Work Text
“If you’re not doing anything today,” Alana began, squinting against the whip of the summer breeze as it channeled through the crack of her passenger side window. She rolled it closed with the click of a button, so that she could hear Will over the bluetooth speaker she had fit snugly in her ear. “I was thinking about picking you up and taking you to this adopt event in Vienna.”
Back in his home, Will inhaled deeply through his nose- intensely enough that Alana heard it through the receiver. He leaned away from his desk, and the fishing lure he was tinkering with. He raked through his mind for a reason to say
no,
while unruly anxiety bubbled up in his chest.
“Why are you going all the way to Vienna for an
adoption event?”
He finally asked. It was a fair question; there
had
to be more adoption events
a lot closer
to Alana’s home than
this
.
“My niece is having a birthday, and her parents picked this rescue out online.” Alana explained. “They’ve already applied for her, but can’t get the time off to check her out in person. I’m supposed to see if I think she’d be a good fit for their family.”
Alana’s own nerves built up in her throat, making her voice tight and oppressed. She drummed her fingertips along the ridges of her steering wheel as she stopped for traffic, the slow pull of tail lights no longer being an adequate distraction.
“What does that have to do with me?” Will curtly replied.
“You know dogs better than anyone I know.” Alana said, with only the frailest of hesitations. “Possibly,
anyone
in general. And, I mean, you’re on the way.” She added.
Again, Will sighed. “I am twenty minutes
out
of your way, Alana.
”
Alana shook her head, despite being unseen. “Fifteen, and it’s not a problem.” She corrected, and assured. “I would
like it
if you came with me. I want you to come with me.”
Will fixated on a single knot in the wood of his floor. The words
I want you to come with me
soothed over the metaphorical thorns he had been growing there.
Will being blunt with Alana wasn’t new to her, or him. It wasn’t something she felt the need to address, because she understood it. She knew how to let the sharpness of his tone roll right off her back, and Will knew he sometimes took advantage of that.
He’d just been hurt- a lot- and didn’t know how to trust that Alana
would never
.
Even though,
she would never
.
“I’m really worried about messing this up for my niece.” Alana added, into the quickly vortexing silence.
“Is it a puppy?” Will asked. His tone had notably changed, but still held a tablespoon of pretension and negative expectation.
“Uh, no.” Alana confirmed. “No, she’s a four year old beagle mix named Paisley.”
“How old is your niece?” He asked. He sounded even more pleased by the situation.
“Eight.” Alana said.
Will considered this for a moment, then stood to start cleaning his mess and collecting his things from his desk. “Yeah, I’ll come along.” He agreed. His own dogs shifted about in his living space as he travelled to his dresser- familiar with the signs that he was getting ready to leave the home.
Alana sighed with relief. “Thank you so much, Will.” She said. “I’m heading your way now.”