Free Falling to Pieces by Jamie Canosa

from the man seated behind us kept me from breaking out into a round of applause.
    Horrified that we’d disrupted his movie, I sank back down into my seat and fought the urge to disappear. Warmth encompassed my hand as Kiernan’s wrapped around it and squeezed. He pulled away again almost immediately, but in the pale glow of the movie screen, I caught a wink that warmed me to my bones.
    ***
    The credits scrolled over a blackened screen, and Kiernan sat in his seat. The lights came up and other patrons started vacating the theater, and Kiernan sat in his seat. I got up and gathered our empty cardboard tub from the floor, and still Kiernan sat.
    “Are you okay?”
    He twisted and rubbed the back of his neck with a grimace. “I’m fine. Just sore from riding the bike for so long. Getting old, I guess.”
    “Yeah, seventeen can be a real bitch.” I have no idea where the snarky retort came from, but it made Kiernan grin, which in turn made me slightly lightheaded with relief. I’d done something right. It was a miracle.
    The lobby was nearly deserted by the time we made it there after I stopped to use the ladies room. The digital clock hanging just below the list of show times read 12:02. We still had a couple hours to kill before we could convincingly return home and I was in no rush to head back.
    “Want to take a walk?” Along the drive into town, I’d noticed that it seemed like a touristy type place with lots of little shops and stands along the sidewalk.
    “Absolutely.” Kiernan pulled open the door and held it, allowing me to lead the way out onto the warm, sun soaked concrete.
    We made it as far as the corner when a soft whine caught my attention. A narrow alley ran between two buildings, strewn with empty cardboard boxes and other trash. The sunlight was blocked by the towering structures, plunging most of the space into shadow, but in a sliver of light, I spotted a patch of snow white fur.
    “Hey, boy,” I crooned, dropping to a squat. “It’s okay.”
    His sad, little whine turned to an excited yip as his tiny body wiggled and squirmed in place.
    “ Com’ere, boy. It’s okay. Come on.” I patted my knee and watched the furry little snowball twist and yap some more.
    “I don’t think he can.” Kiernan squeezed past me and was forced to turn sideways and shimmy his way down the alley. “I think he’s stuck.”
    “Don’t get yourself stuck.” I bit my lip, trying hard not to laugh. “I’m smaller. Maybe I should—”
    “I’m fine.” It took him several tries to figure out how to reach the pup sideways, without room to bend his knees.
    It was quite the spectacle, but in the end, completely worth it. No movie could have been better than watching Kiernan Parks bend over in those jeans. Good Lord, I was such a perv.
    “There you go. I got you.” Kiernan righted himself and my eyes flew everywhere and anywhere—the wall, the ground, the sky—until he reemerged from the alley, plus one wiggly ball of absolute adorableness.
    “I think he wants you.” He held him out and the beastie all but leapt into my arms.
    He was heavier than he looked and I laughed, trying to maintain my balance as he barked and licked my face.
    “Poor baby, how long were you stuck back there?” I scratched behind his floppy ears and was rewarded with a happy sigh and another kiss. “You’re okay now. That nice boy rescued you and we’re going to take you home.” I fingered the blue tag dangling from his collar as it dawned on me that Kiernan was standing there, listening to me talk about him . . . to a dog.
    “Where does he live?” Kiernan was doing a terrible job of fighting back laughter, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out it had nothing to do with the puppy.
    “ Melrone Place.” I busied myself, searching the tag for a name, but there was only an address and phone number listed in shiny silver lettering. “Do you know where that is?”
    “No, but I’m betting they do.” With a quick check of