Chapter 1
Chapter One
ONE YEAR EARLIER
LOUISA
I walk through a sterile feeling hallway lined with cages, waiting for one of them to speak to me. Not that I expect a dog to literally speak to me but in a metaphorical sense. I've never adopted a pet before, and all of a sudden, I'm feeling the pressure to choose the right one and hoping they’ll choose me back.
"Hey, little cutie patootie. What about this one over here, Lou?"
My sister insisted on coming with me today to pick out, in her words, her niece or nephew. I guess she's just as nervous about me making the wrong choice as I am. Then again, B doesn't get nervous about anything.
I've never known someone as confident and carefree as my little sister. Briella, who solely goes by B, is younger than me, and we could not be more opposite. As kids, it caused us to fight non-stop. But eventually, we got old enough to realize we were on the same team. We've been close ever since.
"I told you, I don't want a little ankle biter. "
"But just look at that face." She leans down to where the dog is trying to lick her through the cage and gives me huge puppy dog eyes.
"No, I want a bigger dog that won't scream at the door every time one of my neighbors is in the hallway."
"Fine." She gives up and walks down the hallway to where I stand in front of a cage holding a black lab wagging its tail so hard it knocks over its water bowl. "You're so boring."
"I'm being practical." Before I continue walking, I tug on her long lavender braid slung over her shoulder. B has had colored hair since she was fourteen. I still remember the first time she dyed it.
She came with me to get groceries and snuck a box of hair dye into the cart without me noticing. An hour later, our mom ran into our bathroom after hearing screams to find B crying. She had left the bleach in for too long, and it burned her scalp. At that point, my mother, bless her heart, wasn't going to make her go to school with yellow bleached hair, so she helped her with the rest of the coloring. That blue hair made her stand out like a sore thumb at our small private high school. But B did not give two shits about what people thought of her, and she still doesn't.
A worker comes in to check on us. "Let me know if you find one you like, and I can put them in our meet-and-greet room for you."
"Actually, I do have a question about this guy." I point to the old-looking, full-size doodle mix in front of me. "It says here he's ten years old. Any idea why he was given up at such an old age? He seems so chill."
"Are you looking at Pepin?" Her face lights up as she jogs down the hall to where we stand. "Apparently, the family was having their seventh kid or something like that, and they didn't have time for him."
B mumbles under her breath and rolls her eyes. "Yeah, because six children are way more manageable than seven. Damn rabbits."
As Pepin and I stare at each other, something in me feels drawn to him.
"Could we spend some time with him?"
"Sure! Head out that door at the end of the hall, and I'll meet you in room three; it should be open."
"Thank you."
"Well, Pepin, welcome to your new home."
Staring into my 900-square-foot apartment, I start to wonder if he's as unimpressed with it as I am. He gets up and starts wandering around, inspecting the place. I really hope he's as docile as he seemed at the rescue. Regardless, I'm just glad to have a companion.
I've been wanting a dog for over a year now, but my ex always said no. Now that he's out of the picture, I can do whatever I want. Although I've only been living here alone for a couple weeks, I was starting to get really lonely. Most of my college friends live out of state, and my family lives in a small town over an hour from Minneapolis. After Jay left, I've been in this city mostly by myself.
"So, have you found a new roommate yet?" B asks with a mouth full, eating the last of my Oreos. "Because I've been thinking maybe I could move in with you. It'll be just like old times."
We haven't lived together since I left for college five years ago, but I honestly think having her around could be good for me. I don't do well alone. And as great as having Pepin around will be, some consistent human interaction will make the transition to being single easier.
"Yeah, I think that would be great. But I thought you were going to live with your college friend once you move to the city?"
"She decided to take that job in New York instead. She called me this morning to tell me she got us out of our lease. So I guess Jay dumping you works out great for me," she says with a sarcastic grin on her face.
I roll my eyes at her. "Yeah, I'll find out his new address so you can send him a thank you card."
She walks over to where I'm standing and tackles me onto the couch. "You know I'm just messing with you. By the way, how have you been? I haven't heard much from you since you called me two weeks ago to tell me that Fuck Face let the greatest thing that's ever happened to him slip through his fingers." She has always been my biggest hype girl, giving me way more credit than I deserve. I appreciate the constant support and confidence in me more than she'll ever know.
"Better, now that I have a roomie. And I’ll be even happier when that new roomie signs a contract promising not to leave her dirty dishes in the sink."
"Hey, I always wash them eventually !"
We laugh and hold each other on the couch for a moment before I get up, hoping she won't catch the single tear I let slip from my eye.
I really haven't taken the breakup as hard as I thought I would. Yes, I'm sad. But I'm less sad about losing Jay than I am scared of being alone. The last time I was single was in my junior year of college. Before that, I dated a few other people. Needless to say, I haven't spent much time on my own.
Jay never really felt like the one, but I think I got complacent and settled for what would keep me on track with my life goals as opposed to what was best for my heart. He wasn't bad; he just wasn't great. And after watching my parents growing up, I know that great love exists. I was just too blinded by ambition and stubbornness to be honest with myself.
Jay had fit into my plans. I wanted to be engaged and a homeowner by 25, on my way to becoming a great architect. Now, here I am, 24 years old and single, about to move my little sister into my janky apartment.
I hope this pause in my plans doesn’t last long. I am less than a year away from taking my licensure exams and becoming an architect. And now I have a dog, which wasn't a part of the original plan due to the shitty ex-boyfriend, but it definitely seems like a step in the right direction.
Pepin trots over, jumps up on the couch, and curls up next to B, where I left her lying there. "Looks like Lou is getting two new roommates, huh, Pep." The side eye he gives her sends both of us into a fit of laughter.
This is going to be good. And everything is going to be okay.