Page 41 of Psync
“Eventually.”
Well, if Haruka could play at being mysterious and nonverbal, so could Eli. He bit his lip and promised himself he wouldn’t say another word, even if it killed him. If he had to, he’d wait until Haruka became distracted then grab his bag and run.
He did a rather excellent job of being quiet until the kitten happened.
The sound he made was very manly. In fact, he didn’t make a sound at all. He was certain of it. But if he had, it would have been an incredibly manly one.
The little paws that perched on his foot were so painfully cute, he immediately didn’t let out a few more very manly sounds.
He crouched down. “What are you doing here?” Eli ran his fingers through soft, gray fur and found a tag. “Dakin? Isn’t that an animal shelter near here? Did you run away?”
The tiniest little pink nose nuzzled against his hand and green eyes stared into his. He reached out his other hand and gently scooped it up.
Tucking it against his chest, Eli stood and said, “I think I’ve found a quest.”
He looked up from the stripy, gray ball of fur in his arms to see Haruka giving him an inscrutable look. Eli took a step back from the intensity of his gaze.
“You don’t have to come with me, I can find”—he lifted the kitten’s tail—“his home by myself.”
Haruka blinked slowly, looked down at the kitten, then back up at Eli’s face. “I’ll help you.”
“Oh.”
What was Eli supposed to do right now? If it were Alice he was talking to, he had a feeling he wouldn’t be having such a hard time trying to figure out what he was supposed to say or do next. What was it that made Haruka so different?
It couldn’t be that he sometimes liked to tease Eli—Alice did it all the time. But when she did it, it didn’t make his face hot or make his hands and feet feel like they were suddenly five times larger than usual.
“Okay then . . . I think the first thing we should do is call the shelter to see if they have any information on this little guy.”
Haruka pulled out his phone. “I’ll look up their number.”
Eli nodded and turned his attention back to the kitten who had busied himself in trying to nurse from his armpit.
“You found him!”
A girl about Eli’s age ran toward him at full speed, her long hair trailing behind her like a streamer—there was no way she was going to stop herself before she smashed into him. Eli closed his eyes, wrapped his arms around the kitten, and braced himself for impact.
He heard anoof, but nothing happened. Eli opened his eyes to see Haruka standing in front of him with an armful of flailing girl.
“Sorry! I just got so excited when I saw Rocky. I thought I’d never see him again.”
Eli narrowed his eyes when he noticed the girl’s hands pressing against Haruka’s chest. “What was he doing running around a college? He’s only a baby.” Was that his voice? Jeeze, he sounded bitchy even to his own ears. Maybe he needed to eat something.
Haruka steadied the girl and stepped back, nearly bumping into Eli, but dodging to the side at the last second.
Ugh. Surprise, random people. So stressful.
Eli fished around in a pocket until he found his earbuds, put them in his ears, and hit play on his phone. He kept the volume low enough that he could hear what was going on, but still loud enough to give him a small barrier between himself and the situation unfolding in front of him.
“He darted out of the door when I stopped to pump gas. I think maybe his carrier wasn’t closed properly, and he busted it open and ran. Poor little guy must be terrified. I just got him today.” None of this was said to Eli because the girl couldn’t seem to keep her eyes off of Haruka.
Bad manners notwithstanding, Eli had no reason not to give the kitten back to the girl—especially since he had no home to give him. “Just keep an eye on him better, okay?” He pressed his nose into the kitty’s fur in a silent goodbye, breathing in its one-of-a-kind kitten smell. He really needed to have his own cat someday.
He made to pass the kitten to the girl, but Haruka intercepted. He held his hands under the small bundle, waiting until Eli released him into the larger man’s care. Then he passed the kitten to the girl who proceeded to touch Haruka far more than the situation warranted in Eli’s opinion.
Then for some unknown reason, she didn’t leave. “So, what are you two up to today? I hope I didn’t keep you from anything important?”
“We have class soon,” Haruka said shortly
