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Mornings were never Vicky’s favorite thing in the world.
She didn’t hate them, per say. But when you’re an aspiring engineer who works on her projects way late into the night, waking up at a good time could be somewhat of a struggle.
She’d drag herself out of bed, eyes bleary as sunlight spilled through the curtains. She would pad her way to the kitchen, feeling the cool tile on her bare feet, and attempt to wake her brain up. A cup of coffee usually did the trick, though she’d deny ever being a caffeine addict. Then, she’d get dressed for the day and either get back to work on her latest build or browse some forums on her laptop. Maybe start up that blog she’s been wanting to make for awhile, hopefully get some studying in, and then perhaps text her friends for a bit.
That was how Vicky spent most of her mornings, and she was pretty content with it.
That all changed, of course, when she started dating Scott Howl.
Vicky considered herself to be a pretty energetic person, but nothing compared to the full force that Scott was. From the times she’s slept over at his house, he was somehow always able to wake up bright and early with a smile on his face. There were few times she could remember where he’d actually let himself sleep in. He’d always go on about how “it’s good to get an early start to the day” and how “waking up early boosts morale”. Something he definitely just heard from some YouTube video.
At first, he’d just get out of bed and go on with his day, cooking up breakfast for her whenever she eventually woke up. But recently, he had been waking her up along with him whenever they spent the weekends together. It all started with a simple, whispered request,
“Hey, Vicky! Wanna go on a walk with me?”
She thought it would be a one-time thing, just something to get his blood pumping. But even on the weekends they didn’t spend together, she’d get a text from Scott, bright and early, asking the same thing. And she just couldn’t find herself denying him. Because, wouldn’t you know it, she found herself liking those morning walks way more than she expected!
So here she was, on her way to Scott’s house at around, what? 6 in the morning? Definitely not her typical wake up time, but it’d all be worth it to see Scott again. She had her purse wrapped around her shoulder by the strap, idly fidgeting with it as she approached Scott’s place.
Once she was right at his door, Vicky gave it a few light knocks that barely echoed in the still, morning air. As she waited, she tilted her head back to look at the sky. It was soft and pale with early light, fluffy white clouds stretched across the horizon. She swore she could smell the faint aroma of something baking in a few houses down—it could’ve been French toast, or maybe buttermilk pancakes. She didn’t know Scott’s neighborhood very well, but just that lovely scent was enough to convince her that maybe she should try to get to know these people. If only to get a sample of whatever they were cooking.
The door creaked open after a few minutes, and there stood Scott’s grandmother. She was a short woman—about Vicky’s height—with gentle, blue eyes that mirrored her grandson’s almost perfectly. She was still wrapped in her pajamas; a lilac robe patterned with tiny, blue flowers. Her hair, a similar color to Scott’s but with silver streaks, was tousled and held up in a loosely tied bun. And yet, despite the early hour, her face was bright and awake, lighting up even further when she saw who stood on her porch.
“Oh!” Grandma Howl blinked in surprise, then broke into a warm smile. “Hi there, Vicky! What’re you doing here, up this early?”
Vicky returned the smile with a small, polite wave. “Good morning, Ms. Howl! I’m just here to pick up Scott for our morning walk.”
“Oh, yes, yes, how could I forget?” the older woman hummed, leaning comfortably against the doorframe. “You two and your little walks. Let me guess; it was his idea?”
“Sure was!” Vicky confirmed with a cheeky grin, rocking back on her heels. “Well, it was sorta both of our ideas. But mostly his. Apparently going for a walk every morning is ‘good for the heart.’ And of course, he has to drag me along.” She gave a fond roll of her eyes. “He’s lucky I love him so much. Otherwise I’d probably still be hugging my pillow right now.”
Scott’s grandmother laughed; a light and familiar kind that filled the doorway like sunlight. And for a fleeting moment, Vicky felt like she was right at home.
She leaned to the side, craning her neck to peek past Grandma Howl into the house. “Speaking of which, is he up yet?”
