“I know,” he said with an unrepentant grin, “and you fell in love with me because of it.So really, whose fault is that?”
Thea sighed and continued to pet Ginger, so Nathaniel reached over to do the same.Their hands touched on her back, and where Thea would’ve once pulled away, she paused and let him cover her hand with his.
“I love you,” he said simply, looking deep into her eyes, “and I always will.”
“I love you, too,” she said, leaning in for a kiss.
Their lips met, and to Nathaniel’s horror, his nose started twitching.
“Not again,” he groaned, pulling away from her just in time for his body to transform into the now-familiar orange cat.
“Interrupted, again,” Thea said with a sigh.
Nathaniel let out a grumpy meow, which made Thea giggle.
He reached out and put one paw on her leg, then looked up at her.
Thea sighed but grinned as she said, “Yes, you may sit on my lap.”
Well, at least there was one benefit to this situation.Nathaniel jumped into her lap next to Ginger, who snuggled up to him as he curled up and began to purr.
If he had to be a cat, at least he could be a cat with Thea.
But the purring stopped as he realized that he’d had less time as a human this time around.What if his time as a human got shorter and shorter until eventually he was only a cat?
The thought was unbearable.He wanted more.He wanted a future with Thea.He wanted children of his own.
HelookedupatThea, who was deep in her own thoughts.
Was she having worries like him?
Did she want children anymore?She had wanted children all those years ago, but perhaps that had changed.
Thea began to look more worried, and he turned to her with a questioning meow.
She sighed and leaned down.“It’s okay,” she said quietly, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.“I’m just thinking.”
At least she could kiss him, even if he wasn’t human.
A tingling began on top of Nathaniel’s head where she’d kissed him and spread through his entire body.First his bones, then his muscles, then through his skin, every fiber of his being affected.
What was happening?
Things began to grow brighter, drowning everything out, and the tingles turned to pressure so strong he could hardly breathe.
He tried to speak, but nothing came out, and he struggled to bring air into his lungs.
Was he glowing, or was he simply losing his eyesight?And why was it so hard to breathe?
Was he dying?Had he used up all nine of his lives before turning back into a human?
He didn’t want to die.He had too much life to live, too much he still wanted to do.
He couldn’t feel anything anymore.Where was Thea?Was she okay?Was she worried about him?Was she feeling the pressure too?
He couldn’t see anything, either—the light was far too much.He closed his eyes, preferring the dark to the overwhelming brightness.
The pressure faded and so did the light, and when he opened his eyes, he was lying on the floor with his head in Thea’s lap.
