I follow her into the kitchen after passing Pihu to her. My eyes run all over her open-plan apartment. Her home isspacious, lively, and full of natural light pouring in from the glass walls and the wide windows.
Taking a seat on the stool against the island, I study the wall of framed pictures in the living room. They show all stages of her childhood. In all of them, she’s smiling brightly and happily. There are some with Bianca, her parents, and friends. Two of them are the ones I met at the club the first time we met.
That night feels like a lifetime ago. I don’t allow myself to think about it.
“You can sit in the living room, Nathan,” says Arya. “It’s more comfortable.”
I turn to her. “I’m good here.”
“Okay.”
Without lowering Pihu to the floor, she walks to the countertop and grabs a steel bowl placed beside the sink. Shifting sideways, she opens the fridge and plucks out the opened can of kitten food.
Instead of asking for help, she juggles all of it to carry to the island. There is a nervousness in her movements from having my rapt attention on her.
I can’t seem to look away whenever she’s in the room.
The bowl begins to slip when I sigh and lean over. “Give Pihu back to me.”
“No, I can…”
“Ari,” I order.
The kitten is in my arms in the next second. I place her on the island, keeping her in a makeshift box of my forearms. Attention falling on my diamond cuff link, she starts to tap it with her little paw.
The tiny thing is cute.
Friendlier than Rosalie’s army of dogs.
Arya quickly readies her bowl. Grabbing it and Pihu, she puts them both on the floor. Purring in delight, Pihu dives into her lunch. Eating fast for someone her size.
“Do you travel home daily to feed her?” I ask curiously.
Standing up, she replies, “Yeah. The vet told me she needs to be fed four times a day. So, I drive twice a day. Sometimes, I ask Anaya to come whenever I’m busy or stuck in meetings.”
“Is she the one you talked to about me?”
“It was only one time!”
“Liar. I bet you ran home yesterday and called her to tell what happened between us.” Smirking, I boast, “I had a fiancée who told her best friends everything as soon as it happened.”
Curiosity piqued at my mention of Iris, she softly probes, “Were you two close?”
“No,” I lie. “I’m a good observer.”
Taking the hint, she switches the topic to a more pertinent one. “Should we talk about yesterday?”
“Have lunch first.”
“It’s all right. I can have it after you leave.”
“It wasn’t a suggestion.”
Her lips purse into a scowl. “I haven’t given you the right to boss me around.”
“It’s in my nature. Get used to it.” Taking out my phone, I open Swiggy. “We’ll order in. What do you wanna have?”
“Oh, you’re asking my opinion now?”
