Forest Edwards is always running. Either literally, because of his dog, Fletch; running to escape his tiring work life; or, well, running away from the possibilities of love.
But when Natalie Dayholt, together with her dog, Bailey, waltzed into his...
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FOREST WOKE UP to the sound of his alarm, as well as Fletch pouncing on him from the corner of the room. It was a thing of theirs — the alarm woke both Forest and Fletch up, before Fletch jumped on Forest to make sure he was awake.
From the translucent curtains pulled open, he noticed that the sky outside was still a shade of dark blue, with wisps of clouds, and no signs of breaking dawn. The sun hadn't risen yet, and he exhaled into the cool air while pulling the soft velvet covers off of his body.
He rubbed his eyes wearily, murmuring, "good morning, Fletch."
The dog's eyes shone brightly as it barked a reply excitedly, delving headfirst into the blankets to savour the warmth that had emanated from his body earlier on. He smiled at Fletch, his eyes darting to a sleeping body — Lauren — before putting a finger to his lips. She somehow didn't wake up from the alarm.
Thankfully, she slept on the couch opposite his bed and not on his bed itself. He stared for a moment or two, his mind whirling around in recollection of how she turned up at his house yesterday. And for a split second, Forest felt extremely bad for making her sleep somewhere so uncomfortable.
But he did say that she could sleep in the guest room. It wasn't exactly his fault that she chose not to, right?
He gave himself a firm nod of affirmation, dragging his body out of the bed to freshen up. Having a long sleep yesterday night had seemed to help him feel miraculously better within a few hours.
He pulled the frisbee out from drawer, beckoning to Fletch as they quietly left the room. But not before he draped the thick blanket over Lauren.
***
WINTER HAD UNKNOWINGLY crept it's way into London, stripping the trees bare of its red leaves, leaving the park a little colourless. The robins that had once perched on the tree branches no longer chirped loudly, and everything was quiet. All except for the sound of his shoes against the gravel beneath, as well as Fletch's occasional barks.
The dull scenery passed by in a whirl as Forest jogged plenty of rounds, with Fletch bounding obediently beside him.
At least he had his dog running beside him. Forest dare not imagine how everything else would have turned out for him if his parents didn't adopt the retriever.
After all, Fletch was the one who kept him company when the days got lonelier, the one who made him happy when the days got darker, and the one who gave him warmth when the days got colder.
When he was finally done, he took a thirsty gulp from his water bottle, feeling more refreshed than he did in a while. He picked the frisbee up from bench, waving it at Fletch.
Forest laughed when Fletch circled him happily - it had been some time since he last brought Fletch out, seeing how he was preoccupied with work — as well as thoughts about a certain someone.
