"Chloe, stop it!" you called as you tugged on your dog's leash, itching to go back inside. Her puppy eyes met yours as she dipped her butt a little, peeing one more time before following you up the steps to your house.

Living alone in the city wasn't exactly dangerous, but it wasn't safe, either. Your parents talked you into getting a dog for protection purposes, and you agreed for lonely purposes. You spent a chunk of your savings on a golden retriever and they bought you some training classes for your birthday.

You unhooked Chloe from her little harness, hanging it on the hook and slipping your boots off. It was tough work, balancing classes and a pet, but most of your stuff was online and you had a few friends nearby to help. Your summer internship covered year-round costs, so it just seemed like the perfect time since you weren't working.

Clearing the table of your single place setting, you washed the dishes and tidied a bit, killing time before you had to head out again. Your phone buzzed, reminding you that you had puppy classes in an hour and a half.

You headed upstairs, Chloe hot on your heels as you started getting ready. You didn't exactly want to venture out in Toronto in this weather, but the thought of being in a room with a few other dogs made it bearable. Chloe hopped up on your bed and curled into a little ball, drifting off to sleep as you coated your face with a thin layer of makeup and touched up your loose waves with your curling iron.

Finally satisfied with your appearance, you slipped into your favourite leggings and oversized sweatshirt. Chloe perked up as your grabbed your purse from the top of your dresser and stood on your bed, stretching with a little yawn before you scooped her up and carried her downstairs.

Slipping into your fleece jacket and boat shoes, you put Chloe in her harness and stuffed a few dog bags in your pocket. Making sure you had everything you needed for the class in your purse, you headed outside and locked up. The walk to the animal care centre was only a few blocks southeast of where you lived, so you figured you'd save the Uber ride for the way home.

Chloe stopped to sniff everything in her path as you made your way down Niagara Street, and you grew annoyed as you found yourself tripping over her. The CN Tower had an effect on you and you couldn't help but stare at it whenever it was in your line of sight, causing your lack of attention toward your dog. She stuck to the sidewalk as you neared your destination, making it a whole lot easier to get there on time.

You walked into the building, scooping up Chloe as you headed toward the front desk. A young girl was stationed behind a computer screen, looking up as she sensed you nearing.

"Hi, umm, I'm here for training classes," you said, placing a hand on the desk.

"Yep, just fill out one of these," she smiled, sliding a form your way. You wrote down all your information, pushing it back to her as she searched your name in the system to ensure you were actually registered. "Alright, it's just through those doors," she spoke, pointing to a set of french doors off to your left. "Starts in about ten minutes, so you'll be able to just hang out until everyone arrives. Have fun!"

You smiled back, clutching Chloe close to your chest as you nervously entered the room. It was like a little gymnasium, and about four owners and their dogs were scattered around.

You retreated to the back corner, placing Chloe down and taking a seat next to her on the floor, crossing your legs. It was important that she felt as comfortable as possible if this was going to work, so you stroked her ears as everyone patiently waited for the others to arrive.

What appeared to be the instructor pushed through the doors, walking to the front of the room and placing her binder on the little table. She cleared her throat and you stood up, leaning against the back wall as Chloe sat between your ankles.

"We're still missing one, but it's seven, so I'm starting," she stated, placing her hands on her hips as her eyes raked over her students. "My name is Linda, and I've been instructing dog training courses for ten years now. God, these guys are just too cute," she said, motioning to the furry friends scattered around the room. One little chihuahua got a bit overexcited, breaking free from her owner's grasp and running at Linda.

"Oh, aren't you the sweetest?" she laughed, bending down to give the puppy a pat. You let out a giggle, happy that this was already turning out so well.

"So, as I was saying, this cour-" she was cut off by the sound of the big doors squeaking as someone was joining the class late. You turned to the noise, heart swelling at the sight of the tiny husky poking its head into the room.

"Geoff, be good, okay?" you heard a gentle voice say as a big, tattooed hand scooped up the puppy and a tall, lean figure entered the doorway. Your eyes travelled from the dog in his hands to his face, a little blown away by his chiseled but soft features. He was gorgeous.

"Sorry I'm late," he whispered in the direction of the instructor, quietly settling his stuff down in the corner opposite you.

