Going to Diana’s house.

Diana sent me a message the night before our second date. It was funny because I could totally relate to what might have been her thought process.

-Diana: By the way, I have a dog. It's a big, young German Shepherd. Is that an issue for you?

In all fairness, it could’ve been. Some people are afraid of big dogs or outright don’t like them, so if I had been in Diana’s position, I would’ve asked exactly the same. Luckily, I fucking love dogs.

-Oliver: Not at all. I like dogs. Can I buy it some treats?

-Diana: Yes, he’d love that. Thank you.

I saw that she began to type another message, then stopped before sending it. She began to type again, this time lasting a lot longer but with no message sent. Eventually, after about 10 minutes, she did send something.

-Diana: I’m looking forward to tomorrow.

God, it was almost painful how much of myself I saw in her, and honestly it only made me like her more. I could see it in my mind clear as day because I was the same, her typing and erasing three or four different messages, unsure if any of them were appropriate or worried they sounded wrong.

-Oliver: So am I. Should I bring something else?

-Diana: No, don’t worry. I have everything. Do you like vegetable lasagna?

-Oliver: Yes, a lot.

-Diana: That’s a relief. Now, I don’t want to keep you. Goodnight, Oliver. See you tomorrow.

-Diana: Goodnight. See you tomorrow.

It was a strange but not unpleasant exchange. It just felt funny to not be the nervous one in the conversation for once.

And then morning came in the perceived blink of an eye. Seriously, I closed my eyes to sleep, opened them and it was already 7:30 am. I was so used to waking up early by now that my body did so on its own even on Sundays. I mourned the passing of lazy Sundays and got out of bed.

I took a shower and got dressed in a casual outfit of blue jeans, a tight-fitting, black long sleeve shirt and a denim jacket. I took my time making my bed, cleaning up my room a bit and having breakfast on my own. Mom still relished lazy Sundays and I seriously doubted Isabelle would ever give them up.

I left hot water ready on a thermos for them along with their mugs, coffee, tea and sugar ready to serve. It was 9:00 am by then, so I grabbed my backpack and went out. I made a quick stop by a small store that was open early and bought the treats for Diana’s dog and hopped on a bus.

It was a little nerve wracking, I admit. I’d never been to the outskirts of the city. Or rather, I had only passed through once or twice. After about an hour, the buildings became fewer and fewer, giving place to houses only. Less apartment complexes and more trees and hills, yet still clearly urban areas with well paved roads and bus stops along the way.

I was checking the map on my phone, and when I saw I was getting close to the location Diana had sent me, I stepped off. A brief walk through a couple blocks and I was in front of what was supposedly Diana’s home.

Single floor, slanted roof and a white facade. The garage attached to the house was wider than the house itself, but I thought I saw that the house extended further to the back. The grass at the front was on the dry side, but it had been very recently trimmed.

I… knew it was Diana’s house, as it matched what she had told me, but I still was too afraid to go and knock. What if I happened to be wrong? Instead, I texted her, saying I was outside.

The front door opened, and before I could see Diana, I saw a gorgeous German Shepherd under the door frame, staring and growling cautiously at me.

“Red, no!” Diana said from behind the dog, holding his collar. The dog whined and barked once at me. “I’m so sorry! I’ll take him to the backyard…!”

“Hey, he’s wary of a stranger. He’s just doing his job, right?” I told her.

Yeah, it was scary to have a dog like that growling at me, but I also liked seeing that he was protective. It didn’t look like he was going to lunge at me, thankfully. It was just protecting his territory.

I reached into my backpack, grabbed the bag of jerky treats and tore it open. The dog’s, Red’s, ears stood up. The growling stopped and he began to get restless, licking his lips. I took out a long piece of jerky and carefully approached Red. Diana was still holding him firmly by the collar. The dog sniffed the treat… and was surprisingly gentle in taking it, opening his mouth and nibbling it instead of trying to chomp it down with my hand included.

Red chewed and swallowed, his whole demeanor immediately changing as he licked his lips again. His next bark had the playfulness of a kid who wanted more candy.

“Hah! Some guard dog you are…” Diana said, playfully kicking Red in the butt.

I chuckled and gave Red another treat, which he gluttonously accepted. I dared to try and pet him, and he was happy to let me do scratch around his neck,

“Is he wary of everyone or just me?” I asked Diana.

“Everyone he doesn’t know, but he’s never bitten anyone. Not that I don’t think it’ll never happen, which is why I’m still holding him. I’m really sorry about that.”

I shook my head. “Red, right? How old is he?”

“Just nine months old.”

“He’s gorgeous. I love dogs. I don’t know how I ended up with a cat instead,” I said, thinking about how Cake was probably going to smell a dog on me when I came back and freak out.

“...Let’s not talk in the doorway. Come on in,” she said, letting go of Red.

“Ah. Thank you.”

I gave Red one last piece of jerky and he was happy to take it somewhere else to eat. Thanks to my forward thinking, I was able to effortlessly gain the approval of Diana’s dog and not lose a hand in the attempt.

Hopefully that would remain the case.

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