Chapter 17: memories

*Present*

Stefan stepped into his dark apartment and closed the door with his foot. Without bothering to turn on the lights, he took his watch off his wrist and tossed it, along with his car keys, into a bowl on the table by the door.

From the darkness, he heard the sound of small feet coming from one of the rooms, running toward him. Stefan waited for the creature to get closer, then forced a tired smile onto his lips: "Hey, boy!"

He bent down and petted the brown puppy who was wagging its tail by his feet. The dog eagerly perked up its ears and stared at him with wide eyes. Stefan said apologetically, "Sorry, Shadow, but I really don't feel like playing today."

Shadow, who had heard the words "play" and "no" in the same sentence, lowered his tail and let out a sad sound.

Stefan stood up, walked toward the living room, and threw himself onto the couch. Shadow hurriedly followed him with his short legs, and when he saw his owner was about to leave the house in the dark, went to the tall lamp beside the couch and pressed the on button with his little paw.

There was a time when Stefan never imagined the dog would learn to do something like this—or, in fact, be capable of doing anything. That's why he felt responsible for him, even though before he took on the responsibility of Shadow, he had thought he hated all animals.

Before covering his eyes with his forearm, Stefan looked at Shadow, who had climbed onto the couch and now lay next to him quietly. In some ways, he felt sorry for him. Shadow had two playmates before, but now, even the one who was still alive didn't have the energy to spend time with him.

Stefan could still remember the first day he met Shadow a few months ago, with all the details.

His phone rang, and he wasn't particularly interested in answering it. He was busy with a new case and didn't want to break his focus by answering the call. But when he saw the name on his phone, he picked it up: "What's up?"

"Are you home?"

It was Vasil's voice. There was a hint of restlessness and urgency in his tone: "I'm nearby. Can I come over?"

Stefan glanced at the clock. It was 1am: "Okay, I'll be waiting."

"Thanks!" Vasil hung up. Stefan couldn't help his curiosity. He left his files on the dining table and went to the apartment window. He stared out at the rainy, dark street for a few minutes until he finally spotted the familiar black Yamaha Vmax stopping in front of his apartment. When the doorbell rang, he just opened the door.

A few minutes later, the bell rang again, and Stefan opened his apartment door to see Vasil standing in the doorway with an awkward smile, his black raider jacket completely soaked from the heavy rain outside. His down ponytail had probably stayed dry under the helmet.

Until that moment, Stefan had never thought a turtleneck could be paired with a leather jacket, but then Vasil showed up.

It was only then that Stefan noticed something bulky under Vasil's jacket.

Vasil said, "Can we use your bathtub?"

Stefan raised an eyebrow. "We?"

Vasil unzipped his jacket to reveal what was hidden underneath: a tiny, trembling puppy. Stefan frowned. Wasn't it enough that he kept so many cats in the house? Now, Vasil wanted to rescue puppies from the streets too?

Vasil, as if reading his mind, said, "It's freezing, it's going to die!"

Before Stefan could respond, Vasil continued, "I'll clean everything up afterward!"

Although Stefan didn't like animals, he couldn't let a puppy die from the cold. He stepped aside to let Vasil in: "Use the one at the end of the hallway."

That didn't mean he was willing to let his own bathroom, which he usually used, get full of dog fur.

Vasil smiled and entered the house. "Thanks!"

He took off his leather gloves and put them in his jacket pocket, then removed his jacket and hung it on a hook by the door. The puppy had stained his cream sweatshirt with dirt, but it didn't seem like Vasil cared.

Stefan closed the door and walked with him toward the end of the hallway. He watched Vasil check the water temperature with his hand, and once satisfied, he filled the tub to a level that wouldn't submerge the little puppy and gently placed it in.

Stefan saw how the puppy's tense and trembling muscles slowly relaxed, and it finally opened its eyes. "Don't you want to tell me what happened?"

Vasil, sitting by the tub, looked up at Stefan. "I was just driving around when I passed through an alley and saw this box, all wet and crushed, moving."

He looked at the puppy again, gently pouring warm water over its back. "Poor thing was left there to die!"

He turned his head toward Stefan: "Do you have anything to feed it? It's probably hungry!"

Stefan thought for a moment: "Is milk okay?"

Vasil said, "I know cats love it, but I'm not sure about dogs!"

Stefan raised an eyebrow. "Logically, isn't milk the first thing any mammal pup drinks?"

Vasil paused. "...You're right."

Stefan sighed and went to the kitchen, took a half-full bottle of milk from the fridge, poured it into a small bowl, and heated it up in the microwave. While it was warming, he went to his room to grab a towel and a hairdryer.

