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Under the Weather [Closed] - Printable Version

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Under the Weather [Closed] - megs - 03-14-2020

”Mom, I promise, I'm fine," Julianna said for, what felt like, the twentieth time. Which was too many since this current phone call with her mother had only been dragging on for-she pulled the phone away from her face to check the timer-fifteen minutes. She opened her mouth in a silent groan as her mother chattered on nervously at the other end of the receiver. "I already have an apartment and a new job," she insisted.

She was currently driving slowly through the picturesque downtown area of her new home. Winter Heights appeared like the definition of 'small town.' Something out of a Hallmark movie. It was all cobblestone streets and historic shop windows. It even had a huge gazebo in the town center, decorated in lights. "I gotta go," she said into the phone. Effectively cutting off her mother's rant about how dangerous it was to move into a new city alone. Julianna had a hard time imagining anything dangerous happening in such a quaint town. She pulled into a gas station. "Me and Barker gotta pee."

As if on cue, the large white dog in her passenger seat uttered a series of happy yips.

Julianna hung up and leaned her head back against the seat. She signed loudly and pet Barker's head. He panted happily, dripping drool onto her seat cover and fogging up the window. Nose prints left streaks across the glass.

"Well, at least you're optimistic about it." she mused to the oversized Samoyed. Julianna got out of the car and shut the door before the dog could muscle its way past her. She left the vehicle running as she stretched out her arms and legs.

It had been a long drive from California to Colorado. Julianna had been recently let go from her previous job as a meteorologist on a national network. The circumstances were...vague at best, but she had not been in a position to really argue.

"Stooop," she commanded herself to not to get stuck thinking about the past. A torrid affair with her boss. Getting her heart broken. She took a deep breath and scrubbed her hands over her face. Curls bouncing as she did so. She squared her shoulders and gave herself a quick pep talk.

Julianna walked around to the other side of the car to let Barker out. As she moved around the back she noticed a news van parked across the street. Her brows disappeared behind her bangs, she recognized the logo as the very station she would be working for come morning.

Barker was bouncing up and down in the seat as she came into view. She opened the door slowly and reached her hand in to try and clip his leash to his harness. He jumped and put his paws up on the door, pushing it into her and knocking her flat on her ass.

"Barker!" She yelled at the dog as it bounded across the street and towards the news van. She scrambled to her feet and chased after him as he made a b-line for the unsuspecting reporter and his cameraman. "Barker, no! stop!"

RE: Under the Weather [Closed] - saronym - 03-17-2020

Owen was on his third take for a pre-recorded investigative news report when a hurricane of white fluff slammed into him. "It's relatively quiet outside here the Winter Haven Court House today as city council members deliberate o --- nnghhh!

Being a large man, Owen went down hard on his backside in a cloud of white fluff. He was dazed but could make out that large paws were on his chest and he was being licked on the cheek repeatedly by a sloppy pink tongue.

"Get off!" He yelled at the dog that looked suspiciously like it was smiling at him with it's tongue lolling out. "Get the fuck off!" He shoved at the animal who bounded off him and the pranced around before dipping down and bowing its head, tail wagging furiously. It thought they were playing a game.

His cameraman seemed more worried about the microphone that was lost in the fall. The plastic logo for the local news station was broken. It looked worse for wear.

"Hey is this your dog?" Holland, the cameraman, asked to the woman running worriedly towards them.

Owen rounded towards the woman Holland spotted. "Get a fucking leash maybe!" He cussed more to himself but still at her while trying to brush fur from his suit. It was no use, he needed a lint roller. The dog jumped at his legs and Owen shoved it off again.

"Down! Get down!"

RE: Under the Weather [Closed] - megs - 03-19-2020

Julianna skidded to the halt and was already grabbing for the leash as the blonde man made his vulgar demands. “Oh my god, language,” she scolded without thinking. As if her dog hadn’t just tackled someone to the ground. “He’s a baby,” she continued, wrapping the leash around her hand a few times and tugging the dog back to her side.

Barker jumped off of Owen and trotted back to Julianna’s side as the picture of innocence. He sat next to her, panting happily as she pet the top of his head. She didn’t even have to reach down to touch him, his head was well above the level of her hip. Little white hairs fluttered off of him with every pass of her hand and clung to her t-shirt and jeans.

