Friday came faster than I expected. I made sure to give Simba extra attention while he was here. I took him on an extra walk. I made sure to give him extra treats. I gave him all the attention I could, ensuring that he had plenty of food and water and was as comfortable as I could manage. When I was on my lunch break, I even took him out of the kennel and just let him hang with me and Sherlock. 

He was getting better. There were moments when he would trip over himself or when he needed to sit down and just relax. Moments like that broke my heart, because I couldn’t explain to the dog what was going on and I couldn’t tell the dog everything was going to be all right.

I would just hug him and hope he understood. Sherlock even shared with Simba his favorite green bed that I kept for him in my office, and Sherlock didn’t even share that with me.

I tried to focus on my work Friday, but it was difficult to do so after the events of yesterday. When Drew had kissed me, I felt like everything had aligned perfectly, like nothing else mattered except that moment. All throughout the day, I would touch my mouth with my fingers as if I needed to feel it for myself, to remind me that we did kiss, that it wasn’t just a dream.

Once I finished up at the office, I took Simba and Sherlock to Drew’s place. The Balboa peninsula was filled with recent college grads and young, single guys who wanted to party on the beach. I tended to be more quiet, but if Drew was really serious about us starting something, I should probably get used to the fact that we would be hanging out here a lot.

Plus, this wasn’t about me. This was about Simba. The best thing we could do for him would be to have in an environment he was comfortable with, and there was nothing better than home.

Simba tugged on his leash as we got out of the car, pulling me and Sherlock towards the house. It was like he knew.

I fumbled with Drew’s keys before sliding the right one into the lock and opening it. I let go of Simba’s leash and he practically skipped over to his own bed in the living room. His tail wagged as he watched me and Sherlock head in. I locked the door behind me and looked around the living room. Despite the fact that Rose had been living here for years, it still retained a masculinity. I didn’t know if it was due to the blunt furniture or the dark colors, but it looked like a refined gentleman with a dog obsession lived here, not a couple.

Not that it mattered. It was his house.

I just wasn’t quite sure how comfortable I was in someone else’s home. I took the leash off of Sherlock, who bounded towards Simba’s bed. Simba made no objection. 

I grinned and I plopped onto the leather couch, feeling the weight of the day start to slide off my shoulders. It was comfortable, so comfortable I could probably fall asleep right there.

Instead, I decided to flip on the game.

It was about ten minutes into the first period. When they played an away game, I tried to record it and watch it after I got home. I hadn’t missed a game in five years.

I went over to check Simba’s food bowl which I assumed was near his bed. I wanted to make sure he had food and water and didn’t have to go far in order to get what he needed. I also had puppy pads, just in case he couldn’t make it to his doggie door. I planned to take him and Sherlock on a quick walk after the game before I settled in for the night.

I had yet to actually peek in at the bedroom. I didn’t know why but I was slightly intimidated by it, probably because it was so much more to me than just a bedroom.

The fact of the matter was, I liked Drew. A lot. More than I probably should have, considering he’d just broken up with his long-time girlfriend. Also, he was a professional hockey player and it took a select type of woman to possess the strength needed to handle the expectations that came along with being with someone like that. I could fantasize all I wanted about it, but that didn’t mean I could handle it.

When I thought about Drew though, I felt as if I could handle anything.

I pulled out the takeout I had grabbed from a sandwich place and plopped back on the couch. My eyes fixated on the score and I was relieved to see that it was a tie game. No one had scored yet, but the Gulls had seven shots to the Blackjacks’ four.

The game was intense and fun. There seemed to be a real rivalry between these two teams ever since the controversy between Seraphina Hanson and Phil Bambridge.

I wasn’t surprised when Negan was given a penalty. He was a pain in everyone’s ass, but he was actually pretty disciplined. The refs just didn’t like him so they looked for any reason to call him for something. Drew managed to grab the puck and score a short handed goal.

I jumped up, letting out a squeal. Both dogs hopped up, surprised at my reaction.

“Sorry,” I said. “The Gulls just scored a goal. Your Daddy.” I said the last part to Simba.

They both accepted this answer and lay back down. I swear, if Sherlock could roll his eyes, he would have.

That wound up being the game-winning goal. I was so excited for Drew because I knew he had been through a lot this week. I took the dogs for a quick walk and watched the after-game interviews before my eyes started getting heavy. I turned off the TV just to give myself some quiet time, but before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.