"oh my gosh," I exclaim to Blaze, "I can't believe you get to work here, and be here all of the time! You're so lucky!"

"Yeah, I mean, it's great pay and I love being here with the animals." He responds, replacing the empty water bowl with a full one.

I smile at Blaze as I watch him work, he is so committed to this place and the animals.

He got called in because his co-worker, whose name I belive was Jerry, had a family emergency and had to leave.

"So you're here every day then?" I ask.

Blaze laughs, "no, no. Sometimes I wish I was, but it's only every other day after school and full time every other weekend."

"That's good timing. This weekend was your weekend off then?"

"Yes."

"So next weekend you'll be here the whole time."

"Yep."

"That sucks." I say, lowering my head.

Blaze turns to me, "why's that?"

"I was hoping we could spend some time together."

Blaze smiles, taking a step toward me and holding both of my hands in his, "well since I had to step in today I'll see if I can get a day off on the weekend."

I look up at him, "really?"

"I have to talk to my boss, but yeah."

Suddenly I get a very strong urge to kiss him as I look at his yummy full lips. I push back the sensation though as I don't want to have these feelings.

"Okay."

Blaze looks as if he wants to say something more but he just tilts his head down, and turns back to the animals.

I watch him again, and I realize that I am falling for him, much faster than I want to be.

***

I wait by the door to Blaze's boss' office and I can hear muffled voices. I am hoping that he will give Blaze the day off but I know that it's probably a slim chance.

I decide to take a small walk, finding the puppies scratching eagerly at the window absolutely adorable.

I go to the thick glass and watch them all. There are about six of them. Five of the chocolate lab puppies are tapping at the glass with their paws, looking as if they want so desperately for someone to come and get them. It is another one however that catches my eye.

The little puppy sits at the back, calmly waiting. Not eager or hyper like her brothers and sisters, just waiting. Slowly wagging her tail.

Like the others, she is a gorgeous chocolate lab, but she has a white patch on her front left paw, making her unique, making her stand out.

"Her name's Lacey." A husky voice whispers into my ear.

I don't have to turn around to know that it's Blaze.

"Who?" I ask.

"The puppy you are staring at, the one with the white patch on her paw. Her name's Lacey."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. She's the best trained out of them all. Always been a quiet observer. She's different than the others. Calm but loved all the same."

"Yeah, she seems that way." I reply, still facing the glass.

"She reminds me of you in that sense." Blaze tells me, placing his hand on my side.

I turn around, "yeah?"

"Yeah. She's a special dog. Always the first one I want to see when I come here."

I put my head down, blushing slightly.

Blaze reaches out, caressing my cheek with his hand, "did I say something wrong?" He asks, sounding concerned.

I nod, smiling.

"You didn't say anything wrong," I say shaking my head, "in fact, you couldn't have said anything more right," finally looking at him, I say, "it's just you. The way you talk about me. Nobody has ever said these things. It makes me feel special, important. It makes me feel like I matter."

"You do matter Jade."

I put my head down again, hiding under my lashes, "sometimes I don't feel like I do."

Blaze lifts up my chin with his hand, forcing me to look at him, "You do matter Jade, okay? No matter what anyone else says or thinks. You matter so much. You are a very special person and I know that you're going to do great things one day. You told me that you won't ever doubt yourself, so don't okay?"

I nod, "okay."

Blaze pulls me into a hug, which I gladly accept, resting my head on his shoulder.

I smile to myself as he rests his face in the crook of my shoulder, breathing in my scent.

He kisses my neck lightly, sending tingles throughout my body and I find myself suddenly wishing we were alone.

He pulls away from me and grabs my hand, leading me out of the store.

"So did you manage to get the day off next weekend?" I ask, once we are in the car.

"Yeah. My boss let me have Saturday off, which are usually the more quiet days. Are you free that day?" He asks me, and I can see the hope in his eyes.

"I am." I smile.

"Good," he pauses for a moment before continuing,  "I wanted to ask you something Jade."

I tense up slightly but my voice remains calm, "shoot,"

"Do you want to go out with me? Like on an actual date?"

"I would love to." I say, not able to keep the smile off of my face.

Blaze immediately relaxes, his grip on the wheel less intense.

"I'm assuming it'll be Saturday?" I ask.

"You assume correctly." He responds, flashing me a smile.

"Look at how smart I am." I tease, "where are we going on Saturday then?"

Blaze shoots me another grin, "I'm not telling."

"Oh, come on!" I whine.

"Nope."

"Please?"

"Jade, do you trust me?" He asks.

"Yes..." I answer a bit warily.

"Then leave the date to me okay? I promise you that you'll like it."

I sigh in defeat, "fine."

Blaze smiles widely, as if he had just won the lottery, making my heart burst inside of my chest. It's beating so loudly that I just hope he can't hear it.

The fact that my feelings are growing for him so quickly is so scary that I don't know how much more of him I can handle. I just hope I can get through this date.

***

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-Maxine•