"No problem," she smiled, "As I was saying, this course is about getting your dog familiar with other dogs, along with basic training skills," she trailed off, losing your interest as your eyes travelled to the newcomer.

His boot-clad feet were large, much like his legs. Black skinny jeans accompanied his black long-sleeve shirt and denim jacket, and his cheeks were a rosy pink from the crisp Toronto air. His hair looked soft and a little fluffy, dark brown curls wild from the wind. His chestnut eyes focused on Linda while his lips formed a line, clearly in deep concentration. His hands clutched the black leash attached to his adorable puppy, who was trying his hardest to break free from the confines of his harness.

You snapped back to reality, catching the last of Linda's introduction, "So, I want to form a circle, where we can all introduce ourselves and our furry friends, and share a fact about how or why we ended up here," she smiled, motioning for everyone to come in a little closer.

You took a few steps forward, pulling Chloe along as everyone else joined your actions. Late Guy was directly across from you, and you could see his eyes taking in the sight of you in your peripheral vision. The thought gave you butterflies.

"I'll start!" a young girl piped up, "My name's Morgan, and this is Champ," she pointed to her tiny English bulldog, who was borderline asleep on the hardwood floor. "He's a little lazy, I've noticed," she said, causing a giggle to escape everyone, including Late Guy. "I really wanted a dog, and we got one, but my family said I've gotta do all the classes and completely take care of him, you know, since he's mine," she bit her lip nervously, "So, uh, yeah."

Linda nodded, prompting the next person to share. Before you knew it, it was your turn.

You introduced yourself, looking around and continuing, "This is Chloe. I got her because I live downtown and I'm a little paranoid about living alone, and I kinda just needed a buddy," a few people nodded, smiling down at the adorable puppy seated between your feet. "I wanted her to be, like, good, so I'm here," you finished, looking up to meet Late Guy's brown eyes. His lips were curled into a smile, and you noticed that everyone else was looking at your dog, but he was looking at you.

The man beside you introduced himself as Dave, and his dog as Farley. You only half-paid attention, completely consumed by the beautiful young man standing across from you. His warm eyes continued to meet yours and quickly look away, and you were itching to find out his name. It was soon his turn, and you couldn't fight the stupid grin creeping across your face.

"Hi everybody," he gave a little wave accompanied by his beautiful smile. "I'm Shawn, and this is Geoff," he said, motioning to the tiny husky at his toes. "Geoff is actually a she," he chuckled, earning a few puzzled looks from the group. "I kinda lost a bet with my buddy and wound up having to name my dog Geoff, and I couldn't get out of it," he brought a large hand to the back of his neck, threading through his wild curls. "So, uhh, this is Geoff, my little princess," he smiled and met your gaze, earning a giggle from everyone in the circle. You laughed at his little story, in disbelief that he actually went through with naming his dog Geoff. He shot you a little wink, catching you off guard but causing a blush to erupt in your cheeks. You looked away, biting your lip as you focused your attention back to the instructor.

"Okay, that's everyone!" she spoke, "That took a little longer than expected, so let's start with a few basic commands. Morgan, honey, we're using Champ as an example, okay?" she asked, taking the leash from the small girl as the bulldog's snores came to a halt.

Linda stood in the middle of the circle and tried her hardest to get Champ to sit, but had no luck. You fought to keep back faint laughter, but giggled a bit every time Shawn's eyes caught yours. You could see he was trying not to laugh, too, and it was making the situation worse.

"Let's try it with a treat, yeah?" Linda said, prompting the girl to pull a milkbone out of her pocket. Champ actually did it this time, causing Shawn to laugh even harder.

"Okay, so I want everyone to try that, and once you're successful, find a partner and just let the dogs interact," she said, standing up from her crouching stance. You retreated back to your corners with Chloe, begging her to sit. Everyone else's dogs seemed to be doing it, and people were already finding partners for the last fifteen minutes of the class.

You grew a little embarrassed, soon replaced by nervousness as you noticed the only other person seemingly struggling was Shawn, the late guy.

You pulled out a treat and Chloe eventually sat for you, relief washing over your body as you realized there actually was a light at the end of the tunnel. Shawn seemed to have the same luck as you saw him kneeling in front of his puppy, praising her with a little bone.

