Constructing the Soul

by Annabella Michaels

“No wonder you needed Curtis to set you up if that’s the kind of pick-up lines you usually use,” I teased. I watched in amusement as his diva side presented itself. I loved his diva side. In fact, I hadn’t seen a side of Akio I didn’t like.

  “Boy, if I remember correctly, all I needed to do was show up at work and you were ready to date me,” he replied, crossing his arms and swiveling his head at me.

  “That is very true. One look at you and I was hooked,” I admitted, moving in close enough to brush his lips with mine. I kissed my way across his jaw until I reached his ear and then I bit gently at his lobe, making him shiver.

  “If you want me to go in there with you then you better stop,” he said breathlessly. I glanced down at the bulge forming in his pants and smiled proudly. I loved the way his body responded to me so easily.

  “Fine, I’ll be good, but only until I get you alone again,” I promised. Akio mumbled something under his breath that sounded like “counting on it,” but I couldn’t be sure.

  “What are we doing here?” he asked as we got out and started walking towards the shelter. I reached down and took his hand. He glanced at it and then smiled back at me.

  “I’ve been thinking about getting another dog for a while,” I told him. “Carly is the best dog and she was my best friend, growing up. She went everywhere with me, always keeping me company since I didn’t have any sisters or brothers to play with. You saw her though, she’s old and it’s hard for her to get around. There was no way I could bring her with me when I moved. It would’ve been too hard for her to adjust, plus Mom and Dad love her so I didn’t want to take her away from them.”

  “So, what kind of dog are you wanting to get?” Akio asked.

  “I actually already found a few, but I need your help deciding which one,” I answered as I held the front door open for him. His eyes flickered to mine and he wore a small smile as he passed.

  Having already called to tell them I was coming, all I had to do was give my name to the woman at the front desk and she led us to a back hallway. There were rooms on either side that had large windows so you could easily look inside. We passed several rooms that held dogs and cats in all varieties and colors. The place was kept very clean and I could see many toys and climbers for the animals to enjoy. Finally, the woman stopped and turned to us with a bright smile.

  “They’re in here. This is a big decision so feel free to take your time. I’ll leave you alone to get to know them, but you come get me if you have any questions or once you’ve decided.”

  I thanked her and then we went inside. My heart melted as soon as I saw the little balls of fluff that came charging at us. I’d been watching the shelter’s online site for weeks, looking for just the right dog. I knew that whatever I chose would have to be special. After all, it had pretty big shoes to fill if it were going to try to follow up Carly.

  The day before, I’d finally found what I was looking for. A litter of golden retriever puppies had been left in a box on the side of the road and someone had found them and brought them to the shelter. There were six in all, two boys and four girls. They’d warned me when I’d called that they would be adopted quickly so I immediately set up a time for me to see them. I laughed as they tugged at my shoelaces and chewed on each other’s ears.

  I turned to see what Akio thought and was surprised to find him sitting cross-legged on the floor. He was holding a puppy up to his face and laughed when it stuck it’s tongue out and licked his chin. I got down on the floor beside him and smiled at the pure joy on his face. Several of the puppies climbed into our laps.

  “How are we supposed to choose just one?” he asked, looking at me with a helpless grin.

  It took a while, but finally, we were able to pick just one. I curled an arm around Akio as we left the room, reassuring him that they would all find good homes when I saw the concerned expression on his face. Thankfully, the woman who’d helped us before told him the same thing and he was smiling again by the time we left.

  “Where to now?” Akio asked as he buckled his seatbelt.

  “The pet store is next so we can get some supplies for this little girl and then I want to show you my home,” I replied, handing the puppy back to him.

  “Thank you for including me in this and for taking me to see your house,” he said quietly.

  “I love you and I want you to be a part of my life, Akio,” I told him. I saw the happiness, but also a bit of uncertainty in his eyes as he looked at me. I hated the fact that he’d been hurt enough that he felt that he had to be cautious, but I was determined to prove to him that I wanted him in my life and not just for the moment. I wanted him there as long as possible, for the rest of my life if I had any say in the matter.

