contradictory

three

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the air was numbing as millie struggled to carry her books while the strap of her bag kept sliding off of her shoulder. she was late for her shift and did not want to leave David to take orders and prepare them alone.

when the bell chimes signaling her entrance, she quickly shouted a "sorry" to david who was somewhere behind the counter as she maneuvered through the line of people to the office where she kept her belongings. she threw on her apron and tossed her hair up before rushing to the register to satisfy the paying customers when david's relieved smile greeted millie from the kitchen. after the breakfast rush died down, she picked up a book and continued from where she left off.

finn slept in until noon. he was awakened by rosie's annoying whines at his door begging for a companion, similar to finn. finn's mind was still inspired by millie, but he only had his memory to guide her pencil across the paper, and to finn, that was enough.

but as finn attempted to complete the sketch, he realized it would never be complete. every pencil stroke was connected, and the shading was placed perfectly, but it was missing the realistic emotion she embodied while simply burying her head in a book.

finn wanted to talk to millie, but in all honesty, millie hardly remembered encountering someone else at the meadow she found herself at everyday after work. the only thing she remembered about the previous day was the new brush stroke technique she read about, but would never practice.

so, when five o'clock rolled around after millie cleaned up the cafe leaving it spotless, and cleaner than david ever bothered to attempt, millie was waving goodbye and making her way to the meadow with a different book.

when millie made it to the meadow, she went to the same spot by the tree, but this time someone was already there. she didn't mind, but recognized the deep brown eyes that watched her as she found her place in the bed of sleeping flowers with a book in her hand. she didn't pay much attention to him though, just took notice of his dog that stood up to try and greet millie. she was a precious dog that caught her attention.

and for once, millie's book was not smothering her because she kept it far enough from her face to where she could glance at the dog that stared back at her. she was so in love with the dog. millie didn't even realize that finn was completing his sketch of her with the right emotions being shown.

eventually, millie couldn't hold herself back anymore and approached the dog and man carefully. finn saw her coming and felt nervous. he wasn't sure if she caught him staring at her, or if she knew he was drawing her. he wore an embarrassed smile while Rosie stood up to say hello. she soon realized the dog was not on a leash and knew he was well trained.

"excuse me? may i pet your dog?" millie asked with her gentle yet certain voice. finn sighed in relief realizing that was all she wanted.

finn laughed seeing rosie happily rub up against her legs, yet she still waited for the permission to pet her. "yes, of course. she seems to really like you."

millie plopped herself down leading Rosie plopping herself onto her lap as if she was a small lapdog. "what's her name?"

"rosie," finn said, completely enthralled by the sight in front of him. not only did finn want to capture this moment, but Rosie was stuck up. she was a sassy dog that walked away from most people with no interest of showing this much affection and excitement. but finn was certainly interested in the smile that millie wore while scratching rosie's belly while her tongue happily hung out of her mouth.

she had read a book of different dog breeds, and never got the chance to see a cocker spaniel in person. she wanted to blurt out random facts, like how it was thought the be one of the oldest dog breeds, and how they were only recognized by the AKC in 1903. but millie didn't want to seem strange, so she kept her mouth shut.

it was rare for millie to hold her facts back, but with finn she didn't feel like he would understand her fascination with useless knowledge. besides, she was there to pet Rosie, not force conversation along with the person who owns the precious dog.

it was something about the way millie stared adoringly down at the impressed pup that could never under normal circumstances, seem impressed. finn wanted to draw her, or capture a photo, or paint her. he wanted to carry out the inspiration, but he stopped himself. he didn't think millie would understand the fascination he had with her and this meadow.

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i attached a picture of  finn's dog, rosie 🥺

al