Tiffany fanned her face with her hands, her cheeks flushed and thin strands of hair sticking to her forehead. The heat was starting to become unbearable, even for someone like her who was born in Sunny California. If she knew then she’d never have come and would have stayed in her room which had air conditioning. 

When their hotel brochure boasted about various popular landmarks of the island, Tiffany was all onboard. The hotel guide, with his deep, brown puppy dog eyes, had made it particularly compelling for them to explore the island’s highlights. But neither Tiffany nor Jessica realised just how far they’d have to walk to see what essentially were — in Jessica’s words — a bunch of old buildings and rocks bunched together. Their phones had run out of charge very soon and they had to resort to buying a map that they bought from a nearby souvenir stall, along with some water bottles and snacks. 

True to form, Jessica had eventually given up and perched her bottom on a bench they’d come across, announcing in a firm tone that she wasn’t going to walk one more step until they found ice cream or an ice pack, something cold to cool them down. 

So Tiffany sighed, knowing it was her suggestion in the first place, and tried to find a local ice cream parlour or cafe that sold iced drinks. felt as dry as a sandy beach and her bag kept slipping down her arm. God, all she could see was narrow road after narrow road and small alleys. This was ridiculous, she thought, wheezing. A slow trickle of sweat ran down the side of her face. 

She turned the corner and almost cried in relief, her knees nearly giving out. Oh, thank goodness! A small cafe painted a light, faded pink stood in the corner as if shyly shielding its body from anyone who happened to glance at it. Life, civilization, people. Tiffany latched her gaze on it as if it were an oasis in the desert.

Smoothing out her shirt that was plastered on her skin, she walked inside, and a tiny bell hanging at the top of the door chimed musically. Mouthwatering scents of lemon, chocolate, vanilla and all sorts wafted in the air, and she noticed that it was surprisingly cooler inside. Huh, they must have had air-con or something. Her eyes immediately fell on the strawberry ice cream sitting behind the glass and she knew she must have been shooting heart signs at it like a creeper. She approached the counter with a bright smile at the slouched, bored waitress and ordered two scoops of ice cream in a cone for herself and a serving of cookies and cream for Jessica in a tub.

She exited the shop, a wide smile on her face, making a mental note to come back to check out their other menu items when a loud bark sounded nearby. Turning her head, a grey-ish looking dog bounded up to her, his tail wagging furiously. In a twisting motion, her bag got caught around her body, and she held onto the ice cream above her head. Not now please, begged Tiffany inwardly. The dog began to get more excited and leapt up. 

“Yah! Zero! No!”

In a panic, she walked around to avoid the dog as it circled her. She was cornered. Tiffany stumbled and her grip loosened. The ice cream splattered on the floor and the ground lurched closer and closer. She was almost there, her face almost flattened. She shut her eyes, heart thumping as she anticipated stinging pain spreading throughout her body — 

Oh. 

Tiffany glanced up with wide eyes as the figure zoomed forwards and clutched her arms tight, holding her up from the ground. Familiar dark eyes bore back into hers as they blinked in distress, pupils blown wide open. I know her, thought Tiffany in a daze.

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry, are you okay?” asked the familiar blonde girl, her voice high-pitched and frantic. “Sorry, stupid question I know. Never mind, ‘course you’re not okay. I’m honestly so sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into him. He’s usually well-behaved.” She bit her lip, a crease between her brows. 

Tiffany gazed at the splattered pile of oozing ice cream on the floor. “Oh, my ice cream. . .” she murmured forlornly. 

The girl shook her head and sighed. “I am sincerely sorry once again. Bad dog, Zero! There’ll be no treats for you later, do you hear me?” Zero whined and covered his ears as he slumped to the floor. 

Tiffany glanced down. A sense of lightheadedness caught her. “You’re still holding me. . .” she said distractedly. 

The girl’s hold was firm but soft as she clutched her close to her chest and Tiffany didn’t mind it as much as she thought she would. She usually hated being touched by strangers. She glanced up and a hot breath spread over her face, minty and fresh like tea leaves. Something underneath her skin hummed, surfacing from the girl’s fingers. The girl instantly removed her hands as if she’s been burned but not before making Tiffany upright on her feet again. 

“Sorry, sorry, here,” said the flustered girl, blushing so vividly that Tiffany worried she was going to have a cardiac arrest. She’d also never seen her so discomposed before. Her shirt was rumpled and her hair and a wild mess as if she’d run after Zero. It looked. .  . good on her. “Um, are you okay?” asked the girl, her tone hesitant like she was bracing for Tiffany to shout at her. 

“I-er, yeah. Yes, thank you,” said Tiffany clearing her voice.  “For catching me, I mean.”

“No worries, I’ll catch you any day,” said the other girl unthinkingly. She grimaced after her words. “That — that wasn’t what I — you know what I — I just meant that—” She stopped and took a deep breath after her adorable rambling. “You’re welcome. You’re not hurt, right?”

“Hmm, oh, no, thank you for the concern, it’s sweet of you, but no I’m fine. Well, I mean sort of. . .” Tiffany stared dejectedly at the splatter on the floor and the girl’s gaze travelled with her. 

“Hey, let me make it up to you,” she offered suddenly. “I’ll buy whatever that was for you again. It’s the least I can do really.”

Tiffany shook her head. “You don’t have to,” she refused. 

“I want to. Please.” The voice was firm and brokered no resistance. 

Tiffany stared back at the other girl’s determined expression and sighed, accepting the offer with a nod. The girl’s face lit up and she couldn’t help smiling.

A wet nose brushed up against her hand and she peered down to face a panting, oblivious dog that whined, most likely asking for pets. The girl grumbled under her breath but didn’t say anything as Tiffany giggled and leaned down to press a kiss on his head. Even though Zero had wasted her treats, his adorable face made her heart melt. He was just a dumb dog, he couldn’t help it. She’d always been a er for cute dogs, and he reminded her of Prince, her precious little guy, which she missed like crazy. 

“Is he yours?” asked Tiffany as she straightened up, brushing off any dust from her blue summery dress. “Zero.” 

“Hmm? Oh, er, I guess so,” replied the other girl, instantly looking up to lock eyes with her, panic flashing across her face before disappearing. Huh, how weird. It almost looked as if the other girl was staring at her chest. 

Tiffany raised an eyebrow. “You guess so?”

“Well, I mean he’s not mine exactly. He doesn’t belong to me. I gave him some of my snacks one day and he’s been following me ever since. Like my own little guard dog.” She gave a tiny laugh. “Always pops up when I least expect him and I see him lurking near the cafes and the beach. He’s usually well-behaved, I promise.” Her voice was sheepish as she rubbed the back of her neck. 

Tiffany snorted, pressing her lips together to hide her amusement. It was weird that she didn’t feel