Always Been You

“Are you still here?”. He asked angrily. “Can’t you take a hint?”

With the toe of his shoe, he nudged the stray dog aside as he unlocked the door.

“Beat it,” he said.

But the dog looked at him with sad eyes and lay back down on the step, and rested his head on his forepaws.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Suit yourself” Jensen grumbled. “But don’t expect me to feed you”

He slammed the door so hard when he got in. He moved to the kitchen. Taking a soda from the refrigerator, he stood and drank half the soda in one swallow. He rolled the cold can against his forehead.

He didn’t want or welcome anything in his life that made him feel or think. He was so pissed. He felt hollow and empty, and he liked it that way. He planned to keep out that way. Did that stupid dog think he was running some kind of shelter or something?

“Damn it” he muttered.

Minutes later, he brought some food to the dog outside. For some reason he just couldn’t let it go hungry.

“Don’t even get used to it,” he said and went back inside.

Except Rufus came back. And Jensen kept feeding him, no matter how much he said he didn’t want the dog around.

One day he got home from work and he almost crushed Rufus with his car. Rufus had darted out from nowhere and ran straight in the car’s path. Jensen slammed hard on his brakes.

“You stupid dog,” he shouted through the window. “I could have killed you”

Hearing his voice, Rufus skidded to a halt on the pavement. He cocked his head and looked at the car, then charged toward it in a frenzy of glee.

Jensen opened the driver’s side door. Rufus leaped into his lap, licking his face and thumping the steering wheel with his wagging tail.

“Dumb dog”. Jensen said. “Get off me. You sink. You need a fucking bath.” he shoved Rufus off his lap and dropped the car into gear again. He cast the animal a sidelong glance. Rufus was giving him a love sick look. His tongue was lolling from one side of his mouth. He was panting hard.

“I have told you so many times not to love me, but you don’t listen, do you?” he asked.

He began to realize that he kinda liked the dog. He had somehow gotten attached to the dog. He watched for him and worried about him until he showed up again.

He reached out and scratched the dog’s ears. “You like that huh?” he asked. “Maybe having you around is not so bad,” he said.

So he let Rufus stay. And he was glad he left him, because Rufus turned out to be such a good companion and he became such an important part of his life.

———–

He walked into his house, with Rufus at his heels.

He went to his room to undress and when he came out, he met Elaine in his sitting room.

“What the hell?” he said, looking surprised.

“What?” Elaine asked, sounding like it was perfectly normal for her to be in there and he was overreacting.

“What the hell are you doing in here?”. Jensen asked. “And how long have you been here?”

“Not so funny when someone just barges into your house, huh, is it?” Elaine asked.

“So this is some kind of pay back?” he asked

“Ermmm… Yeah kinda”

“Well I really hate to break it to you, dear sis, but you suck at this, it’s not funny and I do not appreciate it…. Get out”

“No,” Elaine said. She picked up the remote and turned on the TV.

Jensen stared at her. “You know I can make you leave right? Believe me I will do it” he paused, then asked again. “How long have you been here anyways?”

Elaine sighed. “Relax, I just got here…. I really don’t want to know or walk in on whatever weird stuff you’ve got going on in here… God knows what”

Jensen picked up a pillow and threw it at her. He went to the kitchen and returned with some chips in a bowl and drinks. Then he sat on the other couch.

“So what brings you here, sis?” he asked grinning. “Boy trouble?”

Elaine rolled her eyes. “Yeah… Like I would ever come to you for that”.

“Hey..” Jensen said, feigning annoyance. “Are you calling me a bad big brother or what?… That isn’t nice. You know I can mess up any guy who gives you trouble, right? Just give me a name”

Elaine laughed. “Yeah. I know you. You love getting into fights.”

“Not true.” Jensen said.

“I can’t even count the number of fights you got into in high school. And one time for Katherine. Remember, mom was so pissed that day.”

Jensen laughed. “Yeah… I remember” he said.

“And that brings me to the reason why I’m here. I heard Katherine Kavell is back in town” Elaine.

Jensen merely stared at her. Then he said, “So?”

“I also heard she’s taking a store in your building,” Elaine said.

“I didn’t tell you that… How do you even know that stuff?” Jensen asked.

“It’s a small town, Jensen. People talk” Elaine said. “But actually Dillon told me”

“And you came here to gossip… As usual. Maybe I should just stop telling Dillon stuff.”

“Yes. I came to talk about it… Not gossip”. Elaine said, rolling her eyes at him.

“I thought we were talking about you… And boy trouble”. Jensen said. “Wonder how the topic suddenly became about me”.

“I never said I had boy trouble”

“Yeah right,” Jensen said.

Elaine ignored him, knowing he was just trying to change the topic. “So what’s going to happen now?” she asked.

“I don’t understand”

“What’s gonna happen between you and Katherine now that she is back?”

“What kinda question is that? Nothing is going to happen” Jensen replied.

“Do you think letting her get that store in your building is a good idea? I mean, you are going to be seeing her a lot… Kinda”

“So?”. Jensen asked.

“You know why I’m asking”. Elaine said. “After she left, you were such a mess. And I’m kinda worried about you, Jensen. I hated seeing you that way, and it might seem like I’m not minding my business but I’m just trying to look out for you. I don’t want to see you get hurt that way any more.”