ICARUS (OH)

01

IT was on a warm afternoon, light breeze sifting through the park that fate decided to bring them together, spinning the first thread that wove into an intricate story. well, fate and a dog.

kaylen murray was on the hunt for her runaway collie, who'd excitedly gone after a squirrel that had scurried down the tree underneath which they were playing. kaylen had been tossing a frisbee for the dog to catch when it happened, and in the blink of an eye, harvey was gone in a blur of gold and white fur. she had gone after him, but her legs, however toned from regular exercise, were no match for the agility of an excited canine. and she was no longer sure what direction he had gone.

she slowed down, approaching a man lying underneath a tree with the hope that he had seen harvey come by. stopping next to him, she noted how the sunrays hit his face in dappled golden patterns, breeze tossing his dark hair around his face as he laid on the grass. "um, excuse me?" she called, standing over his body.

a small gasp left her lips when he opened one eye then the other. her breath ceased for the fraction of a second at the sheer beauty of his eyes. they were a stunning honey brown that glowed an amber gold in the teasing of sunlight. she found herself staring for longer than would have been deemed comfortable or polite. one of his brows arched in question at her open staring.

her cheeks warmed, realising she had been gawking. she cleared her throat, eyes steering away from his to a spot on the grass next to his head. "um, did you see a collie run by here?" she asked, focusing on the issue that had brought her to him in the first place. "you mean the dog that ran over my fucking body like a welcome mat? he went that way."

blinking away surprise at his unnecessary use of an expletive, she allowed a smile form on her lips. "oh, um, thank you." she mumbled out, feeling acutely self-aware when his captivating eyes fixed her with a probing stare. "sorry for the disturbance." she apologised, stepping around him towards the direction he had pointed.

she jogged towards a small copse of trees, calling out for her pet. after a short moment, there was a bark in response. at the sound, a smile found its way to her face. soon enough, harvey made an appearance, running to her with as much excitement as he'd possessed when chasing the furry creature earlier. tapping on her knees lightly, kaylen lowered herself to a squat so she could ruffle the collie's ears. "come on, boy, we need to get home."

barking again, the dog wagged his tail, following her. she made her way past the man from earlier, gaze lingering on him for only a second before looking away. a loud groan followed by a string of colourful words drew her attention back to him.

eyes widening at the sight of harvey licking at his face excitedly, she let out a loud gasp. her feet hurried towards the man, pulling the collie away from him. "i'm sorry! i'm so sorry!" she apologised profusely, reaching for the embroidered handkerchief in the pocket of her jeans. "here," she offered it to him.

he took it from her, wiping at his face aggressively. "i'm really, really sorry." she mumbled out, unfolding herself to her full height. she glanced at her dog panting next to her with a near grin on his face, wondering why he would do something like that. "um, i have to go. i'm really sorry again." she backed away, taking harvey with her.

the dog barked at him, allowing kaylen to lead him away. sparing one last glance at the man, she quickened her steps, leaving him to wipe dog slobber off his face.