Sequel: I'd Do Anything ›
Status: Say to me, "Why can't we look the other way?"
Hooked on a Feeling
Casanova
September, 2014
This was probably the last nice Saturday of the year. Twenty-five Celsius in early September was a dream. But the cold would probably hit soon. Or at least the rain would.
Olivia was at some study group, so Annalise had taken a thick wool blanket to a park and spread it out between two trees. She dropped her shoes into the grass and opened a worn and loved copy of Chuck Palahnuik’s Invisible Monsters.
She was worried about Olivia’s study group. It was only the second week of the semester. Annalise was originally tipped off that something was wrong by Olivia’s complaints that all she did was study. And even with Annalise there to move Olivia out of campus housing, to keep an eye on her, she was just back at it again. Maybe it was just a difference in the two sisters.
Or maybe Annalise just worried too much.
She dug in her purse for a pack of cigarettes and lit one. She was close to quitting. In college she had smoked a pack a day. Now she was down to two or three a day. But she still had a hard time breaking the habit when she drank.
Annalise’s moment of tranquility was suddenly broken by a small ball of fur and enthusiasm. Upon closer look, it was a Jack Russell terrier, trying to get a grip on a tennis ball that had rolled onto her blanket.
“Hey buddy.” Annalise laughed, as the dog noticed her and defensively crouched over his ball. “Where’s your parents, huh?”
He must have decided that she was alright, because he settled down to chew on his ball. Annalise carefully scratched behind his ears for a moment before trying to look at his tags.
Casanova
(514) xxx-xxxx
“Cass!” a voice was calling. “Cass! Where are you?”
“He’s here!” Annalise called. “I think I have Casanova!”
A tall blonde man jogged up, leash swinging freely from his hand. He looked at the sight before him, dog comfortably sitting next to a pretty redhead.
“Casanova, you’ve done it again.” he muttered. “Miss, I am very sorry. He’s usually much better behaved.”
“It’s fine.” She smiled, sitting up to talk to him properly. Dark sunglasses stared down at her. “He’s sweet. Where’s the name come from?”
“Sorry?”
“Why did you name him Casanova?”
“Well.” He sighed, looking down at his dog. Annalise noticed how deep and soothing his voice was. “He has this funny habit of finding the prettiest girl in the room and sitting on her lap.”
Annalise laughed, and Lars chuckled with her. Casanova growled, as if their laughs had interrupted his most important ball terrorizing.
“I’m Lars.” He smiled, holding out his hand.
She placed her small hand in his, giving a firm shake. Her nails were painted silver. “Annalise.”
“Annalise? That’s a Scandinavian name.”
“Really? I don’t think I have any Scandinavian in my family. How do you know that?”
“I’m from Denmark.”
She smiled widely. “Cool.”
There didn’t seem to be much else to say about it. Lars looked at his dog and sighed. “Well, Cass, we’ve bothered her enough. Let’s go.”
“Oh, you aren’t bothering me.” she said with a smile. “But if you have to go, just say it.”
“I don’t have to go. But you have a book to read, so to make my intrusion up to you I thought I’d leave you alone.”
“I’ve read this book at least fifty times. I don’t think the ending is going to change anytime soon.”
He looked over at the street. A bright pink French fry truck was parked not twenty feet away from them. “Well, can I buy you some French fries then?”
“Sure.”
After inquiring about her choice in condiments, he jogged over to the truck. Of course Casanova would find a pretty girl in a park and settle down on her blanket. He walked himself through a series of lies he told himself whenever he found himself thinking like this.
You have a girlfriend who you love. She loves you. You’re going to be happy with her.
When he returned with two cones of fries, one with mayonnaise and the other with vinegar, Annalise was tossing the tennis ball for Casanova, who had decided to behave and return the ball to her upon retrieval.
“Thank you.” She smiled, taking the offered fries from him. “Have a seat.”
He sat on the end of the blanket. “I take it you’re a dog person?”