  I started the truck and looked over at him again as he nuzzled his face against Angel’s soft furry ears. He caught my gaze and smiled back at me. Does life get any better than this?

  I set Angel down on the grass and let her explore and began pulling the pet store supplies from the back of the truck. Akio turned in a circle, taking in the cabin and the rest of the property that made up my home.

  “This is amazing, Morgan,” he exclaimed and I smiled, pleased that he approved.

  “Thank you. Come on, I want to show you inside.” I carried the small kennel I’d bought as well as the fluffy pink dog bed, that Akio insisted every princess pup should have, into the cabin and set them down then froze when I heard Akio talking to Angel in a cutsie little voice.

  “Who went wee in the grass? Angel did. That’s right. You sure did because you’re a good doggy, aren’t you? Yes, you are. Oh, yes you are.” His head shot up when I started laughing and the startled expression on his face told me that he’d forgotten I was even there.

  “If you’re all finished embarrassing the dog, I’ll show you around,” I teased.

  “I wasn’t embarrassing her,” he huffed.

  “All I know is she rolled her eyes and gave me a look that begged for help,” I stated, holding my hands up in surrender.

  “Are you jealous?” Akio teased, narrowing his eyes at me.

  “Me? Jealous? Why would I be jealous? Just because you’ve spent the morning kissing her and rubbing her and whispering things to her,” I pouted playfully. He walked towards me and the seductive grin on his face had me wanting to rip his clothes off and bury myself in his tight warmth.

  “Don’t worry, sugar, I plan on spending the entire night doing the same things to you, only more.” He chuckled as I reached down to adjust myself, proud of himself for turning the tables on me. I’d let him have that one, but only because I was envisioning the way his ass would look later that night, all red with my handprints and warm to the touch.

  I showed Akio around the cabin and then took him out to my workshop. I felt strangely nervous as he stepped inside and looked around, but I suppose it made sense. I’d never let anyone else into my private sanctuary before and it felt like I was leaving myself vulnerable, but then he turned and smiled and it was as if something settled inside me and I smiled back. It felt right to have him there.

  “Did you make this?” he asked as he wandered over to the table I’d finished making right before we’d left for the wedding.

  “Yeah, it just needs to be sanded down and stained and then it’ll be finished,” I told him.

  “It’s beautiful,” he praised and then moved around the room, checking out the other pieces of furniture I’d made. “You are really talented. Have you ever thought of doing that for a living? There are a lot of people who would pay top dollar to have custom pieces built.”

  “Nah, I just like doing it in my spare time. It relaxes me and gives me a chance to build something just for fun with no deadline,” I said and he nodded his head in understanding.

  “Well, I think it’s amazing. Thank you for showing me,” he said sincerely.

  “You’re welcome,” I mumbled, suddenly feeling shy.

  We took a walk through the woods after that, holding hands along the way and s
topping to make out against a large oak tree. It occurred to me as we walked back to the house that that was the first time since I’d moved in that my place had felt like home to me and I knew it was because of the man walking beside me.

  We took Angel outside and let her play in the yard while we sat on the front porch steps, talking and drinking lemonade. It had been a perfect day and I found myself wishing it would never end. I’d just opened my mouth to tell Akio that, but was cut off by the sound of his phone ringing. I watched him curiously as he pulled it from his pocket and smiled down at the screen before answering it.

  “Hey, Mom. How are you?” He caught my stare and I smiled at him. “Hang on a minute, Mom,” he said after a few seconds of listening to her. He covered the phone with his hand and gave me an apologetic look. “I haven’t seen my parents since before the wedding and they want me to come over for dinner.”

  “Oh, that’s fine. Of course, you should go,” I told him, trying to hide my disappointment. It was his parents and I completely understood that he needed to spend time with them, I just hated seeing him leave after spending such a wonderful day with him.

