Page 30 of Entirely Yours
Back into the bedroom… warm.
Over to the window… on fire.
Pulling the curtain open, sure enough there’s a cat sitting on the outside sill. It’s completely black and incredibly fluffy.
Feels like a bad omen.
Its yellow eyes stare at me, unblinking, waiting for something.
This is not my cat.
I don’t own a cat.
I close the curtains, walk away, immediately feel like an asshole, turn around, and pop open the window. “Shoo. Go back to your home.”
The cat tilts its head at me. “Go on,” I try again, attempting to spook it without actually touching it. The fluff ball jumps off the sill and down onto the ground, slowly slinking away with one last scowl toward me.
Shutting the window, I wander into the kitchen to start my coffee. As I go through the motions, I replay the events of yesterday for the millionth time. It’s taking everything in me not to go back over to Thea’s apartment now to check on her. The possibility of her being pregnant makes me simultaneously terrified and… fucking elated.
The desire to be a dad has been ingrained in me for as long as I can remember. I was always the one taking care of my siblings when we were younger—the stable constant. And I liked it that way. I want to be useful. I want to fall in love. I want a family of my own.
It’s so easy to see all of that with Thea and Chloe. If that’s what she wants, too. Which feels unlikely since she kicked me out of the apartment yesterday.
I have no idea how I’m going to focus on work today.
Meow.
My head snaps up. What the fuck?
The fluff ball is now sitting on the kitchen window sill, staring into my soul.
As long as I can remember, we have never had an issue with stray cats in Sassafras. The larger wildlife that have found their way to our town usually take care of that. No, this guy—or girl—must have a home.
Since I’m feeling incredibly useless this morning, the cat has arrived at the perfect time, giving me something to do. Something to focus on.
I pop this window open and resign myself to stopping by theshelter on the way to school this morning. The owner will be located by the end of the day, and that will be that.
Fluffy slinks through the window as soon as I open it. I hold my hand out for it to sniff, smiling as it nudges my fingers a few times with its wet nose. Upon further inspection, and now that the coffee is brewing, the cat is pretty cute.
It walks along the counter, pushing its head against my hand and purring loudly. There’s no collar that I can see, but it definitely seems good with people. I give it a few scratches under its chin and then watch it as I walk away to pour myself a cup of coffee.
The cat continues to prowl across the countertop, paying me no mind as I watch and drink. Fluff ball nudges the cabinet door open, batting at a box of pasta until it tips over.
“Good thing that box was closed, or else I’d be very annoyed with you,” I murmur. The cat simply stares at me while it bats another box over. I think I’ve entered into a cat staring competition, but we both lose when there’s a loud knock at the door. The sound is loud enough to spook the cat, who goes running toward my bedroom. I’m about to follow it when another knock sounds.
“Coming!” I call, assuming it’s my impatient mother who often likes to drop off “a little treat” on her way to work. A peek through the peephole leaves me breathless, however, and I don’t think twice before swinging the door open.
“Thea,” I pant.
She takes a long look at my chest, and I feel like I’m back in the kitchen doing the staring contest with the cat. Except Thea is very much not looking at my eyes. “Muscles,” she whispers.
I give her a minute to compose herself, though, I definitely don’t mind being admired. “Eyes up here,ma chou.”
That gets her attention. “What does that mean?”
I ignore her question because she’s putting me through the wringer, and I need some semblance of control here. “Why don’t you come in? I’ll make you some coffee.”
Her internal debate is obvious, and I see when she eventually gives in, passing me to walk into the house.
