“Bas!” Hudson called. His furry friend was at the window, watching him. Paw up on the glass as he looked out.
No longer caring if it was rude or not, Hudson twisted the handle of the door and pushed it open.
“Bas! I missed you, buddy!” He dropped his bag while heading over to the tall cat condo that was set up next to the window. With the late day sun coming through, it must be a favorite spot for the feline.
Bas gave a huge stretch, his long tail lifting before he yawned.
“Did you have a nice nap?” Hudson asked as he stroked down Bas’s back.
The cat arched, pushing harder against his palm then slinking out of his touch. Bas turned to sit on his back legs before launching himself onto Hudson’s shoulder.
“You’re so good at that! Such a good boy.” Hudson scratched under Bas’s chin. “I take it that your owner’s not here?”
Bas didn’t respond.
“I guess we’ll just hang out until he gets back. He said he might be out on the property. Should we go out front and wait on him?”
Bas yowled which maybe meant yes?
“Let’s put my bag up first. Bastian did say I could snoop but I could never do that.”
Hudson strolled over to where he’d dropped his bag and carefully leaned down to pick it up. He worried that Bas might fall but his little buddy wrapped his tail around Hudson’s neck.
“What a smart kitty,” he praised as he headed toward the bedroom. He’d already seen it when he’d needed to use the restroom during his first visit.
The doors to the bedroom and office were both wide open.
“You just have the run of the house, don’t you?” Truthfully, Hudson couldn’t see Bas not getting to go anywhere he wanted. The cat had such a strong personality, just like his owner. No wonder that Hudson liked them both so much.
He dropped his duffel on the end of the bed then turned.
Even with permission, it was strange being in someone else’s house when they weren’t around. Hudson quickly made his way toward the front door. Bastian had said that he’d listen for Hudson’s arrival and if he was super busy, maybe someone else would come keep him company. Bastian did have those great chairs on the porch.
Out on the porch, Hudson took his time looking around. The backyard was a mixture of pure fun and practicality. The back porch of the main house had a large cooking pit, table that had to fit twenty at least, and chairs. It appeared to him that the porch had been added on to at least once in recent years.
There were cabins across the yard from him. Each porch was made up differently in coloring and what they had outside. They seemed occupied. Bastian had told him about everyone when they’d had dinner, but Hudson wasn’t sure who lived in what cabin.
On this side, two of the cabins were either empty or the residents weren’t big on decorating.
Since Hudson was surrounded by color, he was going with them being empty.
Bastian had explained that he’d only been there for a few weeks and had help fixing up his place. Since there was still so much to do in his own home, like the garden he wanted for the next spring, Hudson was in no position to judge. Although Bastian could personalize his cabin a little. There weren’t even pictures of him from when he was younger. Hudson would love to see Bastian as a teenager or young man. He pictured his boyfriend completely goth and giggled.
Sitting in the chair closest to the steps so he could see Bastian walking up, Hudson wondered if Bastian planned to stay at the cabin for long. His furry friend climbed down his chest to roll into a ball over his lap. Bas the cat seemed happy with the area, but he also liked going into town, especially to visit the park.
It was way too soon to even think of living together. They hadn’t even had sex yet. And yet Hudson allowed his mind to go there.
The property he was looking at was beautiful and he could see the appeal but it was a good drive from town. Hudson loved the community that he’d found himself part of. The house that he and Carter found fitted their needs currently and Hudson had believed it would for years to come.
There was no way that Hudson was going to bring up his concerns, not this soon, but Hudson didn’t want to live so far from his brother, friends, or the fire station. With their crews being so small, if there was a large fire, Hudson could get called out at any time. It was just the way it worked in a small town.
At least he knew Bastian wouldn’t be disappearing from him any time soon.
Dropping by Bastian’s office had been a last-minute decision that Hudson was glad he’d made. He’d been freaked out when he’d first seen Bastian hugging someone else. That was more something that Hudson would get caught doing.
Jealousy and hurt had hit him so hard that Hudson nearly went weak at the knees. Bastian not acting like he’d done anything wrong, explaining, and asking for his help had soothed over those feelings.
Seeing that Bastian was settling into the office also helped wipe the rest of Hudson’s doubts. Loving his new town and community meant that Hudson didn’t have any plans on leaving. He couldn’t ever see himself not being with his brother either. That was why he’d agreed to move there in the first place.
