“Thank you so much for getting my camera and stuff, James.” Sparklers exploded in my chest as I clutched my camera to my breast with a wide smile cresting my cheeks. “I didn’t even think of someone stealing it… It’s worth more than my truck, and I-“

“Yeah- I got the importance of it when you threw a fit. Move over.” Gingerly scooting across the couch cushions, I pursed my lips together as heat flushed my cheeks. “You haven’t called an ambulance yet…”

Rubbing my camera with my thumbs, I pondered James’ half question for a long, quiet moment. He’d been gone for two hours, easily, and that was plenty enough time to call an ambulance and leave. Staring past my knees at Kiki, I took in her lax form before heaving a sigh. My mind worked, and when it didn’t give me anything to say, James spoke up again.

“Do you really trust that dog that much?”

“Yes-“ Answering immediately, I turned my gaze to James as his brows came together to create a confused scowl. He was so much more rugged than his blurred outline had promised, and I watched his expression grow harder before opening my mouth a second time. “She was trained as a Marine companion, but she had violent tendencies and would disobey orders if she didn’t like them. If something tickled her the wrong way, she’d ignore her officer or do her own thing. She’s been evaluated as having the intelligence of a seven year old kid- which is incredible, by the way. So, if she isn’t freaking out and over protective… then you can’t be that bad.”

Pride bubbled up in my chest, and I rested my head against the back cushion as James’ gaze flickered to Kiki.

“She’s a terrible judge of character, then.” Darkness flashed across his expression, and I tightened my grip on my camera as my heart thudded harder against my ribs. “There’s a myth in the Marines. When a dog and his or her handler are in perfect sync- when they trust each other’s decision regardless of orders or the mission. The dog lives for the handler, not for serving, and the handler protects the dog to the point of irrationality. This reminds me of that.”

“But… I’ve never even been to a Navy base or anything.” Those were the first words out of my mouth, and James snorted roughly. His dark eyes were sparkling with what I could only describe as annoyance as he ran his hand through his hair. Underneath his t-shirt, his muscles rippled wildly, and I held my breath at the irritation that slithered up into my nostrils. At my feet Kiki lifted her head, a soft warning growl reverberating through the floor and up to rattle my legs and spine.

“Shit like that doesn’t matter… Only lives to your left and right matter, even if that life is a fucking dog.” Pushing himself up roughly, James stormed off into the kitchen with loud, angry steps. Staring through wide eyes at the place he had just been sitting, I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth.

I wasn’t an idiot- James had obviously served. But something happened to make him this way, and I doubt it has anything to do with war.

The thought brought a frown to my face as Kiki calmed down once again, and I released my breath with a huff.

“What do you want for lunch, Caroline?” Loud and bracing, the call almost caused the floor to buckle as James shouted across the house. For a quick, silent second, I debated on what to say. From what I knew, James only had cereal and canned soup… and beer. His refrigerator was almost entirely filled with beer.

“Uh- whatever you were going to make.” Relaxing into the couch, I fiddled with my camera in the growing silence. James didn’t bother answering me, and my fingertips caressed the forms of the lens. Against my hip my camera bag sat, and I set the device in my lap to check it. Lenses and straps were where I’d left them, along with a few extra batteries and memory cards, and a smile wormed onto my face.

“I missed this, and I didn’t even know it.” So little time had passed since the last time I held my camera- felt it comfortable in my lap. At the same time so much had been packed into those hours, and they felt long and arduous. My mumble was met with quiet, and I smiled down at my camera.

Pulling my camera up to my eye, I trained the lens on Kiki to take in her photogenic perfection. There wasn’t a single cowlick in her shiny, healthy fur, and regret slugged my veins as I drifted from her form. The living room was plain and simple, with nothing more than a couch, rug, television, and coffee table. Everything in his house was minimalistic, and I liked that about the place.

Except for the bathroom, of course. Goosebumps rose up on my arms and across my chest at the mere thought of that bathroom. It didn’t fit the rest of the house at all, and I could imagine myself lounging in the absolutely monstrous tub for hours. The only part of the bathroom that seemed used was the separate shower, and I sighed at the gentle tingling just under my skin.

“What did you think of your bath, huh, Kiki? Did you like it after roughing it for a week?” A soft woof met my questions, and I smiled down at my dog. I’d always heard horror stories from friends growing up of how horrible it was to wash their dogs.

Just like with every other part of her, though, Kiki was always perfectly behaved.

“Here.” I barely had time to glance up before a bag landed in my lap, and for a long moment I couldn’t do anything but stare. The light brown bag was riddled with words, and whole sections were in languages I couldn’t read. Underneath me the couch cushion shuffled, and I tore my eyes off the pouch to watch James shove a forkful of something into his mouth.