“Are you okay?” she asked, finally. She pushed a hand out in an offer of help even though he was much larger than she was. “I’m sorry!” She chirped to the darker-haired man, who walking over to pick up the damaged microphone. Her face was red with embarrassment.

RE: Under the Weather [Closed] - saronym - 04-20-2020

From his perspective on the ground, Owen stared in angry disbelief at the woman who dared scold him about language. It was a dog not a baby. She knew that right? Was she one of those... dog moms he heard about on the internet?

His eyes drifted away from her to distractedly follow little white hairs billowing all around her. He could only imagine what her couch looked like. Her out-stretched hand came into focus and he took it. Not that he needed help getting up. But it was honestly the least she could do.

"I'm fine." Owen replied though his voice suggested he was beyond irritated. "My microphone however..." he glanced past the woman to Holland who held the broken device. Owen's gaze flashed back to the woman and her dog. He brushed at his white fur covered suit.

"I suppose we'll have to go back to the station and try this again later..." He was saying to Holland now fully expecting the woman to just walk away.

RE: Under the Weather [Closed] - megs - 04-30-2020

Julianna took note of how the blonde's angry expression furrowed his brown and twisted his handsome mouth. It probably should have not looked so appealing, but it did. There was something about a tall man in a suit glaring at her that just did the trick.

She had been kidding about his language, but he didn't seem to like her joke. She wondered if he liked any jokes.

He took her hand, begrudgingly, and she was very little help in getting him off the ground. Julianna was small, and much smaller than him in comparison, but she was polite so she made an attempt none the less. "I'm sorry," she said again. She couldn't pinpoint why his irritation with her was kind of sexy. Perhaps, it was the emotional trauma of her recent breakup or a bit of desperate loneliness that clung to the first attractive man she saw.

He was already turning his attention to his partner before she even had the chance to introduce herself which was kind of disappointing. Barker had his own ideas however. Spotting a squirrel behind the blonde man, he lunged. Julianna, who was caught off guard, lurched forward with a small squeak and smacked right into the blonde.

RE: Under the Weather [Closed] - saronym - 05-05-2020

Holland was the only one who would bother offering the unfortunate, clumsy woman some measure of comfort. "It's okay. These things come off all the time." He said of the cracked covering around the microphone.

Owen wasn't so keen to let her off the hook and let Holland be the one to accept her apology. He reached into his pocket to check his phone and let the station know they would have to come back to film the segment due to equipment failure.

He was going to do that until the dog took off and pulled the woman right into him. He lost track of his phone in the scuffle, catching the woman instead at her waist.

A sickening crack of his phone shortly followed. It landed right on the screen. Owen closed his eyes and ran his tongue over the front of his teeth at the sound. A string of cusses were unleashed in his mind like snow flurries in the wind. He didn't even need to look to know it was shattered.

Owen opened his eyes, still holding the woman's waist, and waited for her next apology. Apparently her dog had just enough leash to sniff at whatever he wanted to sniff at now. He tugged only loosely at the leash wound around her wrist.

"Your dog is out of control, Miss."

RE: Under the Weather [Closed] - megs - 05-10-2020

His phone was on the ground. Likely shattered in a million tiny pieces. His arm was around her waist and he held her close enough that she could see a vein bulging at his temple. Protruding from the force of his set jaw. She had one hand on his chest, and the other curved around his back. Still connected to the leash of her misbehaving puppy. There was so much blood rushing to her head, Julianna thought she was going to pass out. She could have died from embarrassment. Her face was fire engine red.

His eyes opened and he was looking down at her with a serene sense of calm that she assumed meant he had surpassed earthly levels of rage. He had ascended. He was waiting for her to say something. The obvious came to mind, but her lips pressed together. She blinked up at him.

"Usually you have to buy me dinner first," she blurted at the same time that he complained about her dog.

Julianna hadn't immediately pulled away from him, which probably said more about her than she wanted.

She tugged on the leash. "I'm sorry," she said again. "He's not usually like this. We had a really long drive."

Barker came closer to her, she glanced down at him. Still a fluffy white cloud of innocence panting up at her. "I can replace your phone."

RE: Under the Weather [Closed] - saronym - 05-30-2020

Owen was glaring down at her though his face and body were still and serene. "You will replace my phone." He agreed though it sounded more like an order. An expectation. He bent down and picked up his phone to assess the damage. A piece of the glass screen flaked off and fell to the ground.