  “Are you sure? If you had other plans, we don’t have to go over there,” he said, watching my reaction closely.

  “We?” I asked in surprise.

  “Yes, we. Did you think I was going to leave you here?” He sounded like the idea was completely ridiculous.

  “No,” I scoffed. I shrugged my shoulders, not wanting to admit that that was exactly what I’d thought was going to happen. His forehead scrunched as he looked at me and I could tell he wasn’t buying it. He held his phone back up to his ear.

  “Yeah, Mom, I’ll be there for dinner…and I’m bringing someone with me that I’d like you to meet.” He was quiet for a minute while his mom spoke and I wished I could hear what she was saying. “Yeah, he is,” Akio answered quietly and then held his phone away from his ear as a loud shriek rang out. He was laughing as he finished speaking to her. When he hung up, I looked at him questioningly.

  “She wanted to know if the person I was bringing home was someone special,” he admitted, scooting closer and laying his head on my shoulder. I wrapped my arm around his waist and kissed the top of his head.

  “What did you tell her?” I asked, a wide smile splitting my face.

  “You heard what I told her,” he said, tilting his head to look up at me.

  “Maybe I want to hear it again,” I whispered.

  “Maybe I should show you instead,” he whispered back, his warm breath ghosting across my face and causing me to shiver. Our lips met in a slow, sweet kiss. Yes, it had been a perfect day so far.

  “Oh no!” Akio groaned.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked as I pulled into the driveway of his parents’ house.

  “Dad’s grilling,” he answered darkly. I pulled to a stop and looked at him curiously.

  “Is that a bad thing? And how do you know he’s grilling when we just pulled in?” He pointed out the window instead of answering. I followed the direction of his finger and saw a dark plume of smoke billowing up from the direction of the backyard.

  “Oh!” I breathed out as both questions were answered at once.

  “Oh, is right!” he sighed. “Dad can’t grill, at all. The problem is, he doesn’t know it and Mom and I don’t have the heart to tell him because he enjoys it so much.”

  “I think it’s incredibly sweet that you’ve suffered through years of charred meat just so you won’t hurt your dad’s feelings. Don’t worry though, he won’t hear it from me,” I assured him.

  “Thanks. Just do what Mom and I do and use lots of ketchup,” he suggested. I laughed as he shook his head woefully.

  “So, do your parents know anything about me, other than the fact that you’re bringing someone with you for dinner?” I was holding his hand as we started up the front steps.

  “I may have talked about you a little,” he answered vaguely as the front door swung open and we were greeted by a tiny woman, even shorter than Akio with the same beautiful brown eyes as her son and a pleasant smile.

  “Musuko!” she exclaimed happily as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

  “Hey, Mom,” Akio said with a smile, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her back. He stepped back after a couple of seconds. “There’s someone I want you to meet. Mom, this is Morgan.”

  “Hello, ma’am. I’m Morgan Greene, it’s nice to meet you.” I started to extend my hand, but she brushed it aside as she grabbed me in a strong hug, much stronger than I’d expected from such a small woman.

  “Please, call me Rena. It’s so nice to finally meet you. Akio has been going on and on about you,” she gushed.

  “Oh, he has, has he?” I said, smirking at Akio over his mom’s head. He rolled his eyes, but I could see the pink tint to his cheeks. It made me happy to know that he’d been talking about me with the people he was closest to.

  “Well, come on in, boys. Your dad is out back…grilling.” Rena rolled her eyes and making us both laugh.

  “We saw the smoke when we pulled up. We’ll go outside and say hello, you get the ketchup ready,” Akio joked.

  “Already on the table,” she informed him dryly.

  “Hey, Dad! How’s it going?” Akio said as we stepped out onto the back deck.

  His father looked up from where he was standing and my eyes widened. He was wearing an apron with an image of a male body builder on the front and was holding a pair of long, metal tongs. Dark puffs of smoke were leaking out the sides of the grill where a tray of meat sat.

