This has no clue what it wants to be yet, probably a short story or novella for my Ream. There are already two episodical stories unfolding there. Follow to read along with them and check out my Valentine's short story as well.
Layla Dorine on Ream!
“Bro, I need a favor.”
“Nothing good ever came
out of a phone call that starts like that.”
“Ha. Ha. You’re still
planning on driving out this weekend, right?”
“Yes, for the thousandth
time I’ll be there, on time, in jeans without rips, I promise. Just relax. It’s
just dinner, for fucks sake.”
“With the in-laws on our
first Christmas together, after they tried to talk my wife out of marrying me,
on our wedding day no less.”
“To be fair, they were
trying to convince her to break up with you the whole time you were dating so I
don’t see why it came as such a shock to you.”
“Would have figured the
whole promotion and not asking them to contribute a cent to the wedding would
have helped with that.”
“Clearly not.”
“No shit, which is why I
need you out there with me when Shelia and I make our big announcement.”
“Dude, I can’t believe
you knocked her up already.”
“Well believe it. Come
this time next year, you’ll be watching your nieces or nephews crawling through
a mound of wrapping paper and gifts.”
“Wait…did you say…”
“Yup! We’ve having
twins.”
“Man, you don’t do
anything halfway, do you.”
Nope.”
Wow. Congratulations.
Seriously. That’s really cool. I wish mom and dad were still here to see them.
They’d have loved being grandparents.”
“I know. I’m just hoping
Mr. and Mrs. Cardoza feel the same.”
“Who knows, maybe that’ll
be the turning point in your relationship with them.”
“I hope so. I know Shelia
enjoys spending time with them, but damn, it’s a whole lot easier for me when
they’re clear across the country.”
“I bet.”
“So…about what I called
you for…”
“Yeah, what’s the favor,
want me to hit Juniors and fill a cooler with cheesecakes?”
“Shit, could you?”
“Yeah, no problem, though
it seems like that wasn’t what you were gonna ask me.”
“’cause it wasn’t. Shelia
and I were kind of hoping that you wouldn’t mind a bit of company on the way
out here. I know it’s a three-day drive and all, which was why we thought,
maybe, if you had someone to share the driving…”
“Dude, no one drives my
girl but me.”
“Okay, okay, but maybe
having a passenger might make the miles fly faster.”
“I don’t need any more
speeding tickets, thanks. Besides, I’m bringing Loki.”
“Four legged companions
don’t count.”
“Try telling Loki that.”
“No thanks, he’s libel to
kick knocked me over again. What do you feed that dog anyway?”
“Same thing I feed
myself, for the most part. There are a few things he can’t have but I make sure
to substitute them out for the things he can.”
“You’re fucking with me,
right?”
“Does it sound like I’m
fucking with you?”
“No, but are you
seriously telling me that the dog eats people food for every meal?”
“I don’t think there
should be a distinction between what I eat and what I give my buddy. He’s a
carnivore the same as me. I’ve researched, I’ve got a good vet whose helped me
make informed decisions about his diet and portion sizes, and I shop for him the
same as I do for myself.”
“Please tell me you don’t
intend to feed him my wife’s cooking while you’re up here. Shelia loves you,
bro, but I think she might find that just a tad offensive.”
“No worries, I was
planning to cook his meals myself the same as I always do. He can’t have a
bunch of seasonings and shit, so it’s just easier if I handle it, as long as
she won’t mind me using her kitchen.”
“Go ahead. Why not. Is
there anything else I should know about your four-legged buddy?”
“He’s um, kinda grown
since you saw him last.”
“He was a bulldozer than,
what the fuck is he now, a god damned aircraft carrier?”
“He’s an Irish Wolfhound,
what do you expect?”
“When you said you were
getting a dog, I thought you meant one that would be more, well, compact,
considering…”
“You’re forgetting that,
unlike your little high-rise office, my job allows Loki to be by my side every
day. Where I go, he goes.”
“Yea, and what you eat,
he eats, what next, are you both going to find a lovely little Irish Wolfhound
lad to date together.”
“Naaa, Loki doesn’t roll
that way. He likes the ladies.”
Connor could hear his bother
groaning through the phone and knew he was at his whit’s end trying to make
sense of Connor's lifestyle, as usual. Someday he might get that Connor was perfectly
content to spend his days behind a camera and his evenings sorting through the
shots, or vice versa when night sessions were called for.
“Okay, let me try this
one more time,” Bruce said. “Do you think you could possibly pick Shelia’s brother and
bring him out here with you and Loki.”
“When did he transfer
this way?”
“A couple weeks ago. The
San Francisco division closed, and he was one of only a handful that didn’t flat
out get laid off. Between moving his shit clear across the country and the insane rant rates, he’s pretty hard up on cash right now. Figured with you
being so close and about to drive out anyway, you wouldn't mind him tagging along."
“Long has he’s got no
problem sitting in the back. Loki rides shotgun.”
“Oh my god. You are never
going to find a boyfriend.”
“Wasn’t looking for one.”
“Good. That’s probably a
relief for the gay male population of New York City, because you, dear brother,
are completely batshit, out of your mind, fucked in the head.”
“Naaa. I just have
different priorities. Boyfriends cheat. The leave. They get bored. They wanna
‘mix things up’ and ‘add a bit of spice in.’ Loki’s loyal. Unless the command
comes from me, he’s not going anywhere. He’s happy sleeping beside me. He loves to go on long runs, and there is nothing he enjoys more than a quiet evening
lounging on the couch with me while I read.”
“Let me guess? Out loud,
so he can enjoy the story too?”
“Naaa. I put Hudson &
Rex on for him and he loves when the old Turner and Hootch movies come on. He’s
not as bit a fan of the Beethoven movies, but he loves Air Buddies and all the
sequels and is a fiend for Huckleberry Hound. I have to wait for it to go off
before I feed him or he won’t move from in front of the television, even if
it’s paused. I tried showing him America’s Top Dogs, but he’s not much of a fan
of competition shows, go figure.”
“Can you pick up Patrick or
not?”
“Yeah, fine, text me the
address, just warn him not to pack too much. Between the coolers, my suitcase,
camera bag, and Loki’s things, I’m not gonna have a lot of room for extras.”
“Got it, great, I’ll let
him know. See you on Friday.”
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