Oh my god, he thought, I love her. I really do love her.
A sense of peace enveloped Jack's chest, washing through his body like a smooth, gentle wave.
He relaxed his shoulders but did not slacken them, and he puffed his chest out without shame or a second guess.
It was as if the thought, the realization… the acceptance that he loved Sheila brought a calmness to him, made him feel truly at one with himself.
No longer was he split between his dog instincts and his emotions, between the obligations of society and his own desires.
He simply loved her, and that was that.
The flowers still hidden behind his back, Jack step forward and called, "Sheila." Jack had to resist the urge to blink. The steady, stern-yet-soft voice that emitted from his mouth just now—it was as if a completely different person had spoken.
Sheila perked up at the sound of his voice and her gaze snapped over, meeting his own. Her stunning, hazel-nut eyes lit up at the sight of him and she smiled, her tail flicking up behind her. "Hey, Jack," she greeted, brightly, making her way down the staircase.
Jack came up to the staircase and offered up a hand, extending his arm out fully.
Sheila's expression warmed at the gesture, and she took his hand in her own, not caring that their height difference made it to where she had to bend down to do so.
Jack looked Sheila up and down, commenting, in that same steady voice—a voice that was laced with a small touch of confidence, he realized—"and I thought that black dress complimented your spots well. You look… absolutely beautiful, Sheila."
The cheetah found herself blushing beneath her fur at that, and she damned herself as she dipped her chin slightly and looked off to the side, a bashful expression painting her muzzle. Dammit, get it together Sheila, she thought, normally you're always the one making him blush. Still though, she couldn't help but notice that there was something different about her Jack tonight.
There was a sense of… boldness radiating from him. It showed in his posture, his gaze and even the way he spoke, and she loved it—she loved it a lot, actually… way more than she would care to admit.
And it made a small, evil smile play on Sheila's lips, and her eyes flicked back up to meet Jack's. Well, I hope he's ready to have his innocence slowly stripped away from him tonight, she thought, her bottom lip getting caught in her fangs.
Her smile now turning seductive, Sheila patted him on the head as she bent down to his eye-level, saying, "and I had no idea my puppy could look so striking in black." She pecked him on the lips. "It makes me want to go down on you right here in the dirt."
Jack's tail began wagging sporadically at her words, at her alluring, piercing gaze that made his body temperature rise, that made his mind conjure up certain fantasies. And usually he would become sheepish, embarrassed, his innocence making him tremble at the thought of what Sheila, with her experience, could make him feel. But tonight, he was feeling pretty brave, daring—and maybe a little arrogant. So, instead, Jack smiled and said, "as much as I think I would enjoy that, it would really be a shame if you were to ruin that dress." Jack pecked her back on the lips. "I want to see you dance in it for me tonight."
Surprise sparked in Sheila's eyes, as well as excitement, and she stood to her full height, thrusting her beautifully curved hip to the side. "Is that so," she purred. "Well, if you're a good boy tonight, then maybe I'll consider doing more then just dancing in this dress."
Jack's tail went stiff. "Wait! 'If you're a good boy!? What do you mean!? You mean I wasn't being a good boy earlier! I thought I was!"
Sheila's answering grin was pure feline. It's so easy to fluster canines, she thought and swayed her hips to the other side, placing her hand on her chin, looking up. "Let's think… hmmm," she mused, pretending to contemplate, teasing him. And she purposely took a few longer moments to do so, enjoying the pleading, puppy-dog eyes Jack was giving her as he awaited her answer. She flipped her wrist, pointing at him with a lazy finger. "You still haven't handed me those flowers you have hidden behind your back."
Jack went completely rigid, blushing heavily beneath his fur. "Ummmm…" Idiot! You really forgot to hand her the flowers!? How is that even possible, you literally have them in your hand! "W-what do you mean, I was going to," he lied.
Sheila held his gaze, that feline grin widening. "Mmhmm, sure, Jack."
Jack sighed. "Fine. I guess I was distracted by how… beautiful you look, that's all. But how did you know they were flowers I was hiding?"
"The smell of them is very potent, which must mean they're excellent quality. Now, let me see them."
Slowly, Jack removed his hand from behind his back, presenting the flowers to her—
Sheila gasped, clasping her hands over her mouth. "J-Jack," she breathed, her voice barely even a sound. "How… how did you…" Her words trailed off as tears began to show in her eyes, her lips curling into a quivering frown.
