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Sometimes he wondered if she was ever without a book, but he noticed it was never the same one. She'd devour each one like a hungry beast, constantly yearning for more. He smiled as he thought of the scene where Johnny-5 raced through page after page in Short Circuit.

"More input! More input!"

He slumped nonchalantly onto a bench whilst his beautiful black labrador explored the vicinity; throwing fleeting glances her way. He couldn't help but be curious of her as he'd seen her so many times before, sat under the same tree in good weather and reading. It appeared to him as if she'd been there for many hours, maybe even days as she never seemed to stir.

He wondered if she worked, and imagined that she was a writer, a librarian, or maybe even a book seller. He figured that she must work with books since she loved to read so much. He wanted to try and talk to her but didn't want to intrude. He knew from the way his mother used to read that once a person becomes engrossed in a book they hate to be disturbed. He learned that the hard way.

Rover, his dog, threw himself to the ground in front of Mike and wriggled on his back in the dirt as if he had an itch he just couldn't scratch. The sun beat down and shone on Rover's glossy dark fur. Mike watched entranced as the reflected light rippled across his flanks. The colour reminded him of her; he imagined a cool breeze tugging a strand of hair free from the confines of her scarf and he'd reach out to brush it behind her ear. She'd smile and they'd talk as if they'd known each other forever.

His cheeks warmed as he realised he was grinning. You're crazy Mike! He chastised himself, you don't even know her and you're thinking like a stalker!

He forced himself to stare at his feet and tried not to let his mind wander. Rover jumped up onto his paws, suddenly alert. "What's up, boy?" Rover ignored him, as dogs do. He wasn't Lassie, so he wouldn't suddenly lead him to a well so he could rescue little Timmy.

Mike looked in the direction of his stare - a Frisbee. He ruffled his fur, "come on, boy. Leave them be. You know you can't play with that, it's not yours." Rover looked back at him. For a moment Mike wondered if he'd understood, but he was soon proven wrong. Rover shot across the park before Mike had chance to return his hand to his lap.

"No Rover! No!" Mike pulled himself up and launched himself across the field in pursuit of his dog awash with horror. Too late. The Frisbee landed in her lap, startling her. Before she had taken stock of her surroundings Rover had dived into her lap too sending her book soaring from her hand and landing with a resounding plop into the still lake.

"I am so sorry!" Mike gushed.

She looked up, her deep brown eyes appraising him. She smiled warmly as she reached a hand out to tangle in Rover's thick fur as he claimed his prize. "It's ok. I should have expected it really coming to a park, right?"

Her voice was deep but soft, and it made him nervous. He stammered and stumbled over small talk but found he couldn't quite utter the right words in the right sequence. She didn't seem to mind, she just sat patiently waiting for him to assemble his sentence so that it made sense whilst Rover sprawled across her extended legs and chewed up the Frisbee.

One of the boys attempted to retrieve the Frisbee but gave it up with a good natured shrug; accepting the recon mission as a lost cause.

"Is he your dog?" she asked.

He admitted the beast that pinned her down was indeed his. He found himself relaxing into a conversation about him, the mischief he caused, how old he was, and his habits. An alarm on her phone went off, abruptly ending their conversation.

"Oh shoot! I'm sorry - I have to head off! Can you help me get him up?"

"Sure. No problem." He grabbed Rover's collar and tugged him up. He gave a gruff doggy sigh at the inconvenient upheaval but chose to relocate himself next to the lake to finish off his new toy.

She gave Rover a rub behind the ears before waving goodbye to Mike as she walked off. He hoped that he would see her again, and promised himself that he'd remember to ask her name.