DJ Muffin meowed in defiance and stayed put.
"It's all right, I don't mind." I reached down to give DJ Muffin a scratch behind his ears. The cat squinted and leaned into my hand. "It looks like he wanted attention more than tea."
Nikolas was wide-eyed. "Wow. I've never seen him act like that with a stranger."
"Really?" I asked. DJ Muffin was purring now.
"Yeah. When Duncan came over that one time, DJ Muffin hissed at him and then ran away to hide in the bathroom all night."
I bristled at the mention of this Duncan person. Who was he? And why was he over at Nikolas's apartment during the night?
Calm down, Jian,I told myself.Nikolas is not your omega.
"I see," I said, trying to keep my voice casual. "Who is Duncan, by the way?"
"Oh." Nikolas's shoulder slumped. "He is—orwas, I guess—my boyfriend."
I stiffened. My inner qilin reared his head, tossing back furious antlers and stomping his hooves in anger.
"I didn't know you had a boyfriend," I said mildly.
He shrugged. "I don't anymore. I'm pretty sure he broke up with me tonight."
A wave of relief hit me. But was that what Nikolas wanted? I couldn't tell from his expression.
"I see. What happened, if you don't mind my asking?"
Nikolas grimaced. "It was my fault. I showed up late to dinner tonight and I guess that was the last straw. I mean, I wasn'tthatlate, about fifteen minutes. But I did forget about the date, honestly. So it wasn't his fault."
Despite my relief, I was also irritated with this Duncan man. He'd broken up with my sweet Nikolas for being fifteen minutes late to a single date? He sounded like a high-maintenance jerk.
"Was he good to you before tonight?" I asked, morbidly curious. I had to know.
"He was fine. Like, we got along well enough. I just wasn't head-over-heels for him, if that's what you mean."
Nikolas's tone wasn't dripping with passion, so I assumed he wasn't too upset about the breakup. That made me feel better.
"Then it seems like all is for the best," I suggested with a smile. "You deserve somebody you're truly in love with. Not just a partner you date for the sake of having one."
His eyes widened and his cheeks flushed. "Y-yeah."
"And that person wasn't Duncan."
"No." Nikolas let out a laugh. "Definitely not. You're right. Thanks, Jian."
"Anytime."
By now DJ Muffin had leapt into my lap and curled up, purring like an engine. I stroked his fur. He was warm and soft. I thought about what it would feel like if Nikolas was laying in my lap instead. As cute as his cat was, I preferred the fantasy of the latter.
"Ah, I can take the mug if you're done with it," Nikolas said, sounding a bit flustered.
"Sure. Thank you."
After Nikolas returned from putting away the tea, he stood in front of me and rubbed his wrist. "So, it's getting late, huh?"
I checked the time. It was nearly midnight. "Oh, I hadn't noticed. Time flies when you're having a good time."
"Yeah, it does. Um... I was wondering if you're planning on staying the night? I don't have a guest room, but I can throw some sheets on the couch and grab you a pillow." He grinned. "I can even sleep on the floor here. We could have a sleepover, just like old times."
