Three Meows (Monsters For Her)

Chapter Twenty-Four

W hen I stepped over the threshold of my flat it was a relief. The family visit was amazing and all, but now I wanted time to myself. To decompress, to think through all the feelings I had been exposed to during my stay at the villa.

In the living room a collection of plants greeted me on the table, and I spotted our bags on the floor. Lighting up at seeing that things had already arrived, I turned to Elijah to discuss with him where all the tiny plants should go, only to pause as I saw Rowan inspecting the underside of the table.

“What are you doing?” I asked, miffed.

“Looking for bugs and cameras,” Rowan said nonchalantly, as if that wasn’t some spy-level shit.

“Do you think my father would really do that?” I asked, and Rowan shrugged, continuing his pursuit.

I left the man to his search and returned my attention to the plants. I passed the cactus with the red flower, his very first pick of the garden, to Elijah.

“I’ll start with my tiny blue flowers one,” I said, cradling my mother’s legacy in my hands.

After much deliberation, we placed the miniature plant and the cactus next to each other on the kitchen windowsill; the place getting the most sunlight and therefore the prime location. Seeing the two plants side by side, their colors made brighter by the rays of sun shining merrily through the window, made me feel all gooey and warm inside.

“All clear,” Rowan reported as he returned from his inspection. That meant the current truce with my father had a chance to continue. The future was looking bright!

“It’s good to be home,” Chester said.

In the few minutes we left the redhead alone he had already almost merged with the sofa, sprawling upon it shamelessly, ignoring any work that had to be done, like unpacking our bags.

I contemplated throwing something at him, but he looked too cute with his face pressed into the cushions. I will let him off just this one time , I lied to myself.

Then my brain screeched to a halt as I finally processed what Chester said.

“Home?” I said as I felt tears gathering in the corners of my eyes.

“Yeah?” Chester looked at me weirdly.

“You have never called this place home before…” I said, emotion thick in my voice.

Chester scratched his cheek in an embarrassed motion.

“Well, you know, home is where the food is and all that…”

“I have been feeding you since day one,” I snorted. “Does this mean this was your home even before you moved in?”

Chester’s cheeks reddened and he wouldn’t look at me.

“Well, maybe just a little…” he mumbled.

I laughed.

“Then let me make you some food. After all, I want you, all of you, to have a home here.”

We shared a wonderful meal and when the night came I did not sleep alone.

First, Cheddar came in with his tail high and jumped right onto my chest, knocking the air out of my lungs.

Then Marshmallow followed, taking cautious steps towards the bed until I stretched out my hand, inviting him in.

Shadow… Shadow suddenly was just there, at the foot of the bed, yellow eyes staring at me as if he could see to the depth of my soul.

I gathered all three cats close and petted them until the bed felt like one of those hotel massage machines with all the purring.

And maybe Cheddar woke me up with his relentlessness even in sleep, maybe Marshmallow’s fur tickled my nose and made me sneeze, maybe Shadow startled in the middle of the night from a nightmare and sunk his claws into my leg…

But it was still worth it.

Home isn’t where the food is , I thought with a sleepy smile. It’s where your cats are.