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“Wait! Hold the door!”
Running across the lobby, his shoes, soaked from the downpour outside, are slipping on the tiled floor. His arms, weighed down by cloth bags filled with food from the Farmer’s Market down the street, wave back and forth trying to balance his large body.
A familiar face pokes out of the metal doors, small wrinkled hands holding on, trying to push the silver beasts open. “Come on then, dear, don’t stop running now. I haven’t got all day you know,” the woman says to him with a smile on her face.
He rushes into the elevator and tries not to spray the old woman when he shakes his long hair out of his face. “Thank you, Mrs. Martin,” smirks Kylo. He drops two of his cloth bags to the floor, a heavy thump from both water weight and the groceries within the bags. Lifting a hand up to his forehead, he brushes the excess water from his face and looks down to the small woman in front of him.
“It looks as though you were caught in that little rain storm outside. That will teach you not to carry an umbrella around with you, young man. You think you’d know better living in a city like this,” scolds Mrs. Martin, watching as water drips down Kylo’s pale face.
He nods in the same manner that he would nod to his mother when he was a young boy; jumping in puddles with his socks on or spilling paint on the white carpet. Kylo knew she meant well. The senior took to taking care of him whenever she could. He was the ‘grandchild she never had’ she would tell him and would pass a tin of her homemade shortbread. He looked back over at her, smiling.
“A handsome young man has moved into the old Bilodeau place; he has a lovely little dog.” Kylo raises his eyebrow. “I mentioned a little something about-” her eyes sparkling with mischief. He presumes she’s up to no good.
“Mrs. Martin! You sneaky woman! Are you trying to set me up?” His eyes are wide and he can feel the anxiety rising in his chest.
A shocked look crosses the elderly woman’s face, her hand flying to her chest, mouth gaped. “Dear, I would never think of doing such a thing! I hope you don’t mind that I informed the young man of your services.” She sounded proud to have passed on this information. A chime pulled his attention towards the screen above the doors, the number 5 boldly staring at him.
“This is me,” Kylo nods to Mrs. Martin and he pulls his wet bags from the floor and loads them back over his shoulder, stepping out onto the carpeted hallway.
“Make sure to dry off, you don’t want to catch cold. Have a nice cup of tea, dear,” Mrs. Martin shouts at Kylo’s back, silver doors closing before he can mutter a ‘yes ma’am’.
Turning to the left and down to the end of the hallway, he made a point of stopping in front of Mr. Bilodeau's old apartment. It looked the same as his place, the front door, dark brown with gold numbers, but instead of the old ‘Welcome’ mat that was once there, a new one replaced it. Kylo smiled when he looked down at the picture; a small fluffy dog, its fur decorated with bows. He wasn’t a big fan of making dogs looks like pageant contestants, he preferred taking his dogs into the great trails of the Northwest. Running up and down the mountainsides and into the ravines. This little fluffball, wouldn’t last two seconds on one of his dog walking journeys. It was possible that the owner may need the dog walked around the block; he could fit a few of those in during the week. He reached into his pocket to find a card, he’d slip it in the door frame and hope to hear back from the owner. Pulling the wallet out of his pants pocket, he opened it to the section where he stored his cards. He pushed his index finger into the slot, frustration crossing his face when he couldn’t yank one of them out. He pushed his finger in deeper, managing to grab at something. What was in his hand was not something he would be leaving. He should have known. His cards were soaked and the ink (he had made them at home) was spreading itself up, down, and around the rectangular piece. His shoulders sank, today was clearly not his day. Heading back down the hall, he made a right and made his way to the last door. A corner suite, only one apartment beside him, less people to make complaints about his heavy walk or his deep voice that had upset the last women that had lived beside him.
