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She squints. Frowns. First in confusion, and then in annoyance. Not at the tall, broad-shouldered man in the baggy suit and thick-rimmed glasses, although he does make for a strange sight, his shoulders settled into a deep slouch that makes him seem like he’s not taking up as much space as he is. Which is a considerable amount of space—the guy is huge.
No, Bella is staring at the damn dog sitting by his side, its fluffy tail wagging to and fro with simple-minded bliss. The pair of them stand amid the rows and shelves lined with more dog treats and toys a dog would ever know what to do with, intently studying the selection of rope toys. The man picks up one of them, a ball with two ends of rope attached to it. The dog’s ears perk up, looking at the toy with unguarded interest.
“Staring isn’t polite,” Scott says, leaning in close to speak quietly in her ear. Bella’s frown turns into a scowl and she shoots her coworker a sharp glance, but he’s already turned back to his task at hand, slapping a discount sticker on a can of wet food nearing its expiry date.
“I’m not staring. I’m just looking. Hey, what breed d’you reckon that dog is?” Bella says, jabbing her thumb in the direction of the large, white breast.
“I dunno. White Swiss Shepherd? Hmm, nah, the head shape isn’t quite right. Probably in the mix, though. Can’t be a purebred.”
“Yeah, thought so too at first. But doesn’t it seem a little…off, to you?” She’d also thought it was a White Shepherd at first, though a very overweight one. But then she realized it was just broadly muscular, a body build similar to a mastiff. Probably some Great Pyrenees in there too, maybe some Husky. Mixes aren’t uncommon, but this seemed to be a strange one.
“What do you mean?” Scott looked at the dog again, then gave her a shrug. “It’s a dog. A cute one.”
Just at that moment, the dog turns its head towards them, tail curling up in attention. It pants with its tongue lolling out, looking at them with ears pointing straight up as if it’s listening in on their conversation. Bella snorts.
“Nevermind. I’ll ask if that guy needs any help.”
Bella walks over, putting on her best customer service smile.
“Hi! Looking for a fun new toy for your buddy here?”
The man startles, eyes widening as he turns to her in surprise. Oops. He must’ve been lost in thought. “Oh! Um, yeah.” He chuckles, holding up the toy. “Just looking. I don’t think any of these will survive Krypto here, to be honest,” he says, gesturing to the dog at his side.
“He plays rough, huh?” Bella smiles, taking a closer look at the dog. He’s wearing a yellow leather collar with a diamond-shaped tag. Oh, it’s the Superman symbol. The guy must be a fan, like most other people in Metropolis. “Yeah, toys are usually a consumable when it comes to these kinds of dogs. Unfortunately I can’t offer you an invincible toy, but we have a couple things that might last a good while.”
“Oh, sure!” He shoots her a brilliant, dimpled smile. She clears her throat, looking away with a flush in her cheeks.
“What kinda toys does he like? Fetch, tug-o-war, chew toys, plushies?”
“Uh, anything, I guess. He’s a playful guy.” The dog shakes his head with an impatient huff. It looks up at Bella with dark, wide eyes, sniffing the air in interest. Looking at him closer, his stark white coat catches her eye. Short and fluffy like an Akita, but strangely dense and with a luminous sheen. That might just be a trick of the cheap fluorescent lights in the store.
“Okay. Krypto, was it? How about…this,” she says, looking around and grabbing a toy off the wall. “The ball is solid rubber, and the rope is pretty sturdy, great for tug wars. We also have these plushies that have a triple layered fabric with reinforced seams, should last him a few sessions at least.”
The man hums, looking at the toy. He picks up one of the solid plushies, one shaped like a dinosaur, and holds it out to the dog. “What do you think, Krypto?”
The dog shuffles his feet, tail wagging in excitement. The man laughs, reaching down to scratch him behind his ears. “I’ll take that as a yes. Thanks for the help.”
“No problem! Is there anything else I can help you with today?”
“No, that’s it, I think.”
She takes both the toys, heading towards the register. Just as she places them on the counter, she sees that the man has stopped, looking with amusement at a display of new toys they just got.
“Cute, right?” she says. “New arrivals. Probably not very durable, though.”
The man snorts, holding up the Superman-shaped chew toy. “Ironic,” he says, grinning brightly.
“Hey. If Superman wants to share the secret to his invulnerability, we’re all ears. Would save us dog owners a considerable amount of money.”
He puts down the Superman toy, picking up the Batman one instead, looking down at it with an expression of delight. “I’ll be sure to let him know,” he says, slightly smug. After a moment of studying the Batman toy, he brings it to the counter.
“That’ll be all?” she asks, ringing up the toys and bagging them when he nods. “Just curious, can I ask what breed Krypto is?”
He gives a sheepish smile. “Uh, not sure. I got him from a shelter.”
“Oh, no worries. He looks pretty—unique.”
At that, he laughs. “Definitely. Thanks again, have a nice day!”
He smiles again. Right before he leaves, Bella throws another look at the dog, meeting its eyes. They’re wide and curious, sparkling with some deeper emotion she can’t quite place—then she remembers she’s looking at a dog, and that he’s probably just smelling the treats in her pocket.
“Here you go,” Bella says, reaching over the counter to offer him a dried turkey treat. “Since you were such a good boy today. Enjoy your new toys!”
She watches them leave, staring after the dog. For some reason, something about that dog is setting her teeth on edge, and she can’t figure out why. Or maybe she’s just crushing on the owner and trying to pretend otherwise.
-
Bella is going over the new product shipment, chewing on the cap of a pen while crossing items off the list, when she catches sight of someone in the corner of her eye moving towards the counter. She looks up, and recognizes him at once—she could never forget those broad shoulders and those dorky glasses, even if she hadn’t seen them for the first time yesterday.
“Hi,” he says, holding up three more of that same ball and rope toy he bought the last time. The dog at his side is looking immensely pleased with himself. “Um, just need a few more of these.” He flashes a sheepish smile.
The dog gives an excited yip, as if in agreement. His owner sighs.
Bella’s pretty sure she’ll be seeing them again soon, and often.