“It’s not the type of jumping you’re thinking.” I throw him a saucy look over my shoulder. “It’s the kind that might leave you with a concussion.”
Cat lifts her head from where she’s curled on the couch and blinks sleepily at us as we pass by on our way to the kitchen.
“It’s still hot.” Sebastian slides the dish onto the counter. “So we don’t need to heat it up.”
“Perfect.”
The comforting scents of tomato sauce and cheese draw me closer to the lasagna—and to Sebastian. “Have I told you that you’re my dream man?”
“Because of lasagna?”
I slip my arms around him. “Yes…and because of other things.”
His eyes flash as he looks at me like he’s trying to drink me in with his gaze. “Now that you mention it, there’s something I want to tell you…”
“Mrrrreeeow.” Cat’s “feed me dinner” meow is nails on a chalkboard.
“Geez, girl.” I cover my ears. “Take it down a notch.”
“I’ll feed her and serve dinner. You get settled in.” Sebastian gives me a quick kiss.
But I stay planted next to the counter. “Didn’t you want to tell me something?”
He considers it for a moment. “It will keep.” He shuffles closer to me, the warmth of his body wrapping around me like an embrace. “You look hungry. Right now, let’s eat.”
“Hm. Okay.” I give him a suspicious look. Is he going to ask me on some sort of special date? The trip to his family’s petting zoo was quite an adventure, and I would love to get out of town together again. Even though I’m also busy, I’m starting to appreciate an afternoon with Sebastian as a solid excuse to drop everything for a while.
My stomach rumbles, distracting me from all other thoughts. While Sebastian feeds the cat and dishes up the lasagna, I pour us some sparkling water and put on a show that we watched a few episodes of while I was stuck in bed having my flare.
Rain pelts the living room windows as we cozy up on the couch. The moment is perfect, like all the pieces of the universe have finally slid into place. There’s nothing else I want to be doing, nowhere else I would rather be.
“I love eating in front of the TV.” Sebastian grins. “My mom never let us when I was a kid.”
“That surprises me. She seems so…”
“Unrestrained by social norms?”
“Exactly,” I laugh.
“She’s a bucket full of surprises.”
“You know, that’s the best part of being an adult.” I wink. “Getting to do all the things you couldn’t growing up.”
The thunderstorm picks up, while on the screen, one of the characters puts their cat on a leash. Instead of walking, the cat slumps over onto its side in the grass, refusing to move. Not even cat treats or wiggling a toy mouse in front of the animal can get it to budge an inch.
“I want to do that with Cat,” I announce.
“Put a leash on her so that she’ll turn into a cat loaf?”
“No,” I laugh. “Take her for walks.”
“She might like it. She’s still young enough that she could get used to the leash. It’ll take a while, though. Walking a cat is different from walking a dog.”
“Would you like that, Cat?” I turn to the kitten, who was on the couch when we came into the living room. Now, though, she’s nowhere to be seen.
“Guess we’re too loud for her,” Sebastian says.
“Sorry, Cat!” I yell. “Not sorry.” I turn to Sebastian. “She’s probably sleeping in one of my fake fur slippers. She discovered them yesterday and has been taking most of her naps there.”
