twelve

                                        

                                              


.❀。• *₊°。 ❀°。
𝐋𝐎𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐒, 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐀
𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗡𝗔
I sat on the wooden stool in my kitchen, hand on my face, sketching in my notepad. The house was quiet, except for the occasional barks from Duke. It was the perfect balance of peaceful and lively.
As I finished my sketch, I looked up to see it from a distance, and, well... it was horrific. The design I had envisioned for the dress was nowhere near what I'd put on paper.
"Ew." I muttered, ripping the page out and crumbling it up. I tossed it on the floor, only to realize that there were already a bunch of crumpled pages scattered across the kitchen, taking up almost the whole floor.
Duke, my Doberman, suddenly ran into the kitchen, knocking me out of my thoughts. I jumped up quickly, scrambling to pick up the paper before he thought it was food. He had a bad habit of chewing on anything that resembled a snack.
I heard Duke whine, but I gave him a stern look and tossed the crumpled paper in the trash. Reaching into the cabinet, I grabbed a few treats and tossed them to him, making his tail wag furiously as he gobbled them down.
I gave Duke a quick kiss on the head, before once again trying to find something to occupy myself.
I thought about calling Devin to hang out, but he was back in Phoenix for a meeting with his team. It didn't bother me, though—he had promised to be back for my birthday in two days.
I wouldn't say Devin and I were on rocky ground, though at times it felt that way. The things we had been arguing about recently could easily make it seem like we were on the verge of something, but in reality, we weren't.
After Zayn released his album, Devin called me just a few hours later to express his uncertainty about the album.
"With Heartless, I could barely make an exception, but having Zayn write more songs about you or mention you is where I have to call it out," he said over the phone.
Apparently, to Devin, it seemed like I was defending Zayn. And I was, though not for the reasons he thought. I appreciated Zayn's art, and I believed it had to come from somewhere—whether it was about me or not.
But the thing is, Devin and Zayn still stayed friends. I couldn't help but wonder how it wasn't awkward for them. Maybe it was, and they just didn't want to acknowledge it. But honestly, I didn't think that was the case.
I huffed, feeling a bit restless, before picking up my phone. It seemed like everyone had their own lives going on today, and I was just left here, trying to figure out how to pass the time.
Devin had been on my mind a lot lately, but I didn't want to bombard him with my thoughts while he was away on business. Still, the tension that had been brewing between us made me feel uneasy.
I set the phone down for a moment and looked over at Duke, who was now lying on the floor, looking at me with those big, hopeful eyes. At least I had him to keep me company.
"Alright, buddy, what do we do now?" I muttered, getting up to grab his leash. Maybe a walk would clear my head. 
I decided against walking around the neighborhood, knowing Duke's usual response—his stubborn dislike of the area that always led to him running back inside. 
Instead, I figured the Crystal Boulevard would be a better choice. It was a nice, open space with plenty of greenery and a pretty walking path where Duke and I could take a lap. It wasn't too far from home, and I loved the peaceful vibe it always had.