I laughed. “Of course. Rocco, want to say goodnight to Daddy?”
I shifted his butt a little and again he picked up his head, his bad eye shut, his good eye just a slit. He mewled on command and I could hear E.G.’s soft chuckle
“I’m sure you can see the resemblance,” I told him.
“Yes, he’s a very handsome ginger.”
“Ha. Are you flying back Sunday?”
“Yes.”
“Not private, though? That’s bad for the environment.” I didn’t think he had a private jet. That felt a little too high maintenance for someone who had only flown once since I’d known him. Which had been less than a year. Not that long, really, for someone to become so important.
“Commercial all the way. But I’m still allowed first class, right?”
“Acceptable,” I said. I was running out of small talk and E.G. as a rule didn’t make small talk.
I wasn’t sure where it came from. Maybe it was just the general melancholy of the season. Or the fact that we’d never gone this long without seeing each or…
Or all the other things I never wanted to put a name to but lived in my head.
“If you don’t get back too late on Sunday and want to come by and see Rocco, that would be okay. You didn’t really get a chance to get to know him on Wednesday.”
His face changed then. An expression I’d never seen before, but only because maybe he’d been hiding it this whole time.
And maybe that’s what I looked like too, because in that moment I didn’t think I could hide anything either.
“Is that what you want?” He asked the question so softly. Like there was so much more implied than what I suggested. Like I was asking for way more than a drive-by cat visit.
Because I was.
“Is that what you want?” I returned, because I didn’t want to answer the question.
His head dipped and I heard his sigh so clearly through the phone.
“Flowers, what I want is to go back seven months and for you to get the suite number right.”
“Oh.” There was a lot to unpack in that statement, so I didn’t try.
“And I also want to come see you, like a physical goddamn ache.”
“He’s just a cat, E.G.” I said with a small smile. “Don’t make it out to be such a big deal.”
He laughed. “Yeah. Okay. I’ll swing by after I’m home.”
“Only if you want.”
Grant
I hung up the phone,not really certain what I was feeling.
Melancholy to be sure. Flowers had opened a door with her invitation. One, intellectually, I knew I should slam back in her face.
Only, I hadn’t. In fact, I was pretty sure I’d accepted her.
It could have been innocent.
Come over.See the cat I got you. Have a drink. Watch a movie with me.