As if summoned by the question itself, the sound of hurried footsteps came padding down the hallway. Her grin grew as she caught sight of a familiar figure snatching his coat off the rack mid-run and shrugging it on as fast as he possibly could. He bounded toward the door with all the grace of an overexcited puppy, nearly colliding with his grandma in the process.
“Hi, Vicky!” He beamed at her, tail swishing behind him with far too much energy for the hour. Those big blue eyes of his, so much like his grandma’s yet brighter somehow, were brimming with pure joy the moment they landed on his girlfriend’s pretty face.
Grandma Howl gasped and stumbled aside, one hand pressed to her chest. “Scott! My gosh, are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
Scott froze mid-bounce, guilt flashing across his features. He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly sheepish. “Sorry, Grams. Didn’t mean to scare ya,” he said, apologetic but still vibrating with barely-restrained excitement.
He then turned his attention back to Vicky, bright grin reappearing now that he could get a good look at her. She was dressed in a loose blue sweater, not unlike the one she usually wore, that made her look so cozy and warm. Beneath it, a plaid, pleated skirt in shades of dark blue swished just above her knees, paired with white, rumpled socks that disappeared into scuffed brown loafers. Black-rimmed glasses sat perched on her nose, and her lips were painted with that same soft pink she always adored. Scott couldn’t remember the last time he saw her without it.
A knowing smirk crawled onto Scott’s grandmother’s face when she caught the look in her grandson’s eyes. She turned her back to the couple and gave them a simple wave goodbye. “I’ll just leave you two to it, then,” she said, and headed back inside the home.
“Bye, Grams!” Scott called out to her once he snapped out of his daze, waving back and then carefully shutting the door behind him. It wasn’t long before he once again turned his attention back to Vicky. He ran over to her and pulled her in for a warm hug, to which she graciously reciprocated.
“I missed you so much!” he mumbled into her hair.
“You saw me yesterday!” Vicky giggled. Her ear was pressed against his beating heart, hearing the way it seemed to go faster now that they were this close. Her smile softened, a fluttery feeling buzzing in her chest.
“I know but it felt like forever!”
Vicky pulled back just slightly from him as he continued on, “After you left, Damien invited me over for a game night with him and Brian. It was honestly pretty fun but they wouldn’t stop looking over at each other the entire time.” He cocked his head to the side, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Vicky’s gaze dropped down to his coat. She instinctively reached down and began to button up the ones he missed. “Mhm…”
“Yeah, and so I was like ‘Hey, maybe we should order a pizza!’ But when I looked over at them again they were making out right next to me! I tried getting their attention but they were wayyy too into it. So there went pizza, I guess.”
Vicky fixed his collar up, brows knit in concentration. For some odd reason, she wasn’t shocked at all by that information. Maybe because she’d known Brian long enough to be like, Yeah, he’d take any opportunity to makeout with that guy. Still, she replied, “Is that so?”
“Yep! Wild, huh? I decided to leave after that, ‘cause I’m pretty sure they forgot I was there. I didn’t hear back from Damien after either. I hope they had fun, though!”
A soft chuckle escaped from Vicky. Oh, she was teasing the shit out of Brian later. “I’m sure they did.” She gave his coat a final pat before leaning back to admire her work.
Scott smiled with her, his hands lingering at her waist. “Anyhow, I spent the rest of the night talking to Polly. She called me and she sounded pretty drunk but whatever! At least she was having a good time!” he said. He reached one hand down in an attempt to button up his coat, only to realize the work had already been done for him. So instead, he leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, murmuring a soft, “Thanks, Vicky.”
When he pulled back, Vicky took his hand in hers and turned to the street ahead of them. “Come on, big guy, let’s get a move on. I wanna see if I can find any morning birds. They’ve gotta be out there somewhere!”
Scott’s tail wagged a little faster at that. He hurried to walk beside her, absolutely beaming at the thought of catching sight of some pretty birds. “Ooh, good idea! Point them out to me if you see ‘em! You know I’m bad with names.” He chuckled.
“And you promise not to try and pounce on any of them?”
