Page 28 of The Summer of Us

Paige’s lips parted with a short breath. “A cat cafe?” she blurted.

Olivia squealed, clasping her hands together. “Isn’t it adorable? A cat cafe so close to the beach!”

Paige nodded, trying to find the words to express her excitement. “I’ve always wanted to go to a cat cafe,” she said dazedly.

“I know. That’s why I had to book us a slot as soon as I found out about it,” Olivia said. “I know you love cats, so I thought it would be a perfect addition to the trip.”

Paige had always loved cats, but her mum was unsurprisingly strict about having pets in the house and had never even entertained the possibility of getting one. “Olivia,” she said softly, facing her best friend. Her gaze was round and bright with wonder. “You really are amazing. You know that right?”

Olivia’s cheeks turned pink. “Oh, I know,” she said, clearing her throat. “Anyway, we have the ten o’clock booking. We’re a few minutes early, but they might let us wait inside.”

Paige nodded, excitement curling in her chest as she spotted one of the cats in the window, lounging in the sun belly-up. “Oh my god,” she whispered, clutching her hands to her chest. Her dress swished around her legs as the morning breeze picked up. “This is literally paradise.”

Olivia laughed, her eyes twinkling. “Let’s get inside.”

They stepped into the cool, air-conditioned entryway and pressed the buzzer.

“I’ll be with you in a second,” a voice said through the intercom. Through the small window in front of them, Paige saw the silhouette of a large cat tower. “Do you have a reservation?” the voice came again, crackling through the speaker.

“Yeah. 10 o’clock. Should be under Olivia Bennett.”

“Alright, got you.”

A figure appeared on the other side of the door, unlatching it to let them inside.

“Fudge, stop trying to trip me up,” the girl muttered as an orange and brown tabby rubbed around her legs, tail swishing. She looked up at them, her frown easing. “Sorry, right this way.”

The girl couldn’t have been much older than Paige and Olivia, with short blue hair and slender features. The name tag on her uniform read ‘Skye’.

“Your slot is ten to eleven. Help yourself to a drink and something to eat from the kitchen. It’s laid out sort of like a buffet, so you can just grab what you want,” she explained, moving her hands around as she spoke. “We ask that you don’t feed the cats, even though they might try and beg for it.” She rolled her eyes at that, making Paige assume it was a common occurrence. “You’re free to pet the cats, but please don’t pick them up or force them to do anything they don’t want to do. Most of them are pretty friendly and will come up to you, but there are a few—like Bear over there—who do prefer to keep to themselves.”

“Gotcha,” Olivia said as Paige shot heart-eyes towards all the cats currently roaming the spacious room.

“If you need anything, myself and the other staff will be wandering around, so feel free to give us a shout.”

With that, the girl named Skye walked off, her blue hair swaying just above her shoulders.

“Shall we go grab a drink first?” Olivia suggested, but Paige’s attention was already captured completely by the cats, and as soon as one came rubbing around her ankles—a small white and grey bundle of fluff with a missing eye—she melted into a puddle of affection and ignored everything else around her.

Paige fussed the cat at her feet until she remembered Olivia was there, and glanced up to find the other girl watching her, an absent smile on her face. “Sorry,” she said, scratching her cheek in embarrassment. “It’s been a while since I’ve had the opportunity for fluffy cuddles.”

Olivia waved away her apology. “You get all the fluffy cuddles you need,” she said. “I’ll go and grab us a drink. Want anything in particular?”

“Something cold and fizzy,” was all she said, before the cat at her feet began leading her over to the table with little encouraging meows, and Paige obligingly followed.

She sat down on one of the round pink pouffe seats and tickled the cat beneath its chin, purrs vibrating through its body. The collar around its neck read ‘Lola’.

“Lola,” Paige said, scratching her behind the ears. “That’s a cute name.”

Something brushed past her other leg, and she glanced down into a pair of glistening amber eyes. The black cat swished its tail affectionately, rubbing its cheek against her thigh with a soft mewl. “Hi there,” she cooed, dividing her attention between the two cats. “What’s your name?” His tag read ‘Soot’, and she chuckled. “Lola and Soot, huh?”

Olivia returned a few minutes later, balancing a tray in her hands. “Here we go,” she said, setting two glasses of fresh lemonade on the table, and a plate full of dainty-looking cakes.

“Those look familiar,” Paige said, eyeing the cakes.

“Yeah, they’re probably from that bakery. Delilah’s or something,” Olivia said, sitting down beside her. “Aw, hello there,” she said to the kitten that had just wandered up to her, its expression shy and curious. She gently stroked the kitty’s head, then looked at Paige, now surrounded by three cats. “Looks like someone’s popular.”

Paige bit her lip. “Maybe they can sense my excitement,” she joked, her eyes going wide as Lola flopped over onto her back, letting Paige rub her fluffy grey belly. “If I’m not mistaken, this is a good sign.”

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