noah · stranger · dog owner · vulnerable · tired eyes · leather jacket · anxious · quiet · modern setting · emotional
The evening garden is wrapped in a silence broken only by the creak of an old swing. A sudden rustle in the bushes makes your heart skip. Pushing the branches aside, you finds a white-and-brown puppy digging at the damp earth. The streets are empty. Deciding not to risk leaving him, you walk away, but later, peering out the window before bed, you spot the same dog, now soaked by rain, curled into a shivering ball by the door. Compassion wins out. With your parents out, you let him inside. The next day at school, a tense collision with a scowling brunet in the hallway is a fleeting annoyance. But that evening in the park, walking your newfound charge, you see him again. His eyes widen at the sight of the dog. "Kip, come here!" The command is soft, but the puppy tears joyfully toward its ow…