“Vicky! I would never!” he wailed, though the wolf side of him was definitely mulling the idea over in his head.
She giggled and shook her head. “I know, I know—just teasing!”
As they began their walk, Vicky took the moment to enjoy the cool, autumn breeze on her skin. Scott mentally noted how it breezed through her curly hair, which bounced with every step she took. He was nearly mesmerized by the sight. Vicky let out a content sigh and leaned against Scott’s body as they walked.
“You know, Scott, I’ve felt a lot better ever since we started doing this. I always wondered why I felt so groggy most mornings. Now I know all I needed was a little walk to get some pep in my step!” she chirped.
Scott grinned at that and gave her hand a tiny squeeze. “I told you! How didja think I did so well in practice everyday? It’s all in how I start my morning!” he exclaimed, puffing out his chest proudly. “I think it’s gotten even better now that I’m spending each one with you. Now I feel like my muscles and my brain are working!”
Vicky couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her. “Just now?” She snorted.
“Yeah! Pretty sure, anyway.” Scott shrugged, tongue peeking out in a silly way. All the while, his thumb was absentmindedly tracing over the stitches on her hand. Vicky found her smile softening at that.
Continuing their walk, Vicky and Scott began discussing what place they should stop at for today’s journey. More often than not, they’d find themselves at the cafe just down the street. But other occasions called for a trip to the local park.
“I heard pumpkin spice lattes are finally in season again. Maybe we could try some of those!” Vicky suggested, already drooling at the thought of trying the cafe’s new selection of desserts.
“Hmmm, that does sound pretty good… buuuuttt…” Scott’s mind drifted to images of playing fetch with Vicky at the park, sunbathing while laying in the grass together, kissing underneath that big oak tree until the sky melted into shades of orange and pink…
“We could have loads of fun at the park too. It’s a really nice day out today and I think we should savor that. Plus think of all the cool critters you could see there!” he said. “All the pretty birds and butterflies and… squirrels…” An involuntary growl rumbled in his throat.
Vicky’s face lit up a little at that. “Oooh, good point!” She slammed her fist on her palm. “We could make that our little rest stop. I could write a few notes down in my journal while you…” She trailed off, her smile turning a little sheepish. She could already imagine Scott getting distracted by something as simple as a butterfly passing by. “…you could help make observations!”
“Heck yeah!” Scott cheered and pumped his fist in the air. “I’ll be the best observer for ya, Vicky! And—and then we could even… ya know!”
He made a throwing motion with his hand and then looked down at Vicky with the biggest grin on his face. She grinned right back at him.
“Oh, of course! How could I forget?” She giggled. “The most important activity of all: Fetch.”
Scott’s pupils dilated and he stomped his foot to a stop, tail wagging ultra-fast behind him, prepared to start zooming. That was until he realized that what she said was a statement and not a command. “Huh? Oh! Yeah! Exactly!” He tried his best to look casual after that, shoving a hand in his coat pocket.
Vicky’s laughter grew tenfold, and she lifted herself to her tip-toes to plant a kiss on his cheek. “Not yet, silly,” she said, giving him a light tap on the nose.
The two walked with more energy now, much chirper than before. Being two of the most optimistic and energetic people out of their friend group, they bounced off each other’s energy quite well. They swung their arms between them, fingers interlocked and bright smiles on their faces.
Conversation came easy for them. Despite their drastically different interests—Vicky’s studious nature and Scott’s simplistic love of sports—they were able to find intrigue in whatever the other person had to say. For Vicky, she just loved learning new things in general, so Scott’s sports ventures and workout routines got her thinking of all the different mechanics that went into it. And as for Scott, well… he just liked listening to Vicky talk. But could you blame him? She had a really pretty voice!
However, Vicky soon slowed to a stop when she heard a familial chirp nearby. Scott stopped with her, his ears perking in interest. She looked at the tree just ahead of her, tilting her head up to see what bird made that beautiful sound. There it was, perched up on a branch with a little nest of its own, chest puffed out as it made its call. Vicky’s hands clasped together, eyes shimmering like two big, lustrous diamonds.
