Throw a few big dogs on that bed and you have my typical Sunday afternoons.
Yes!
August shuffled to the front door, feeling thick headed and blurry eyed. Was it his neighbor giving him mixed up mail again? He opened the door, blinking and stunned, but deeply pleased. “Oscar! What are you here?”
He looked a bit sheepish and held up a bag. “I um, just wanted to see you again, you know. I’ve been wanting to see you since our last date, and when I heard you were sick and that you had to cancel our date tonight, you sounded so down. I brought you some soup, tea, and tissues and magazines and stuff.”
August looked at his boyfriend fondly and swallowed the lump in his throat. “Aww, that’s so sweet. I’m really happy to see you. I’m glad you came.”
Oscar smiled. “May I come in?”
“Oh sure sure. Watch Gordie there.”
August’s giant Rottweiler bowled Oscar over with a greeting. The dog was brimming with energy. “Oof! Oh hello big boy. Yes you are such a hyper dog!” Oscar looked at August. “Does he need to be walked?”
August looked at him. “Yeah he hasn’t been walked in two days,” he admitted. “Just so fucking sick and it’s so cold out there.”
Oscar nodded. “Well I’m still in my jacket. Why don’t you get started on this soup, make some tea, and I’ll check on you when I get back?”
August wondered if Oscar had been sent from heaven. “You are awesome. I’d kiss you if I wasn’t sick.”
“I’ll take a raincheck.”
August chuckled.
When Oscar returned with a tired and happy dog, he found August snuggled into the sofa with the empty take-out container of soup, a decimated cracker packet, and a nearly empty cup of tea. “Guess I was hungry?”
Oscar laughed. “Clearly.“
August’s body had been fighting its viral invaders all day, all now that it had fresh fuel, it was too much for him to stay awake and turn the food into energy. He quickly became drowsy. Oscar didn’t complain. He changed August’s sheets while August showered, and tucked him in. Oscar even risked getting sick himself by crawling in to bed with August to read him a bed time story.
August insisted on cuddling as close to Oscar as possible. He hoped Oscar could feel the love radiating from his body. He was still a bit shy about expressing his feelings, and found it easier to show them instead. Oscar put an arm over. August exhaled softly in contentment, and drifted off to the timbre of Oscar’s voice.
When he woke up the next morning, August felt marginally better. His fever had broken, but he felt warm because there was a giant dog on top of him. Oscar was no where to be seen, but there was fresh laundry in the basket at the foot of the bed. A quick check of the apartment showed it had been tidied. Dishes washed. August was stunned. His boyfriend had done this for him? A fresh lump appeared in throat. Fuck, he wasn’t worthy!
He found a note taped to his phone: Gordie’s been let out and fed. Went to run errands. Text me when you’re up, I’ll bring you breakfast 🙂
Why was that smiley face so cute? August checked the time. He texted Oscar. “I’m up for brunch now. Gonna take another shower. See you soon?”
As he was drinking last night’s cold tea, August got a response. “I’m bringing lox and bagels. See you soon!”
August smiled. He paused with his finger over his phone’s keyboard. Maybe it was the medication making him do it, but he responded. “Thank you, babe. Listen, um, I think …I think I’m falling in love with you.” He immediately panicked after sending it. The response time felt like an eon.
Oscar wrote back though. “Oh wow. Nice to hear you’re catching up to me. :)”
August couldn’t help it. He made it into the shower before he began to cry. After being abandoned by his mom, cheated on by a past lover, and scammed out of overtime at work, August finally felt like he was loved and cherished.
______________________
Captions are fictional. D’aw.
Leave a Reply