I like this one-shot way more than Actions Speak Louder Than Words. Enjoy!
Jerome Clarke tapped his foot against the hardwood floor of his living room. He sat in the apartment he shared with Mara Clarke. Well, soon-to-be. She was out at that moment, taking a few extra, and unneeded, classes to boost her chances of getting a good reporting job. But she didn't need it. She wouldn't listen to him when her told her that either. He was waiting for her to get home. He wanted something, and since they shared the apartment, he needed to ask her permission first. He hoped it'd be the answer he wanted.
The flat wasn't huge but it wasn't small either. It had two bedrooms, the second one unused, a good sized kitchen, a common room big enough to have all their friends from their old high school in one room without crowding it and two and a half bathrooms. It was the perfect size for them, especially when they were working on starting out as a small family and build up after getting an actual house.
The jingle of keys on the other side of the front door caught his attention and he snapped out of his thoughts. He was out of his seat on the sofa and in front of the door, swinging it open, in seconds. Mara stood there, purse strap strung over her shoulder, keys in her hand and pointing right where the doorknob would have been if Jerome had not opened the door. She sighed and straightened from her hunched over position.
"Can we get a dog?" Jerome asked.
Mara jumped at his volume and looked up and down the hall for any sign of one of their neighbors ready to complain. She stepped into the apartment when no one came into view and closed the door, locking it quickly.
"No."
"What? Why?" Jerome whined.
"Because, Jerome, we don't need a dog right now. You and I are working almost all the time; he'd never get any attention."
"But, I saw the most adorable dog at the mall today—" the blonde started.
"Why were you at the mall?" Mara turned to him after hanging up her bag and coat on the coat rack.
"I was bored."
"You went to the mall, looking for a dog, didn't you?" she accused.
"Well, yes, but that's not the point. He's a golden retriever. He's full grown and he's house broken, and he's trained. I named him Shadow." Jerome grinned.
"You named him and he's not even yours? You didn't even go near to touching the dog?" Mara scoffed, taking a seat on the sofa and began shifting through the mail on the coffee table.
"Actually, he's a dog at that animal shelter next to the mall. I've been volunteering there for the past three months. And we're not gone that often. Besides at night when you're at your classes, which will be ending soon, and I only work like, two hours a day. And we're allowed to have pets in the building! Come on, please, Mara? I grew up at Anubis, that was my home, and I was never allowed to have a pet, especially a dog. I didn't live a life like other kids. I would always hear them talking about the puppy they got for Christmas, and how when they went home they were going to a shelter to adopt one. I missed out on a lot of my childhood because of my parent's abandonment. I just want to be able to feel like a kid and have a dog. When I was growing up, that was all I ever wanted – a dog. And I never got one. Please." He pleaded, looking down at her hopefully.
"I'll think about it—" she sighed and jumped when he cheered and grabbed her face in his hands.
"Thank you, I love you." he grinned and kissed her roughly before pulling back just as quickly. "I need to call Alfie."
He ran to the kitchen and grabbed the landline, dialing his best friend's number.
"I didn't say yes!" Mara pointed out. She stood and walked to the doorway that connected the kitchen and common room.
"But you didn't say no either." He tapped her nose, smiling sweetly, holding the phone to his ear. "Alfie, mate, she said she'll think about it."
"I didn't say yes." she repeated.
Jerome held the phone toward her and Alfie's voice came through the receiver loud and clear, "You didn't say no either."
Jerome laughed and brought the phone back to his ear. He began rambling on and on about the dog and how fun it would be to own him. Mara sighed and watched him jump around happily like the kid he was at heart.
She took her cell phone out of the back pocket of her dark jeans and dialed Patricia Sweet's number. After Eddie and his father became closer while they were still in school, Eddie had decided to take his father's last name. He also thought it made Patricia sound 'sweeter' than she really was. He also hadn't liked the name Patricia Miller. They were now happily married with twin baby girls, going on one year old.
She walked out of the room and away from Jerome's laughing. Patricia didn't pick up and Mara sighed, but left a message anyway. "Hey, Patricia, it's Mara. Listen, Jerome's going to be out of the house tonight and I'd like if you could come over for a while. I really need your help. It's about Jerome, actually an—"
She was cut short by the other end being picked up and Patricia's voice coming through the receiver.
"Mara, what's wrong? What did that Slimeball do now? I'll beat him to a pulp, Amber and Joy will help too, you know—"
"No, Patricia it's nothing like that, just – come over later, yeah? Around four?" she suggested, cupping her elbow.
"3:30 – got it." Patricia said before she hung up.
Mara rolled her eyes and locked her phone, pushing it back into her pocket.
"Alright, what's up?" Patricia sighed, barging into the house.
Mara whipped around in her place at the kitchen island. "Well, Jerome and I were talking and—"
"You're not pregnant are you?" the auburn haired woman came around the other side of the counter and slammer the palms of her hands onto the marble, receiving two loud, simultaneous slaps.
"What? No." Mara blushed, getting up to take a whistling kettle off the stove. She poured the piping hot water in two coffee mugs and put a tea bag in each, handing one to Patricia.
"Then, you're breaking up with Jerome?" she asked hesitantly with a sad face.
"No—" Mara shook her head violently.
