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Chris was a dog person. That you knew for certain. If he wasn't with his dog East he'd be talking about him, or maybe boasting would be a better word. Chris loved that dog, probably more than most things, he'd even admitted in interviews that East was like his girlfriend, which, to be honest, made you a little jealous. You'd teased him before about how he probably loved his dog more than he loved you, but Chris always made sure you knew just how much you meant to him. And besides, it was silly to be jealous of East since you loved him too, and you couldn't really blame Chris for loving such a wonderful animal.
You knew straight away that something was wrong when you came home from work one day to find Chris sitting out on the back porch, knees hugged tightly to his chest. He remained silent as you sat next to him and rested your head against his shoulder. You waited a moment, expecting East to walk over and press his nose into your leg, but as the minutes ticked by, there was no sight of him, and you had your answer. The day Chris lost East he lost his best friend, and as you sat there with him, you silently promised that you would find a way to help fill the void in his life.
It was three months later that you found the one. You had been scouring the local adoption ads for weeks, wondering if the perfect puppy would ever show up. But there it was, plain as day, “Aura”, 10 weeks old, F, American Bulldog, tan in colour, $150. You dialled the number of the adoption centre and asked if she was still available.
“I have another family coming to see her, but if they don’t take her you can come in tomorrow morning to meet her.” The woman at the adoption centre said. That wasn’t the response you’d hoped for, but you accepted the offer and said you’d call back in the morning.
You didn’t sleep a wink that night, and you were glad that Chris wasn’t there to see you running around like a headless chicken. He wasn’t due to be home until the following night, so you were free to wander around aimlessly without being questioned. You sipped your mug of coffee, watching the time slowly tick by, and as soon as it hit 9am you called the adoption centre and asked about Aura.
“You’re in luck. She’s still here; the kid from yesterday didn’t like the look of her.” A guy had told you.
You grabbed your keys and your purse and headed out the door; you had to get to Aura before anyone else could. Half an hour later you arrived at the adoption centre, and nearly fell out of your car in excitement as you raced to get inside. You asked the guy at the desk to see Aura, reminding him that you had just called, and he took you out to the kennels to see her. Your heart raced as you walked past each enclosure, wondering if the next would be her.
“There she is.” The guy said after a moment, stopping in front of one of the enclosures and unlocking it. You watched him as he walked into the enclosure and scooped up the ball of fur. You could feel your heart melting as he placed the puppy in your hands; she was bigger than you expected, and tan all over except for a small white patch on her chest. She was perfect, absolutely perfect. You lifted Aura up to eye level and cooed at her, and giggled when she licked your chin. Yes, she was the one.
It took you an hour and a generous donation before Aura was completely yours, but as you drove home you knew that it was going to be worth it. You stopped at the corner store and bought a pink ribbon, and loosely tied it around Aura’s neck, she looked adorable.
As you turned down your street, you noticed Chris’ car in the driveway, he was home early it seemed, which suited you just fine.
“This is it puppy,” You said, as you parked the car and scooped up the little bundle.
You walked up the front steps and peeked your head around the front door. You could hear the soft mumbling of the television in the lounge, and silently stepped inside, closing the door behind you. You slipped out of your shoes and padded over to the lounge, and found Chris fast asleep on the sofa, arms wrapped around one of the cushions, snoring lightly. You tip toed over and sat on the floor in front of him, letting Aura sit in your lap. You reached over and brushed your fingers through his hair, causing him to stir. He didn’t open his eyes, but you could see a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“You’re here.” He mumbled.
“You’re early.” You replied, leaning forward and placing a soft kiss on his lips.
“I missed you too much. Come here.” He said, patting the space on the sofa next to him.
“I can’t.” You said, “I have something for you, keep your eyes closed.”
You reached down and picked up Aura, and gently placed her beside him. She didn’t move at first, but after a moment she tentatively crawled toward Chris’ face, and licked him. You smiled as you watched his eyes flutter open in surprise, first looking down at the puppy then back at you.
“Her name is Aura.”
He lifted his hand and let his fingers brush behind her ears, before he scooped her up into his hand and sat up. You watched silently as he hugged the puppy to his chest and placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head. He was smiling widely now, and you noticed his eyes begin to water.
“Oh sweetie,” You said, laughing softly, before joining him up on the sofa. “Why are you crying?”
“I’m happy,” He said after a moment, wiping at his eyes, “She’s gorgeous, thank you.”
You and Chris spent the rest of the morning getting all of Aura’s things set up. You’d bought all of the necessary things weeks earlier and hidden them in one of the closets, which made Chris laugh, as he hadn’t noticed in the slightest that you were planning to get another dog.
By midday you were absolutely exhausted, and opted to curl up on the couch where you quickly fell asleep. You woke a few hours later, your ears having picked up a noise of some sort. You opened your eyes and tried to find where the sound was coming from, and found Chris lying on the floor a few metres away from you, with Aura sitting on his chest, howling. You watched silently as Chris howled then waited, until Aura mimicked the sound, raising her head toward the ceiling, and fell onto her back on Chris’ stomach. Chris grinned and picked Aura back up, placing her back on his chest, before repeating the process.
You stayed silent for a few more minutes, simply spectating, as both Chris and Aura howled together. You looked at Chris’ smiling face, and decided that he definitely seemed brighter, happier, and soon you were smiling too. You got up off the couch and walked over to them, kneeling beside Chris’ head before you bent down and kissed him.
“You’re adorable, you know that?” You said, before kissing him again.
He simply smiled against your lips, not letting you pull away. After a moment you felt something cold and wet brush your ear and you jerked slightly. You started giggling when Aura excitedly licked at your ear, your chin, your cheek, and soon you were lying next to Chris, who was laughing, as the puppy began to play.
“Yes! You’re adorable too okay!” You squealed, trying to hide your face in your hands as Aura got more and more excited. Chris of course simply egged the puppy on, kissing the other side of your face, until you were both laughing so hard your cheeks hurt. The look of pure delight on Chris’ face made the butterflies in your stomach flutter, and it was more than enough confirmation that you had made the right choice.