𝐒𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐒 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄? 𝔄𝔲𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔫 𝔅𝔲𝔱𝔩𝔢𝔯

꧁𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄꧂

After driving for around 15 minutes, and listening to girls on film, head over heels, and suspicious minds on repeat, I had finally made it home. Well, rental home. As I unpacked my car, I hear a loud bang come from inside the house. "Cora, what the hell have you done?" I ask myself, closing the car door to the backseat. As I approach the house, I hear another loud bang come from inside. This one makes me quicken my pace to the door.

As I twist the door knob and open the door, I'm greeted by a puppy jumping on me. "Cora, what the hell?" I ask her, mildly raged, and confused. "He was in a box for sale, so I picked him up," she said, shrugging. "So you're keeping it?" I ask. She shakes her head, "oh absolutely not. It's yours." she states. Sometimes I want to see her head on a spike. "I'm really trying not to punch you," I say, frustration lingering in my voice. I then look at the puppy. It looked decent-sized. Not too small, nor too big. It was undeniably a very pretty dog. I picked it up to look at it closer. It then leans forward, kissing me on the cheek. Damn you. "So? You like it or not?" Cora asks, staring at me staring at the dog. I checked the gender quickly. "I already know its name," I say, my head darting towards hers. A smile slowly makes its way to her face, showing her excitement. "Soo? What's the name?" she asks, anticipation gleaming in her eyes. "Forte," I say reassuringly. Her face drops. "You kidding?" she asks. "What! It means loud in French. This dog is loud!" I say, arguing back with her. Her face softens. "Actually, that's perfect," she says. "And since it's a girl, it's forte, not fort," I say, educating Cora. She raises an eyebrow in confusion. "What's the difference?" she asks. "One's feminine, and one masculine," I answered simply. "Huh," she said.

After a few moments of gathering my emotions, realization hits me like that bus hit Regina George.

I'm broke. How's this dog gonna get food, and proper care with my penny-less ass?

"Cora, I really hate to ask you this but It is kind of your fault," I start. "I don't like the sound of this." she declares. "You have to pay for Forte's things," I say. A groan escapes her mouth. "Don't you dare groan me? You got this cutie, so you have to pay for it. Plus, as I said, I'm not rich until next week." I say, turning my head to the kitchen. "Fine, mother," she says sarcastically. I smile at her response.

~*~

I grab my tote bag that's filled to the brim with beach essentials. Water, a snack, a book (it ends with us), chapstick, AirPods, my phone, a towel, and a cover-up. I reach into my bag to grab the cover-up when I hear the door open. I turn my head to see an out-of-breath Cora, hands full of puppy care tools. "Oh Cora, thank you so much!" I express. She quickly places the items on the kitchen island, "this was five hundred dollars." she says, annoyed. "Five hundred dollars for my pretty pup," I say. She already knows I'm going to spoil this thing like it's my child. I quickly grab the leash and collar. "Forte! Where are you!" I call in a sing-song tone. I hear nails clip-clop around the corner, uncovering the tiny dog. As she walks over to me, I pick her up. "You're going to look gorgeous," I tell her. I place the light green collar around her neck and attach the pink leash to it. Cora thought of everything. Green was my favorite color, and pink was hers.

As I place the dog down, I suddenly remember. "We're having a guest tonight. A work friend." I say. "Ooh, are they cute?" she asks. "Well..." I trail off. "Hah! You like them!" she says, acting like she just solved a true crime case. "I think he's attractive." I let out. I hear a squeal come from her mouth. "Oh, hush. Are you coming to the beach or not?" I question, looking her up and down. She nods quickly. "Thirty minutes and I'll be out," she says, racing to the guest room.

She was right. Exactly thirty minutes later I hear footsteps creep toward me. "Let's go to the beach, each." she starts to sing. "No honey, no," I say, hushing her up. She frowns. The soft snore sound forte made as she slept made me love her even more. I had already acquired so much love for something I hadn't known but an hour. I woke her up by standing to my feet, making her jump to my side. I grabbed her leash, and then my bag.