He nodded. “I can understand that. Humans can be difficult to deal with.”
“Not many people like me anyway,” I said, my gaze zeroing in on a milkshake drink on the menu. It was easier to stare at the list than into Brad’s eyes.
“I like you.”
I snorted and glanced at him. “You like the kitty version of me.”
He shook his head, the longer strands of his hair swishing with the movement. “Human Harley is pretty amazing too.”
I chewed on my bottom lip, uncertain what I should say. “Thank you.”
He grinned, wide and friendly, and my heart did this happy little jump in my chest. “You’re welcome. Have you decided what you want to drink?” Brad gestured to the menu. “I’ve been here a few times, and the hot chocolate is good. So are the coffees, depending on which one you want. I’m a fan of Americanos. Four shots of espresso get me through.”
I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I didn’t usually drink much caffeine. He looked too excited about the prospect of me having a hot drink with him, so I went for the next best thing. “The hot chocolate sounds nice.”
“Fantastic.” Lines creased at the corners of his eyes again just as Emmy arrived at our table with an energetic bounce that had me feeling old. I didn’t think I’d ever been that bubbly.
“Are we ready to order?” They flicked their gaze down to our entwined hands and their eyes twinkled with a knowing glint.
“Sure. Americano with two sugars, please,” Brad said as he handed back the menu. Emmy wrote the order down on their notepad before they glanced at me with wide eyes and a toothy smile.
“Uh, hot chocolate, thanks.” I passed them back the menu too, and after they’d written my order down, they were gone again.
“So you said you started as a cat four years ago. What made you realize you could do that?” Brad seemed genuinely interested in his question, and I felt my cheeks blazing. The few other owners I’d met hadn’t wanted to know about my history. They only cared about when they could fuck me. The playing-hard-to-get game never interested them, though, and usually they left quicker than how I’d met them.
“I accidently stumbled into it.” I scratched my neck in embarrassment. “I was… looking at porn, and I saw it and liked it. So I, uh, researched it more and decided I wanted to try it. I’ve always liked cats and their attitude, and in a way I’d always compared myself to them. I decided being a cat was perfect for me.”
“I’m glad you did become one.” He winked at me and the insides of my stomach flipped in excitement. “I admit, I never thought I’d play with a cat, but I’m glad I met you.”
“You said you’ve always been a dog owner?” I whispered quietly when an elderly woman walked past us. To anyone else, our conversation would sound like we were talking about real animals, but I never got over the embarrassment of conversing about my play in public.
“Yeah, I used to have a puppy. My ex. He found another owner.” Brad didn’t sound too upset about it. I frowned at him, but he laughed. “They do say the dog chooses the owner.”
I rolled my eyes. “Puppies are overexcitable, and they claim they’re loyal, but they’ve got nothing on cats.”
He laughed harder and the noise startled me. “You don’t like dogs, do you?”
“I don’t hate them or anything, I just have a great dislike of them. They’re dirty, they lick too much, and they can’t sit still.”
“True, but some owners like a filthy animal.”
I opened my mouth, but we were interrupted by Emmy again, who brought us our drinks. They smiled at Brad, but gave me an isn’t he cute smirk, complete with nose wrinkle, before they skipped away.
“Emmy would make a good puppy. They’re so energetic.” I scrunched up my nose. Would mine even do that crinkle thing theirs did? The thought of dogs gave me a sour taste in my mouth, and it had nothing to do with owners preferring them over cats. Absolutely nothing.
“Emmy is a good kid,” Brad agreed with a chuckle. “They’re always so happy. The world needs more of that.”
“I know.” I’d only just met them today and I liked them. Probably not the kind of person I’d spend a lot of time with, though. I preferred quiet, and Emmy just looked like someone who couldn’t shut up.
I stared down at my hot chocolate and the rainbow sprinkles on top, and my stomach gave a lurch, but it wasn’t because of the drink. Was Brad one of those owners who preferred the dirty, excitable mutts over cats? Probability was high. He did say he’d never thought about owning a cat. I’d barely known him for a day, but my chest tightened at the thought of him abandoning whatever this was for a dog.
“I’m psyched to learn with you,” Brad said, and I raised my head to stare at him. Maybe I had made a face and he realized my insecurities.
I gave him a small smile and took a sip of the hot chocolate. It tasted perfect, not too sweet but not too plain, either. Just right. Maybe I needed to come back here more often.
“You said you play kickball?” I offered as the start of a new conversation. I didn’t want to talk about dogs anymore. I’d had enough of them to last a lifetime.
“Sure! I showed you pictures of the team at Black Out. Do you play any sports?” Brad took a long sip of his Americano and sighed in pleasure. My toes curled in my shoes at the unintentionally sexy sound, and a warm feeling slid through my body. What would he be like when he fucked me? I already knew the sounds I could pull from him when I sucked his cock, but would it be different if we had sex?
