Change of Plans
They agreed to get a dog – because that's what young couples who just bought a house did, they got pets to practice taking responsibility (none of them was yet comfortable enough to say out loud what they were practicing it for), and anyway, dogs are useful. Adopting one from a shelter and doing something good in the process was just an added bonus.
So, yeah, they were going to get a dog. He just made a mistake when upon arriving at the shelter he let Skye wander around, saying that he wanted to survey the pups himself first, anyway (this was his preventive move to stop her from choosing a dog just because it was cute). He had a method – a well-researched method, thank you very much –, after all: try to scare them away, then work with those who didn't get scared. Look at the paws, how big they are – the bigger the better. How sociable they seem, how fast they might learn. So, yes, he had it all planned out, and within twenty minutes he had three possible candidates for them to adopt. Now, he only needed Skye so they could decide together, therefore it was time to find her.
He knew his plan on getting the perfect dog was a bust the moment he saw her.
Skye was standing in front of the cats' kennels, gazing down lovingly at the white-tan-and-black fluffy little something in her hands that was definitely not a dog. Dogs did not purr like crazy, not even when his amazing fiancée was petting them.
When she heard him approach and she lifted her head to look at him, her eyes twinkling brilliantly, he knew he lost this battle even before it started.
"Grant, look!" she called over excitedly, with a happy grin on her face. "Look whom I've found! Isn't she just adorable?" And with that she thrust the kitten at him, forcing him to cradle her against his chest. The cat first sneezed at him, then nuzzled against his hand as if she wanted to say "hello, big, strange, future feeder! I'd like to express my adoration towards you." "How can you not love her?" Skye continued. "And she seems to like you, too!"
Okay, the cat was kind of cute. But still, he wanted a dog. Not a cat. Definitely not a cat.
But Skye clearly wanted this fuzzy little purrball, and he was really bad at denying her anything, so he just sighed.
"Alright. Let's take her." Hearing his approval, Skye squealed, and, mindful of the cat, pressed a kiss against his cheek, instead of jumping into his neck. "But she is not sleeping on the bed!"
They were supposed to get a dog, and they got a cat – but since Skye was happy, he could live with it.
(And, of course, the cat slept on the bed.)