My baby. – Liana
Liana
Miso had officially been ours for a month.
He’d also officially doubled in size.
I stood barefoot in the kitchen, cutting apples, while he sat at my feet with the most dramatic “please feed me” face I’d ever seen.
“Apple’s not even your thing,” I muttered.
He whined.
Elias walked by, raising an eyebrow. “He’s manipulating you.”
“He’s a baby,” I defended.
“He’s the size of a baby elephant.”
I glanced down. Miso’s paws were massive. His legs had gotten long, awkward, a little clumsy but his eyes were still round and his ears still way too big for his face.
Basically, he was a disaster. A perfect one.
He followed me everywhere.
Bathroom? Door scratch.
Online class? Sat directly under the desk and chewed his own tail.
Nap time? Curled against the backs of my knees like a fuzzy, oversized comma.
I couldn’t lie. I loved it.
And Elias, despite all his complaints, was the one who stocked up on dog food, researched training schedules, and gave him nightly belly rubs like a secret ritual.
Later that afternoon, we took him to the park.
He ran in giant zigzags like he didn’t know how to use his legs yet, tail wagging so hard his whole body wobbled.
Then he crashed head-first into Elias’ shin.
Elias grunted. “That’s it. I’m sending him to basic training.”
I was laughing too hard to answer.
A passing couple stared. The guy whispered something. His girlfriend said, “Is that a wolf?”
I hugged Miso’s face. “He’s just a baby.”
Miso sneezed.
Elias
Back home, she was writing lesson notes on the couch.
Miso was sprawled upside down at her feet, tongue hanging out, tail thumping occasionally against the floor.
I walked in with a towel. “Bring me your feet.”
She blinked. “Why?”
“Because you let him step on a puddle. And now you’re barefoot. And I don’t want wet prints on the couch.”
She curled her toes. “You don’t have to wipe my feet.”
I crouched anyway, tugging her ankle into my lap.
“You live with me. We share a bed. I clean your dog. I’m cleaning you too.”
She laughed, covering her face. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Yeah, well. You chose this.”
Liana
After, I leaned back against the cushions and watched him sit beside Miso, rubbing behind his ears like it was second nature.
The apartment was warm.
Miso yawned.
Elias smiled.
And I thought, Maybe this is what happiness looks like.
