Page 35 of Code Mages & Empty Pages
She looked down at the purring kitten, then shook her head. “No, I wanted him.” She leaned over and kissed me, soft and quick. “Thank you, Luc.”
I squeezed the back of her neck gently. “You’re welcome.”
On the way home, I stopped at Dwarfoods. “Want to wait in the car? I’ll grab stew stuff, cat food, and a litter box for Ruffles. Anything else?”
She hesitated. “I need a new menstrual cup. But don’t worry about it.” She said hastily and waved me off. “I’ll grab one later.”
“Just send me a picture or a link.” I frowned at her. “Are there different kinds? Different colours or sizes?”
She grinned. “The colour doesn’t matter. I’ll text you the right size, okay?”
Inside, I picked a large yellow cup. She wore a lot of yellow, and I thought it would brighten up her days. Then I grabbed up everything for lamb stew, cat food for sensitive stomachs, and a glittery purple litter box. When I came back, I handed her the cup.
“Is this the right one? If not, I’ll go back and swap it.”
She checked it, then beamed at me. “It is. Thank you.”
I finally exhaled. “Good. What’s so funny?” I asked when she started to laugh.
“Morgan never even bought pads for me. He was too embarrassed.”
I scoffed. “Moon Goddess, some guys are assholes. Sorry.”
“No, you’re right. Thanks for proving it’s not all guys.”
I grinned, but the warmth between us made me uneasy in a way I hadn’t expected.
Am I being too obvious?
The thought of Hector and Mason coming over tomorrow made my stomach twist as I drove us back to my cottage. Hector always had a way of knowing when I was hiding something, like things I shouldn’t be doing with a housemate.
I pushed my worries firmly aside when we arrived at my house. We realized we’d left windows open, and Dawn and I dashed around the house to make sure everything was closed. Then she perched on the floor and let Ruffles out of his wicker basket.
The Cat-Sìth wasn’t shy at all. He ventured out as soon as the door was open and seemed to adjust instantly, as if he’d alwaysbelonged. By the time the lamb stew was ready, he’d eaten, found his litter box, and lay sprawled across Dawn’s lap, purring away.
I’d worried that taking care of a pet together might feel awkward at first, but I couldn’t remember a time when I’d been happier. Dawn stroked his glossy fur, and I watched her, half amused by my own contentment. Who would have guessed I’d crave this kind of domestic bliss? I was already scheming to build him a cat tree so he could nap somewhere high.
The next afternoon, Hector and Mason arrived. As soon as Mason dropped to the floor in the living room, Ruffles jumped into his arms, purring louder than I’d ever heard.
“Hello, old friend,” Mason crooned in his Demon voice.
“You two know each other?” I asked, unable to keep the grin from my face.
“We recognise each other,” Saor clarified in his slightly distorted voice. “We hail from the same realm.”
Ruffles rubbed his cheek against Mason’s, leaving a few stray hairs in his stubble. Mason beamed at Hec. “He’s so precious. We should get a pet, Cub.”
“I’m allergic,” Hec deadpanned, then faked a sneeze that had everyone laughing. After setting a tray of sandwiches on the coffee table, he bent low to kiss Mason. They were disgustingly cute together.
Once we’d all found a spot on the couch, Mason turned to me. “Any plans next weekend? We were hoping for a family day, and wanted to invite Ed and Asp, Penn, Desmond, Mia…”
“We can’t, sorry,” I said without thinking. Hector’s eyebrow ticked up. He’d caught my slip-up. I’d said we, not I.
I was tired of hiding how I felt about Roe.
I think I love her.
“We’re taking Ruffles for his next set of vaccinations.”
