I head straight for my door but then halt and stare at it once I reach it. Stymied.
“I don’t have the keys,” I tell Damian. “They’re in my purse.”
He hesitates, eyeing me like I’m something wild, unpredictable. Then he reaches into his back pocket, pulls out a ring of keys, gently bumps me aside with his hip, and opens my door.
I stand there with my mouth dropped open, gaping.
“I’m, uh, a hacker and also kinda your landlord.” A tiny shrug of his shoulders. “I bought this building a few years before you moved here.”
He steps to the side to let me walk in, then follows, closing the door behind us with a soft click.
There’s a yowl and an explosion of black-and-white fur as Mr. Wiggles shoots across the room. I turn and hold my arms out, ready for him to leap into them like he always does, but to my absolute shock Mr. Wiggles flies right past me and intoDamian’shands.
What the hell?
I stare disbelieving at my cat, the same cat who hisses and swipes with open claws at anyone who isn’t me, now curling in Damian’s arms like a baby and gently licking Damian’s chin.
“Wha—wha—what’s happening?” I croak out.
Damian has the decency to look uncomfortable as he unsuccessfully tries to peel my cat off his chest. A few tugs and Mr. Wiggles just digs his claws even further into Damian’s shirt until Damian gives up and stands there with the cat glued to him, looking miserable but petting Mr. Wiggles’ head while the cat purrs.
“I don’t understand,” I say. “He hates everyone but me.”
“Well,” Damian begins, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot. “Remember how you told me that the neighbors were complaining. Saying he cried, meowed, so loud when you left him for work?”
“Yeah.” I draw the word out, still not understanding.
“You know, I’m right down the hall.”
“Yeah,” I repeat.
“And he reallywasloud. Like I could barely get any work done.”
“Okay…” I trail off, waiting for him to fill in the blanks.
“So I did what any good neighbor would do.” He chews on his lip, looking everywhere but at me.
“And what’s that…exactly?”
“I catnapped him,” Damian saysin a rush.
“What?!” I rear back. “What do you mean you catnapped my cat?”
He finally looks at me. “Every day. When you go to work. I come over and get Mr. Wiggles. He spends the day at my place. Keeping me company. Walking all over my keyboards.” A fond glance down at the feline in his arms. “Chewing on my shoes, my very expensive shoes might I add. And eating all the food in my house. Right before you get home, I sneak him back in here so he’s waiting for you.”
Damian waits, scanning my face for a reaction. When there isn’t one, he gives a small, hopeful smile and says, “See? We’re like cat co-parents. He’s so much happier with the both of us in his life.” Damian gives me a solemn nod. “Isn’t that what’s most important, Hannah? That Mr. Wiggles is happy?”
I lose it.
“What the fuck?!”I go to grab Mr. Wiggles, but he’s still got his claws in Damian’s shirt, plus Damian holds onto him so soon we’re in the middle of a full-on cat tug-of-war. Mr. Wiggles yowls in protest.
“You fucking stole my cat? Who does that?” I rant, my face on fire, my breath coming in angry spurts. “And what do you mean when I come home? How the fuck do you know when I’m coming home? What about two weeks ago when I had a migraine and came back early. Mr. Wiggles was here waiting for me. How did that happen?”
Finally, I have the cat in my arms. I yank him into my chest, ignoring how he squirms, trying to break free.
The traitor.
Damian is frozen, staring at me with wide, fearful eyes.
