Their little morning walk and smoke took the three of them just a few blocks down from Amanda's apartment building.

She was watching Adam in silent admiration, as he took another drag from his cigarette and watched the eager little terrier ahead of them while she trotted no more than a few feet or so away from the two of them, when a thought occurred to her.

"Aren't you afraid she might run off again, or something, without a leash?"

"Well, I mean, what else am I gonna do?" He chuckled. "Up until now, she's sort of just come and go as she pleased. I haven't even had a reason to get one, til you just pointed it out."

She chuckled as she took her own cigarette from her mouth. "Sorry for putting you on the spot then."

"Mmm.." He uttered with another chuckle, as he brought his cigarette to his mouth again. "You didn't, that's just the current situation. Besides, I really should, now that she's become more intent on sticking around."

"Right." Amanda nodded as she looked back up to watch her, along with him.

"She certainly knows her way around the streets, at least." She noted, observing how Roxy seemed to know, somehow, to stay on the sidewalk and not so much as even veer very close to the curb, nor did she seem to ever wander too far away from either of them.

"Oh, yeah." He chuckled as he took another drag. "She's just like this dog I knew as a kid. Never met the owners, and I think my parents only knew 'em by name, but he used to wander all around the neighborhood too, almost everyday. It became somewhat of a joke among the neighbors. Oh, that's just Bandit taking himself for a walk again."

Amanda laughed, taking out a new cigarette. "Bandit, huh?"

"Yeah, sweet dog." He chuckled, taking out a lighter and holding it up to offer her. "Here."

She smiled, putting her new cigarette to her lips as she allowed him to light it for her.

"Thanks."

Her next thought didn't occur to her until after she took her first drag from it.

"Wait a minute…" She realized out loud, patting her own pocket to confirm that she did still have her own lighter on her.

"What?"

"If you had that this whole time, what'd you need mine for, earlier?"

"Oh, cause I'm an idiot." He laughed, tucking the lighter into one of his front jean pockets. "I guess I'd put it into one of my back pockets. I told you I was tired last night."

"So, which is it?" She laughed. "..Are you tired or an idiot?"

"I don't know." He chuckled. "A tired idiot? The two are not mutually exclusive, my dear…..Amanda!" He panicked as he caught himself. "...You didn't hear that." He muttered the last bit just loud enough for her to hear.

"...Your dear, Amanda?" She teased.

"Shit." He chuckled nervously, fumbling with his cigarette as he tried to take another drag from it.

"What?" She chuckled, playing oblivious. "..those words aren't exactly mutually exclusive either, are they?"

"More presumptuous, then." He chuckled. "A little forward, anyway?"

She just shrugged. "I just would've taken it as an expression, til you fumbled it."

Adam shook his head to himself, as he chuckled again. "Idiot, to answer your question earlier. The answer is idiot."

She just giggled to herself at the response, opting to change the subject when she looked just ahead of them. "Say, there's a little pet store, just up here a ways, if you wanna grab a few things for Roxy."

"I think smooth is what you are." Adam teased.

"Your smooth Amanda?" She teased.

"My God." He chuckled under his breath. "Anyway, I don't think they'll like that she's not already on a leash, to bring her in there…" he nodded up, toward Roxy. "...and no, the irony is not lost on me." He chuckled at the thought.

"Now, who's the smooth one?" She teased.

"Alright, you know what? Forget I said anything…...ever." He laughed, failing miserably in his attempt to hide his amusement.

"We'll see." She laughed. "..anyway, I might have a way around that. Give me your shirt."

"Well, now look who's the forward one." He chuckled.

"Hey, you were the one who thought it, not me." She reminded him, "just lemme try something here."

He shrugged and just began to slide off the flannel he was wearing over his t shirt and handed it to her.

"Thanks." She laughed, getting down on her hands and knees as she began trying to coax Roxy over to her. "Come on, Roxy! Come on!"

Her tone was softer, and more gentle, as she cooed and called out to the eager little terrier, until she began wagging her tail again and came running over to Amanda.

