A True Bond

I gazed as the sun sang merrily, rising from behind the distant hills. The rosette crimson hue of the sun blended seamlessly with the pale blue color of the sky. My eyes beheld the scenic beauty, which was the epitome of magnificence.

I stood amidst the lush green beauty of my small town here in California. This garden was known for being the heart of the natural beauty of our town. People here were habituated to engaging their weekends in either competing at the downtown marathons or strolling here in this lovely garden or planting saplings here.

My pet dog Coffee danced in a circle around the tiny sapling we had just planted together, beside us. The sapling was moving along with the flawless rhythm of the gentle wind caressing it. I was beaming with a jubilant smile as I then sprinted on the ground, hopelessly trying to catch up with Coffee's hastened dance moves about the ground.

As I thought I was about to reach her, I crashed against a tall stature and immediately landed on the ground, hurting my knees real bad. Stood in front of me was the most handsome guy ever. The figure resembled that of some Greek god who had just descended down on the earth. He wore a plain white T-shirt which effortlessly highlighted his abs, paired with beige trousers. His light brown hair was matted perfectly on his forehead. He had the perfect jawline, sharp enough to slay paper with a single strike. But what attracted me the most were his charming blue eyes. They held a depth in which one could get lost for ages without even realizing it. As I gathered myself and started to lift myself, he extended his hand to me. I was delighted to see this man not being friendly as it was least expected from him. As I accepted it gladly and started to get up, I made eye contact only to relinquish my flabbergasted state to replace it with embarrassment. His eyes held some kind of mischievous glint, and his face adorned a cocky smirk as he was apparently savoring my embarrassment.

I wanted to run as fast as I could and hide inside my bedroom's comforter far away from this place. But facing the reality, I stood up and muttered a quick apology to the guy, avoiding any further eye contact.

He cheerfully volunteered for a handshake and said, "No worries, babes. By the way, I am Aaron."

I still remember how stunned I was at him taking my embarrassment up a notch by flirting with me. I accepted the greetings nevertheless and introduced myself, only by telling him my first name Lily.

At this critical juncture, thankfully Coffee saved me from making a fool of myself any further by running to me and licking my hands affectionately. This fixed my dampened mood within a nanosecond.

I sat in the grass, taking Coffee in my lap. "Oh, Coffee, how are you still so energetic? I ran behind you for a couple of minutes, and look at my state right now," I told her while cuddling with her. Coffee continued licking my hand, ignoring my comment.

I heard a deep chuckle reverberate beside me. It was Aaron again. I just gave him a small smile and continued cuddling with Coffee. After five minutes, I still felt his presence, and I decided to break the ice.

"Do you like dogs?" I asked. "Yep," he replied with a genuine smile on his face. "Come here," I said and patted the place beside me. He carefully knelt down first to see if Coffee approved, and then sat down. I gave Coffee a small pep talk and handed her to him. She had always been a very welcoming pup and usually enjoyed socializing.

As soon as I gave her to him, she first smelled him, then started licking his face! I was kinda surprised to see Coffee like someone so much as it had not happened before.

Aaron took it very positively and cuddled her like a pro. This made me ponder upon a question: was he used to cuddling with dogs? "Do you have a pet as well?" I asked.

"I used to," he said. "He left us a month ago." I was definitely saddened upon hearing it. I can never imagine losing Coffee and don't know what I'll do without her. She is like my bestie. The one who makes you laugh when you are in deep trouble, crying your eyes out. She is my healer, my companion, and an intrinsic part of my family. Suddenly hit by this paroxysm, I couldn't help but be thankful for having her. I bent forward and gently kissed Coffee's forehead. I then looked at Aaron. "How are you healing?" I asked, shocked by my own words. That sounded rude, didn't it, I thought. What was I thinking, girl, this question was not very comforting. I looked down with guilt and immediately apologized for asking the question.

Aaron chuckled and answered, "You don't need to be sorry, Lil's. And I am fine." As soon as these words left his mouth, I saw sadness in his eyes which he quickly masked with blank emotion. His eyes were so expressive; I couldn't help but try to read them.

"If you want to, you can meet Coffee here whenever you want to," I said. "Every day?" he asked. "Fine by me," I said. Right now all I wanted to do was to try to make him feel better.

After talking about random things for a while, I glanced at my watch only to realize it was past 8 already. I realized that I was supposed to be home at least in half an hour which was the minimum time I took to walk back to my place.

Soon I got up after exchanging numbers with Aaron and taking Coffee with me. We exchanged goodbyes after planning to meet the next day at the same time in this garden itself.

As I made my way back to my house, I was over the moon. I felt a surreal lightness in my heart. The streets of California felt like the grand pathway to heaven. Though I wasn't sure about finding true love, I had definitely made a real bond. A connection that was pure and outside the world. A bond in which Coffee had played the role of cupid and had lit my life with vibrant colors.