Digging into his pockets once again, he searches for his keys (the only problem with these pants, many pockets –deep pockets) feeling the soggy keychain (it was some odd creature, an Ewok his dad had told him) he yanked it up, blowing out a breath of relief. He pulled the doorknob towards him as he turned the key, hearing the bolt slide back. Pushing into the door with his hip, the air rushed to his face, warming the tip of his nose first. Dropping the bags in the entryway, Kylo kicked off his shoes, water poured out and made its way across his tiled floor. His socks, white that morning, were stained with black from his canvas shoes. Letting out a sigh, he pulled them off each foot and let them fall to the floor. He’d worry about the mess later; warmth and comfort were calling to him in the name of a hot shower and leftovers from the previous evening.
Kylo continued undressing himself, unzipping his hoodie, pulling the wet sleeves down and over his hands, and dropping it to the floor with a heavy thump. His long sleeve shirt was thrown, tossing it on top of his socks on the tiled floor. As he unbuttoned his jeans, a barrage of yipping could be heard from outside his door. Stepping back from the wet clothing on the floor, he pushed his face to the door to take a look out the peephole; taking a moment to scan the area in front of his apartment.
Nothing.
The residents along this end of the building only had cats, so maybe a visitor had brought a dog with them. He pulled his face back from the door, and continued undressing. Fingers on the zipper and ready to pull it down, when the yapping starting again in what he would call, machine gun barks. He felt the need to check out what was going on with the mystery dog outside of his apartment.
Opening the door, eyes scanning the hallway and immediately falling upon a yapping ball of fluff. This must be the dog from the doormat; tiny bows and all. The dog was clearly upset that the decorative vase in the hall, was larger than the tiny body it owned. Kylo chuckled as he stepped out of his apartment and towards the fierce, yapping beast. “Look at you, all fired up over something being bigger than you.” Kylo walked a few steps towards the ball of fluff, bending down to pet it. Looking up at Kylo, the dog growled. “Oh, don’t be like that, little one,” Kylo said, holding out his hand for the dog to smell. Before the tiny nose could sniff his hand, its head turned towards whistling that flowed from around the corner. The dog’s ears perked up; eyes wide with anticipation, and tail swishing furiously. Kylo stood up, waiting to see the human behind the whistle. A foot appeared, the leg, a whole lot of slender leg, and then...
Oooooh.
He definitely didn’t expect that.
What or rather whom had walked around the corner, was what Kylo could only describe as a red headed angel. His strides were graceful, slender legs which were being hugged by dark pants, and his collared shirt, starched to perfection, gleamed white as the fresh snow on the mountaintops of their fair city. He wanted to rip that crisp white shirt off, buttons falling to the floor and ravage whatever lay beneath. He wasn’t entirely sure where the last thought had popped up from but he accepted it and continued to watch what was unfolding in front of him.
“Clementine! Did that mean puppysitter let you out of her sight. All alone to fend for yourself in this dirty hallway?” He bent over, picking up the reddish-brown ball of fluff and kissed its tiny nose. “I’m going to have to bathe you, look how hideous the floor is! Your beautiful little bow has fallen off as well. You poor, sweet thing.” He gently snuggled into the fluffy dog before his eyes met Kylo’s and fell to the wide expanse of his bare shoulders, down to his pecs; his body still covered with droplets of water from the storm outside. Kylo could feel his face turning red and the man looked back up at him.
Kylo’s mouth, slightly ajar after hearing the man’s accent, offered his hand to the stranger, “You must be the new guy in the building, I’m Kylo. Welcome to the 5th floor,” hand still out waiting for a reaction. The man, clearly put off by Kylo, turned away from him, dog in hand, and continued on back down the hall where he had appeared from.
Kylo stood there, stunned from the encounter. He did see a dog in his hallway and there was an extravagant looking man with the dog, right? Shaking his head, he walked back into the apartment, stepping over the wet mess in the hallway, trying not to slip as he entered his TV room in a slightly dazed state. He sunk into his couch, the cold denim startling him when it touched the back of his legs. The pants needed to come off. Once the stiff material was off his body, he tossed them over to the pile from earlier.
