Bloom

32. sensitive coffee

Zephaniah

I moved my head to the rhythm of the soft beat that was still playing through my mind, having taken off my headphones a while ago. Dad never thought it was a good idea for me to walk Cooper while listening to music. The one time where I had walked straight into the street light, I had realised he was probably right.

It'd been so hard, that I had a cut just above my eyebrow, blood had gushed out of it. And I had wondered why Cooper had kept pulling the leash. If only I'd listened.

Counting my steps as the pavement became grass, it took me exactly fifty- six of them to continue my walk onto a gravel path, the small stones slightly stabbing my worn out shoes.

Cooper dribbled beside me, he seemed to be doing better. He hadn't thrown up for a few days now, maybe he just had a fever. It was what I had hoped, after all. His eyes were squinted lightly, his tongue hanging out his mouth, the right side- to be precise.

Sometimes he looked up, making my lips curl up right after. Keeping my hand on his soft head as we walked, I finally looked up, noticing how quiet the Saturday afternoon had been. I wondered where everyone was, it was usually a living village in spring.

Though, I didn't mind at all. It was calm, I was calm. The only sounds being heard were the birds, sometimes a lost car that drove through the empty streets. Oh, and the crunching beneath my feet, the soft padding of Cooper's paws. Not to forget to mention the slight breeze that rustled the leaves in the trees that were hovering over us.

Stuffing my hand in the pocket of my jacket, I couldn't ignore the photo material and before I knew it- I took it out again, just like I had done many times before today. I stared at the ultrasound, brushing my finger over it.

Sighing, I told Cooper to sit, who did it right away, looking up at me with his soft, brown eyes. I showed him the photo for a brief moment, staring at it myself after that. I wondered if it would be a boy or a girl.

"Life changes every day, but what if you just want to pause it for a moment?" I frowned, sighed again and stuffed the photo back into my jacket, my restless mind clearly not completely having processed it still. I didn't want to upset myself, not now I was feeling rather calm.

Cooper licked my hand, I gave him a treat.

Walking further, I abruptly stood still when I thought I'd heard my name. It was confirmed soon after, my name flying through the air again. Cooper wiggled his tail, it was a good sign.

Looking up, it took me a moment to realise Haven was stood in front of me, her hand slowly waving once I briefly made eye contact. "Zephaniah! I didn't expect you here! This is nice." She smiled softly, pushing her wavy hair out of her face.

For a moment I didn't know what to say, I was a little overwhelmed. I stared down at Cooper, who nudged my hands as I'd started fiddling, not remembering when I did. "Haven," I said quietly after a while, the whole situation finally dawning to me.

"You're walking Cooper?" She crouched down in front of my dog and softly scratched behind his ears. Cooper wiggled his tail faster, squinting his eyes as he enjoyed the feeling.

I smiled a little, Cooper knew exactly who to trust when it came to people as well. He didn't always wiggle his tail around Tara, neither did he with the boys that used to pester me in the First Grade, the Special School. He clearly trusted Haven, which made me feel comfortable, as I thought I was starting to trust her too.

Humming in response, my eyes innocently slid down her appearance, observing the way she looked. Her wavy, just above her shoulders- short hair was let down, like usually. Cheeks flushed and tiny lobster earrings hanging in those miss- shot lobes.