In the darkness, I smile broadly even though tears are streaming down my hot face.
“I have a dog... I guess.” Rowan’s uncertain announcement is a little amusing.
“You guess?”
“She’s a golden retriever puppy. A gift from my sister. An unexpected one. I’m not sure if I’ll keep her.”
“That’s a sweet gift.” I wish my sister liked me enough to give me gifts, especially such a cute, cuddly one. “You should consider keeping her.”
“You’re a dog person, I take it?”
“Totally, but no pets allowed here. What’s your puppy’s name?”
“Dog...”
My eyebrows scrunch together. “You have a puppy named Dog? That’s... a terrible name.” I burst out laughing. I might be a little hysterical.
Rowan is still chopping and moving around, but I hear the laughter in his voice. “I haven’t gotten around to naming her.”
Sobering, I pull in a breath and erupt into another bout of coughs. My head is pounding, and I feel faint. I’m no medical expert, but these aren’t good signs.
“Rowan? Do you think I’ll make it? I’ve been under here a few minutes, and last I saw, the fire was blazing pretty close to my apartment. Since your friends are occupied, maybe you’ll have to give up on me?” I certainly don’t want him to lose his life on my account.
He doesn’t respond, but by the sound of it, he’s moving faster than before. Finally, he says, “You’ll make it.”
Maybe he’s just giving me an empty promise because it’s his job to be calm and reassuring. But when he adds, “I’m not going anywhere without you, Grace,” I hear the sincerity in his voice.
He sounds much clearer, closer, and I open my eyes to see there’s a light filtering into my dark prison. Rowan is shining a flashlight right at me. I want to scramble toward the light, to him, but I’m lethargic, as if I was the one chopping away at pieces of the collapsed ceiling.