What the hell was that? He was polite, right? Not rude of stand-offish. He wasn’t flashing his parts around (he quickly glanced down to confirm this thought). Did he-oh no, he rubbed his hands over his forehead and down his nose. Was there something on his face? Pushing his body up, he rushed to the bathroom, slipping on the tiles he had previously dripped on. Smacking the light switch, he pushed his face close to the mirror the light illuminating his pale face, dark hair askew, and tired eyes staring back at him. “Nothing on your face buddy but you look like shit,” he told his reflection. Stepping back from the vanity, he reached into the shelves behind the bathroom door, feeling for the fluffiest of his towels. A hot shower and an evening on the couch and he would be set for a night in.
No dogs, no rain, and no rude neighbours.
***
With his raincoat on and hood up, Kylo pushed the glass door of the building open, stepping into the rain. Another day, another torrential downpour. The weather didn’t bother him and when prepared for it, he even enjoyed that his job kept him outdoors. Not all of his clients felt the same about running around the streets or taking to one of the many trails the city had to offer. Even when clad in high-end rain gear and fancy boots, his clients would whine and pull back once they stepped into the wet forests.
Today, he only had two clients. He had received a cancellation because of the weather (one of those whiney clients he loved so much) and he honestly couldn’t have cared about losing the money.
Using his long legs to his advantage, he stepped over a massive puddle in front of the house he needed to get to. Pressing the doorbell, he heard his first client run to the door. Heavy footsteps followed shortly after and the deadbolt was pulled back, door opening to reveal a man and his dog.
“Morning Ken,” Kylo said with a nod before reaching down to pet the black Labrador. “Hello to you too, Petunia. Are you ready to go on an adventure in our fair city?” Petunia turned around in a circle and gave a sharp bark before running down the hall, picking something up and returning to where Kylo was standing with her owner. She had picked up her leash and brought it back, nudging her nose into Ken’s hand in hopes that he would take the leash from her.
“Smart puppy,” Kylo crooned, running his hand over her head. Ken held out the leash to Kylo and smiled. A quick clip to her collar and they were ready to go. “We’ll see you in a bit Ken. I’ll only have two of them today, so maybe I can get them on one of the longer trails, I know how much she loves to sniff around the forest.” Ken nodded in response, holding the door open for Kylo and Petunia. Jumping over the puddle again, he loosened his grip on the leash and sprinted down the sidewalk, heading down several blocks to pick up Rufus; a mix of sorts that loved playing and running amok with Petunia.
Three hours and two wet dogs later, Kylo was on his way back to the apartment, eager to soak in the bath, eat comfort food his mom had left in his fridge earlier that day, and possibly watch a movie that didn’t involve too much thought.
He reached out to pull open the door to his building, holding it open as one of his neighbours was heading out. Kylo walked towards the elevator, pushing his hood back before realizing who was standing in front of him.
There he was, his back to Kylo, Clementine in his arms and waiting for the elevator to arrive. He was going to go for it, maybe the man had been all riled up last night and had been panicked about his dog missing. He could have been flustered and that made him seem rude. It was a logical thought. Right? He took several steps forward speaking as he brushed shoulders with his handsome neighbour.
“Your Pom is beautiful,” Kylo said, taking another look at the tall man and his dog.
The red head turned his head slowly to the right, a quick glance at Kylo before looking back to the numbers on the display. He couldn’t leave the conversation at that, he needed to engage the man. Anything to hear the accent that had graced his ears the evening before. “Is this little fluff-ball a mix or-”
“Purebred of course,” he spits, cutting Kylo off, “unlike the slew of mutts you walk around,” the man replied with a look of disgust.
“Excuse me?” Kylo replied.
“I’m confident that you heard what I said, Kyle.” He glared at Kylo, only turning away when a bell rang, the elevator doors opening and welcoming them both in. Kylo stood back as the man and his dog turned around to face him and to push the button. “Are you going to get in or are you going to stand there and drip all over the tiles?”