You continued to pretend to occupy yourself as you could feel him nearing, nervous about what to say when you actually had to talk to him. His boots met your line of sight, causing you to look up, raking your eyes over his oh-so-long body.

"Hey, partner," he beamed down at you, and you stood up to meet his greeting.

"Hi, Late Guy," you teased, tucking a loose piece of hair behind your ear.

"Okay, only by like, a minute," he chuckled, licking his lips. Fuck.

"So, 'Geoff', eh?" you asked, motioning to the adorable puppy sniffing Chloe's ears.

Shawn shook his head and looked up at the ceiling, touching his neck with his tattooed hand. "Yeah, Geoff. It is what it is," he laughed with a shrug, crinkled eyes meeting yours in the bright room.

The dogs were laying down now, incredibly comfortable with one another.

"You live around here?" he asked, toying with the collar of his jacket.

"Yeah, just up on King," you said, motioning to what must be north with your hand.

Shawn opened his mouth to say something, but cut himself off when he noticed his dog had gotten up again and was peeing on the floor.

"Geoff, no, shit," he said, turning to the instructor and waving her over. You scooped up Chloe and took a step back, trying not to giggle at the situation.

Linda came over with a roll of paper towels and some windex, passing it to Shawn. He held out Geoff's leash in your direction, which you took hold of so he could deal with the mess. You happily watched as the grown man got down on his knees, cleaning the little puddle with a sour look on his precious face.

He walked the wet paper towels over to the garbage, tossing them in the bin and sanitizing his hands. You couldn't help but check out his backside as he walked away from you, soon turning around to walk back in your direction. Catching you staring, he broke into a smile as he took Geoff's leash from your small hand.

"Don't worry, you've got weeks to admire the view," he teased, causing you to turn a deeper shade of pink.

The fifteen minutes were up and it was time to go, so you grabbed your stuff and walked out of the building behind Shawn. He slowed down as he stepped outside, tangling your dog leash with his.

"How are you getting home?" he asked, crossing his arms and flashing his pearly-whites.

"I was just gonna walk," you said, suddenly hit with a cool wind, "or Uber," you giggled, shivering.

"Let me drive you," he smiled, pulling his car keys out of his pocket.

You grew a bit uneasy at the thought of him knowing where you lived, but it was better than this weather.

"Okay," you smiled back, shoving your free hand in your pocket.

"That was easy!" he teased, twirling his keys around his finger as the two of you started walking in the direction of the parking lot.

"Shut up, it's cold!" you joked back, bumping his shoulder with yours.

He unlocked his black Jeep, placing Geoff in the back seat as you climbed into the passenger's side, pulling Chloe onto your lap. He hopped into the driver's seat, driving out of the parking lot and heading north, remembering where you'd mentioned you lived.

"It's one of these," you said, pointing to the cluster of houses coming up on the right. He checked his mirrors, bringing the Jeep to a full stop.

"Is it this one?" he asked, tilting his head toward the first one.

"No, Shawn," you laughed, leaning back in your seat. He inched the Jeep forward a bit, stopping again.

"This one?!" he asked with a huge smile, clearly making a joke out of it.

"No, Shawn! I'll tell you when you come to it," you laughed, resisting the urge to touch his arm in the dark car.

"Okay, I'm just teasing," he chuckled, stopping in front of the house you pointed to.

"Thanks for the ride, Shawn," you said as you reached for the car door handle, inspecting his face one last time.

"No problem at all," he spoke, bringing a hand up to pet Geoff, who was poking her head between the front seats.

"I'll see you next week, Late Guy," you said, opening the door and stepping out, Chloe still clutched in your arms.

"Take care," he said quietly as you closed the door. Turning on your heel, you headed toward the house, positive he was going to wait for you to get inside safely.

"Wait!" he called from his open window as you unlocked your front door. You twisted around, raising your brows at him. "Can I maybe have your number? In case I have questions, you know, about the whole dog thing," he trailed off, motioning to the back seat with his thumb. You broke into a warm smile.

"Goodnight, Shawn," you giggled, opening the door and disappearing behind it.