“I’ve been thinking,” he said, his chin resting thoughtfully in his palm. You raised an eyebrow, his ambiguity capturing your full attention.

“Oh? About what?” Your boyfriend smiled, anticipation in his dark eyes.

“What if we got a dog? I mean, it’s a lot of work but I think we could handle it. And I know it might sound like a bad idea because of my group and everything but I feel like it would be someone to keep you company here when I’m gone.” He continued to ramble, arguing with himself about the idea and eliciting light laughter from you.

“It sounds like you’ve already decided.” He smiled sheepishly, hair falling in his eyes as he broke away from your gaze.

“I might have…bought one. And they should be dropping her off any-” His sentence was cut off by the sound of the doorbell. “That’s probably them.” Still confused, you watched as he answered the door, shook hands with a man you didn’t recognize, and walked outside with him. When he returned, a furry wriggling puppy squirmed happily in his arms.

“At first I was going to surprise you, but then I thought that might be a bad idea. But she was so sweet, and the puppies were getting sold out so quickly. I can give her away if you don’t…” You jumped from your seat, running to your boyfriend to take the puppy.

“No! You can’t give her back!” The dog met your gaze, leaning forward to your cheek excitedly with her long pink tongue. She was hardly longer than your arm, and settled comfortably in your grasp like a baby. “I love her already.” Your boyfriend smiled, placing a warm hand on the dog’s tiny head.

“I’m really glad you like her. She was the sweetest one in the litter. Crawled into my lap and fell asleep as soon as I sat down. I’m sorry she wasn’t much of a surprise though. I got nervous.” You laughed, hugging him tightly around the neck with your free arm.

“It’s okay. I think if you just surprised me with a dog out of the blue I would have been startled.” He laughed.

“As long as you like her!” Still holding the puppy, you ran around the house, looking through cupboards and closets.

“Look!” you said, pulling out a soft cotton bed. “She can sleep here. And she can use this leash! And eat from these bowls!” He laughed, helping you lower the heavy cardboard box from the closet.

“Why do you have all of this stuff anyway?” You paused, staring at him shyly.

“I’ve been wanting a dog for a while.” He laughed, patting your head gently.

“You have no idea how relieved I am that you like her.”

You played with the dog for hours, laughing at every movement she made. Eventually, the two of you grew tired, falling asleep curled on the couch. Your dog had snuggled under your arm, breathing in unison with you. Smiling quietly, your boyfriend placed a blanket over both of you, leaving a kiss on top of your heads.