  I’d pictured Akio’s dad to be shorter and not frail, but definitely on the thin side. What I saw however, was the exact opposite. He was a handsome man, around my height with broad shoulders, and large muscular arms. He had thick salt and pepper hair, blue eyes, and a friendly smile which he bestowed upon his only child as soon as he heard his voice. I liked him immediately.

  “Akio! How are you, son?” he called out. His eyes shifted over to me and his smile grew even wider. “Rena told me you were bringing someone special with you.” I chuckled as Akio cursed under his breath.

  “Thanks, Dad, I appreciate that,” Akio said sarcastically. “This is Morgan Greene. Morgan, my father, Henry.”

  “Hello! It’s nice to meet you, sir,” I said, shaking his hand.

  “Nice to meet you too, Morgan, and call me Henry.”

  “How much meat are you grilling, Dad? It’s just the four of us, isn’t it?” Akio asked, his eyes darting back and forth between the tray of meat and the closed lid of the grill.

  “Oh, that’s not meat under there. I’m trying this thing I saw on TV where you wrap the vegetables and potatoes up in foil and grill them. That’s what’s on right now,” he explained and he looked so happy that I could understand why Akio and his mother wouldn’t want to hurt him by complaining.

  Right then, Rena called Akio in to help her with something in the kitchen. He looked at me nervously, but I motioned for him to go on, I’d be fine out there with his father. I watched him walk inside and was smiling when I turned to face Henry who was staring at me with his head cocked to the side and a look of concentration on his face.

  “I hope I didn’t embarrass you by what I said earlier,” he said slowly.

  “About Akio bringing someone special?” I asked. Henry nodded. “Not at all. In fact, it makes me very happy. Akio and I already know how we feel about each other, but it’s nice to know he’s talked about me with you and your wife. I know how close you are.”

  “We are close. Akio is a good boy, always has been. He’s thoughtful and caring, almost to a fault because it’s led to him getting his heart stomped on more than a few times.” I winced at the thought of Akio in pain. “He’s learned to be cautious, but when he loves someone, he loves with his whole heart. I may be biased since I’m his dad, but whoever ends up with my boy is going to be a damn lucky man and he better treat him with all the love and respect he deserves.” I could tell how seri
ous he was so my response was honest and sincere.

  “I love your son very much, Henry. It breaks my heart that anyone could have ever treated him poorly because I know how very special he is. I promise you that his heart is safe with me,” I told him. Seconds felt like hours as he stared at me, but then a slow smile spread across his face and he nodded.

  “Good,” was all he said and then he turned his attention back to the grill. “I imagine the vegetables are probably about done, don’t you think?” he asked as he lifted the grill lid. I stared down at the charred remains of the foil and tried to keep my horror from showing on my face.

  “I think so,” I agreed. “Would you mind if I help with the meat? I used to grill all the time back home, but I haven’t bought a new one yet and I miss it.”

  “You’re a grilling man?” Henry asked, his entire face lighting up like a kid’s on Christmas morning. “I think we’re going to get along just fine,” he announced as he slapped me on the back.

  Akio and his mom came out carrying bowls of food which they set on the picnic table. Akio gave me a questioning look and I knew he was worried about what his dad might have said to me. I gave him a reassuring smile and I watched as his shoulders relaxed then I turned back to Henry and began grilling.

  It had been over a month since Morgan and I had admitted our feelings to each other and I could honestly say that I’d never been happier. He and my dad had hit it off that night and my mom adored him. Of course, I’m not sure how much of that was because he made me happy or because he’d actually taught my dad how to grill properly. Either way, she looked at Morgan like he hung the moon, not all that different from how I look at him, I thought with a smile.

  Morgan and I helped Mrs. Stevenson pack up her things and when her son came to pick her up, we took them out to dinner so we could get to know him. He promised to take good care of her and she and I promised to keep in touch through texting which I had taught her to do. It seemed strange and a little lonely without her in the building and I realized how much I’d always counted on her presence in the hallway when I got home each night.