Blaine was a dog person, everybody knew that. Ever since he was little he wandered to the pet store to take a look at the puppies with his face pressed to the cold glass of the shop window. He even remembered the girl who worked there - Emily - who let him pet some of the puppies every once in a while. He also remembered he was absolutely smitten with the two little pugs: Peppy and Crunchy.

But Blaines mother was allergic to dogs and so Blaine just stuck to the weekly trips to the pet store until he was 15 and he got a summer job at the store, feeding and playing with the dogs. He even talked to them from time to time, asking them how their day was and if they were already fed or went for a walk.

He also loved taking care of people and yes, also animals, so of course Blaine strained his ears to find the source of a whimper that could only come from a dog when he heard it. He stopped and looked around him but the only thing he saw was a blanket of snow covering the park, a bush and a bench.

It was a cold december afternoon in Central Park, the wind almost cut through him like a knife and little snowflakes were drifting to the ground. The park was empty except for him, two couples huddled together to share as much body heat as they could and the yet unknown source of the whimper.

When Blaine couldnt see where the sound came from, he shrugged and continued walking. He stuffed in his hands in his pockets and sighed. Suddenly he heard a twig break behind him. He turned around and saw nothing but he did hear another whimper. He took some steps closer to the snow covered bush and whistled like a dog owner would do when his dog wandered too far away. His eyebrows shot up when he heard a tiny little bark, he crouched down at the bush and used his bare hands to remove the thick layer of snow.

When most of the snow was gone, he pushed some twigs aside before he noticed a small pug huddled up underneath them. He reached out and pulled the puppy out from under the twigs before standing up again. He cradled the dog against his chest and undid his scarf to cover the dog with it, whispering Poor thing while he did so.

He walked back to his apartment, holding the puppy close to him to warm him up a bit. He figured the dog was a stray or at least not owned by anyone because there was no collar around his neck. It was too cold outside for a little puppy and Blaine couldnt remember that puppies were almost weighing as much as a feather. Hed go and visit the vet tomorrow but today he was going to get this dog to strengthen up.

The first thing Blaine did when he got home was settle Bowtie, thats what he named him, on a pillow on the floor by the couch before he went to fix some water and food. He had no real dog food but he did have some leftover bacon from that mornings breakfast which he put on a plate and placed on the couch in front of Bowties face. He smiled when Bowtie gratefully ate all the bacon from the plate and drank from the bowl of water.

Well, boy, what were you doing out there on your own? Blaine questioned while he sat down next to Bowtie and scratched behind Bowties ears, Did your owner lose you? Or didnt he want you anymore? Blaine thought.

After Bowtie was fed and satisfied, he crawled up on Blaines lap and lied down. He rested his head on Blaines lap while Blaine kept petting him everywhere he could reach. Well, if you have no one out there looking out for you then Im going to take care of you. Bowtie licked Blaines hand when it was in his reach and Blaine smiled again.

You know, Blaine started, if tomorrow at the vet turns out that you have no owner, Im going to adopt you. But before Im taking you there you need some strength.

That night Bowtie slept in Blaines bed, huddled up on the blankets next to him and snoring soundly.

Blaine couldnt sleep though, staring up at the ceiling with his hand under his head. When he went out for a walk today he didnt expect to find a cute and abandoned puppy. What if the puppy has an owner? Should he return Bowtie to the person who abandoned him in the first place? Or maybe Bowties owner was now wandering through the streets of New York looking for his dog. But on the other hand, wouldnt Blaine have noticed or heard someone calling for his dog? And if the dog was missing for a couple of days now, why didnt he see any posters on the streets?

Blaine forced himself to stop thinking about it and closed his eyes, chanting "go to sleep, Blaine" over and over in his head until he finally drifted off to sleep.

It didnt take long before Blaine awoke again. It werent his thoughts that woke him but tiny paws carefully probing in his side before getting up on Blaines tummy. Hey bud, Blaine said as he felt Bowtie settling on top of him, You comfortable? Of course he didnt get a verbal reply but he did feel Bowtie resting his head on his chest and he took that as a yes.

