quiet nights

He snuggled in closer. Then he got up, and put the jacket on. Zipped it over his bare, hairy chest. Just the jacket. Nibbled on the upper left corner, then used both hands to pull it up, covering his neck. It was cold. He paced around the room, she watched from the bed. The floor was dusty. The room, he knew probably smelled of hair, and dog. He couldn’t smell it now but when he left and came back in, he would. The culprit was now not on her side, she was lying on the bed, head cocked to one side, eyes intelligent and following him. The fan was soft, but it was so quiet that it was the only thing that made any sound. He breathed it in. He was tired. Exhausted. He rubbed away the crust from his eyes, stifled a yawn with a hand to his mouth, the gesture was useless, the yawn was caught in his throat. He gave in, and finally let it out. Relief. Another yawn, his face stretching, the tension in his muscles apparent. This stretch was relieving. He held the yawn for a few seconds more than necessary, and then let his muscles loosen. Turned his neck from one side to the other while looking at the dog. She cocked her head with his. He could hear the cricks in his neck. His feet dragged. The dust was scratchy and rough underneath them. Not enough that they would bleed, but just enough that he could tell.

A small sound in his throat. She jumped off the bed to wag her tail around him. It hit his knees. Damn, her tail was strong. It wasn’t as big as it looked. He had shaved her fur once over the summer, and the actual tail was maybe half the size of what it looked like because of the fur. But damn, it was powerful. He sighed and bent over, wincing at the pain in his quads, and the crock in his back, the tightness in his neck. He kissed her on her snout, she got even more excited and licked his face, tail wagging against furniture with a loud thud thud thud. He stood up, the pains returning. And walked back to his bed as she pranced around him, he fell on it with a thud, and a bounce. Closed his eyes, spread his arms wide. Heard the small thud as she leapt back onto it. Opened them again, to her standing over him, eyes focused, tail wagging softly. He patted right next to him, and she stretched down, and then onto the bed. One paw on him. Contentedly yawning.

He closed his eyes, they were hurting because of how tight it was. Thoughts kept racing through his head. He massaged his temples. Felt a lick on his ear. Giggled a little. Scratched her belly. She turned on her side. Her foot scratching his hand scratching her stomach. He sighed and fell into a dreamless contended slumber.