chapter fourteen

Pulling my hair up in a high ponytail, I couldn’t help but marvel at how beautiful of a day it already was. The day couldn’t have been better for running with Samwise and returning to work on new products. I tied my latest target to the table in the basement, ready to bleed them, and the sun shone with a cool breeze that took off the edge of the heat.

I slipped on my shoes and grabbed Samwise’s leash. The second the leash’s metal rattled, his head snapped from his lying position on the ground, knowing what was in store for him without me even having to say the trigger phrase, “Want to go for a walk?”

His tail started wagging, and he booked it to the door before I could take a step.

“Calm down.” I grabbed him by his collar when I reached him and quickly fastened his leash to it. I tenderly kissed his head before pulling back.

“Be a good boy. Stay where you are.” I let a soft laugh blend into my breath at his antics as he had trouble with keeping his wagging butt on the ground.

I assert, “Stay.” I then paused long enough for him to settle down and start to watch me, not the door.

“Come,” I said, ready to swing the door closed behind us. He trotted in front of me, pulling me with the leash taut on my arm. I wrapped his leash around my wrist and yanked backward to re-claim my dominance, and he immediately calmed down and let me lead.

Once I was sure I had the handle of the situation, I let him guide us to the sidewalk and allowed myself to take a deep breath of the fresh air. I brought him to the park in our neighborhood. Many online reviews raved about its trails. It’s nice to have a place we could walk to where Samwise and I could play or get exercise whenever we wanted. We used to have to drive for thirty minutes before our move to find a decent place for exercise. And the old place would be incredibly crowded, given its size. It was so crowded Samwise would get skittish around other dogs and children while I would feel weird being hyper-vigilant, making sure no snot nose kid or vicious animal bothered him.

There was a time when an owner was convinced that their dog was innocent, but the dog’s jaws were practically embedded in Samwise’s hind leg. I was too preoccupied with concern for my baby to confront the owner. Instead, I raced him to an animal hospital, where he received stitches and fitted with the cone of shame. If that happened today to the new me, I would have to figure out how to transport a body from a public park with no car all the way to my basement where I would flay them. I was sure my biggest fan could help me, but I didn’t want to rely on him too much. After all, they had given me so much already. They were so kind, and I knew I should be more worried about how much of a chokehold they had on me, but frankly, I didn’t care.

I gave a tight smile to a group of runners heading in the opposite direction. They fixed their gaze on Samwise with stars in their eyes as they tried not to gush over him. That was something I also had problems with. I had no problem with them enjoying a cute dog or animal across the way, but what bothered me was they thought they could come up and pet them whenever they wanted. It was not their dog. Just because they believed the dog was cute didn’t mean they had the right to pet them.

People had to have more self-control. Let people live their lives caring for their animals however they want. Those runners weren’t too bad. At least they were just loving on Samwise as they ran by and didn’t ask for a pet, which I appreciated. Especially since it was unfortunately not the norm, and it was highly frustrating.

As we entered the park, I was proud Samwise waited for my direction on which place to discover first. I walked over to the sign in front of the different trails, showing where everyone should safely explore. If I wanted more cardio from going uphill, I should go to route three, but it also hooked around the parking lot, which made it too short of a hike. Moving onto the second trail, it had less of an incline but looped around a man-made lake, which I can imagine was a breathtaking sight today. I didn’t need to look at the rest of the paths’ descriptions to know it was exactly where I wanted to go. So, finding the number in the near distance, I gestured Samwise to head in that direction.

A squirrel zipped by us, grabbing Samwise’s attention. He let out a loud woof and wagged his tail. Rolling my eyes, I pulled his leash to get his attention back on me before directing him down the path.

It was incredible how close we were now to parks like this, and we didn’t even know it. If I had learned about this place before, I would be here every weekend I could. The trees were so green this time of year, and the smell of pine and the floral notes of wildflowers were strong. It gave me an idea of which scents I should mix next for my next batch of perfume. Taking a deep breath, I let Samwise guide me down the path with closed eyes as I took in the calm atmosphere around me. Samwise led me all the way to the man-made lake in the middle of the park before he paused to sniff a particular patch of grass.

The water was crystal clear and had birds floating on top, enjoying the sun’s rays in contrast to the cool water underneath them. Allowing my eyes to trace the border of the lake, I saw a lone figure sitting perched on top of a large boulder.

As I moved closer, their head swiveled in my direction, giving me an unobstructed view of their face. Orpheus. But he wasn’t happy to see me. If anything, he was scowling. I trailed my eyes down his figure and noticed red splats decorating his blouse, making me wonder if he was painting before coming out. The red had a rustic color to it, which entranced me. I could almost allow myself to imagine him painting with blood instead of paint.

He turned to view the lake again, which snapped me out of my thoughts and made me step back just in time to counter Samwise’s lunge toward an unsuspecting bird. Samwise let out a whine low in his throat. I absolutely should train him better. My focus darted back at Orpheus as I watched a strand of his hair escaping the rest to dance in the wind.

Should I go over there?

He didn’t seem very welcoming. But then again, it could have been about something else altogether, not me. After all, we had been texting the last few days, and I was almost positive he wanted to ask me out. Unless I was overthinking the situation and he was just being nice and wanted to be friends. While I was hoping I would get to ride that dick and play with his hair, I would take friends. I could always use more friends. I never seemed to keep them. They always drifted away from me or mistook me for someone who wasn’t enough to keep around.

No.

It was too beautiful of a day to play with negative thoughts. Now, I was more sure and confident in myself than ever before. I didn’t need to validate myself by going over there. I was trying to talk to someone who clearly did not want anybody to speak to him, all in an effort to get into his pants. My day was best spent elsewhere, on the trail with my dog, then back home with my merchandise. He could come find me instead if he truly wanted me as much as I wanted him. I was done chasing what I wanted. Let someone chase me for once.