Page 4 of Revelry
“I never thanked you for letting me stay with you as long as you did, by the way,” I said as I slowly walked down the stairs into the living room. “I owe you and Oscar big time for taking a whiney adult in when you already have a newborn in the house.”
“Oh please, you know you are always more than welcome to stay with us. Seriously,” he emphasized. “Anytime.”
“I know. Thank you.”
Adrian sighed into the other end, and I pictured him running a hand through his always-styled fade. Even though it was late, I imagined he was probably still dressed like he was on his way to the boutique, suit ironed and shoes matching his over-the-shoulder work bag. No doubt he was still donning a perfectly-folded scarf or well-shaped trilby hat, too. Adrian’s style was pristine, and he knew better than anyone how to dress for his skin tone and body type. He was tall, dark as night, and handsome as hell—and he knew it.
“Please promise me you’ll call me often.”
“I promise.”
“And I promise to give you updates on the boutique while you’re gone. I think we’re going to—”
There was a muffled noise on the other end, his voice laced with static.
“Adrian?”
More static.
“Hello?”
His voice cut in and then out again and I pulled the phone back from my ear, noting a barely there service bar in the top left corner of the screen.
“I think I’m losing service.”
I thought I heard him tell me to call him later, but I couldn’t be sure before the call completely failed. I frowned, typing out a quick text to let him know I’d call him later. Placing my phone face-down on the kitchen counter, I let out a long breath through flat lips and looked around.
I’d propped the front door open, but felt a little stupid now that I’d changed into my sleep romper. It was a smooth and soft cotton garnished with beautiful lace detail, the admiral blue fabric breezy and light. It was perfect for sleeping in the city, but now I wished I had something warmer.
I also wished I knew what to do with myself.
I could watch TV,I thought.Or light a fire.I sniffed, wiping at my nose as the cold nipped at it, and that small sound seemed to make such a loud noise.
The silence was deafening.
I raided the cabinets for a glass and poured water from the tap, which seemed too loud amidst the utter and complete quietness of the cabin. I was alone.Reallyalone. I wondered how far away the neighbors were. And then I wondered if there were any crazy mountain men running loose.
Which was probably why I screamed like the last survivor of a horror movie at the sound of a croaky meow behind me.
My sock-covered feet slipped on the wood, and I struggled to catch my balance while not dropping the glass now bobbling between my hands. I finally caught my grip and steadied myself, heart racing and hair wild, and looked down to find the culprit behind the terror attack simply gazing up at me. He flicked his tail on the hardwood floor.
And the bastard meowed again.
I closed my eyes, hand still pressed against my racing heart as I let out a shaky laugh.
“Well hello there, little guy.”Wait.“Girl?”
The cat meowed again, lifting himself from the floor to do a little turn before plopping down again— just long enough for me to see that he was, indeed, ahe, and to come to the conclusion that he hadn’t eaten in a while. My stomach growled, reminding me I hadn’t stopped unpacking to eat.
“You hungry?” I asked, eying him over my shoulder as I searched through the cabinets and fridge.
He was pewter gray, with bright green eyes that looked back at me lazily as he simply licked a paw in answer
There was plenty of cookware and dishes but not a single thing to eat, which I guess was to be expected. It wasn’t like the cabin would come fully stocked with Veneto merlot and brie, although I would have used a genie wish to make it so at that moment. I sighed when I found a tiny can of tuna in the last cabinet.
“Gross,” I said, wrinkling my nose, but the cat popped up at the sight of the can. I lifted a brow, reaching into the drawer near the sink for the can opener I’d spotted. “Yeah, I guess you probably aren’t as picky as me right about now, are you?”
He seemed wary of me, still staying a few feet away as I opened the can and set it down on the floor. He didn’t move for it immediately, eyes darting to where I stood and back to the can again. When I moved to pick up my glass of water and took a seat at the stool on the other side of the kitchen counter, he slowly sauntered over, sniffing at the can for only a second before graciously chowing down.
