Eight

“I just need to take a walk” Camille sighed and exited her room. She walked down the flight of stairs carefully, as if making sure not to hurt the ground beneath her naked feet.

A dog barked behind her and she turned to look. It was her 23rd birthday gift, Stud.

“Hey girl,” Camille smiled, squatting to pat the head of the small sized Chihuahua. Stud sat loyally and panted quietly, wagging her tail and whining at Camille's touch.

Camille had missed the growth of her favorite animal and she had to add that to her almost-full regret list.

Camille took a hold of her light chain, clipped it to her black collar and led her down the stairs.

“Mother” Camille called, not really expecting an answer. Downstairs was too quiet and she began to wonder where everyone had suddenly disappeared to.

“Where they even here in the first place?” Camille thought to herself. She held Stud’s chain firmly in her hands as the dog was a little too restless.

“Mother?” Camille called again. She began to head up the stairs because it seemed no life currently existed downstairs, where she was.

She reached Dolores’ room and knocked gently on the door. “Mother?” She called for the third time, placing her hand on the door knob and pushing the door open.

Dolores was praying. Camille sighed, the breath she released carried most of her newly born anxiety away.

“...guide me oh Lord, Amen.” Dolores concluded. She turned to face Camille who was now moving awkwardly on her heels.

“Do you need something?” Dolores asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable in Camille's presence. She may or may have not felt that her daughter, whose hands were interlocked at her back, was holding a knife, to aim at and stab her to death.

“No, I- I just wanted to say good morning. And thank you for the breakfast.” Camille smiled. She tugged at Stud's chain to make her get into the room. The restless dog finally got in after several attempts from Camille.

“Breakfast?” Dolores raised an eyebrow, she got up from her praying position and sat on her bed. “Oh” she said with a realization tone, “That was probably Bernard. I told him to make sure you eat something today.”

“Oh” Camille smiled wider. “Thank you, Mother.”

“Did he make it extra spicy?” Dolores chuckled lightly, “He can be a little petty a times”

“No, mother. It was just perfect.” Camille would have smiled wider if possible, but her lips had reached their elastic limit.

The word “mother” seemed to have become her favorite word, and she vowed to use it everyday, as long as she lived. “Mother, Mother, Mother, Mother…” Camille chanted and danced happily in her mind.

Camille added, “Though he made his entrance a little dramatic.”

Dolores chuckled again and Camille joined her. It was only for five seconds.

As the little moment of shared joy ended, awkwardness filled the room. Dolores was still angry, Camille could feel it.

“Uh, Mother, I'm taking Stud for a walk?” Camille asked more than stated. She chewed the inside of her cheek, waiting for an answer she knew was going to be positive.

“Sure.” Dolores replied. Wanting so badly to call her “honey”. She didn't, she didn't because she was still healing. She was still healing the freshly opened wounds the sight of her daughter had caused.

“Thanks Mother” Camille raised a smile and exited the room. She wondered when she had become so humble.

The previous day she was a total maniac, making out with an unwilling surprised stranger and then making a scene with her ex fiance.

“Oh, what a shitty life to live” Camille thought and did what had turned out to be her hobby, she sighed. She pulled the overly restless dog towards her and patted her head.

“Stud, stay a place will you?” She almost saw Stud nodd. Stud sat and wagged her tail continuously, displaying her tongue as she panted from her not-very-strenuous activity of trying to get out of Camille's gentle hold.

Camille rehanged the chain to Stud's collar and took her out of the house. Camille spent most of her supposed morning exercise trying to keep Stud in composure. At some point, Stud's chain slipped out of her exhausted hand and the dog took off, happy to have gained her needed freedom.

Camille followed the dog, walking at a very fast pace, in a way that could be considered as running. She watched Stud run into a puddle at someone's front yard and at this point, she broke a run. Stud ran faster, considering the whole occurrence a competition.

Camille was frustrated and exhausted, she stopped and took a deep breath. It had been a long time since she ran this fast and this long.

“What the hell?” She heard an equally frustrated and maybe a more angry voice say.

Camille looked up and saw the stranger she had assaulted in every way the previous day. “Ugly mouse?” She said and thought at the same time.

Her face scrunched up in a grimace and she felt disgusted.

“Are you stalking me?” Camille asked, her humble and beautiful mood melting away in the cool breeze.

“Your dog stained my pants” Nico deadpanned. His face was always expressionless, it's just that this time, his expressionless facial look was way more than usual.

“That doesn't answer my question” Camille eyed him with suspicion. She looked down at his stained joggers and felt sorry for a second.

“Did you ask one?”

“You just can't get enough, can you?” Camille glared, her words dripping with sarcasm.

Nico raised an eyebrow, totally confused. “Excuse me?” He didn't know the reason he hadn't made a phone call to get this thorn in his flesh in jail. He just wanted to see where all this was going.

“Oh, don't play dumb with me” Camille narrowed her eyes at him and continued, “first you appear at the restaurant, then the meeting place and now here? What do you want to call it? Coincidence?”

She huffed, “Stalking isn't exactly subtle when you're dressed like this!” Camille referred to his tight polo shirt and his loose joggers; that she was sure would display a beautiful v-line if the shirt was gotten rid of.

Their uncooperative conversation was taking a while and small crowds were gathering, Camille was confused at the reason. “This same thing happened at the meeting place” she thought.

Nico raised an eyebrow, “Miss, I have no interest in following anyone, least of all someone with such an unruly animal as yours.”

Camille gasped, “unruly animal?” She scoffed in utter disbelief. “My dog is a sweetheart, you thin roach! Maybe if you hadn't been stalking around, she wouldn't have found a reason or seen the need to defend me.”

Nico's jaw clenched, his icy gaze met her fiery one. “Your dog,” he said slowly, emphasizing every word. “Just ruined my outfit that's worth more than your monthly rent. I suggest an apology is in order.”

Camille laughed a dry, humorless laugh. “An apology?” She asked. “oh, you think I'll apologize for my dog? How about you apologize for creeping around? You probably think you can throw money and get whatever you want!” Camille knew she was getting out of line but she only wanted to push his buttons a little while and a little bit.

Nico was silent for a while, then he spoke up. His voice dropped, was calm and undeniably cutting. “Actually, I don't need anything from you. I don't even need to be here.”

Camille felt intimidated by his sudden change in voice, so she let her survival instincts take over. She didn't know when she stopped the man that was about to leave and said really insultive words to him.

“...that's why you're really ugly” Camille concluded her rant and gave her lungs some air. She noticed Nico was staring at her absent mindedly and she began to feel uncomfortable.

“Why isn't he saying anything?” Camille thought, twisting her mouth to the right.

She felt really stupid because Nico said nothing to her it was almost as if he wasn't even listening.

“What? cat got your tongue?” Camille mocked, trying to get the man in front of her to say something.

He just slipped out his phone from his pocket to receive a call, not even sparing Camille a glance.

“What?” Nico asked whoever was on the other side of the phone. He frowned with displeasure and impatience as the person wasn't going straight to the point.

“Go straight to the point, Robert.” Nico tapped his foot impatiently on the ground. He was hearing something about his grandma, and this guy was beating about the fucking bush.

“She just slumped-” Robert began but got cut off when he felt he was being shoved into a not very welcoming pocket.

Nico rushed out of the scene in a flash. The thought of anything happening to his grandmother sparked something in him that he couldn't control. He ran home, got his car keys and then proceeded to his family hospital in a span of ten minutes, which to him, was still a very long time to spend to save your favorite person in the world.

Camille was left at the scene with a small crowd, bruised ego and a missing dog.

“Stud…” Camille hissed and  made a mental note to never take the dog out again.