Jack at once became worried, her reaction completely throwing him off. Why did she look like she was about to cry? Did she think his gift was terrible? Had he gotten her the wrong kind of flowers? Or maybe the flowers themselves triggered a traumatic memory from her past. He prayed that wasn't the case, because he would never want to cause Sheila pain—never. Dammit, Jack, way-to-go on ruining your night with her.
But Sheila only reached out for the flowers and gingerly took them in her hands.
The cheetah brought the flowers to her nose and breathed in their scent, fighting against the tears that threatened to escape her eyelids. She didn't want to spend her entire night with eyeliner staining her cheeks. But a part of her didn't care about that, not as she took in another breath of the flower's scent.
Leopard orchids—the very smell of them brought her home, to that cramped, little apartment right on the outskirts of the black market. They were her mother's favorite flower, mostly for the color coordination on their petals. And no matter what financial situation Sheila's mother found herself in, she would always scrape together enough coins to buy a bouquet of leopard orchids to place on the kitchen counter, right in front of the small, cracked window above the sink. The flower's aroma would fill the small spaces of the rickety apartment, providing a young Sheila with hope and light in the bleak, trying times of her childhood.
"Sheila," Jack called, softly, "are you alright?"
Sheila lowered the flowers from her nose, wiping at her eyes. "Yes, I'm fine, Jack. Thank you for these, I love them." She pressed her nose against the flowers once more, taking in their scent, and the sweet memories they gave her of home. "Leopard orchids… they were my mother's favorite kind of flower. How did you know to get them?"
Jack's tail started wagging again. He was just relieved and happy that Sheila loved the flowers. It helped him get some of his confidence back. "Oh, you can thank the gardening girl for that one. She knew exactly which flower appealed best to every species of animal."
Sheila blinked. "You told her your girlfriend was a cheetah."
Jack shrugged. "Of course, why wouldn't I, had to make sure I got the right flowers."
Sheila's heart fluttered in her chest, and she bent down once more and pecked Jack right between his eyes, saying, "you're the best boyfriend I could ever ask for."
Jack's tail was wagging so fast that it began to hurt only slightly. His first thought was to smile wildly with his tongue lolled out, and maybe even give Sheila a few licks on the cheek. But Jack decided to have fun and give his best impression of that feline smile Sheila would give him. "So, I take it that I got my good boy status back, right?"
Sheila breathed out a laugh and returned Jack's impressive feline smile with one of her own, her lips now only inches from his. "You get a few 'good-boy' points, just because you're so cute."
Jack chuckled. "I think I earned more than a few points, especially for those flowers."
Sheila playfully rolled her eyes, "I suppose," she cooed and stood to her full height again. "But I'm very curious, puppy, to know what you have planned for us tonight. You picked up your date and did an excellent job complimenting her; you gave her the most beautiful bouquet of flowers in the world while also making her fall in love with you just a little more with your cuteness and slick words. And you've done all of that and we haven't really even done anything yet. So, I'd be lying if I didn't say that I'm very excited to see what we're going to be doing next."
Already having an idea in mind, he replied to her, without hesitation, without a stutter in his voice, "actually, I'd like to start our night with a request."
She raised a brow.
"Sheila," Jack began, taking her hand in his, his eyes never leaving hers. "Would you light a candle in the meteor with me tonight?"
The question struck her… it struck her deep, as if he'd gotten down on one knee and asked her to marry him. Despite making the status of their relationship obvious to everyone around them, despite showing affection to each other in public and making multiple social media post of them as a couple, there was something about lighting a candle in the meteor that felt so… intimate… personal… private…
Something she felt like Jack, at first, would've hesitated to do.
And suddenly, Sheila realized why Jack seemed so bold and confident tonight.
It was clarity.
There was clarity gleaming in Jack's warm, brown eyes, as if something that had been holding him back prior had been removed completely, an anchor being lifted from the water.
That's why I'm scared. My brain was artificially created. It's my greatest strength and my greatest shame. I feel like… being with you… Robs you. Robs you of some chance at normalcy or comfort. You deserve a partner who has ancestors and a proud lineage, who wasn't just bred for war.
He had told her that on their first date, one of his darkest secrets as a dog.
Her eyes began to burn with tears again. Jack, you overcame the shame and regret of your dog ancestry, of your dog instincts… for me. Sheila's heart fluttered in her chest again. You really are ready to take our relationship to the next level.
Well… so am I.
"Of course, Jack," Sheila answered, sweetly. "Let's go now before we run out of room to place a candle."
Jack nodded and led her towards the meteor.