He rubbed Bowties back until his eyes fluttered close again and fell asleep again with his hand on Bowties back which rose and fell with his steady breathing.

The next day Blaine took a quick shower and gave Bowtie a quick bath before going to the vet with him. He held Bowtie all the way over there to make sure he didnt get away.

Part of him hoped that Bowtie wasnt owned yet and the other part... Well, the other part wouldnt want to keep Bowtie away from his rightful owner if he had one.

He walked into the vets waiting room and sat down on one of those ugly green and very uncomfortable chairs with Bowtie perched up on his lap. Next to him was an elder woman, holding the leash that was attached to her labradors collar. The dog was also growing old, grey fur replacing the blonde one and its brown eyes were drooping.

Hes almost gone, the woman suddenly said, pulling Blaine out of his thoughts.

Im sorry? he asked confused, tearing his gaze away from the dog.

The dog, Skippy, the woman said, Hes very old and not so jumpy as your little friend. She nodded towards Bowtie who was trying to wriggle himself out of Blaines grip.

This little fella is way too jumpy for his own sake, Blaine said, but afterwards he sleeps like a very loud snoring baby. Hes not mine though, I found him in the park yesterday.

The woman chuckled. I remember when I found Skippy. He was just a puppy when I found him on the street. He was tied to a lamp post and no one even glanced at him. I could see his ribs underneath his skin so I took him in and 15 years later were still best buddies.

Thats really a beautiful story, Blaine smiled. He could see the hurt in the womans eyes when she looked at her dog. Youre really attached to him huh?

Hes the only family I have left, she said sadly, And today Ill lose him too. Hes too weak and he can barely eat anymore.

At that moment the door opened and a man, he looked no older than thirty, stepped in the room and said: The next one can follow me.

The woman sighed. That would be-

Me, Blaine finished her sentence and smiled at her, Now you can spend some more time with Skippy. Its not much but I can see how much you love him.

Oh, thank you young man, the woman said and Blaine could swear he saw tears in her eyes.

No problem, Blaine said and stood up to follow the vet, Dont worry about it.

Would you follow me, sir? the vet asked when Blaine turned to him again.

Blaine nodded and looked back over his shoulder to the woman and her dog before disappearing into the examine room.

I um, I found this dog yesterday in the park and I thought Id take him here to make sure everythings okay with him, Blaine said when the vet closed the door behind him, I think hes a stray.

Im going to check if he carries any diseases or fleas and if hes chipped. If he has a chip, you can return him to his rightful owner, the vet explained while Blaine sat Bowtie down on the metal table.

Blaine nodded. I was already planning on doing that, Im not the type of guy that keeps a dog from its owner.

The vet laughed. You seem like a trustworthy guy so I believe you. His hands massaged Bowties skin, Blaine figured it was to search for a chip. After a while he said: Well, he has no chip. If you want I can get him to a shelter for abandoned dogs-

Hes not abandoned, Blaine quickly said.

Oh, so youre taking him home with you? the vet asked.

Blaine smiled. Im taking him home, he confirmed.

Fine by me, the vet checked Bowties fur for fleas and hummed when he found none, He looks like he took good care of himself, no fleas or other problems. Im just going to give him a shot, dont worry, I do that to all dogs who have been found in a public place. Its to prevent internal diseases from breaking out later. He turned around and grabbed a syringe and a little vial. You might want to hold him, puppies can get jumpy when theyre about to get a shot.

Blaine nodded and stepped closer to the examine table to hold Bowtie. Gonna be okay, bud. Just a tiny shot, he whispered in Bowties ear.

After a lot of struggling, Bowtie biting at the vets hand from time to time and filling out a form to confirm Blaine adopted the dog, Blaine walked out the examine room with Bowtie in his arms. The elder woman still sat there, petting Skippy and scratching him behind his ears. She looked up at Blaine and smiled. Blaine smiled back at her and said: Good luck with Skippy. I hope everything will be okay despite him getting old.

I hope so too, boy, the woman pet Skippy again, I hope so too.

Goodbye, miss, Blaine said before opening the door.

Bye, young man, he heard the woman say right before the door closed behind him. He looked at Bowtie before saying: Come on, buddy, lets go home.