Unraveling [BXB]

Chapter 19

A few days a week, Chase took up shifts at the animal shelter after school. It was something he'd originally chosen as a volunteer opportunity that would look good on his transcripts, but he also just loved taking care of the different animals. Many of them were dogs or cats, but since they were close to a college, they also took in lab rats after they had completed the studies they were in, bunnies, and some reptiles. Occasionally, someone would drop off a full litter of puppies or kittens, and those were Chase's favorite days. He loved getting pets set up with good foster homes or adoptive families, but he knew many of the older ones could take months or years to leave the shelter, so he tried to give them all a little more attention when he was there. Even the more aggressive and wary pets all seemed to come around to liking him after a while. He was most proud of being one of two people on the team who could handle the eight-year-old cat, Lily, in the back of the shelter because he'd finally been able to gain her trust after months. She was quiet and anxious by nature, but he was sure she'd also had a difficult life. When she'd been brought in, she was covered in fleas and cuts, and half of her fur was missing. After her wounds were treated, she just curled up in the corner of her hutch and wouldn't even move to eat for the first few days. After almost two weeks, she began to soften up a little, and with consistent and gentle care, she looked like a completely different cat and would even let Chase pet her without issue now. He wanted to adopt her himself, but his mom was allergic to cats. 

That day, working at the shelter felt like the perfect distraction from everything else going on in his life. Mainly, he was just stressed about Hayden's homework, it was getting to be a lot on top of violin practice, worrying about his own grades, and trying to keep everything in one piece. He felt like everything was so fractured lately and it was starting to wear on him. For someone who lied so much, he was terrible at keeping secrets. He constantly felt like he was going to collapse under the weight of all of it.

Just as he was working on some intake paperwork for a new puppy they'd gotten in, he heard the door open and smiled a little when he saw Wren walking in with a paper bag and two soda bottles.

"Hey, Taylor said you were working late tonight, so I made you a Ham and Cheese sandwich and picked up a cherry coke on my way over," he said, setting the bag down on the counter.

Chase grinned, a pink tint covering his cheeks. "You know I'd be fine eating leftovers when I get home."

"Well, yeah, but maybe I'm also here to look at the dogs and just decided to bring in food for whoever was working," Wren said with a small smirk. 

"Are you here to look at the dog?" Chase asked as he took the sandwich out and took a bite of it. 

"Would you let me stay if I am?" 

"As long as I would let anyone else stay. I can't turn away a possible customer." 

"Then I'd like to see your cutest, fluffiest dogs," Wren said, cracking open the other soda to take a sip of it. 

They ate together and talked for a few minutes before Chase took Wren into the back. There were two aisles of dogs, a few of which came up to greet the two of them when they saw them. Chase opened the door to a litter of their border collie puppies. They'd gotten them in a week before, but two of them had already been adopted, and Chase knew the other four would be out soon. They were all ridiculously friendly and adorable. Wren looked speechless as he knelt down to pick one up that had come running over to him and Chase sat down to let another crawl into his lap. 

"Are you working here alone?" Wren asked, realizing he hadn't seen anyone else around. 

"My manager's in the back, and I run it by him if anyone gets adopted or if there's a problem, but for the most part, there only needs to be one person on shift," Chase said, smiling as Wren kept his eyes on the puppy who had flipped herself over onto her back to ask him to rub her belly.