Zamir's lips moved wordlessly as he glanced from me to Dots. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure, Zamir. It's not like I won't see him again."
"Of course! You can come to the Sanctuary to visit him any time."
"Only him?" I teased, making him smile.
"Did you hear that, Dots? You're coming home with me!"
The joy on his face was more than worth it, and I would hand over all my fur children if it made him smile like that, though I suspected he'd be happy to leave theMurder Tripletswith me.
We stayed there for a while longer, learning more about each other. I still had a lot of questions I wanted to ask Zamir, like why it'd been years since he'd had a proper meal, why he thought he was a monster, but those weren't first-date questions, so I held back.
"I think," Zamir said, then yawned, "I'm ready to head back home. Not that I want this date to end, but I'm afraid I'll fall asleep mid-sentence, and that would be worse."
Chuckling, I started packing up, and Zamir strapped Dots back to his chest. He smiled down at the cat, his expression soft, and I watched him as I folded up the blanket and stashed it into the basket.
"Do you want me to hold that?" Zamir asked, and I shook my head.
"I got it."
I shifted, and once Zamir was on my back, I stood up, and carefully grabbed the basket handle with my left 'hand' before taking off.
Zamir enjoyed the flight back just as much, and he was grinning when he slid off my back at the clearing. I shifted, then picked up the basket I'd dropped a few feet away so I wouldn't land on top of it.
On the drive back to his place, he fell asleep with Dots still strapped to his chest, and I smiled as I snuck glances at him.
I parked the car in front of the Sanctuary, then turned to him, and gently shook his shoulder. "Zamir, wake up."
"Mmmm," he mumbled, peering around the dark car before his eyes found mine. "Hey, Nolan."
I chuckled. "Hey, Zamir. We're at your place."
"Oh!" He glanced down at himself. "Can Ireallykeep him?" I nodded, and he grinned. "Best date ever!"
Leaning forward, he smacked a kiss on my lips before getting out. Meeting my gaze through the window, he held his hand up by his ear in the universal 'Call me' sign, and I nodded.
Smiling, he turned around, and I waited until he went inside, then waited some more to make sure the door wasn't glitching again.
My phone buzzed, and I glanced at it, smiling when I saw the text from Zamir.
Zamir: I'm in. Don't worry.
Me: I'm glad. Night, Zamir.
Zamir: Night, Nolan. Dots says sweet dreams.
With a smile, I put my phone in the cupholder and drove home, already looking forward to seeing him again.