She nodded. “I’ve been meaning to get one. But I just don’t know if I can really honestly take care of a puppy.”
“You work a lot?”
She nodded. “I work at a bridal studio. Occasionally the hours are long.”
“Dealing with brides all day? That must be stressful.” He said.
“It is. But it has its good days.” She smiled and shook out her hair. “What brings a Danish guy to Montreal?”
He noticed that she tried to say the city’s name properly, and for the most part it rolled right off her tongue, but it was just awkward enough to let him know that she wasn’t local either.
“Hockey.” He admitted. There was a good chance that she wasn’t a fan. That was fine, right?
But the way she laughed and smiled, shaking her head. He immediately knew he had misjudged her.
“Okay, I won’t ask any more questions.” She smiled. “I won’t make it awkward for you.”
He wasn’t sure whether to thank her or not. But this was probably best. Walk away, try to forget those full red lips and deep brown eyes. He checked the time on his phone.
“I actually have to get going now.” He said. “Cass, komme herr.”
Casanova finally responded to the Danish words and trotted over to his master, dropping the ball in his lap. Lars patiently reattached the leash to the collar and smiled at Annalise. “It was nice meeting you.”
She looked up, guilt momentarily flashing across her face. She had been licking the salt off her fingers. “Nice meeting you too.” She smiled.
She watched the large man with the small dog walk away, shaking her head. He was awkward. Almost like he couldn’t decide whether to sit and talk to her or to run away.
She snapped out of her thoughts when her phone rang. She slid her thumb across the screen – it took a few tries, it was the first Samsung Galaxy – and answered it.
“Hello?”
“Anna? Can you come pick me up?”
Annalise snorted. “Take the metro, lazy ass. Or walk. It’s a nice day.”
“Please?”
“I’m not your chauffeur. Besides, I don’t have the car. I’m at the park.”
Olivia sighed dramatically. “Fine. I’ll walk.”
“Maybe you’ll lose some of that freshman fifteen.”
“Bitch, I’ll see you at home.”
This was probably the last nice Saturday of the year. Twenty-five Celsius in early September was a dream. But the cold would probably hit soon. Or at least the rain would.
Olivia was at some study group, so Annalise had taken a thick wool blanket to a park and spread it out between two trees. She dropped her shoes into the grass and opened a worn and loved copy of Chuck Palahnuik’s Invisible Monsters.
She was worried about Olivia’s study group. It was only the second week of the semester. Annalise was originally tipped off that something was wrong by Olivia’s complaints that all she did was study. And even with Annalise there to move Olivia out of campus housing, to keep an eye on her, she was just back at it again. Maybe it was just a difference in the two sisters.
Or maybe Annalise just worried too much.
She dug in her purse for a pack of cigarettes and lit one. She was close to quitting. In college she had smoked a pack a day. Now she was down to two or three a day. But she still had a hard time breaking the habit when she drank.
Annalise’s moment of tranquility was suddenly broken by a small ball of fur and enthusiasm. Upon closer look, it was a Jack Russell terrier, trying to get a grip on a tennis ball that had rolled onto her blanket.
“Hey buddy.” Annalise laughed, as the dog noticed her and defensively crouched over his ball. “Where’s your parents, huh?”
He must have decided that she was alright, because he settled down to chew on his ball. Annalise carefully scratched behind his ears for a moment before trying to look at his tags.
Casanova
(514) xxx-xxxx
“Cass!” a voice was calling. “Cass! Where are you?”
“He’s here!” Annalise called. “I think I have Casanova!”
A tall blonde man jogged up, leash swinging freely from his hand. He looked at the sight before him, dog comfortably sitting next to a pretty redhead.
“Casanova, you’ve done it again.” he muttered. “Miss, I am very sorry. He’s usually much better behaved.”
“It’s fine.” She smiled, sitting up to talk to him properly. Dark sunglasses stared down at her. “He’s sweet. Where’s the name come from?”
