Archive of Our Own ^beta

Bec barked, loud and commanding at his owner who was taking her sweet ol’ time. Jade huffed and tightened her mass of ivory hair into a green hair tie before turning to her dog.

“Bec! I’m going as fast as I can!” She exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips. “Be patient, you old mutt.” Jade scratched behind his ears, cooing when he nuzzled into her hand.

Jade hurried around, grabbing her running shoes, a water bottle filled with the ice cold liquid in its name, small baggies for waste, her iPod, and a small messenger bag to hold it all. Once each item had been skillfully packed into each compartment, she’d snagged Bec’s leash from its hook and clipped it onto his collar.

“Ready?” Jade grinned and held the door open for her and Bec to exit through, closing and locking it behind her. “To the dog park it is!” She cheered, Bec taking off and dragging her behind.

———————————————————-

“Gosh, Bec, stop running around my legs!” Jade exclaimed with a laugh, practically tripping over her enthusiastic dog which weaved between her calves, tail wagging wildly. With a grin, Jade tucked the bright red leash into her bag, plopping onto a bench with a sigh. “Alright, go have fun.”

At her command, Bec dashed off to bark and chase other dogs. Jade had to roll her shamrock eyes, taking the time to relish in the heat the sun provided. Only one eye opened when she heard someone take the seat next to her after releasing their own pup. Glancing over the male, she found herself straightening up with a bright, cheery smile.

“Hi! My name’s Jade!” She stuck her hand out in anticipation of a shake, watching as the guy jolted in his seat and turned to her. His tawny eyes were what struck Jade first, and she deduced that he had the nicest pair of eyes she’d seen on anyone before. “Pleasure to meet you.”

The man hesitantly grabbed her hand, and Jade was not expecting such a firm grip. He seemed rather stuck in a continuous state of ‘fight or flight’, and he’d have wings. “Uh, Tavros. It’s nice to meet you, too.”

There was something to his voice that made Jade eager to hear more. “Tavros? That’s a name I’ve never heard before. I rather like it! You don’t seem like you come here often, either.”

“Yeah, I never really have time.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “Work keeps one busy.”

“Can I ask where you work?” Jade raised a curious brow, quickly glancing over Tavros’ hair. It was a complete unruly mess in a mocha color, and Jade reckoned that perhaps the sun was the causes of the caramel highlights. It made her feel like her hair was too boring.

With a small shake of his head, he answered. “It’s fine. I work two jobs; one is, um, in the new office building just finished recently downtown by the old bank, and the other is just moving newspapers to their respective buildings late at night. And you?”

Jade nodded slowly, twisting more in her seat to face Tavros. “Sounds like a lot of work! I can see why’d you’d be busy. And I just switch between jobs. I paint with my grandfather in his business when he needs an extra set of hands, but otherwise I’m stuck with a relator job in a stuffy office.”

“Sounds like a fair life, though. And I’m guessing you come her often, Jade?”

“Yes!” She practically hopped form her seat. “I take a jog every day with my dog, Bec. And whenever I have extra time on them, I stop here so Bec can run around. He has a lot of energy and a small jog isn’t nearly enough to wear him out.”

She laughed lightly, and Tavros nodded in understanding. “I uh, could definitely see that being a thing. He’s that large white dog, correct?”

“Yep. That one the-“ Jade glanced to Bec to point before coming to a complete pause to see Bec getting rather personal with another dog. “Bec! Oh my god Bec stop!” She shoved two fingers in her mouth to whistle him over, and he immediately started running to her, sitting at her feet innocently. She vaguely registered Tavros calling for his dog in a similar fashion.

“Well, that’s Bec for you.” Jade mumbled, embarrassment dusting her cheeks pink.

Tavros let out a loud laugh, a hand pressing against his stomach. “Well, Penny didn’t seem to be doing anything about it, either so. We both take blame I suppose.”

Jade looked up to spot the dog rolled on its side in front of Tavros. “Oh! I’m so sorry.” She turned to Bec and lightly flicked the mound of fur by his neck. Darn him, he probably ruined all her chances of getting to know Tavros anymore! “That probably means I should go. He must need to run again.”

She stood to leave, rummaging through her bag for Bec’s leash. He tried repeatedly to duck away from it, frustrating Jade. She loved her dog, but he could be a troublemaker when he wanted to.

“We uh, could exchange numbers, yeah?” Tavros piped up. Jade turned around on her heel in surprise, face staying still as she let the words seep in.

“Huh. Oh! Oh, numbers, yes. That’s a thing that could happen.” She placed a hand on her hip as Tavros handed her his phone, allowing her to enter her number as a new contact. She then sent herself a message to remind her that it was his number before handing it back. “So, talk with you later, then?”

Tavros nodded, watching as his dog ran back off, yapping loudly. “Of course. Have a good one, Jade.”

She smiled softly, giving Tavros a small wave. “Yeah, you too!”
As she began jogging with Bec, Jade hoped that another trip to the dog park could be penciled into her agenda.