Kylo’s face turned red, the anger building inside of him, something he tried so hard to keep at bay. “I’ll take the stairs, thanks. I don’t think I got all my steps in for today,” he mumbled as he walked toward the staircase. “Stupid pompous jerk...” He had to repeat the three words as he walked up the stairs, trying to cope with the anger that had been building in his chest during the short encounter. The ginger clearly had a heart as cold as the elevator doors. And Kyle? He thought his name was Kyle? The thought of the discrepancy had Kylo stomping up the last flight of stairs. This was one of the reasons why he had stopped working with people and started working with animals. No idiotic comments to worry about. No judgments. Plus, the dogs he took care of were loyal and consistently happy. He kept grumbling as he opened the door, glad to be home and even happier to have escaped his arrogant neighbour.
It didn’t hit him until later in the evening; once bathed and fed, anger subsided, a curious thought crossed his mind. He chewed the inside of his cheek, not sure if he could pull it off but once he ran the idea through his head a second time, his lips shifted into the largest smile possible. This was going to be epic.
He heads out the next afternoon, finding exactly what he needs to execute his plan. Tossing the item into his basket with a smirk on his face; he finishes his rounds and pays for the groceries.
Kylo rushed back home, with the hope of executing the plan for this evening. He ran into Mrs. Martin in the lobby and figured he would ask what the tall redheads name was.
“Oh dear, I’m sure his last name is Hux but for the life of me I can’t remember his first name. Something peculiar. A name that my grandfather could have had back in the day.” Mrs. Martin fumbled around in her purse, pulling out a packet of mints, offering one to Kylo who declined.
“Thanks, Mrs. Martin, you've been a tremendous help.” He pushed the button to head back up to his place, bags in hand and a mischievous smile on his face.
***
He was about to pull dinner out of the oven when four sharp knocks turned his attention away. One oven mitt on, he headed to unbolt his door, opening it to a disgruntled looking Hux.
“WHAT, are these?” Hux shouts while holding a bag right in Kylo’s face.
“Let’s see, they’re small, peel able, bursting with flavour... I’m certain that those delightful little citrus things, are Clementine's.” Kylo can’t help but smile. Hux stares. The colour in his eyes in getting darker by the second and Kylo is pretty sure that Hux’s eyes are burning holes in him. “Get it? Your dog’s name is Clementine, so I thought it would be hilarious to buy you Clementine’s,” he laughs and slaps his hand to his thigh, the hilarity of the situation almost makes him keel over in front of Hux.
Hux huffs and pushes the bag at Kylo, “You’re ridiculous. Next time keep your childish ideas to yourself.” With one last glare, he turns to storm back down the hallway, muttering something unintelligible. Kylo watched as he rounded the corner and was out of eyesight. A smirk on his face, he stepped back into his apartment and declared this small mission, a success.
Kylo, after staking out Hux’s apartment for a few mornings this week, knows that he leaves for work at approximately 8:40 each morning. Stainless steel mug in hand, he pulls the door closed, arranges his doormat so it is at a precise angle, and makes his way towards the elevator.
The following afternoon, Kylo was returning from a dog walking job, when he spotted Hux on the opposite side of the street. Stopping, he had to rub his eyes to take in the sight before him. Hux with Clementine, no surprise there. What had him questioning his eyesight was the odd contraption that Clementine was in. These items were all around town, the newborns and toddlers of the city took up residences in these. They were outfitted with cashmere blankets, Eco-friendly teething toys, stainless steel water bottles and some littered with organic treats. Some, cost more than a month’s rent in his building. As he stepped down from the sidewalk and crossed, heading to where Hux was walking his dog in a very extravagant stroller. What a waste of money.
Picking up his pace and curious to see where a dog travels to in a stroller, an idea came to mind. Within a few strides, he was behind his pompous neighbour.
All right, you can do this. You’re all about the reaction. Here we go, 3-2-1.
“Sweet Clementine, bum bum bum,” Kylo sings at the top of his lungs and claps his hands loudly to keep the beat. It sounds horrible and he is enjoying every moment of torturing Hux.
Hux’s face has turned a fiery shade of red, he pushes the stroller faster in hopes of losing Kylo. People have stopped to look at the giant man belting out the familiar song, he notices that one person is taping the catastrophe.
