Patting his Head, Licking his Ear

As families become more fractured and distant, and many use Facebook and email to communicate instead of picking up the phone, our pets increasingly fill the gap, and I can see that this might not always be entirely healthy. Could I be neglecting my long-suffering boyfriend? Perhaps our relationship would be more loving and closer if I preferred to sleep with him rather than our dogs?

“Darling, would you like it if we slept together, without the dogs?” I purr, patting his head affectionately and licking his ear. “No, I like it the way it is,” he retorts.
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