A Spoiled Dog

"Happy birthday, dear Foxer, happy birthday to you!" Everyone in attendance clapped, causing Foxer to go even more wild. His long tail thrashed around, and he happily barked. I carefully place his cake down. Abby made it just for him, an applesauce and peanut butter creation.

Foxer ate it in moments, everyone around laughing. The whole D&D group, Scott and Honey as per usual, and one new friend. Sou, an elderly corgi, and the pride and joy of Honey. Crumbs went flying everywhere, and Sou was here to eat up what Foxer didn't eat. It was adorable to watch her go around like a roomba, cleaning everything that landed on the floor.

Some might say that watching two dogs eat was boring, but when booze was involved, it turned highly entertaining. Throwing a party was really a ruse for us to get drunk and play shitty games. And play them, we did. Empty bottles and half finished games laid everywhere. It was a Friday night, and everyone wanted to have a good time, dogs included.

We weren't sure if it was really his first birthday, but we seemed close enough. Close enough was good enough for us, and we went right ahead.

"Who wants to play Mario Cart? First come first server!" I called out once the cake was gone. It was quickly a race to see who could grab a controller first, and I was not one. But I was happy to watch, and give some love to my best buddy.

Arguments broke out during the game, fighting going on between the group. My favorite line being when Honey screamed, "I'm going to kill all of you at some point!"

---

I woke up with a killer hangover. All of the curtains had been closed, and no lights were on. Yet the world felt too bright. From the moment I opened my eyes, I regretted every drink I had, every sip of booze I let into my system. One more thing made me want to close my eyes, shut everything out and pretend I was sleeping.

Honey laid next to me, he back facing me. I could tell it was her, golden blonde hair was all across my pillows, and her freckled shoulder poked out from under the covers. Sitting up, I could see that Sou was sleeping in my bed, too. Right next to Foxer, sleeping the same way Honey and I had been.

Not wanting to wake her, I tried to move away, and just ignore the situation for now. She was much lighter of a sleeper than I hoped, and my minimal movements were enough to alert her. Similarly to me, a hangover seemed to pain her.

"Would you like some water?" I whispered, trying to gain her attention. Luckily, she must have heard me, and nodded, the pillow over her head moving up and down.

Now that I had no worries of waking her, I was free to move around the studio as I pleased. I got two glasses from one of the cabinets and filled them with ice water. Setting one down by Honey, and one on the table by the couch, for me. I mindless scrolled through social media, taking sips of my drink every once and awhile.

I didn't mind Honey being here, waking up beside someone was kind of nice. The shock of her being on my bed was odd, since I had no memory of her being there last night. Everyone had a few too many drinks, so I chalked it up to that. We both had clothes on, so it must have been a simple sleep over.

"Eden," Honey's voice pulled me out of my thoughts, "do you have any uhmm, tea? It won't matter what kind."

She was sitting in the bed now, resting up against my many pillows, a soft smile beaming at me. Not wanting to disappoint her, I got back up and looked around. I knew I had none, but maybe if I looked hard enough some would magically show up.

That's when I saw it, a few teabags next to my coffee filters. "How much honey do you want, Honey?"

---

"Since everyone still seems highly confused with me switching online publishers, I will remind you literally everything is staying the same. The three main stories will ALSO be on another site. They will not be leaving this one, I will still update on this site. But, if you want to support me more, you can read on Light Reading instead. The short stories will not be on LR, ONLY the big three will be.

On another note, the fourth book of Birds will only be on LR. The other three will stay here, and also join LR. I am not sure when the next book will start to be uploaded, but I will keep you all posted.

Now for everyone who has been messaging me about LR, I will give a small psa. No, you will not need to pay to read my stories, I just will be getting paid on that site more than I am on this one. You do not need to pay, it is all free. It makes no difference which site you choose to use, but, as I have said, you support me more if you use Light Reading. You do not have to, but I would enjoy it, because they allow me to buy food and keep the lights on.

Now, some good news to make me not to stress out. Foxer turned one! We threw a party, and had a joyous time. Foxer doesn't quite understand why I am no longer spoiling him, but I am sure he will figure it out at some point. He is a big, smart boy. Sorry, correction, he is a massive boy. Bigger than me now, when he stands up. I am scared he will turn into Clifford, and I will have to buy my own island.

Go support me on LR so I can buy an island for Foxer.

Your favorite author, Eden Blair Thomas.'

Honey was long gone, and I was left alone with Foxer once more. I wanted to keep myself busy, keep my mind away from these familiar feelings. Having not know her for very long did not stop my brain from imagining what it could be like with her around.

No matter how much I told myself I was happy with Foxer, it didn't work. I could think about my microwave for hours, and the sneaking thoughts in my head would find a way to tie the two together. So, I have up. I laid on my bed, where she had slept, and thought about her.

Thought about us, at Some Point, laying here together, but no separation. Chest to back, legs tangled together, and an arm snaked around a waist. Foxer and Sou, cuddling at our feet, their soft snores the only sound in the room.

But, that was not happening tonight. My bed was empty, Foxer laying in his own bed, away from me. I hadn't felt this alone since I moved in.