One Page Short Stories: Love

Keyword: Love

Jane’s footsteps echoed on the dusty floorboards as she stepped into the studio. The smell hit her first. It was a mixture of wood smoke and used bedding, and something sharp and tangy she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She wondered if she should call out to Kev before going further. She walked slowly into the silence, letting her eyes readjust to the dim firelight flickering against the back wall. The two bodies were curled in a nest of blankets on the ground. Kev laid on his back, one arm crooked over his eyes and the other stretched out. Bangarang was asleep on her side with her nose tucked into his armpit. Seeing them like this, Jane could picture them in a thousand other places, all the way back to the first time Kev had asked her to come over to his house and meet their new puppy. Bangarang didn’t lift her head as Jane approached but she did open her eyes. Her tail gave a few weak thumps in greeting. Kneeling at the edge of the nest, Jane pressed her hand on her belly to say hello. She could feel the delicate ribs through her fur. Bang’s chest rose and fell with effort. “Hey, baby,” she whispered. The dog sighed and gave her a look Jane read as I’m glad to see you. Sorry I’m so tired. As quietly as she could, Jane slipped off her boots and laid down. The hardwood radiated cold up through the thin blankets. Kev’s mom had texted her in the late afternoon when she was midway through what was honestly a pretty mediocre date to begin with. (Served her right for going out with a junior accountant, and to mini golf, of all places.) Her mind had already been wandering through a pre-prepared list of reasons she had to get going, and his mouth folded down in a way that reminded her of a frog when she told him her childhood best friend’s dog was on its last leg. She’d thought about that expression- on its last leg- throughout the six hour drive back to their hometown. It was easier than thinking about the hole that was already opening inside of future holidays and gatherings. Jane put her hand on the silky patch of fur that covered Bang’s forehead. She tried not to think about the cancer, like a shadow creeping through her insides. Instead, she focused on sending all of her good memories to the girl who had given her so much joy.  Sharing ice cream cones with her and Kev on a hot summer evening. The three of them, plus her little brother Ian, staying up late to watch a scary movie marathon that had them eagle-eyed and on edge until sunrise. Bangarang bounding ahead on hikes, snapping at fireflies and charging through snow drifts, falling asleep in Kev’s lap just like she did when she was brand-new in their world.
There was hardly a memory since she was 15 that didn’t include both of them, until Jane went off to college. She’d needed different air to breathe, to get away from her helicopter parents, and Kev had gotten a coveted woodworking apprenticeship in town. Jane’s eyes filled with tears as she swelled with rage at herself- she should have been here! She and Kev wouldn’t have drifted. She would have known Bang was sick long before today.
Bangarang sighed again and pressed a heavy paw against her arm. Jane scratched behind her ear the way the dog loved. Together, they fell asleep.