Handle With Care

16. Unprofessional.

HANDLE WITH CARE

16. Unprofessional.

A N N I E

Luke made a horrid mess of the Christmas dinner. Actually, it wasn't that bad, and he wanted to point out that he wasn't a terrible cook because stereotypically men were, he was bad because he never tried.

He usually just had cereal when he was hungry now, as it only really had two instructions. He also figured you couldn't gain that much weight from cereal, and when he was younger he didn't used to be the slimmest, so he's trying his best now. Annie stepped in, attempting to fix the slightly burnt or under cooked disaster Luke had somehow managed to create.

She fixed it well enough for them to eat at Annie's dining table, she thought it was kind of funny how Luke decided to sit right next to her instead of the opposite side of the table. She didn't mind, it was nice having him this close so they could casually talk, mostly about Searching For You.

Once the conversation changed from the TV show, it landed on Bow, Annie's family and second best friend- after Nina (even though she tells Nina that Bow is first).

"I've always wanted a dog," Luke sighed, stroking Bows soft head as they finished their meal, seeing as she began to pant as she sat next to him.

"You should definitely get one, not only will it help you mentally with the enjoyment it will bring but it will also help your physical activity, which is a major factor with mental health." Annie informed, watching as Luke's hand scratched behind Bows ear.

His eyes shifted onto Annie's face as she began to rant about the perks, his eyebrows raising as she came out with all these technical words that were a little too advanced for Luke.

"Sorry, did I just go full therapist?" Annie noticed the bewildered look on his face and slowed down her talking, waiting for him to reply and hope she hadn't scared him.

"A little bit, it was cute though," he smiled, noticing the pink tweaking at her cheeks, "how you just instantly think about stuff like that, how something can help someone, that's really cute."

She chuckled a little, thankful that Bow came over and allowed Annie not to look at Luke in that moment. She didn't know what she would of done if she had met his eyes in that moment, she didn't think she would be able to control herself.

"Thanks, I guess speaking to loads of people that way just sticks." She shrugged, squishing Bows face in her palms as the dog began to lick her hands.

"Anyway, I think you're right, but I'd have no idea what dog to get." Luke commented, really feeling the urge to have his own little four legged friend wondering around his apartment with him. "I won't be as lonely in my apartment then either."

"They're fantastic company, Bow has helped me on some very lonely nights," Annie commented, pausing as she noticing the sudden silence in the room. "That sounded really bad didn't it? I meant- not that, I just meant she's entertained me. Wait- that doesn't sound any better, she's just-" Annie began to ramble, watching as Luke's lips tugged up at her odd thoughts.

"I get what you mean, even if you did word it weirdly." Luke laughed, allowing Annie to loosen up a little and laugh along too. She was never like this, she was always amazing with her words and she could articulate immaculately, and yet around Luke it's like she's just searching through the dictionary for the first words that come to mind.

Deciding that the table wasn't very comfortable, Annie cleaned it with the help of Luke before leading the both of them to living room. Annie sat herself down on the couch and Bow instantly jumped up next to her, resting her head on Annie's lap as she wagged her tail, hitting Luke in the process. Not that Luke would admit it, but he wished Annie would kick Bow off the couch so he could sit closer to her, but instead he had to sit at the other end, with her dogs butt right next to him. Annie passed Luke the remote as she searched for something on her phone, passing to Luke afterwards to show him a dog adopting website.