When Gabriel heard someone yelling to "the short dude with the green jacket" he was expecting some snide remark about his height or to get hit on by some asshole who didn't know how to take a hint. What he wasn't expecting was to get bowled over by the biggest dog he'd ever seen in his life.
He turned around to see what the guy wanted and was immediately knocked down by what felt like tons of pure fur. His breath left his lungs with an "oomph!" and he fell flat on his back onto the grass. The St. Bernard didn't move, just sat comfortably on Gabriel.
"Hello, there," he said, staring the dog in the eyes with amusement dancing in his own. The dog gave him a huge sloppy lick right in his face. Gabriel laughed and tried to get up but found that the dog didn't want to move. He gave up trying when it laid its huge head on its paws, right on Gabriel's chest, and closed its eyes.
Gabriel shrugged to himself and leaned his head back on the grass, opening his book and settling in for what was sure to be a long reading session. He was about halfway done with his book when he heard a deep voice.
"Valentine!" the guy called. The dog lifted its head and barked, but still didn't move from its spot. Gabriel watched interestedly as a gorgeous moose of a man came running into the park, panting and flushed from the heat. "Dammit, Valentine!" he growled, striding over to the dog and attaching a leash to her collar. He didn't seem to notice poor Gabriel trapped under his dog.
Gabriel's amusement grew when the moose didn't try to get Valentine up, just sat down in the grass next to her and started scratching her ears. Gabriel raised a single eyebrow.
"Hey, moose," he said, making the guy jump and look around in confusion. "Down here, under your dog."
The moose looked down for the first time and finally noticed Gabriel.
"Oh, my God! I am so sorry, I didn't even see you under there!" he cried, pushing Valentine off of him. Gabriel sat up and stretched his back, laughing.
"It's no problem, Sasquatch," he said. Valentine gave a small woof and Gabriel reached out to rub her ears. "I'm Gabriel, and I apparently make a pretty damn comfortable dog bed."
Moose laughed and stood up, pulling Gabriel to his feet along with him. "Sam," he introduced himself. "And you've already met Valentine. Hey, I really am sorry about her, I had no idea she'd bolt like that when I let her off leash."
"It's no biggie," Gabriel said, waving a dismissive hand. "It's not the first time I've been knocked down by something, and it won't be the last."
Sam smiled down at him and Gabriel smiled back.
"Hey, do you want to go get a coffee or something?" Sam asked suddenly.
"It's a little hot for coffee," Gabriel responded, walking with Sam to the arched gate that led in and out of the park. "How about ice cream instead?"
"Sounds perfect," Sam said. And it was.