“He likes you,” he says, nudging my arm with his elbow.
“Are you jealous?” I wiggle my eyebrows.
He smirks. “A little.”
The calico kitten pounces from a few feet away and tackles Roland off my lap. I watch, amused, as the kittens wrestle for a minute. Then, as quickly as they started, the play session ends and the two kittens begin to lick each other’s faces, purring.
“Do they do this all the time?” I ask, gesturing to the kittens, whose faces are now wet with each other’s saliva.
“Oh, yeah. When they’re not wrestling, they’re making out with each other. It’s a little weird considering they’re brother and sister.”
I laugh, startling the kittens, who stare up at me, and then return to wrestling each other.
“I can’t believe you’ve kept these kittens from me this whole time,” I tell him.
“Judging by the look on your face right now, it was the right decision. You probably would have kidnapped them and we never would have made it to this adoption event.”
He’s right. I can’t picture myself going home without these two kittens now. “Would it be crazy if I adopted them?” I ask.
Anne frowns, snapping her head in my direction. “Have you ever had a cat before?” she interrupts.
“No. I’ve always wanted one.”
“You don’t have to feel guilted into doing this just because no one else has adopted them,” Jake says. “That’s not why I wanted you to come.”
I reach over and pet Phoebe while she swats at my shoelaces. She grabs one in her mouth and pulls, untying my shoes. “I don’t feel guilted into it. I’ve been thinking about getting a pet for a while. And I’ve always wanted a cat ever since I was a little kid. Did you really think you could throw me in a room with these two and not have me fall in love with them?”
I look up and meet his eyes as I say it. It’s not until I notice his slight frown that I wonder if my choice of phrasing is a little weird to use with someone I’ve just started dating. I probably shouldn’t have said that I love a couple of kittens I just met before I even say those three words to him. The room is so quiet for a moment that it has me questioning everything, and I wonder if I should backtrack or if that would just make things weirder.
Before I have the chance to embarrass myself or make this situation weirder, his frown dissolves and the corner of his mouth tilts up in that crooked way that I like so much. “If you’re serious about adopting them, I’ll have someone get the paperwork.”
* * *
By the time I make it home, I’m the proud new owner of two kittens, one cat carrier, a litterbox, a bag of kitten food, and way more toys than these kittens will know what to do with. Anne helps me carry everything inside. She stops me when she sees me heading to the stairwell.
“Uh, excuse me? Gnome? Don’t you think the elevator would be easier?”
I turn around and look at her. She’s holding most of the items I just bought. Her arms are full. All I have is the carrier with the two kittens inside. I remember the last time I took the elevator and got trapped. I really don’t want to take it again, but I also don’t want Anne to trip and fall down the stairs while her arms are full of all my things.
“You take the elevator. I like the exercise.”
We reach my floor at the same time.
“You are so weird,” she says when we get to my door. “Did Luca write a traumatizing letter about elevators when you were a kid?”
“No. I got trapped in there once. Well, twice. I haven’t ridden it since.”
I unlock my door and she follows me inside.
“Where do you want this stuff?” she asks.
“Just set it down wherever. I’ll find a place for everything.”
I set the cat carrier on the floor but I don’t open it yet. There are still a few more things to grab from Anne’s car, but I have something I want to do first. I grab my notebook and pen and head to the kitchen counter.
“What are you doing?” Anne asks when she sees me start to write.
“I’m writing a letter to Luca.”
