Surrender Your Heart

Kylie woke up the next morning to overcast skies. She shrugged it off because really, who would let something like overcast skies get in the way of hanging out with your boyfriend and an adorable dog? She climbed out of bed and went in search of the cute little dog she was babysitting for the next few days. “Ollie?”

Soon, the sound of toenails scraping against the hardwood were heard, and then Ollie was sitting in front of her on the ground, looking at her with a goofy smile and crooked teeth. She rubbed his ears and said, “Thanks to you, I now want a dog.” Ollie barked a bark of reassurance and she smiled, patting his head.

Ollie was a friend of hers’ Golden Retriever. He was five and the cutest thing ever, but he got lonely so when her friend Alexa had to go out of town for a few days, Kylie volunteered to watch him. “Come on,” she said to the dog that followed her like her own shadow. “Let’s get some breakfast.”

She gave the dog some dog food and pulled out a bagel to toast for herself. After popping it in the toaster, Kylie ran upstairs to grab her phone. She checked for any texts or missed calls, but there were none so she ran back downstairs just as her bagel was popping up. After pulling it out and slathering it with cream cheese, she took a bite and got a glass of OJ out of the fridge. Her phone started ringing just as she was going to take another bite. She checked the caller ID before answering. Smiling, she said, “Hey babe.”

Matt smiled back. “Hey, you’re up?”

Kylie laughed. “Yeah, and it’s not looking too nice out today either. I’m mad! I wanted to take Ollie to the beach.”

Her boyfriend shrugged on the other end of the line. “So what? We’ll go for a walk by your house. I’m sure he won’t care,” he told her, his voice hopeful. Matt wanted to spend as much time as possible with Kylie today.

She laughed. “Yeah, you’re right. Come over here then? I’m just finishing up my breakfast.”
“Okay, I’ll be there in a few.”

They exchanged goodbyes and then hung up. Kylie couldn’t get rid of the feeling of giddiness and happiness she was having more and more lately. She was falling for Matt, if she hadn’t already.

***

Matt got to her house not long after their phone call. When he got out of the car, an average sized Golden Retriever came running out to greet him, barking and wagging its tail. “Hey there boy,” he said, patting its head and rubbing behind its ears.

“That’s Ollie,” Kylie greeted him, walking over to give Matt a kiss. “He’ll be our companion for the day. He’s a big cutie, too.”

Matt laughed and patted his head once more. “Well sounds like a plan. So what are we going to do?”

Ky shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s pretty good about staying home by himself, so really we could go do something. Then when we get back, we could take him for a walk to make up for being alone.”

He laughed and slung his arm over her shoulder, pulling her close. “You should get a dog of your own; you’re clearly meant to have one.”

She nodded. “I know; I’ve already decided. I’m getting a dog ASAP.”

The two walked into the house with Ollie following them and went into the kitchen. “I don’t feel like going anywhere today. Why don’t we just stay here and watch a movie or something?” Matt suggested.

Ky shrugged. “Yeah, that’s fine. I need to shower though. Go pick out a movie, I’ll be right back.”

Matt nodded and watched the blonde walk upstairs. Trying not to think about it, he knew today would be rough. He hoped his acting skills were up to par so Kylie didn’t catch on. He went and picked out a movie, a romantic comedy, to put them both in good spirits. Then he got some popcorn, drinks, and dove into Kylie’s “secret” candy stash. When he walked back into the living room, she was there, sitting on the couch in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt with her hair pulled up in a wet, messy bun. Matt was pretty sure it was his t-shirt, too, which made him smile but also drove the stake through his heart just a little bit more. He was certain today would kill him.

Kylie smiled at him and patted the couch next to her. When he did, she snuggled up next to him and let him put his arm around her before she said, “So, there’s this boy…”

“Oh really?”

She smiled and nodded. “Yeah, and I’m pretty sure I like him a lot.”

“Should I be worried?” Matt asked her, smiling as he pressed play to start the movie.

She laughed. “Probably. Because I think he completely has my heart.”

Matt smiled. She wasn’t looking at him, but he was trying to swallow the guilt he was feeling. “Well there’s this girl, and I think she might completely have my heart also. You should probably be worried.”

She nodded. “I am; do I know her?”

“Well, she’s gorgeous, especially in sweats and a t-shirt. She’s funny, and has this love for a dog that she just met yesterday. She’s insane, and sarcastic, and a million other things that I could name but it would take me the whole night. She should just know she’s great, and someday she’ll do great things if she hasn’t already.”

Kylie laughed and swatted his chest. “Be quiet. You’re making me blush.”

Matt laughed. “Conceited are we? Who ever said I was talking about you?”

Kylie smiled and snuggled closer to Matt. “Oh that’s right; you’re talking about a completely different girl who has your heart. Silly me.”