“-good times never felt this good,” Kylo carries on, his voice drawing out the last word, almost painfully to grab the attention of the bystanders. He watched as Hux runs from him and heads across the street and back into the apartment building.
Success.
He heads back into the building, satisfied and ready to plan his next comedy routine.
The evenings are colder now; a breeze tickles Kylo’s shoulders and he gets up to close the door that leads to his sundeck. He looks over the city – the trees are almost bare now, their leaves are brown mush on the sidewalks, clogging the drains which made the best puddles. The rain.
Grabbing his jacket from the couch, he pushes the sliding glass door open, taking a step outside feeling the cold ground on his bare feet. Taking a deep breath in, his nostrils filled with the fresh air. He could smell it; the snow, it wouldn’t be long now. Business would halt and Kylo would have time to himself. Meditation. Writing. A walk in the snow with a handsome redhead from his building; he could dream. He let out a sigh, the warm air from his mouth folding into white as he breathed out. Hux consumed more of his daydreams lately. Visions in his head of the redhead speaking to him softly, his breath in Kylo’s ear as he whispers sweet words; his accent rolling over his tongue. Rain drops are falling now, the pitter-patter on the concrete, the small puddles filling.
His thoughts are paused when he hears a quick rapping at his front door. Mrs. Martin is standing there, face slightly pale and appearing. Before he has the chance to greet her, she pulls him out of his doorway and into the hall. “I need your help, Kylo! The idiotic woman left that poor dog out on the patio,” she says, her words rushed. Yanking his arm, and doing what she can to drag his large form around the corner, she stops when they reach Hux’s apartment. “Here. This is it. That poor little fluff-ball has been crying outside and she needs your help!” Mrs. Martin pulls a key out of her pocket and unlocks Hux’s front door.
“Wait. You came to my place and you had a key? Why didn’t you grab the dog from the patio?” Kylo asks, his eyes narrowing.
Mrs. Martin gently guides Kylo into the hallway. “Come on now dear, I know you want to be this man’s knight in shining armor. Go and rescue that little pup; I already phoned Mr. Hux and I’m positive he will be home any moment to dote on his Clementine.” The old woman has a mischievous grin on her face, she knew exactly what she was doing. “You can thank me later, dear.” She gives Kylo one last push and closes the front door, leaving Kylo alone.
Kylo runs to where the patios doors are; the rain is coming down harder than before, pelting the glass. He spots Clementine through the glass; she’s cowered in the right corner, trying to shield herself behind a planter. Kylo flicks the lock on the handle up and yanks the glass door to the right; it jams with the forceful movement. “Come on, you piece of shit, open!” Kylo curses and yanks the door once more in frustration. Dropping his hands from the door, he lets out a deep breath and tries to calm himself. “Come on buddy, breathe,” he tells himself as he reaches up to the door handle once more and gently gets the door back on the track. He slides it again, this time successfully. He walks over to where Clementine is trying to hide, her tiny growls make Kylo smile. “Good to know you are as cantankerous as your owner,” he laughs as he reaches over and scoops up the wet mess that is Clementine. She is shivering and covered in dirt when he cradles her in his arms. He can do better than this.
Kylo unzips his jacket and brings Clementine close to his chest, trying to warm her up. She’s shaking and as he tries to zip her in, nipping at his hands, scared that he is going to do something to her. “Oh sweetness, I’m not going to harm you,” he whispers as he holds her a bit closer. “Let’s go and see if your daddy has a blanket to keep you toasty until he gets home.” Kylo walks towards the bathroom first, hoping to find something to keep the shivering dog warm. He opens the cabinet door and is relieved to find a stack of towels. One arm is cradling Clementine as he reaches to pull the white towel out. “You know Clementine, these towels look like they cost more than a day's work. I hope your daddy doesn’t mind that we are going to cover it in dirt.” Clementine nuzzles deeper into Kylo’s armpit, clearly content with how warm he is. Unzipping his jacket, he takes her out and looks into her tiny eyes.
