Page 5 of No One Like You

“So, over thirty and sleeping on the couch with your cat most nights?”

“Don’t say it! I am not some kind of… what do they call it?”

“Spinster is what they used to say.”

“Thanks, grandma! I am not a spinster. I just haven’t found a compatible person yet.”

“Are you looking?”

“Eh, not really. I work too much, plus I’m in tech, which either intimidates people or bores people, and for some it apparently shatters their fragility and they go into conniptions.”

“Oh, that sounds like some fascinating dating stories. Do tell!”

“Oh, no! Not without something much stronger than a latte. Why don’t you go wake up Sophia and I’ll start on breakfast. I’m usually a yogurt kinda girl, but I’m pretty sure that I have what I need for pancakes.”

“Pancakes would be amazing. I mentioned something about you being a goddess, right?”

“Yes, yes you did. I see that Nocturne decided to spend the night with y’all. I hope that she wasn’t too much trouble for you. Let me get her highness fed, and then I’ll work on breakfast for the three lesser beings in this apartment.” Tasha cooed at Nocturne, “Isn’t that right, baby? You know that you’re always the queen!”

Megan left her friend cooing to an excited cat and padded back into the bedroom. “Sophia, are you awake?”

“Mom! I wasn’t awake, but I am now.”

“Good morning, sweetheart! Your Aunt Tasha has cinnamon hot chocolate for you, and she’s making pancakes for breakfast.”

“Can’t I sleep a bit longer, Mom?”

“You can go back to sleep after breakfast, I promise. I need to talk to Aunt Tasha for a bit anyway. Just come get breakfast and hot chocolate, okay?”

“Ohhhh. Kayyyyy…”

“Thank you, see you in a minute.”

As Megan walked back into the kitchen, Tasha looked up from feeding Nocturne and asked, “Is Sophia up?”

“Yes, but she’s not happy about it.”

“Hmmm, reminds me of someone else, long ago. History 101, wasn’t it? Freshman year…”

“Ugh, don’t remind me! That class was so early! Why? It was awful.”

“And yet, you persevered—with a bit of help from your kind and wonderful roommate. A roommate who has apparently now been upgraded to goddess.”

“Oh, no. I’m not living that down anytime soon, am I?”

“Nope! Goddess Tasha has a lovely ring to it, don’t you think?”

“Ugh, where’s that coffee?”

They ended up having a lovely breakfast together. Tasha made Sophia some cat-shaped pancakes, which were a big hit. Sophia learned what Nocturne’s name meant (a piece of music or art dealing with night, often a romantic night theme). After breakfast, Sophia sat on the couch with her book and a stern maternal warning that she would need to get dressed soon.

While they cleaned up the breakfast dishes, Megan asked Tasha about her plans for the day. Tasha responded, “Well, I need to grab an early lunch, and I volunteer at the cat shelter for a few hours starting at noon. I help with socializing and adoptions. You and Sophia should tag along. I bet she’ll love socializing the cats!”

“What does cat socializing involve?”

“It depends. Cats like to sleep a lot, so you may end up with a cat napping in your lap. They also like to play, which is really practicing hunting. We have lots of toys at the shelter, so I usually spend a lot of time entertaining cats with those. Mostly, we’re just trying to get them used to having humans around and interacting with us so they’ll fit in well with their adopters.”

“That sounds like fun! Let’s do that.”

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