“Pizza should be here soon.” I say, opening the fridge to grab two beer bottles. “Let’s set ourselves up on the couch. So we can put the game on in the background.”
Connor opens a little pot of a luxury brand of cat food and arranges it on a small plate. “Sure. Just let me go check on Poonani first. Keene asked me to give her some wet food for dinner.”
I chuckle at the level of attention Connor puts into arranging the food on the plate. “Are you worried she won’t like the presentation?”
He shakes his head. “I got precise instructions to make sure the food is spread evenly but not too close to the rim of the plate.”
Is he being serious?
“Come again?” I laugh.
“Yeah, Poonani is very finicky and she won’t eat if the food isn’t a certain way. Keene said she won’t eat from a bowl, no matter what.”
I wouldn’t have a leg to stand on if I was to criticize how Keene spoils his cat, if I didn’t do the same with our family dog. There’s no way to resist those beady eyes. She’s the member of my family I miss the most since I came to California for college.
Once I graduate and get settled, I plan on getting a dog. Maybe even two.
The thought hits me the second I imagine walking two small dogs in a park somewhere on the East Coast. Who knows if Bex is a dog person? In that image in my head, she’s right by my side.
The doorbell saves me from overthinking how much I like being in a relationship when I thought I wasn’t cut out to be someone’s boyfriend.
Maybe, I think as I tip the pizza delivery guy, I just like being Bex’s boyfriend. That’s some serious food for thought.
Connor
“Poonani,” I call, entering Keene’s room. “Come here kitty, kitty. I have some delicious gourmet food for you.”
The room is dark, and there’s no sign of the small black cat.
“Poonani.” I call again. “Where are you?”
The window is closed, so I doubt she went outside.
“Jamie, have you seen Poonani? Is the door to the deck open by any chance?”
My teammate sets two large pizza boxes on the coffee table. He has paper plates and paper tissues.
“Nope. It was closed. Why?”
I look left and right, checking the living room for any sign of Keene’s cat. “She isn’t in Keene’s room.”
Jamie rolls his eyes. “Have you checked the vanity cabinet under the sink in Keene’s bathroom?”
He’s right. That’s one of Poonani’s favorite hiding places. Shortly after we moved in, Keene got into a real panic because he couldn’t find her. We looked everywhere around our condo and we even printed fliers to give out around campus, in case she had slipped out without us knowing. After a frantic afternoon looking for her everywhere, we convinced Keene to come home and resume the search the day after. When he turned the shower on and opened the cabinet to grab a towel, his cat jumped out as if nothing had happened.
“She’s not in here.” I call out, disappointed and a little worried.
“Maybe she snuck into one of our rooms,” Jamie muses. “You know she considers this entire place her territory.”
“Nope,” we both sigh as we reconvene into the living room. “She’s vanished.”
Jamie rubs his chin, deep in thought. “We haven’t checked Bex’s room.”
I’m not convinced. “But she hates Bex.”
“That’s exactly why she might be there.” He says. “Cats are assholes. She knows Bex is scared of her claws, so she’s probably hiding somewhere in her room, ready to attack her when she comes home.”
I hesitate with my hand on the door handle. “You go in first. It feels wrong to go into someone’s room without their permission. But she’s your girlfriend. You’ve spent more time in there than I have.”
