Page 17 of Three Meows

“I’m not good with words,” Chester mumbled.

We all stared.

The resident chatterbox didn’t think he was good with words?

“I can spew words all day, but that doesn’t mean they matter!” he exclaimed, frustration evident in his voice.

“Then don’t say it with words,” I said gently. “Rowan found his own way to show me what he meant…”

The redhead looked at the ceiling in despair before he blinked once, twice, and that wide smile returned to his face.

“I can draw you!”

The declaration was immediately followed by Chester rummaging in his back and giving a triumphant cry as he found a sketching pad and a pencil, the two things he always had at hand, as the muse could strike at any time.

I amused myself with the food and conversation with Elijah and Rowan while Chester was possessed by his inspiration. The pencil flew across the page, and he looked up occasionally tostudy me intently for a minute before he went back to the furious scribbling.

Whatever the final result was, I knew it was going to be full of passion.

The sky outside turned completely dark by the time he was done.

“Rowan, my man, switch with me,” Chester requested, and they swapped seats so that the redhead was next to me for the great reveal.

I was excited to discover how Chester saw me.

When the sketchpad was turned towards me, my breath caught in my lungs.

My visage was captured in a profile, with my lips parted, and my hair cascading around my shoulders like a waterfall. The flowing lines, thicker contours, and the pose of my figure draped in a fabric twisting around my body paid homage to one of my favorite artists, Alphonse Mucha. His signature style was complemented by a rosette in the background with the Art Nouveau decorations.

I looked ethereal, pulchritudinous, beauteous. What other fancy word for beautiful was there? I needed them all to describe the sketch in my hand. I took in every detail, my eyes tracing the folds of the dress, the curling strands of hair, the…

“Is that a taco in the background?!”

“Well, I was inspired by what I saw before me!” Chester exclaimed.

“You made me into a taco goddess?” I looked at him in disbelief.

“I can take it back if you don’t want it! I will make you a goddess of… of… of lettuce next time!”

“Don’t you dare. As a taco goddess, I demand a sacrifice! Minions, bring me more tacos!”

“Shouldn’t you be giving us tacos?” Elijah asked teasingly.

“I’m already paying for them. That is the blessing of the taco goddess,” I said sagely.

By those three men’s designation, I was a taco goddess in the shape of a duck, who was fascinated by cheese.

My life certainly won’t be boring with those three around, I thought with a smile.

Chapter Ten

That three-way date – because what else could I call it when we had a competition onpraising each other? – made a seed of hope grow in my chest. I was still certain choosing only one of my neighbors would ruin things between all of us, but maybe, just maybe, I didn’t have to choose only one of them.

The thought was like a bolt of lightning to my brain; it ignited my imagination and left me on fire. My caution burned to ashes in the fiery tornado of possibility. If there was even a slight chance of getting all of them I was going to fight for it.

And the way they were with each other… there was a strong bond of friendship between them. They were a package deal. We could make this work. Wecould.

I gave myself a moment to think about how best to approach the situation and took a long walk around the city. During the day the nearby park was bustling with life so I decided it was safe enough to go there and take in the greenery and the sounds of life.

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