Page 3 of Three Meows

“Sure,” he agreed readily.

My eyes roamed over the various offerings. I went on a shopping spree before the academic year started, but the secret of artists was that we were always hungry for more art supplies. There was the beautiful rice paper, fluorescent inks,a calligraphy brush, and… too much really. I would feel more embarrassed getting engrossed in browsing through different paints and pencils if Chester wasn’t equally enthralled by the artistic possibilities each new technique and product could bring. Even if he was focusing on digital art, it was obvious he cherished traditional art as well. In the end, I grabbed a gold pen that would serve as a highlight for my drawings. It wasn’t very expensive, so I didn’t feel that bad about mooching off a man I barely knew.

He paid for his own collection of paper and glittery paints, as well as my gold pen, and presented my gift with a flourish.

“That’s your first daily payment settled!” Chester beamed.

First? Wait, daily?!

“No, that’s…! You can’t…!” I spluttered. “You can’t mean to buy me art supplies every day?!”

“Fine, weekly payment then,” Chester pouted at me.

“No! That’s ridiculous! Monthly, if anything!” I protested.

“Deal!”

Only when I saw him grin from ear to ear I realized I had been duped. Walked straight into that one. He used a typical negotiation technique and started with an outlandish proposition to make another option seem reasonable.

“You are a beast.” I pointed an accusing finger at Chester.

“Gentleman on the streets, beast in the sheets,” he wiggled his eyebrows as he waved the stack of paper sheets he just brought at me. I groaned at the bad pun.

I had a feeling becoming good friends with this ridiculous man was an inevitability.

Chapter Four

“Did you just eat a part of my essay?” I asked the orange cat, who tried to inch away with the corner of the page still between his teeth. “Oh no, you don’t!”

I caught Cheddar before he could run away and didn’t let the pitiful meowing discourage me from stomping out of my apartment and delivering my squirming package right to his owner’s door.

Elijah opened the door with a grumpy expression that matched mine, but his face brightened at seeing me.

“Lisa! Has Cheddar been causing trouble again?” the man asked, inviting me inside with a gesture.

I stepped in, closing the door behind me, and only then let Cheddar go. The cat sent me a wounded look and trotted off with his tail high in the air as if to show his dismissal of me.

“He ate my work. That I need to have finished for tomorrow,” I groaned. “I’m only halfway through and it’s so late already.”

University wasn’t only sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes it was an ass-long essay on traditional British animations thatI didn’t even have time to touch with everything that was happening.

“I see. I can commiserate. My work may be fiction but I have set a certain daily wordcount to reach my goals and I’m struggling to meet it today,” he gestured at the open laptop on the table, then gave a sigh. “This is going to be a long night.”

“You write?” I perked up with interest. “What kind of fiction?”

“Crime novels. You know, so-called whodunnit. Detectives and all that. Hey Lisa, since we both will be in writing hell tonight, how about we keep together? My work often flows better when there’s even silent company in the room.”

I considered his offer.

“Throw in a never-ending supply of tea and coffee and I’m in.”

“I have a wide selection of teas and… A. Coffee. Maker.”

“Sold!” I said quickly, my eyes widening as I followed Elijah’s smug gaze to a big machine on the counter. This beast looked like something my father would have, so it had to have multiple settings! I could have an espresso. Or a latte. Maybe even a mocha!

Everything was better than the instant coffee waiting for me back at my flat.

A quick trip to my apartment and I had my own laptop and my notes at the ready.

---