Power & Control

22: Slow Down

~A

His house was nothing like I was expecting it to be. To be fair, I didn't really have an image of what it would look like at all. But I definitely didn't expect it to look so... normal. So lived in and homey. It was a small townhouse built in a long row of others, crammed against the ones on either side of it, barely enough space at the front to fit his bike and three cobblestone lopsided steps leading to the small blue door. Inside, the floor was covered in thick beige carpet and the first thing I faced was a staircase, a small archway on either side. One led to a small living room, an old looking yellow couch in front of a brick fireplace visible from the archway on my right. Through the other, I caught a glimpse of a round wooden table, mint green cabinets in the far distance. Niall took his shoes off by the door the second he walked in, tossing his keys in an empty bowl placed onto an end table next to it. I took my shoes off too, pushing them aside with my foot.

"Make yourself at home." He casually offered, sliding his jacket off and hanging it up before taking the helmet from my hands, placing it next to the glass bowl. Turning to look at the staircase, he loudly whistled. I jumped at the sound, utterly confused.

"Irina!" He shouted at the distance, only making that confusion worse. I stared at the top of the stairs in anticipation to see the person he was calling, thinking all about who it could possibly be. I had at least three scenarios in my mind, but none of them were correct. Not when I faced a furry face with a waggy tale.

"Hope you're not scared of dogs." I stared at the grey Pitbull in disbelief, my mouth slightly parted as it ran down the stairs, barking in excitement.

"No, not at all." I chuckled, smiling down at the dog that jumped onto Niall to get his attention. He crouched down, petting its head and neck as he spoke to it in Russian, his voice sounding soft for the first time while he spoke that language. Not only that, but it was of a higher pitch as well. It was exactly the type of tone most people use when talking to pets or babies and coming out of him was definitely disorienting to me.

"Good, because she's the woman in charge of this house." He joked as he got up again, smiling down at the dog that kept wagging her tail. Her dusty grey coat was shiny, a white patch on her chest and big round yellow eyes darting between the both of us. She was a fairly short dog, barely reaching Niall's knee.

"As she should be." I chuckled, taking my jacket off as well. He took it from my hands before I even realised it, hanging it next to his.

"You can pet her if you want. She's very friendly." I nodded, smiling down at the dog as I offered my palm to her, letting her smell my hand and get accustomed to me before I attempted to actually touch her. I loved dogs. We had one when I was little, but he passed away when I was about thirteen. I missed my childhood pet greatly, since that dog provided me with comfort my parents deprived me of.

Irina, as I've realised her name was, sniffed me inquisitively for a few seconds, her nose tickling my palm. But she seemed like she was fine with my presence, so I went ahead and petted her. Niall excused himself, going upstairs for a few minutes before he came back. I was still in the entryway, getting acquainted to his dog that did really seem to like me.

"I never took you as a person to care for a pet." I admitted once he was back, watching Irina trot away into the living room. A squeaking noise told me she had found interest in one of her toys. Niall shrugged, jerking his head towards the kitchen as an invitation to follow him before he walked away. I did, stopping by the round dining table as I took in the small white tiled kitchen.

"I'm not really that much of a caregiver, but I couldn't just leave her." I furrowed my eyebrows, watching him as he opened a cabinet and pulled out a large bag. Upon looking at it better, I realised it was dog food.