‘Why you laughing?’ I ask, and Dex shrugs.
‘The cats love you.’
‘They’re plotting my murder. Look at them. They’re probably hoping I’ll die so they can have a big meal.’
I see the way his eyes light up at that, and I know he’s laughing at how uncomfortable I am.
Fucking Leaf and his terrible advice. Which reminds me, I should probably reach out and touch Dex, but the damn cat is still in the way.
And it’s batting at my cup.
I stare at it, its little paw swatting at the handle.
It better fucking not, I think, just as the cat rubbing against the chair legs swipes at my ankle. I jump slightly, scaring the cat on the table. It jumps up, back arched, and my cup of chai falls to the floor.
I’m pretty sure there was a crash as it hit the ground, and by the way the cats are rushing around the room, I’m assuming they’re not happy with the noise.
Dex is bent over laughing, his cheeks red and flushed as he tries to compose himself, and I’m left sitting there, unsure what to do. A moment passes, and then suddenly, the man I assume is Milo appears. He has a similar look to his brother from the front desk—light brown hair, broad shoulders, tall. Dangerous. He eyes the spill on the floor, then looks at me.
He doesn’t look happy, but he also doesn’t look mad. ‘Asshole cats,’ he signs and then disappears, returning a moment later with a mop and a towel.
‘This happen often?’ Dex signs, and Milo just shrugs as aflat-faced calico cat jumps on his back and settles on his shoulder like a parrot.
‘Next time, hold cup,’ he tells me in very stiff ASL when he stands. The cat clings on with sharp nails, but Milo doesn’t even seem to feel it. Instead, he just reaches over and peels the cat off him, setting him on my lap.
The cat shows me its butthole and jumps down.
I glance at Dex, who is scribbling in his notebook. I’m sure I’m getting terrible marks for this. My grade is going to be a fucking disaster.
His eyes flick up to meet mine, and he snaps the book closed. ‘Best date ever.’
I doubt that very much. He’s probably lying to make me feel better. But that gives me a little more hope.
Before we leave, Dex drags me over to the adoption wall, where all the cats have profiles. There’s a little sheet with their photo, their name, and fun facts about them.
The cat with the half tail is Captain Claws. She’s recently had her tail amputated from an infection. The form says she loves piña coladas and getting caught in the rain.
‘I don’t understand. Cats hate rain,’ I sign after tapping Dex.
He laughs. ‘It’s a song.’
Oh. I’m not unfamiliar with music, but it was never my thing, so song lyric references rarely make sense to me. But I realize that Milo is trying to be cute, so I peruse the rest.
There are five in total: Catthew, Fuzzeroli, Tofu, Meatloaf, and…
‘Dennis,’ I mouth, spelling the name. That’s the one-eyed cat.
Beside me, Dex bursts into laughter and looks down. I follow his gaze, and fuck. There’s Dennis, staring at my shoes like he wants to take a piss on them.
He had better fucking not.
‘Don’t you dare,’ I warn him. Not that the cat understands ASL.
He blinks up at me with his one eye, then walks off.
Milo appears a second later, waving to get my attention. ‘He thinks you-him same-same.’
I blink at him because what the fuck does that mean? We’re both assholes? Lonely? Looking for somewhere that feels like home?
