Tessa

A few days later, after a string of rainy afternoons, the city finally gave Tessa a break — sun, blue skies, and the perfect excuse to take Moose for a long walk before her evening shoot.

She tugged on his leash, camera bag bouncing at her side, as they rounded the familiar corner toward The Nook.

Moose was vibrating with excitement, sniffing everything, trying to greet every single passerby like they were long-lost family.

“Chill, dude,” she said, laughing under her breath.

She spotted Lucy inside the café window, wiping down tables, and gave her a quick wave.
Lucy flashed a thumbs-up and pointed meaningfully behind Tessa.

Tessa turned — and spotted him.

Graham.

Sitting at an outdoor table with his ever-present coffee and a thick folder of paperwork.
Looking — as always — like he was deeply offended by the mere existence of sunlight.

Tessa snorted.
She hadn’t seen much of him since their awkward coffee-spill incident last weekend.
Which, honestly, was probably for the best.
He looked like the kind of guy who valued his personal space the way other people valued oxygen.

Moose, naturally, had other ideas.

Before she could react, he lunged — chasing after a pigeon — and the leash slipped right out of her hand.

“Moose!” she yelped.

He barreled across the café patio — and straight toward Graham’s table.

Tessa chased after him, heart sinking with every step.

---

Graham

He heard the chaos before he saw it.

A low growl of excitement, the scrape of chairs, startled shouts — and then suddenly Moose was there, practically throwing himself into Graham’s lap like a live grenade.

Graham stiffened.

Coffee sloshed. Papers fluttered.

He glared at the dog, who thumped his tail against Graham’s chair like he was proud of himself.

“Absolutely not,” Graham said flatly.

Tessa stumbled up, flushed and breathless.

“I am so, so sorry,” she gasped, trying to wrestle Moose back into submission.

Graham handed her the leash with two fingers, like it might be contagious.

She laughed nervously. “He’s usually… slightly less insane.”

Graham gave her a look that said he did not believe that for one second.

Before he could get rid of her properly, she hesitated — chewing her lip, looking completely and unfairly earnest.

“Could you maybe…” she said, voice rising hopefully, “hold Moose for, like, five minutes? I need to grab something upstairs.”

Graham opened his mouth to say no — firmly, definitively, permanently.

Lucy popped her head out the café door at that exact moment.

“I’ll keep an eye on him for you, Graham!” she called sweetly.
“I’ll even call backup if Moose tries to eat you!”

Graham glared at her.

Tessa looked way too hopeful.

And Moose… Moose sat politely at Graham’s feet, wagging his tail like a liar.

Graham sighed heavily.

“Fine,” he said.

Tessa lit up like a kid on Christmas morning.

“You are a hero,” she said solemnly, pressing the leash into his reluctant hand.

Before Graham could change his mind, she was dashing upstairs, camera bag bouncing behind her.

Graham stared at the dog.

Moose stared back, panting.

“This is not a relationship,” Graham told him sternly.

Moose licked his hand.

Graham muttered something under his breath that was probably not appropriate for polite company.

---

Tessa

She sprinted up the stairs two at a time, heart pounding.

Not because she was late — but because she’d just pulled off a major social heist.

Convincing Graham to voluntarily interact with another living creature?
That had to be some kind of record.

She grabbed her portable backdrop, slung it over her shoulder, and double-checked that she hadn’t forgotten her extra lens cap.

When she barreled back down a few minutes later, she braced for disaster.

But what she saw made her skid to a halt.

Graham, sitting stiffly in his chair.
Moose, lounging at his feet like he owned the place.
Graham’s hand — traitorously — scratching Moose behind the ears as he flipped through his paperwork.

Tessa bit her lip, trying not to laugh.

She approached carefully, leash in hand.

“You two look cozy,” she teased.

Graham shot her a glare over the top of his glasses.

Moose thumped his tail against the sidewalk.

Tessa gathered the leash, her heart feeling unexpectedly light.

“Thanks again,” she said, sincere.

Graham grunted something that might have been “You’re welcome” or possibly “Go away.”

She smiled brightly anyway.

As she turned to leave, she tossed over her shoulder:

“You’re a natural with him, you know.”

Graham didn’t respond.

But when she glanced back just before rounding the corner, she caught him still scratching Moose’s ears — even after she was long gone.