She, even more gently, scooped Roxy up with the shirt and made sure she was all snug and wrapped up in it.

Roxy, eager to be back at face level with Amanda again, began licking her face profusely, earning some laughs from Amanda.

Adam just grinned, watching the little interaction between the two.

Amanda smiled back at him when she looked back, as they grew closer to the pet store in question. "...alright. Now, both of you, follow my lead."

"After you, then." Adam chuckled, as Amanda opened the door and went in just ahead of him, holding Roxy close to her.

A door which, indeed, had a sign hanging on the front of it that noted that leashed pets or ones confined to a carrier were welcome inside.

Amanda took a brief look around, noted that no one was currently at the front register, and pulled out one of the stores carts and quickly shuffled the shirt out in the baby seat part of the cart and placed Roxy gently into it, hoping that no one around them would notice that she didn't have a collar around her neck or a leash hanging from it.

Roxy sat up in it and began to curiously sniff out her new surroundings, her tail wagging slowly as she turned around in it, before sitting back down.

"So far, so good." Adam commented, smiling down at Roxy and giving her a little pet while Amanda pushed the cart.

"So far…." Amanda agreed. "...Jinx that, and you'll owe me a cigarette."

Adam smirked, as he followed alongside her. "I'll take that deal."

"That wasn't a request." She shot him a smirk back.

"I would hope not."

They continued to push the cart throughout the store, scoping out each of the dog aisles for, mostly, some basic necessities that would at least suffice for the current situation.

Amanda watched on, with even more admiration, as Adam offered Roxy some of the toys to try out and ensure that they were to her liking.

"Both of them?" Adam remarked, as if she would understand. "...alright, but you're pushing it."

He laughed as he started to drop them into the main part of the basket, along with the food and other toys, but was stopped when Roxy promptly grabbed one of them in her teeth.

"Aaah!" He laughed. "Alright, I give. Here."

Roxy just went on playing with it, biting down on the middle of the little plush's stomach, repeatedly hitting its squeaker inside.

"Yeah, you would pick that one. Wouldn't you?" He snickered.

She just wagged her tail and squeaked the toy again.

He just chuckled again, giving her another head scratch, before they started for the next aisle.

"Find everything okay?" The young checkout woman asked, when they finally finished and made their way to the front.

"Perfect." Adam assured, smiling as an antsy Roxy was trying to curiously sniff out his wallet when he took it out.

The woman laughed along at the little interaction as well. "Is he friendly?"

"She...is very friendly." He chuckled, trying to keep the wallet out of Roxy's reach. "...no, that's mine."

The woman smiled and gave Roxy a, much eagerly received, pet that was met by some even more eager licks. "She is adorable, does she have a name?"

"Roxy." Adam gave Roxy another little pat as well, before putting the rest of the stuff down on the conveyor.

"Hi, Roxy."

Adam smiled again at Roxy, who was living off all the attention, before looking back up and noting the look the woman appeared to give him and Roxy as she rang up the leash and collar that he'd picked out.

"Yeah, I know." He chuckled. "Probably should've brought one of those in with us today."

"I won't tell if you won't" She chuckled.

"What do we say, Roxy?" He joked.

Roxy gave an eager little yap.

"Thank you." Adam added to it, with a laugh

"Don't mention it."

Amanda smiled over at Roxy, giving her another little pet as well.

"We just brought her in today, she's been coming around for a while, but today's the first day either one of us has really been able to get this close to her." Amanda embellished, figuring that the impression that this was more of a last minute thing, as much as it technically was already, might catch them just a little more slack on the lack of leash or collar bit.

"Aww! Sounds like she got pretty lucky then."

"Yeah, me and her both." He was eyeing Amanda when he said it, earning a grin that snuck across her face.

He returned the grin, just before turning his attention back to what he'd been doing.

"Alright, so what's the damage here?" He joked.

—

—

"So…." Adam raised, slipping back into his flannel after setting Roxy back down on the ground, once they were back outside. "...Where to now?"