Aurora was leaning over it, her wet hair dripping down her back, hoodie long gone. She was just in her soaked sweats and a bra, skin flushed from the heat and rain. And she was just humming softly as she held the tiny black kitten under the running water, rinsing the dirt and rain off its fur with the gentlest touch. Her hands were shaking a little from the cold, but she didn’t care. She just smiled, whispering to it,
“It’s okay, baby. Almost done.”
I stood behind her, shirtless, still in my wet sweats, a towel hanging around my neck. Watching her like I always did when she got too damn precious for words.
“Alright,” she whispered, holding the kitten up. Its fur was sticking up in wet clumps, little paws kicking in the air. “All clean.”
She turned to me with that soft grin that could make my knees weak. “Joshua, meet Brownie.”
I blinked. “…Brownie?”
She nodded proudly, the kitten meowing as if it agreed.
I tilted my head, frowning in disbelief. “Princess, it’s black.”
She giggled. “I know, but,” she paused, cheeks reddening as she looked up at me, “it reminded me of Sunday.”
“Sunday?” I raised an eyebrow, still lost.
“Yeah,” she mumbled, looking away quickly, “the day we tried to bake brownies, and you couldn’t keep your hands to yourself.”
Oh.
That Sunday.
The memory hit instantly, her sitting on the counter, the smell of chocolate in the air, her laughing into my mouth as the timer went off. And then the alarm. The smoke. Me, shirtless, waving a towel like an idiot while she laughed so hard she almost cried.
I couldn’t help it. I started laughing now, too.
“You’re telling me,” I said, still grinning, “You named it after my fuck-up?”
She nodded, pretending to hide behind the kitten. “Mm-hmm. It’s your fault he exists.”
I groaned, stepping closer until I was right behind her, my reflection meeting hers in the mirror. She just smiled, holding Brownie up. “Say hi to Daddy, Brownie.”
The kitten sneezed.
I huffed out a laugh and leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to the back of her shoulder, her skin warm and damp under my lips. “You’re lucky I love you,” I whispered against her, watching her blush in the mirror.
“Yeah?” she murmured, smiling shyly.
“Yeah,” I said, wrapping my arms around her waist, resting my chin on her shoulder. “Even if you name the next one Burnt Toast, I’m still keeping it.”
She laughed quietly, holding the tiny kitten against her chest, and I swore the sound was softer than any storm, any silence, any night I’d ever known.
Me, her, Honey, and now Brownie.
Aurora set the tiny black fluffball beside Honey on the bed, both kittens curling into each other instantly. One golden, one pitch-dark.
I leaned against the doorframe, towel hanging off my shoulders, just watching her. The way she softly brushed her thumb between Brownie’s ears, the way she smiled when Honey tucked closer, like she’d already made space in her heart for both of them.
“Alright,” I said quietly, walking closer, “they’re clean.” She looked up at me, eyes still soft. “Now it’s our turn.”
She blinked, straightening up a little. “Our turn?”
“Mm-hmm.” I grinned faintly, tugging lightly at the drawstring of my sweatpants. “You’re drenched, I’m drenched. Seems fair.”
Her arms flew up to cross over her chest, that defensive little pout fighting its way onto her face. “You can go first.”
