I Among Dogs

Chapter 14: Too Good To Be True...

As it turned out, what Hailey had given me was a piece of paper with her phone number. I probably should've expected that when she gestured me to call her after we first met only a few hours ago. I just sat on one of the living room chairs, staring at the piece of paper.

That question of how I was going to tell Bluey's parents about this kept swimming around in my head. They were willing to let me live with them and... hopefully adopt me, so it's likely they'd support me through it.

"Hey Nate, you alright, kid? You've been sitting there looking down for several minutes." Speaking of Bluey's parents, Bandit just had to notice me and had come over to investigate.

No turning back now.

"...Bandit? If... well, a dog like you had a crush on me and... wanted to start a relationship with me, what would you say?" I looked up at Bandit after asking this and was met with a stunned wide-eyed expression on his face, he obviously hadn't expected to hear such a question come from my mouth.

"Well, I mean... You live and work the same way as we do, so I guess I wouldn't really mind... Why do you even ask?" Bandit raised an eyebrow as he responded with a question of his own.

"Nathan met this lady dog and she gave him a phone number." Bluey who was nearby immediately answered before I could say anything.

"Ohhh, how interesting! So Nate's a real ladies' man!" Bandit said in a playfully cheeky tone as he looked at the piece of paper in my hand before asking another question. "So is she a catch for you, Nate?"

"Um... Well, I will admit, she is pretty and all, but... there's one problem." Bandit just smiled after hearing my concern.

"Ohhh, don't worry. I know where you're coming from, mate. Your days are free and easy especially with a loved one but she's already saying that she wants to have little ones running around in the future and you're worried that they just might be a little too cheeky like someone I know." Bandit assumed whilst giving Bluey a very smug glance, earning an annoyed "Hey!" from the young Blue Heeler.

I mentally facepalmed at how Bandit had completely gotten the wrong idea. Since I was pretty much an alien species to his kind, it should've been pretty obvious what my actual concern was about having a bipedal dog for a girlfriend.

"No, that's not it at all. What I'm worried about is... Are human and biped dog relationships even legal?"

"...Oh." Bandit immediately blinked with a look that was like realisation had hit him like a wall of bricks before his face turned to an uneasy one as if he was unable to answer.

"Yeah, I... hadn't thought of that. I think Andrew might know however."

"Might know what?" It was now Chilli's turn to notice the situation and get curious, walking over to Bandit and I.

"Ah, well, the thing is... Nate's a heck of a charmer!" Bandit announced, glancing back at me with a smile like a proud father.

"Dad!" Bluey scolded, believing that Bandit had stopped taking the current situation seriously. Maybe he was just joking to lighten the mood.

"Okay, okay!" Bandit replied with a chuckle before answering. "Nathan met this girl and it seems like she really likes him because she gave her a phone number."

"Oh, really? Good on you, Nathan!" Chilli looked down at me with a pleased smile which did warm me up a little.

"But he doesn't know if having a dog like us for a girlfriend is illegal or not." Bandit finished, which made his wife's smile fall.

"Ah... Well... I mean... Nathan, do you really like this girl?" Chilli asked me rather firmly. Even though I had just met Hailey, she did sound like she was really into me.