***

Now, the puppy was dry and warm, drinking milk eagerly. Vasil, who had changed out of his dirty, wet sweatshirt into a t-shirt Stefan had lent him, sat next to the puppy on the couch. Stefan sat on the opposite couch and asked, "What were you doing out so late?"

Vasil asked in return, "What about you? Why are you awake at this hour?"

"I was working on a case."

"About what?"

"A company manager whose partner embezzled all the money and fled the country."

"That sounds boring."

"Sorry I'm not interested in exciting cases like murder!"

Vasil sighed. "I needed to clear my head! I've been working on my new tracks all week. This last one just wasn't turning out how I wanted!"

Stefan asked, "Tracks for the new Violin album?"

Vasil paused. "No, those are still pending. These are for the new album of hers."

Stefan thought for a moment. "Didn't she release her last album last month?"

"Yeah. But in her last interview, she said she's releasing a new one in about a month. You know how it is in front of the cameras."

"Didn't she think about how she's going to make a whole album in such a short time?"

Vasil leaned back in his chair and said tiredly, "No, that's the composer's problem, not hers."

"That's excessive."

Vasil looked at Stefan with his sunken eyes and gave him a faint smile. "I know."

"...."

"I don't want to complain too much about it. Actually, it worked out for me. I realized I can write six songs in two weeks! With full rhythm arrangements and lyrics!"

"Did you even sleep during this time?"

"I'll sleep, when I finished my last track."

"You shouldn't sacrifice your well-being for keeping up someone else's appearances!"

"But I can't just sit in a corner and not care!"

"Stop caring about someone who doesn't care about you."

"She does care about me!"

"There was a time I'd agree with that."

Stefan's apartment fell into silence, the only sound being the licking of the milk bowl by the puppy. Stefan looked at the now more visibly light brown puppy, which seemed to have more energy: "Do you think now is the right time for a new pet? You're so busy!"

Vasil looked at Stefan in surprise. "I can't take care of a dog! Don't you remember I have 16 cats!!! They won't let him live!"

"Then why did you take this dog?"

"Umm... so it doesn't freeze to death?"

"So what do you want to do with it now?"

"You can't—"

"Don't even think about it!"

"Oh come on!"

"Absolutely not!"

"Well, at least keep him for a few days! Until Jane comes back to the city. She used to have dogs at her family's farm. I'm sure she'll love this little one!"

Stefan looked at Vasil and then at the dog: "Just a few days!" Vasil smiled with satisfaction: "Great! What will be his name?"

Stefan asked, "Don't you think we should leave naming him to Jane?"

Vasil shook his head firmly: "No, she's awful at naming!"

"You're not much better than her!"

"Maybe, but in the end, she'll name him after some medieval warrior! Look at this little one! He's so small and weak, he probably even fears his own shadow!"

Stefan thought for a moment: "What about Shadow?"

Vasil clapped his hands together with a smile. "Perfect!"

The sound of Vasil clapping made Shadow jump and try to hide behind a table. Stefan smirked: "What a brave one!"

Vasil gave him a meaningful look: "He's still just a puppy!"

Stefan asked, "Do you know what breed he is?"

Vasil pulled out his phone and took a picture of Shadow, who was staring at him distrustfully: "No, but let me ask Ray."

"Ray?"

"Yeah, Ray's the vet I take my cats to. Since I have so many, he gave me his number so he can come to my house for check-ups. Saves time and money."

Vasil looked at his phone again: "He just replied! Why is everyone awake right now?"

Stefan tried to ignore Vasil's new friend, who seemed to be getting close to him, and asked: "What did he say?"

Vasil replied: "He said it's a mixed breed! Probably why they abandoned it to die. Poor thing!"

Vasil looked at Stefan to see if he was as affected as he was. When he didn't see any emotion on his face, he continued: "It looks like it's part Pomeranian."

Stefan grabbed his phone and searched the breed to see what Shadow would look like when he grew up. When he saw the image, he thought it was impossible for him to keep such a scruffy, ugly dog—even if it was cute as a puppy.

He looked at the small Shadow again, who had finally come out from under the table. Stefan clapped his hands together. Shadow jumped up and stared at Vasil. His gaze was more meaningful than accidental.

Vasil, looking surprised, said, "Hey! This wasn't me this time!"

He looked at Stefan, who had a mischievous smile, and then at Shadow, who no longer trusted him: "I'm the one who saved you! Don't you remember?!"

Stefan chuckled briefly, but just as he remembered this was nothing more than an old memory, his laughter faded.

Maybe he should drink less. The alcohol was messing with his mind, and he really needed to focus on this case.

He had told Vasil before he would never get involved in a murder case. And now, he was the lawyer for his murder case. This joke wasn't funny at all.