"Then why did you want me over here, while Jerome was gone, all alone?" Patricia tapped her chin in thought. She gasped. "Wait a second—"
"Patricia!" Mara shrieked.
"What? It's not Jerome's birthday, right? I don't want to forget it if you had me come over here to plan his surprise party. But, honestly, Mara, that's really Amber and Joy's forte…"
"No, Jerome wants a dog."
"Oh, so?" her friend shrugged, sipping her tea before adding some sugar and taking another swig.
"So? Jerome wants a big, hairy, golden retriever. Named Shadow. It's at this animal shelter by the mall that Jerome has apparently been volunteering at for the past three months."
"He named it? Ooh, Mara, you need to get this dog for him. He's already attached." Patricia sighed.
"I can't just get it for him."
"Why not?"
"Because, it's…a dog." She finished lamely.
"Mara, you don't actually have a good reason. I suggest, you go to this animal shelter and ask to see the dogs. Find 'Shadow' and try to figure out if it's a good idea to let Jerome have it."
"Okay." Mara sighed after a moment.
"Can I see this one?" Mara asked the volunteer, pointing to the chain link cage with the sign that read, Shadow. A big golden retriever, coat clean and shiny appeared at the gate, tail wagging with excitement. Mara smiled at the dog. His tongue darted out and licked his nose, wetting it. When the cage was open it bounded over to her and rubbed his head against her shin. She bent down and scratched the top of his head.
"Alright, should I get you for Jerome?" she asked quietly.
The dog's blonde ears perked and she giggled, maybe he knew Jerome better than she thought he ever could.
Mara liked this dog so far. He hadn't jump on her as soon as he got out of his cage and when she bent squatted next to him, he sat with her. What caught her attention was that his coat was a strange color. It was blonde but had barely noticeable streaks of almond running beneath the golden hair.
Shadow's tongue reached out and licked her cheek and she gasped in surprise, smile growing on her face. She then laughed in shock at herself. She thought only Jerome's kisses on the cheek could make her grin like that. He licked her again, earning him a giggle, and he seemed to pick up that when he did that it made her happy. He licked her again and she finally patted his head, standing.
The young volunteer, whose nametag read, Alice, smiled at her, walking back over. She held a dog biscuit out for Shadow, which he took quickly. Alice pointed into the cage and Shadow trotted in, going to the corner to chew on his treat.
"Would you like to adopt?" Alice asked Mara.
"I don't think I can. I don't know if it'll work." She sighed sadly. She would love to get him for Jerome; it would make him very happy. But she couldn't do that.
"It's a pity. No one ever wants to adopt him because he's not a puppy. He's been here all his life. We thought that if we got him trained it'd help, but it didn't."
"All his life?" Mara asked shocked.
Alice nodded, pushing her strawberry blonde hair behind her ear. "They found him as puppy, abandoned on the doorstep of the shelter with only a little rubber bone. But at least whoever left him was decent enough to bring him to the shelter instead of just leaving him anywhere else."
"That's why Jerome likes you." Mara whispered, taking a peek at Shadow. His ears had perked again and he watched her with bright blue eyes. She sighed.
"I can't."
Jerome rolled over and looked at the clock. Mara hadn't come back from her classes yet. They ended an hour ago. He was beginning to feel very worried. If he didn't hear his bedroom door open in the next five minutes, he was going to go insane. His eyebrows arched in surprise when his bedroom door opened a little and then shut. He breathed out a sigh of relief. Before he could open his mouth, the bed shifted under her weight and then she was on hovering over him, on her hands and knees.
"Well, hello there, Jaffray." He grinned.
He reached up to thread his fingers into her dark brown hair but froze when she moved forward and licked his cheek.
"Okay, that was beyond weird. Was I supposed to be turned on by that?" he wondered out loud.
"Jerome?" Came Mara's voice; it sounded like she was trying to stifle a giggle.
"Wait…" he mumbled. "Shadow?"
The dog above him barked in response to his name and licked Jerome's nose. The blonde grinned and sat up, clicking on his bedside lamp. The dog's tail wagged happily and his long tongue hung out of his mouth as he panted. Mara crossed the room from the door and sat down on the bed.
Jerome looked over her.
"Yes?" he asked hopefully even though he already knew the answer.
"Of course," she rolled her eyes with a sigh. She grinned at him. His eyes held a new glint of playfulness that she knew she would have never been able to cause.
"Oh, thank you, I love you." he hugged her tightly, Shadow watching them with his head tilted in curiosity.
"I love you too, but promise me one thing." She said pulling back, looking him in the eye.
"Anything."
"You won't let him take my place."
Though she'd said it playfully, Jerome knew there was some truth and insecurity behind it.
"Never," he breathed, stroking her cheek with his thumb. He leaned in and gently brushed his lips against hers.
Shadow barked and they broke apart with a laugh.
"I hope you don't do that very often." Jerome mumbled to the dog.
The golden retriever padded over and sat between them, bending forward and licking Mara's cheek. She giggled and Jerome frowned.
"Or that."
Well, I hope y'all liked it! I loved it, I thought it was cute! I decided to have Shadow simalar to Jerome so it would push Mara to the right direction of yes. REVIEW!
And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. -Isaiah 30:21
Love y'all! God bless!
-Rachel