
I stared at him. Then I looked down at my jeans and sneakers. Of course, I made sure I looked nice before coming here, but —
