Things like this were the reason I kept being drawn to her. There were so many layers to her and each one I discovered was making me more and more obsessed but I refused to let my resolve crumble at the first test of my will.
But still. I picked this flower and it would be rude to just drop it to the ground. I quickly shuck off my boots and walk into the shared office. Thankfully, Elle is nowhere to be seen. I let out arelieved sigh and placed the flower, yellow this time, on her desk. I make sure that it’s a good distance away from any important looking documents before turning on my heels and leaving the office.
A flash of orange pulls me out of my memory, a tabby cat slinks around the base of one of the apple trees, making its way to the middle of the walking path and stopping in front of me.
It sits down and starts licking a front paw but its eyes never leave me. “Hey little one.” I crouch down and extend a hand out, trying to make it clear I’m no type of threat to this precious animal. It doesn’t seem to be worried about me at all, though. If anything, it seems to be curious with a twinge of annoyance that I’ve crossed its path.
“Meow.” The cat lets out a curt noise before strutting to me and head-butting my hand.
I take it as the invitation I hope it is and rub a small circle on the top of their head. This must have been the right move because the cat lets out a low purr and steps closer, my finger running down their spine as they move around.
“What are you doing out here all alone, hmm?” The cat ignores me, I’m not surprised but I am surprised when it uses my knee as a launch pad, jumping into my chest before scurrying up to my shoulder. I’m so unprepared for this, I jolt to a standing position but the cat is unfazed. No, the freaking animal lays across my shoulders, like a living scarf and starts to purr again.
I guess I have a cat now?
I’m not complaining, I’ve always wanted a pet but was never in one spot long enough to commit. Looking down at my watch, I see it’s almost one. “Let’s get you some water, does that sound good?” With no hiss or scratch to disagree, I start the trek back to the shared office.
I can see the office ahead and I’m amazed how stable the cat has been on my shoulders. I've been very aware of my stepsbut there is only so much I can do while walking outside but it doesn’t seem to affect this cat at all. Rather, the cat is acting like it’s draped across a pillow soaking in the sun.
Weird cat.
I stop at the door to the office and do my best to kick off my boots without disturbing my new friend. As I place the boots on their designated resting place, I pause for a moment. How does Elle feel about animals? Will she be even more annoyed when I walk in with an unfamiliar cat draped across my shoulders and ask if we have anything bowl-like so I can attempt to give it some water?
Will she be enamored by the creature and look at me in a new light at how quickly it’s adopted me. Maybe the cuteness of it all will make her want to claim me like the cat has.
No. There will be no more thoughts like that.
I push the door open slowly, taking tentative steps into the building. “Hey, I had someone join me on my walk and I promised them some water, do you have a cup or bowl I could borrow?”
Elle is staring intensely at her computer, her fingers flying across her keyboard. She acknowledges my question with a quick nod. With how Elle’s desk is laid out, I’m standing at her side. It gives me the perfect view of her profile and means she hasn’t seen the cat resting on my shoulders yet.
She stops typing and closes out of whatever program she was in and she starts to turn her full attention to me. If I hadn’t been so focused on her while she worked, I wouldn’t have noticed the subtle blush that starts on her cheeks and travels slowly down her neck, disappearing into her shirt. I wonder how far her blush goes down, just what exactly causes a blush like that and if there’s anything else I could do to cause or even deepen the pretty shade of pink.
“What the fuck?” Crap. Did I let my inside thoughts become outside words? My gaze flicks over her face, trying to determine how upset she is. “Honey Cat, get off of him!”
I’m so stunned that it’s not me that she’s admonishing, I freeze as she makes her away in front of me.
My breath catches in my chest as Elle stands on her tiptoes, reaching for the cat. Her face is so close, I can see the gold shining in those chocolate pools. I let the fantasy that she’s reaching up to wrap her arms around my neck to steady herself before she presses her lips to mine wash over me—if only for a moment.
“Naughty cat. Why are you bothering my Intruder, huh?” Elle croons at the cat while she pulls the animal off my shoulders, cradling it like a baby. I’d never wanted to be a cat so badly. Her voice is so sweet it takes me a beat to register that she referred to me as an intruder. Asherintruder.
Hers?
Hers.
Chapter Twenty-Three
ELLE
This damn cat. Honey Cat can’t stand to be held by anyone other than Henry or myself for longer than a minute or two and from what Patrick said, Honey Cat’s been with him—draped against his muscular shoulders—for a while.
I couldn’t get him out of my head all weekend. His voice haunted my dreams and my shower escapade did nothing to settle the burning in my stomach. My body has never reacted like this and it’s driving me crazy. I thought I would get a break from my Intruder when I came to work this morning but there was another fucking flower on my desk.
I had convinced myself the first flower had come from someone else, anyone else but any possible suspects were deemed not guilty at the appearance of the yellow bulb resting on my desk.
It stood out like a beacon, away from all of my papers and folders. My heart had squeezed at the consideration and I almost tripped and fell to the ground as I rushed to my desk to add it to the notebook that housed the other.
“Honey Cat?” Patrick’s voice pulls me out of my memories and I focus on his stupid symmetrical face. “Is that your name,little one?” A fucking smile that makes my knees weak as he squats down and chucks Honey Cat under the chin.