“You aren’t so intimidating now, are you? You look like a drowned rat,” laughs Kylo as he scratches behind her ears.
He plops himself down on the bathroom floor, spreading the towel out before placing Clementine in the centre. “OK, sweetness, here we go. I’ll be really gentle,” he tells Clementine as he starts drying her off. Her little legs and jittery and after a few rubs, she stops nipping at Kylo’s wrists. Kylo smiles as the nips turn into tiny little kisses. She’s clearly appreciative and relaxes on the blanket and rolling over onto her side so Kylo can dry her belly.
“What are you-”
“Mrs. Martin let me in Hux, I couldn’t leave her out there crying in the rain,” Kylo explains as he picks Clementine up for a cuddle.
Hux stays silent for a moment before, watching his dog enjoy the attention Kylo is giving her. “Thank you, Kylo. I’m not sure what happened and why she was out there, but thank you,” he says sincerely. “Listen, I’m incredibly sorry for how I’ve been treating you. I’ve been a little rude to you since we met,” Hux says apologetically.
“Rude? You’ve been a complete dick to me since the moment we met in the hallway,” scoffs Kylo.
Hux nods, his gazes at his feet, clearly too embarrassed to look Kylo in the eyes. “I could say sorry all evening and it wouldn’t make anything better.” Hux shifts his body and slowly lifts his head up, his eyes meeting Kylo’s. “Do you think we could start over?”
Kylo adjusts Clementine in his arms, his dark eyes still connected to Hux’s. His stomach is flip-flopping, his heart beating faster. What was he going to do, say no? Not in a million years. “I’d like that, Hux,” Kylo replies, taking a step closer to Hux. He reaches out and takes Hux’s hand, squeezing it softly.
“Would you like to stay for dinner? I have stew in the slow cooker and I have enough for two.” Hux’s voice is soft, gentle, something Kylo has yet to hear. The accent, it melts Kylo’s heart, he feels a weakness in his knees.
“I’d be happy to join you, as long as you don’t mind that your guests jacket smells like wet dog.”
“You could always take it off, I won’t complain. Especially after what I saw in the hallway,” Hux admits, his cheeks flushing.
***
“I bet you have little snow boots for her, don’t you,” giggles Kylo as he takes another bite of the stew Hux made.
Hux’s cheek lightly flush pink, “Snow booties, yes, I have several pairs for Clementine. She needs to be in style when we go for our walks.”
Kylo raises an eyebrow and holds back the laughter that is building in his chest. “Clementine: the fashionista.”
The dishes have been cleared and Hux has poured a drink for each of them as they sit together on his couch. Legs touching, the sound of ice hitting the sides of the tumbler, and Kylo lets out a nervous breath. He did need to thank Mrs. Martin for this. “I never thought I would end up this close to you,” he says turning to face Hux. He leans forward, his lips meeting Hux’s for a soft kiss. Kylo pulls back and runs his thumb across Hux’s lower lip. It’s softer than he expected. No bumps, no dry skin, only smoothness. Everything he would expect from a man of this caliber.
Clementine, sitting on her plush dog bed, is staring at the two of them. Kylo is convinced that the little fluff-ball is in a trance.
“It’s incredibly creepy, the way she’s staring at us. Is that normal?”
Hux sighs. “I’m not paying attention to the dog and it’s in your best interest to ignore her, too.”
And with that, Hux stands, taking hold of Kylo’s hand and pulling him up from the couch. “Come on then, this way,” it’s close to a whisper but Kylo hears what Hux has said. He leads Kylo down the hallway and into his room. Clementine is not far behind, her tiny legs trying to keep up with the long strides of both men.
Hux looks down to where Clementine is trying to push by his foot, which is blocking her entrance to his room. “Sorry love, this is for adults only.” He shuts the bedroom door, shooing the dog away.
Pressing his back against the door, he looks to Kylo, who has made himself at home on Hux’s bed.
“Now, where were we.”