Page 47 of Chase
“Nope.”
“Therapist,” I finally tell him at the same time as shutting my eyes to block it all out.
“Really?” he says in such a way, I can tell he’s smiling. “I can totally believe that one; I bet you’re good at it too.”
“You believe me?” I turn to face him with an element of disbelief, to which he shrugs.
“Sure, why wouldn’t I?”
“When I told my family after a few years of my usual bullshit, they laughed even harder at that than allmy other so-called professions. Like it was ridiculous for me to have achieved such a thing. I didn’t bother to try and convince them.”
“Izzy,” he says softly, placing his hand over mine, “your family are fucking idiots.”
His bluntness is enough to have me laughing out loud and I remember how much I love him for his ability to make me feel this good. I’ve missed him so much over the years, even if he did forget about me.
_____
Izzy
After about forty minutes of driving, we’re back in the countryside, somewhere in Dorset. The scenery consists of rolling fields with random flocks of sheep gathered here and there. The houses become few and far between whilst farmland becomes more and more prevalent. I enjoy watching the different stately homes passing us by and smirk when we spot signs for Monkey World, thinking of many clever insults to throw his way. However, in the end, I choose not to. He lets me sit in my own comfortable silence, seemingly satisfied that I confided in him earlier.
Another twenty minutes roll on and by this point, we’re traveling down narrow roads that barely contain Theo’s car, let alone any oncoming traffic. I find myself getting anxious, or excited, I can’t tell for certain. When he eventually turns down a gravel track, I frown at him, hoping he’ll let me in on his secret location, because I never expected to be exploring the back of beyond today.
He remains decidedly silent, purposefully avoiding my gaze and ignoring my twisting and turning as I try to get a better view of where we are. An old farmhouse looms in front of us, the sort that wouldn’t look amiss in a period drama, and my hand reaches for the handle in greedy anticipation. Theo gets out first, but only just, so when he rounds the car to open the door for me, he’s much too late. However, he does take hold of my hand and leads me over to the front door of the farmhouse. I look at him for answers, but he just smiles and keeps looking forward before he eventually knocks on the huge wooden door.
I open my mouth to force him to explain, but the sound of thud, thud, thudding from behind the front door stops me in my tracks. When it opens, we’re met by a woman in her sixties, smiling at us as she dries her hands on a t-towel.
“Mr Chase?” she asks, looking warm and welcoming.
“Please, call me Theo,” he replies, nodding in confirmation to her question. “This is Izzy,” he continues, gesturing toward me and smiling.
“Lovely, come in,” she says as she steps aside to let us through.
The inside of her home is in huge contrast to the mud and mess of outside. Everything is clean, tidy, and with neutral tones and minimalistic décor. I had pictured something from the nineteen forties, but this looks more like a new build. I’m kind of disappointed.
However, moments later, we exit the back door and return outdoors where we are greeted by a beautiful back garden, and an even more beautiful golden retriever. All fluffy with big ears, big feet, and a wiggly butt. It’s not a puppy but not very old either, more like a lanky teenager of a dog.
“Here she is,” the woman says, turning back to face us, “this is Stella.”
The dog looks up and wags her tail, as if saying ‘What’s up?’ before returning to chomp down on her bone.
“I don’t understand,” I reply, feeling utterly confused.
“She,” Theo begins, pointing to the gorgeous hound, “is your surprise.”
It takes a few moments to register, but when the weight of his words finally hits home, I release a strange sound of shock before allowing my mouth to drop open. As I look over at this beautiful lanky ball of fluff, I feel tears falling already down my cheeks. Tears of sheer happiness and pure love. I haven’t even touched her, and I already know I love her.
“She’s…she’s mine?” I gasp, before releasing a very ungracious sob. “B-but, but…why?”
“Mrs Hughes, here, has been looking to rehome Stella, and I thought, who needs something that will be all of their own to love and cherish? Something that will love and cherish her back without any bullshit?” He eyeballs me, and I know he’s talking about my trust in him. I want to tell him I do trust him, but something stops the words from escaping into the open between us. “Something that will make you both completely happy?”
“Stella was rescued by my son, from a local puppy farm. She was in a terrible condition when they found her. Most of her siblings had died and her poor mother was in such a bad way, they had to put her to sleep. Stella was the healthiest of them, but it still took a lot of love, care, and medical treatment to put her right, the poor love. He was going to keep her, but he’s been stationed abroad. After all that she’s been through, he thought it best to rehome her with someone who would make her their priority. Someone stable, someone patient and understanding. She’s a lovely dog but my two don’t get on with her. She’s too submissive and they seem to walk all over her. Retrievers, you see, completely loveable but often a little daft.”
She laughs to herself as she walks over to the fluffball and takes her bone away. The dog lets her, reinforcing what she’s just said about her being entirely submissive.
“I’ve trained her since she was a pup, but you’ll have to continue her training to make sure she responds to you. You’re the alpha, and you’re the omega, right? Don’t let her rule the roost.”
“You hear that? I’m the alpha!” Theo jokes, looking completely smug about it.