Free Birthday Burglar by K.A. Merikan

 
    Jamie parked
his car in front of a large pet store. He glanced into the
rear-view mirror to make sure his hair looked every bit as good as
when he was leaving his flat. Each morning he devoted at least ten
minutes to making it look fashionably nonchalant, but to keep up
the illusion he had to check on it every now and then. Longish,
blond, a bit rustled up, all-American celebrity hair, that’s what
he was going for. There was a thin line between careless and sloppy
he wasn’t willing to cross.
    Once he made
sure the mess on his head was perfect, Jamie opened the door of his
Chevy and got out of the car. Even for a short outing like this
one, he tried to dress immaculate. Being an Abercrombie in-store
model had its responsibilities after all! There was the advantage
of getting free clothes now and then, but he felt it was his duty
to do them justice and show off even after work. He secretly hoped
it would get him noticed and land a photo shoot gig with the
company. It was yet to happen, but he was willing to be
patient.
    He swiftly made
his way toward the massive pet store, trying to shift his focus
away from himself to the reason he was here in the first place.
Neil. Neil’s birthday. Jamie was already hyped up by what he had
planned. His boyfriend had been lately complaining that their life
wasn’t as spontaneous as it used to be. Jamie thought it hardly
surprising, since they have been a couple for three years now,
living together and both studying at NYU. The last thing he wanted
was to see Neil unhappy so he thought long and hard to come up with
the perfect birthday surprise. The obvious thing was a cake, which
he kept hidden in their fridge, in a box that previously contained
frozen chicken nuggets. He doubted Neil would touch it, taking into
account his new detox regime. All his boyfriend seemed to eat in
the recent weeks were dressing-less salads and soups. And worst of
all, he tried to force them onto Jamie!
    Not that he
needed to be on a diet. Neil had always been slim and energetic.
When they first met in high school, right after Neil’s transfer,
all Jamie could see in him was a goth freak. With his platform
boots, makeup and bright purple hair, he was nothing like the guys
Jamie normally hung out with. It was the fact that he was openly
gay that got Jamie interested at first but once they got to know
each other, Neil turned out to have a heart a lot bigger than the
crazy hair-do’s he used to have back then. He also had more ideas
and hobbies than anyone Jamie knew and was as stubborn as the
fiercest quarterback. Neil might not look like the fighting type,
but he'd rather have his legs broken than back away from a
confrontation.
    Jamie would be
lying though if he said he didn’t appreciate Neil having toned his
image down a bit - his hair still purple but shorter and neater,
clothes still alternative but not as freaky as they used to be.
Though it might have had something to do with Neil’s attempts to be
taken seriously at job interviews rather than an actual change of
heart.
    His mind dozed
off to the mental image of Neil taking off his clothes, but bumping
into a cage full of rabbits quickly got Jamie focused again.
Puppies. He needed a puppy. Everyone loved puppies so he considered
one to be a great addition to the planned celebration. Standing in
front of the customer helpdesk, he scratched his chin and looked
around the massive pet store. He could hear birds screeching, but
the rows of racks and tall shelving units confused him. He wasn’t
sure where to start.
    “Can I help
you, sir?”
    Jamie looked
down at the blonde sales girl and instantly knew they would click.
She was cute as a button, probably not even eighteen. “Yes! I’m
looking for puppies.” He grinned at her.
    She smiled
back, nodding. “Come this way,” she said and led Jamie past the
fishing section, between two rows of racks filled with dog and cat
food. “A gift for your girlfriend?” she asked, giving him a long,
languid