“A mourning dove!” she whispered under her breath in awe.
Scott tilted his head in the bird’s direction. His ears twitched when it chirped again, and his tail gave a tiny wag behind him. “Woah! It’s so pretty!” he exclaimed, pointing towards it. “Look at those wings! And the way its chest puffs up! It looks sorta fluffy when it does that!”
“It does, doesn’t it?” Vicky replied, not tearing her gaze away from the dove.
Scott looked down at Vicky then, noticing the way her eyes glittered as she stared up at that bird. His own eyes lit up with what he thought was the perfect idea.
“Want me to grab it for you?”
Vicky was instantly taken out of her daze. She snapped her head towards him, her eyes now wide and alarmed. “Wh—uh—I—no!” she sputtered out, waving her hands in front of her. “No, no, no! Don’t do that! We shouldn’t mess with them while they’re in their natural habitat. It’s where they belong. We can’t just take them!”
Scott frowned a little at that. “Oh… right. I wouldn’t wanna put the little guy in danger,” he said, shame seeped into his tone. “You just looked so happy looking at it. I thought maybe you’d wanna, you know, keep it—as a pet, maybe. Then you could look at it every day.”
Vicky’s eyes softened at him, a gentle smile gracing her lips. Of course he’d think that.
“I do love looking at them. But I’d hate to keep them all locked up in some cage. Mourning doves aren’t meant to be pets. Plus, I’m pretty sure it’s very, very illegal to try and steal one. They belong there, up in the trees,” she said, pointing a finger to where the bird nestled comfortably in its nest. She then reached over and gave Scott’s hand a gentle squeeze, much like the one he had given her earlier. “And our morning walks would be a lot more boring without them there, dontcha think?”
Scott’s gaze shifted to their interlocked hands, before returning to his girlfriend’s face. That look of understanding she wore, a face he recognized time and time again. He couldn’t help but smile back at her, though his was much wider. “Yeah, way more boring.” Nothing could ever be that boring when I’m with you. “But I still think you should get your own bird someday. Like a parrot or something!”
Vicky hummed and tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Hmmm… I’ve thought about it. But it’s a pretty big responsibility. I don’t wanna end up neglecting it because I’m too focused on my work,” she stated. “I have thought about it, though. Those little finches are so cute!” She let out a tiny squeal, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
Scott’s tail began to wag frantically, sweeping leaves off the ground with its force. “Oh, oh! Or you could get a canooey—”
“Canary!”
“Yeah, that! Those guys have killer singing voices!” His hands clenched into excited fists at the thought.
“Oh my god those are so cuuute!” Vicky groaned, dramatically placing her hands over her heart. “They’ve gotta be one of my favorites. Did you know there’s over 200 different breeds of them?”
“Wait, really?!”
“Yes! But they’re most commonly yellow since they were bred that way. They also have an amazing immune system and were once used to detect high gas levels in coal mines.”
“Woaaah!”
“I know!”
And so, as the pair resumed their walk of the day, Vicky spent the next 20 minutes discussing different domestic birds and every fun fact she could remember about them. Scott didn’t know much about birds—besides the fact that they looked cool and made silly noises—but just the sound of pure joy in Vicky’s voice was enough to keep his attention. The eager way she rambled on about them, how excited she got whenever he’d interject with a question; he’d let her talk for hours on end if it meant seeing her face light up like that each time.
Their shared laughter filled the air, and for a moment, it felt as though everything else had faded out. Even as the town woke up around them and the day went on, Scott and Vicky’s attention were solely on each other and nothing more. Even the sound of more birds couldn’t tear Vicky’s attention away. Not when her sweetheart was going on about the crazy thing that happened at the gym last week, moving his hands all about as he told the story. He could turn the most mundane events into epic tales she was just dying to hear more about.
And when they finally took a break at the park they frequented, and Scott stole a kiss from her just before they sat down, Vicky was reminded once more of why exactly she loved their morning walks.