Owen slapped the phone to his side and gave her another long look. He then looked down at the disobedient dog who caused all his misery.

Neither of the two of them were cute at all.

Nope.

Totally just annoying.

"It will be replaced today." He said, of his now useless phone, that he tucked into his pocket.

RE: Under the Weather [Closed] - megs - 05-31-2020

Julianna blinked up at him as he agreed to replace his phone.

No, he demanded, that she would replace his phone. His voice was like a wet dream as he issued orders with confidence. She thought he had to be doing it on purpose, now. He had to be able to tell by the color of her her face and her hand still on his chest that she was all hot and bothered by him. He released her to retrieve his phone and a bit of the horny fog lifted from her mind.

She pet Barker's head, looking away from him bashfully as he stared her down again. She had caught a glimpse of the screen.

Yikes.

"Today?" she repeated. She glanced at the dark-haired man, still loading things into the truck. He seemed unaware of the exchange, or was doing a remarkable job of ignoring it. The blonde wore an expression that did not leave room for argument on her part. "Right. Today! Absolutely."

Julianna and tall blonde dreamboat agreed on a place and time to meet again to settle the phone situation.

She wasn't entirely keen on leaving Barker in their new apartment by himself for the first time, but it couldn't be helped. "You got me into a real mess today, Barker," she scolded the dog as he rolled around on his dog bed that she had laid out on the floor. "That man is going to be one of my co-workers and he already hates me."

The Samoyed puppy was unbothered by her complaints. So she changed into something a bit more presentable. In this case it was a pair of dark, high-waisted denim shorts and a teal blouse with peacock feathers on it. She left to meet him.

Julianna arrived at the Cellular store a bit earlier, so she Googled the other anchors at Channel 5 news and found the blonde.

Owen Hart.

Nice name.

She noticed him pull into an empty parking space next to her. Nice car, too. She wasn't surprised.

'Hey!" she said with a small wave when his tall frame appeared of the top of his car. The withering stare she had expected deflated her a bit and she waited for him to join her.

RE: Under the Weather [Closed] - saronym - 07-04-2020

Owen had also changed his clothes, somewhat. Having finished up work early, he'd stripped out of his suit jacket and tie. They lay across the passenger's seat. He unbuttoned his collar and rolled up the sleeves to his dress shirt.

He accidentally parked next to the girl from earlier. He only noticed her as he exited his car and she greeted him. Lowering his aviators a smidge, he eyed her over the dark frames realizing he didn't know her name.

"Hey."

He craned his neck to see over his car and into hers. That devil dog wasn't with her. Thann god.

"Well, let's get it over with then." He said sounding grumpier than he actually was. This whole broken phone had been a perfect excuse to leave work early. Plus, and he hated to admit it, she was really cute. He'd noticed before even when she'd been dressed down in tights and a faded t-shirt. Now she had legs on display and a vibrant top that attracted the eye.

Damn. She was cute.

The transaction was quick. Owen got the updated version of his old phone. They milled around while his data tranferred over.

"I appreciate you replacing my phone." He said trying to convey the respect he felt for her making right and accident. Not everyone would have done that and followed through when he had no hold over them. "Ah -- what did you say your name was?"

RE: Under the Weather [Closed] - megs - 07-08-2020

His icy exterior left Julianna to mostly mill around as they waited to be serviced and as he went through the motions of replacing his phone. She shied away from any thoughts of starting up a conversation. She stuck to answering any queries he directed at her, which were few and far between. Julianna did notice people staring at them as they reviewed the specs of the latest model of the phone she was replacing. She looked up at the blonde as he compared two cell phones, and deduced that they would have made a pretty attractive pairing.

Julianna put the purchase on her credit card. A brand new cell phone and a few apologetic accessories weren't exactly in her regular budget which was quite thin from her sudden move halfway across the country.

"It's a not problem," she replied, shoving her wallet back into her purse. It was a trendy crossbody bag that hung over her shoulder and cut a line between her breasts and made an attractive silhouette. "It was my fault. For not keeping my dog under control and all..."

He asked for her name and she blinked up at him. She hadn't said that her name was anything. Hadn't gotten the chance and the idea hadn't occurred to her in this interaction. Green eyes flickered across his face and she was quiet for only a few seconds. "Julianna," she said finally. She had considered giving him a fake name, but she didn't know why. It's not like her identity would remain a secret for long when they were scheduled to be working together in a few days.