Matt laughed and pulled her close, wrapping both arms around her. They stayed like that for half of the movie before Ollie started whining. “He wants to go out,” she told Matt.

He shrugged. “So let him out?”

She shook her head. “I can’t! He could go out in the road and get hit and it would be awful! I need to take him for a walk.”

Matt groaned. He was quite content with Kylie in his arms, and considering he wasn’t sure how much longer he’d have to do this, he wanted to savor the moments. “Can we do it later?” he mumbled, nuzzling her neck.

She smiled, arching her back ever so slightly. “No, now,” she told him, jumping up off the couch. Matt frowned and followed her out into the entryway, where she was now hooking a leash to the dog’s collar. “Come on, babe, let’s go.”

Matt grumbled and followed her out the door. She latched onto his hand with her right hand that wasn’t holding Ollie’s leash. The golden tugged along, sniffing every inch of sidewalk they came to. After a while, the dog still hadn’t stopped to go to the bathroom. “Ky, are you sure he had to go out?”

She shrugged. “I think… I mean, he was whining. Doesn’t that mean he has to pee or something?”

Matt laughed and rolled his eyes at his girlfriend. “It could mean a lot of different things. In this case, he just wanted to come outside. He’s a tricky one.”

Kylie scowled at the dog. “He tricked me!”

Matt laughed and nodded. They were now pretty far from her house, so they turned around to go back. Right as they started walking back, a clap of thunder was heard and then a flash of lightning could be seen off in the distance. Before Matt even had time to finish, “What the—” the rain started to fall.

Kylie screeched and Ollie barked. In a matter of seconds, they were soaked and they were still so far from home. Instead of freaking out though, Kylie just laughed. In fact, she started twirling around in the rain while Ollie jumped up, trying to join her. Matt looked on in awe. “What are you doing?” he yelled over the thunder and rain.

The girl stopped and shrugged. “Dancing in the rain… try it, sourpuss!”

Matt laughed at the nickname and shrugged. He walked over to Kylie and grabbed her hand. “Come on, we need to get back to your house before we both get hit by fucking lightning!”

At the mention of lightning, Kylie’s eyes widened. She immediately agreed, pulling Ollie with her. The three of them sprinted back to her house, but when they reached it, the rain lightened up and the lightning seemed to stop. Matt rolled his eyes at the irony and timing of it all and continued to pull Kylie towards her front door. She stopped him though, and pulled him back into the middle of the front lawn. “What’s the rush buttercup?”

He smiled as she pulled him in closer, hugging him close. The rain had picked up slightly, but it didn’t faze either of them. Matt smiled down at her and leaned in to kiss her, but stopped centimeters from her lips. “You’re gorgeous, you know that?”

She smiled and stood up so that their lips met. And soon they were kissing in the rain, something Kylie had always dreamed of doing. She smiled into the kiss and pulled back abruptly, dragging Matt to the front door and into her house. The stopped at the door, closing it shut after letting Ollie inside. Kylie smirked at Matt and grabbed his hand, pulling him upstairs.

Matt followed blindly, not sure what they were about to do. When they reached her room, Kylie shut the door and pushed Matt against it, leaning in to him and kissing him more passionately than a few minutes ago. Their tongues danced together and soon Kylie had her hands tugging at Matt’s hair softly. His hands roamed over her sides, the combination of the cold from the rain and his touch giving her goosebumps.

They had been here before; in this spot, ready to “cross the line” that one time at the beach. Matt stopped them, even though Kylie wanted to keep going. She loved Matt, and if she didn’t go all the way with him right now, she was going to burst.

She pulled his shirt up and over his head, tossing the wet material to the side. She kissed his shoulders and his neck up to his lips and only stopping for a brief moment so Matt could pull her shirt up over her head. Goose bumps attacked her skin even further, covering every inch of her body. She leaned in to Matt, kissing him on the lips; the passion was so strong you could almost physically see it.

He guided them towards the bed, becoming increasingly uncomfortable against the hard door. Her knees connected with the bed frame and she fell back while Matt fell on top of her, bracing himself and holding himself up. He kissed her neck and in between each kiss muttered “Why. Are. You. So. Beautiful?” She giggled, not bothering with an answer. When he stopped for a minute, she pulled herself farther up the bed and he followed suite.

More clothing was shed, and soon they were under the covers. The only sound heard aside from their ragged breathing and occasional moans was the sound of Ollie whimpering to be let in and the rain hitting the window.

When all was said and done, Kylie snuggled closer to Matt under the covers. She whispered into his neck, “I love you.” She refused to let her eyes flutter shut until he replied.

All he said was, “I love you too.”

She promptly fell asleep with a smile on her face, while Matt stayed wide awake. He watched her sleep, pushing random strands of hair out of her face. He didn’t hide the worry that crossed his face with every thought of what tomorrow was going to bring.