“Thank god you’re back.”
Elise jumped. She had just come home to a dark house, and assumed Charles wasn’t home yet. She tracked his voice to the living room, and found him sprawled out on the couch.
“What on earth are you doing in the dark?” she asked, flicking on the light.
“I was reading, and Carmine came in and lay down on my chest,” he said, blinking in the sudden brightness. Once the room was lit up, Elise could see the large tabby cat looking at her smugly from Charles’ chest.
“And how long have you been there?” she asked, crossing the room to close the still open drapes.
“What time is it?”
She glanced at her watch. “Seven.”
He looked sheepish. “About an hour and a half, then.”
“Seriously?”
Charles gestured at the cat firmly planted on his chest. “What was I supposed to do! I was reading, before it got dark, and Carmine crawled up right away. And it got dark faster than I thought it would, so I couldn’t read anymore, but I also couldn’t get up and turn on the lights.”
“And why couldn’t you just move Carmine?”
“Because he chose to sit with me, and I couldn’t snub his benevolence.”
Elise just stared at him.
“What?!” he asked, looking from her to the purring feline on his chest. “You know Carmine never really liked me, he was always your cat, so when he deigned to sit on me while I was reading? I wasn’t going to argue.”
As Charles spoke, Carmine finally rose, stretching luxuriously, before sitting down and yawning.
Charles looked hopeful. “Maybe if you feed him, he’ll get up and let me go.”
Elise perched on the arm of chair across from the couch, and a small smile played across her face.
“I don’t know. Carmine, are you hungry?” she addressed the cat, and in response he started kneading Charles’ chest, as if making himself more comfortable.
“Elise, you gotta take him,” Charles said, eyes widening.
“I think you were right before,” she said with a wicked grin. “You two are bonding, and I wouldn’t want to get in the way of that.” She rose, and went to close the curtains in the rest of the house, leaving Charles and Carmine on the couch.
“Elise! Help! He’s looking at me funny, and I’m so hungry,” Charles called after her, and she just laughed.
© The Lightning Tower, 2020