His cheek spasmed in what I could only guess was a smirk as he dug into his bag. All the while he kept his gaze on me, and each second that passed only increased the amusement swirling in his gaze.

“Is… is this an Army ration…?” Speaking slowly, clearly, my lips trembled, and my heart nearly burst through my ribs when James nodded shamelessly.

“It’s bacon mac’n’cheese.” The response left me dumbstruck, and I took a sharp breath as he chuckled around his mouthful before swallowing hard. “You don’t like bacon? That’s real food in there, you know-“

“I know it’s real food, James-“ My use of his name made him pause, and I rolled my lips between my teeth as I clutched the bag tightly. The stupid thing even came with its own, little, plastic fork, but the utensil didn’t so much as creak under my grip. “Do you even go shopping, or- or do you just… get stuff air dropped… or what?”

This man was a certifiable introvert, I decided. Watching him ponder my question, I let out a hot breath before turning to my ‘lunch’. For the first time I noticed the bag was kind of warm and squishy, and I tore open the top to get blasted by a puff of steam.

“I go pick it up. I’m not a hermit or a recluse or anything… I just would rather be here in the peace and quiet.” Bacon wafted sensually into my nostrils, and I took a deep breath as James’ gravelly voice reached my ears. Pulling the fork-sport-thing off the top of the bag, I sat back to say the first thing that came to mind.

“You’ll go crazy in the silence, you know. I remember when my dad went on his final deployment… it was only for five months, but it was insanely quiet. I moved into a bar, basically, just to get something to distract me.”

“Yeah- well… I haven’t gotten there yet, so there’s no use worrying about it.” James’ response didn’t surprise me; my father often said the same thing. Military men were so reactive instead of proactive, and sometimes it drove me up a wall. Months beforehand, I’d tell my dad that whatever he was doing was a bad idea, and then it’d come to bite him in the ass.

Not that I was one to complain considering I broke my ankle the way I did.

Frowning as I chewed absently, I drew my brows together as I tried to figure out how this mush tasted anything like bacon mac’n’cheese. Water and crackers is a better name.

“… Thank you for letting me use your clothes, by the way.” Staring past my bag of mush, I narrowed my eyes on the thin sweat pants that shielded my legs. The material was gray and soft, and I shuffled my knees together absently as James grunted in response. “I’m going to call my dad in the morning. He’ll be able to come get me faster than an ambulance.”

“The only way he can do that is if he’s got a helicopter, and even then, he wouldn’t make it all the way here. You should’ve called when I was gone- you’d be in a fancy hospital by now with actual, certified doctors.” A rough snort flew from my chest at James’ tidbit of common sense, and I brought my forkful to my mouth. “Of course, they’d probably drug test you, then arrest me for drugging you- then you’d have to go through all that court shit because no one is going to believe that you stayed here, let me stick my fingers in your ankle, and pumped my blood in your veins because your fucking dog didn’t bite me.”

The assessment stopped any response I could’ve given, and my brows came together sharply. Was that how people would see it? I’m a too-trusting delusional? My gaze flickered to Kiki, and I pursed my lips together as she rested her head on her paws. She seemed perfectly okay that this strange man was sitting on the couch with me- that I was essentially an invalid who he can easily take advantage of if he wanted to. Kiki’s ears weren’t tense, her tail was curled comfortably, and her eyes only watched James lazily.

There were no signs that she suspected him of any potential threat.

“… Do you really think that’s how people will see it? She’s a military dog-“

“Oh- bullshit. Caroline, she was a military candidate that was scrapped for whatever dumbass reason. To answer your question, though- yes. That’s exactly how people will see it. They’ll think you spend too much time with the dog and in the wilderness, and they’ll argue that it’s not healthy. Seriously, you can’t expect anyone to understand the bond you have with Kiki- least of all court officials. No matter how many times you say ‘he saved me; he’s not a creep’, all they’ll focus on is that you were injured and drugged unconscious for five hours on my kitchen table.”

My heart slammed against my chest as James’ sharp words assaulted my ear drums. Goosebumps rose on my skin, and in the growing silence my discomfort grew five fold. Trapped between my fingers, the spork creaked under my tightening grip before I took a deep, hard breath.

“S- so… why are you out here by yourself, anyway?” Changing the subject with no subtlety at all, I shoveled my goop into my mouth as James heaved a big sigh. Glancing at him out of the corner of my eye, I couldn’t help but notice the deep shadows that contoured his face. There wasn’t even much reason for them to be there; the television was right in front of us and on.

They just seemed to be anchored to his cheeks and eyes, and for a moment I wondered if he’d answer me until he opened his mouth.