| Alexithymia

1.

ARIA & DAMIAN

It was a sunny Sunday morning when Aria Heeler, a girl of twenty-two years, decided to take a stroll around the neighborhood. With her light brown hair framing her face and a fringe that danced gently in the breeze, she held a cute beagle dog between her arms as she approached the neighbor's house, a place that had always piqued her curiosity.
Heart racing, she knocked on the door, ready to ask about the lost dog. She was ready to see the next old man with dirty shirt opening the door, instead, she was surprised. The door creaked open, revealing a stunningly handsome boy, muscular and charming, adorned with tattoos that hinted at adventures untold. His dark, sleepy eyes met Aria's doe-like brown one's, creating a moment of silent magic between them. Or at least it was what it seemed only for Aria, who was a book romance fan. In fact, the man in front of her looked clearly frustrated by someone waking him up on a Sunday morning.

"Ugh... what do you want?" He said in a gruff and sleepy voice before he noticed the small dog in her arms. "And... Is that my dog?"

A shy and forced smile formed on her lips as she raised the small animal in the air.
"Yes, I have your dog" She chuckled, noticing his annoyed and grumpy expression.
The man raised his eyebrows, still a bit groggy from having just woken up, then leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms.
"And what exactly do you want at..." He glanced at the watch on his wrist. "8:00 AM on a SUNDAY?"
She rolled her eyes playfully, still holding the tiny dog in her arms.
"Well, excuse me for thinking you'd want your dog back" She smiled, clearly finding his grumpiness amusing.
He snickered and ran a hand through his disheveled hair.
He couldn't help but find her feisty attitude a bit endearing.
"Oh, I absolutely do want my dog back. But the whole waking me up at this ungodly hour part could have waited a few more hours"
She smirked, clearly enjoying teasing him.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was interfering with your beauty sleep" She chuckled, scratching the dog's head gently.

The man rolled his eyes. This girl was really something else.
"Yeah, well, sleep is very important, you know. You should try it sometime"
He leaned against the doorframe, looking her up and down. Despite his grumpy demeanor, he had to admit she looked cute with the dog in her arms.

The brown haired girl raised an eyebrow, not backing down from his teasing.
"Oh, trust me, I know how important sleep is. I just choose not to waste my Sundays in bed"
She shifted her weight, clearly enjoying their banter. The dog in her arms seemed content, blissfully unaware of the playful tension between them.
He let out a scoff, leaning a little closer to her.
"You call it wasting time, I call it recharging. Besides, nothing beats a lazy Sunday morning in bed"
He couldn't help but keep stealing glances at her as she held the dog, even though he wouldn't admit it, she looked absolutely adorable.

She rolled her eyes again, clearly amused by his stubbornness.
"Recharging, huh? More like hibernating. Lazy boy"
She chuckled, adjusting the dog in her arms again and gently scratching the dog behind its ears, her fingers moving with practiced ease, clearly indicating she was comfortable with animals. She couldn't help but notice how he was sneaking glances at her, but decided not to comment on it just yet. Instead, she looked back at him.
"So, you want your dog back?"
He let out a scoff, but secretly found her little digs at him amusing.
"Hey, don't diss the hibernation. It's a sacred tradition" He paused for a second, watching her tenderly interact with his dog again. "Of course I want my dog back, what kind of question is that?"
She laughed at his response, clearly finding his defense of hibernation endearing in a weird way.
"Sacred tradition or not, it's still sleep. And you're missing out on a beautiful Sunday morning"

She slowly outstretched her arms, holding the dog out to him.
"Here you go, grumpy. Your little furry companion is all yours. Just promise to give it more attentions and be a better owner"
He huffed, secretly enjoying the way she teased him.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'll make note to take the dog on a walk after I finish my hibernation"
He cautiously took the dog from her arms, their fingers brushing for a brief moment. His heart did a tiny somersault at the contact, but he quickly tried to hide it.
"And for the record, l'm not grumpy 24/7. You just happen to catch me on one of my not-so-charming days"
She chuckled, clearly finding his attempt at being defensive amusing.
"Oh, I'm sure you're a ray of sunshine on your good days" She joked, watching him hold the dog with care, her eyes noticing how he seemed to soften when holding the pet. He was tall with a muscular frame, dark brown messy hair and hazel eyes.