"Do you want to get food after this?"

RE: Under the Weather [Closed] - saronym - 07-15-2020

Owen slid his new phone into his pocket. He remained silent as she apologized for her dog again. He merely nodded his acknowledgement. As far as he was concerned, she had made the situation right.

"Sure, Julianna," he said trying out her name, "I have time for food." He made a show of checking his watch as if he had somewhere to be. Just in case lunch was awkward, he could easily cut it short with a work excuse. "I know a place down the block."

He led her out of the store, "I'm Owen, by the way." She never asked his name but he gave it anyway.

"So your dog..." he spoke while he led her to the Koren barbeque place on the corner. "Is that little devil...a puppy?"

RE: Under the Weather [Closed] - megs - 07-19-2020

Julianna realized that she had not asked for Owen's name, when he gave it to her. She pursed her lips, looking like a person who was committing the name to memory. When really she was hoping that he didn't catch on to how much she already knew about him. Which wasn't that much. Just what had been written on his bio on the news channel's website. That he grew up in town, but went out of state for college. She wondered why he ended up coming back.

She would have to work on finding out when they were working together.

Walking side by side with him as they moved towards the restaurant she presumed he had in mind, she couldn't help but chuckle at her own thought. Luckily, it was perfectly timed with his asking a question about Barker.

"He's nine months old," she explained. "I got him when he was about three. We're...working on his behavior. I have to find a new trainer in town."

Owen led her inside a Korean BBQ joint. It wasn't like one of the trendy and expensive fusion places that were popping up all over the city right before she left. It was small and a bit hot but smelled heavenly. Grilled meats and pickled vegetables. Julianna inhaled deeply as a hostess led them to a table and took their drink orders. Julianna ordered a Korean beer and she was suspicious that the hostess thought they were a couple. The booth she had chosen for them was poorly lit and towards the back in such a way that could be interpreted as romantic.

Julianna threw her hair up into quick ponytail to keep it out of the way as they ate. They'd been given menus, but she had yet to look at one. "Can I see the phone you just got?" she asked, cutely. "I've been considering that model." She wasn't. "What do you think of it?"

RE: Under the Weather [Closed] - saronym - 07-31-2020

Owen snorted at Julianna's comment about finding more training for her dog in town. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "It's going to cost you a fortune to train him out of that level of crazy." He joked. Of course, there was a kernel of truth in the joke. It would take a lot to train her psycho dog.

Owen led Julianna into the Koren BBQ restaurant that his coworker, Renton, had been hassling him about trying out. When he opened the menu and had difficulty understanding the options, he instantly regretted not taking her somewhere else.

She, however, seemed happy with the choice. She'd pulled her hair away from her neck and shoulders while examining the menu on the table in front of her.

He was about to admit that he didn't know what to order and what was good, when she asked about his phone. "...Oh yeah... it's good. Better camera. Better display resolution." He unlocked his phone and handed it over for her inspection.

He went back to examining his menu. But none of the options seemed familiar. Everyone at work raved about Korean BBQ though. "Soo..." he started, glancing up at her, "I've never eaten here. I don't know...what's good. People at work like this place."

RE: Under the Weather [Closed] - megs - 08-19-2020

"The cost of it isn't a big deal. I just need to get settled in and find a reputable trainer. I obviously don't want him to be a monster forever."

Julianna's attention was pulled away from the menu when he agreed to let her see his phone. Her brows shot towards her bangs and she was surprised by how easily he handed it over to her. She held the phone in both hands and tapped across the screens and options with her thumbs. "This is pretty nice," she cooed, like she gave any sort of shit about phones. She opened the camera app and took a picture of her selfie. "The selfie filters are pretty good though."

She wasn't subtle in the way she added her contact information to his sparse list of phone numbers. She added the picture she had just taken. Her adorable face would pop up and time he called or messaged. Not that he would.

At least not until they started working together...

Quickly, she handed the phone back to him and picked up the menu again when he admitted to not knowing what to order. "I usually just get one of the sampler platters," she advised. "A little bit of everything that's good and a bunch of yummy side dishes."

When the waitress appeared again, Julianna went ahead and ordered for the both of them. A BBQ sampler plate, like she had mentioned, and a bottle of soju to share. "So...do you know any obedience trainers? Or do you just like pointing out that my dog is bad?"