Puppy Love

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Back home, I go through the camping stuff that my mum had literally dumped at my house, hoping to find something better than a couch for Liam to sleep on. Luckily, there is an air mattress that I can easily blow up for the night.  Hopefully, it hasn’t worn out or grew a hole in its un-usage.

“What that?” asks Liam in his adorable, baby talk.

“This,” I huff out, slightly out of breath from the exertion, “is an air mattress.  It’s like a bed but you can put it away.”

“Bed?” he tilts his head like a confused puppy, which I guess he is.

“The cushy thing you sleep on, silly,” I scratch behind his floppy ears.

“Never sl-slept on bed . . . . .” Liam mumbles.

“Then where’s you sleep?”

“Al-always behi-hind lines.  The lines ar-round me, ne-ver got out lines,” he says, brown eyes widening into big pools of sadness.

“Line? What kind of lines?”

“Lines went up fr-from ground.”

“You mean like a cage? Cold metal bars and a lock?”

He nods.

I swear, if I ever find his old owner, I will throttle him.

“That was very bad of your owner.  I’ll never do that sort of thing to you, Liam.  You may have those adorable floppy ears of yours but you are still human.  Like me and seven billion other people in this world.  No one has the right to mistreat you like that, okay honey?”

“O-okay,” he answers timidly.

With the mattress all done, I drag it out to the living room and set it next to the sofa as to give him more room to sleep on.

“Do you mind if we, er, talked about you other owner?  Not that I’m your new owner because we’re not like that.  You and I, we’re friends who live together, yeah?  I don’t want you back on the streets so I’ve taken you in and sheltered you.  There is no master and pet thing going on. So,” I say, smiling a bit, “what was he like?”

“He very mean!” Liam blurts out, bushy eyebrows knitting to form a crease between them. “F-feed Liam only one ev’ry day. He h-hit Liam too!”

“Why would he do that?” I ponder out loud.

“Say Liam wor-worth-less. Liam stupid dog. Liam ugly puppy.”

I gasp, hands instantly reaching out to cup his baby cheeks. “You’re none of those things! You deserve someone who sees how clever, beautiful and charming you are.  That man had no reason nor right to say that to you!”

“Rea-really?”

“Really.  I mean everything I’ve said.”

So far, we have established that Liam’s previous arse-hat of an owner had abused him physically.

Now I’m starting to wonder if that man had abused him in a sexual way as well.

“Liam,” I start out slowly and carefully, “has that man ever, erm, god how do I even ask this—has he, ah, touched you?”

Liam regards me with cool eyes as if I’m the innocent one. “He hit me.  ‘Co-course he touch me.”

“No, I mean did he ever touch you when you were, gah, naked?”

His eyes widen to the size of saucers. “Ewww. Bad Zay-n.” Liam makes an adorable disgusted face, his cute little button nose scrunched up and crinkles forming by his eyes.  His Retriever ears perk up in attention and I can’t help but smile.  I did say that this boy will be the death of me, haven’t I.

“Sorry.  Had to check,” I say in a way of defending myself.

I go into my room to get some spare bedding for Liam.  Liam, being the puppy that he is, follows me.  When he pokes his head inside the wardrobe with me, though, I nearly have a heart attack.  He gives me a heart attack, looking like he does.  Pert puppy ears, pouty lips, and warm brown eyes I could happily drown in . . . .

“—yn? Zay-n, what look for?” Liam chirps, bringing me out of my reverie.

“Hmm?” I say ever so intelligently.

“What look for?” he asks again, ears flicking sideways.

“Blankets and sheets, I suppose.  And pillows, too.”

It takes us about two minutes to find them and carry them back to the living room.  Liam doesn’t stop bouncing all the way, making me smile indulgently at this cute puppy lad.  He literally dives onto the air mattress and rolls around on it, very puppy-like.

Eventually, Liam looks up at me with a sheepish smile.

“’S alright,” I assure him. “You’re just too darn adorable, is all.”

His bushy honey-brown tail flicks into my view. "Darn adorable?" he questions.

Damn.  I'm going to have to watch my language even more carefully around his cutie.

"It's like saying 'very' but in a meaner way," I explain.

Liam gasps, his doe brown eyes widening. "Bad Zay-n. No be m-mean!" he swipes at my shoulder, teeth biting into his plump lower lip; it blanches for a second before it reddens even more, giving it the appearance of a juicy and sweet strawberry that is just begging to be bitten into and--

Whoa, hold it there, Malik. You are not to fall in love with this cute-as-hell and blushing underage puppy boy, you hear me? Never, ever, ever getting together with him.  Like ever.

The said boy stares at me curiously, probably wondering why I've gone totally silent for maybe a full minute or two.  The puppy-like pose of him melts my heart all over again.

"C'mon." I say so i can prevent myself from doing something utterly stupid. "Let's get  you to bed." 

Half an hour later, I realise that maybe I shouldn't have  bought Liam that ice cream cone on our way home after his mini escapade. Liam's ears are perked up and his tail is thumping on the air mattress in a steady tempo without showing any signs of slowing down. 

Yeah, I'm a right idiot. 

He looks into my eyes and barks excitedly. From the tone, I can tell that he wants me to play with him. 

"No, Liam," I say firmly. 

At that, he growls, dipping his head to grip the pillow between his teeth.  He shakes it, urging me to grab for it. 

He woofs again. 

Sighing,  I turn to switch off the light. Maybe he'll go to sleep more easily if it'a dark. 

I'm proven dead wrong as I feel myself being tackled down to the ground the  moment darkness overtakes the air in the room. 

There's a sudden warm weight sprawled over my body and unmistakable softness against my lips.  

No freaking way!