“Sorry?”
“Why did you name him Casanova?”
“Well.” He sighed, looking down at his dog. Annalise noticed how deep and soothing his voice was. “He has this funny habit of finding the prettiest girl in the room and sitting on her lap.”
Annalise laughed, and Lars chuckled with her. Casanova growled, as if their laughs had interrupted his most important ball terrorizing.
“I’m Lars.” He smiled, holding out his hand.
She placed her small hand in his, giving a firm shake. Her nails were painted silver. “Annalise.”
“Annalise? That’s a Scandinavian name.”
“Really? I don’t think I have any Scandinavian in my family. How do you know that?”
“I’m from Denmark.”
She smiled widely. “Cool.”
There didn’t seem to be much else to say about it. Lars looked at his dog and sighed. “Well, Cass, we’ve bothered her enough. Let’s go.”
“Oh, you aren’t bothering me.” she said with a smile. “But if you have to go, just say it.”
“I don’t have to go. But you have a book to read, so to make my intrusion up to you I thought I’d leave you alone.”
“I’ve read this book at least fifty times. I don’t think the ending is going to change anytime soon.”
He looked over at the street. A bright pink French fry truck was parked not twenty feet away from them. “Well, can I buy you some French fries then?”
“Sure.”
After inquiring about her choice in condiments, he jogged over to the truck. Of course Casanova would find a pretty girl in a park and settle down on her blanket. He walked himself through a series of lies he told himself whenever he found himself thinking like this.
You have a girlfriend who you love. She loves you. You’re going to be happy with her.
When he returned with two cones of fries, one with mayonnaise and the other with vinegar, Annalise was tossing the tennis ball for Casanova, who had decided to behave and return the ball to her upon retrieval.
“Thank you.” She smiled, taking the offered fries from him. “Have a seat.”
He sat on the end of the blanket. “I take it you’re a dog person?”
She nodded. “I’ve been meaning to get one. But I just don’t know if I can really honestly take care of a puppy.”
“You work a lot?”
She nodded. “I work at a bridal studio. Occasionally the hours are long.”
“Dealing with brides all day? That must be stressful.” He said.
“It is. But it has its good days.” She smiled and shook out her hair. “What brings a Danish guy to Montreal?”
He noticed that she tried to say the city’s name properly, and for the most part it rolled right off her tongue, but it was just awkward enough to let him know that she wasn’t local either.
“Hockey.” He admitted. There was a good chance that she wasn’t a fan. That was fine, right?
But the way she laughed and smiled, shaking her head. He immediately knew he had misjudged her.
“Okay, I won’t ask any more questions.” She smiled. “I won’t make it awkward for you.”
He wasn’t sure whether to thank her or not. But this was probably best. Walk away, try to forget those full red lips and deep brown eyes. He checked the time on his phone.
“I actually have to get going now.” He said. “Cass, komme herr.”
Casanova finally responded to the Danish words and trotted over to his master, dropping the ball in his lap. Lars patiently reattached the leash to the collar and smiled at Annalise. “It was nice meeting you.”
She looked up, guilt momentarily flashing across her face. She had been licking the salt off her fingers. “Nice meeting you too.” She smiled.
She watched the large man with the small dog walk away, shaking her head. He was awkward. Almost like he couldn’t decide whether to sit and talk to her or to run away.
She snapped out of her thoughts when her phone rang. She slid her thumb across the screen – it took a few tries, it was the first Samsung Galaxy – and answered it.
“Hello?”
“Anna? Can you come pick me up?”
Annalise snorted. “Take the metro, lazy ass. Or walk. It’s a nice day.”
“Please?”
“I’m not your chauffeur. Besides, I don’t have the car. I’m at the park.”
Olivia sighed dramatically. “Fine. I’ll walk.”
“Maybe you’ll lose some of that freshman fifteen.”
“Bitch, I’ll see you at home.”