Page 42 of You Were Invited
“Sorry. I wasn’t expecting company. Didn’t get out of bed until you came over.”
“I like the Christmasyvibes.”
“Genuinely or ironically?”
“I mean… is that what you like? Maybe this is what sold you on the cabin? I don’t know. Maybe you painted it?”
He laughed. “No, I hate it.”
Annie laughed, and he was pleased the tension was waning.
Their eyes met. They both lingered as he waited for her to look away. He couldn’t stop himself, and she didn’t cease looking at him, either.You’re being rude.
“I have a cat,” he blurted.
She blinked. “A cat? Where?”
Julian nodded. He gestured with another nod to the bed. “He hides all day. Either under here, or under the dining room table when he has the place all to himself on days I’m gone.”
“He’s under the bed?”
“He about killed himself getting under it when you knocked.”
Annie crouched before she got down on her stomach. “I see him.” She clucked her tongue and made kissing noises. Her arm extended under the bed. “He seems interested.”
Julian raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t hopeful, but he did feel bad that Kitty’s home was more scary than comforting and relaxing. Getting the cat to be social honestly hadn’t been at the top of Julian’s list. He’d assumed it was a lost cause.
Annie made more kissing noises. “C’mere, kitty-kitty. It’s okay. Just wanna sniff? You’re a handsomes boy...”
“Did I tell you his name?” Julian asked, unsure.
“No. What is it?”
“Kitty.”
Annie thought for a second then laughed. “Nice. So ‘kitty-kitty’issomething he’d recognize.”
Julian crouched on the back of his heels. “Any luck?”
“Maybe. Why’s he get so scared? You don’t seem like a monster.”
“I would hope I don’t seem that way.” Julian shrugged. "He was fine when I brought him home. Let me pet him and everything. But I shattered a plate on accident while he was eating in the kitchen. Didn't lay a hand on him but he looked like I’d punted him across the room like a football, and that's kinda that."
"Do you know anything about his past?"
"Just picked him up from the shelter so I’d have some company. He’s five, they said. They told me Kitty was a quiet cat. Previous owners surrendered him, then took off." Julian carefully got down on his stomach beside Annie.
When Kitty saw him, one paw in the air as he crawled towards Annie, he froze, irises jumping and enlarging.
“Shouldn’t have done that,” Julian muttered, feeling bad for ruining Annie’s efforts. Kitty continued to stare at him in suspicion.
“No, no... l-let’s give it a try. Stay there,” Annie whispered. She clucked her tongue and kissed at Kitty again. “Kitty-kitty-kitty... It’s okay. Big ol’ scary Julian isn’t goin’ to hurt ya. He wants to love on ya.”
Kitty’s eyes lingered on Julian for a few more seconds before he twitched his whiskers and focused on Annie’s hand again. He put his paw down on the ground, before he bobbed his head, sniffed the air.
“Here Kitty-kitty-kitty. Yeah, that’s it...”
Julian was amazed. He watched Kitty crawl on his belly towards Annie’s hand.
