Page 103 of Single Teddy
Bear nodded.
“Did you sleep in Uncle Teddy’s bed?”
I glanced at Teddy, who gave me an awkward smile, and I turned to Bear.
“Yes, your uncle was kind enough to let me share his bed,” I said.
Bear took another spoonful and then said, “That makes sense. It’s a big bed.”
I had to fight with myself not to laugh because wasn’t that the cutest thing ever?
“Okay, finish up. We need to drive Wesley home so he can get changed,” Teddy said, and Bear took another couple of mouthfuls before he announced he was done.
“What about Sassy and Blue?”
“What about them?” Teddy asked and turned to them.
They were standing next to each other, looking up at Bear with big, pleading eyes that could make anyone melt.
“Can I take them to school?”
“I’m afraid not. Pets are not allowed in school,” Teddy said and turned to me for confirmation.
“Unfortunately not,” I agreed.
“So are we going to leave them alone?”
He seemed on the verge of panic, so I reached for his tiny hand and gave it a squeeze.
“It’s going to be okay, Bear. Cats are very independent creatures. They can look after themselves. Unlike dogs, they don’t need humans hanging over their heads all day long.”
“Oh,” Bear said with a sad face. “But they’re babies.”
“Even babies can look after themselves. If they couldn’t, they’d still be with their mom. Animals, unlike humans, are more or less ready to face the world as soon as they’re done drinking their mom’s milk. Humans take a lot longer.”
Bear nodded as if understanding, but I had no idea if he was making the connections between him, the cats, and what I was trying to say to him in the kindest way possible.
That he should have never had to look after himself at such a young age.
“Okay. Are you sure they’re going to be okay?” he asked me.
“I promise,” I said.
He nodded and spent the rest of his time saying goodbye to the kitties, and by the time we were ready to go, even the kittens had had enough of the non-stop cuddles as they ran away, chasing each other.
“See? I told you they’re independent,” I told Bear, and we left the apartment.
Teddy dropped me off at home and I quickly watered my plants, changed clothes, applied a generous amount of my homemade lavender perfume, and took my car to work.
As soon as I parked up, Teddy came out of his own car and walked Bear and me to the school gate before bidding us both goodbye. When we got to class, I kneeled down to Bear’s level and told him to keep last night a secret, so the other kids wouldn’t be jealous that I slept over. He told me Uncle Teddy had said the same thing.
Not gonna lie. Teddy and I made a good team.
Agh. Snap out of it, Wesley. You and Teddy are not a team. You’re barely even dating.
I sighed and returned to my desk as my other students arrived, including Niko and Valentin.
They waved at me and dragged their bags to their desks, but I couldn’t stop staring at them.
