5. Beware the Cats
Beware the Cats
LUKE
One week later…
W eekends sucked.
That was when he had to pull a double shift. It usually started at Burger Hut and then finished with a shift at Sinful Soaps stocking and entering products into the system. Both were exhausting in their own way. At least during the week, he had only classes and a shift at one of his jobs.
Life on Sleepy Hollow Road wasn’t bad. His bed was comfortable, and during the rare times he had the chance to relax there, the place was quiet, allowing him to study without a problem.
There was also plenty of food in the fridge, which Az invited him to enjoy.
He was eating better and sleeping better than he had in a long time.
He saw little of his roommates, though. Of course, he wasn’t there all that often.
Az was the one he encountered the most. Mullmag was shy and would wave at him before darting off to another room.
Ogos was usually in the library reading a book or playing solitaire.
Tog would sometimes watch horror movies at frightening volumes and cackle.
He’d glimpsed Bath’tuk out the window in the backyard a couple of times.
He seemed to enjoy spying on the neighbors.
Annod had avoided him completely thus far. Maybe he was shy like Mullmag.
Luke shrugged off the thought and pulled out his phone after it vibrated in his pocket. He was a few blocks away from the house after stepping off the bus. A text from his bestie was waiting for him.
Harper
Where are you?
Luke
Almost home. Where are you?
Harper
At the Kappa Charity Car Wash and Keg Party looking for YOU!
Luke stopped walking and tipped his head back with a groan. He’d forgotten all about that stupid party he’d said he might attend with Harper. Not that he’d wanted to go, but since she’d been there to help him through his near-homeless drama, he’d agreed to go out with her to some social events.
He had a feeling this was more of an attempt on her part to make him less of an antisocial outcast. It might also have been in the darker corners of his mind that Matteo might attend one of these social functions and he could…
what? Talk to him? Luke mentally snorted at the thought.
Not fucking likely. He’d probably just stare at him like the awkward, dorky stalker that he was.
Luke
Sorry. I just got off work.
Harper
Constant state of your life.
Luke
No shit.
Harper
Are you going to swing by? For a little while.
Luke
I’m exhausted. I wouldn’t be any fun.
Harper
Matteo is here.
Luke glared at her text. The woman knew his one weakness. He’d like to spend some time with Harper. She was fun to hang out with. But he’d love to see Matteo. Watch the man smile. Hear him laugh. Daydream of witty conversations they could share.
Having an actual conversation with him was too much. He couldn’t handle that. Not after the long day he’d put in. It was enough to stand within his aura and bask in his happiness.
Luke
I don’t believe you.
As if she’d expected that response from him, a picture of Matteo standing with a group of other college students, red Solo cup in hand and a wide grin on his face, instantly appeared in their chat.
Fuck . He was there.
And he was so hot. Black jeans and a button-down shirt that was open at the throat, revealing all his nice, dark skin that looked so very kissable.
But Luke was in no shape to go to a party. He was a sweaty, greasy mess. He would need to jump in the shower and find some clean clothes prior to running over to campus. None of that sounded appealing.
His nice, comfy bed sounded very appealing.
Luke resumed his walk to the house while typing a response to Harper.
Luke
I can’t tonight. I’m exhausted.
Harper
Your life needs to be more than work and school.
Luke
Tell that to all my bills.
Harper
I thought you were going to ask your landlord if he needed help with odd jobs for a discount on rent.
Luke
It’s only been a week. I thought it was a good idea for us to get used to each other first before I begged for a discount on an already stupidly cheap rent.
Luke was sure this was one of the sucky parts about being poor.
It wasn’t just about always scraping by and wondering how he was going to pay the next round of bills, especially if an emergency popped up.
He always had this feeling of lagging his friends or holding them back because he couldn’t afford to do the same things they wanted to do or he was always tired because he had to work more jobs than they did to make ends meet.
FOMO was constant.
It wasn’t Harper’s fault, though. She wanted him to feel included and to enjoy his time at Ravenwood. She also helped as much as his pride would allow her to.
Harper
I get it. Would you like me to snap a few more secret pics of Matteo for you?
A slow smile spread across Luke’s lips, and the tension that had crept into his shoulders dissipated in an instant.
Luke
You know that’s wrong and creepy.
Harper
Got it. Just two or three. No more.
Luke
Love you. Be safe.
Harper
Get some sleep! See you on Monday.
Their texting carried him right up to the sidewalk leading to the house.
He sighed as he tucked his phone into his pocket.
The dim front porch light was on, along with a couple of other lights on the second floor.
The house was enormous and creepy in the pale moonlight, but it felt more like home with every night that he spent there.
Sleepy Hollow Road had become a haven from the chaos of the world.
No one was making demands of him, and his roommates gave him plenty of space to exist in the silence.
The rooms were beautiful, the food was good, and he always had easy access to the washer and dryer for clean clothes. What more could he ask for?
If he could live in this peace and quiet for a few more weeks, recharging his depleted mental batteries and socking away his paychecks, he might feel up for a frat party or some other outing with Harper.
Better yet, he could take her out to dinner. Nothing too fancy, but somewhere nice enough to have faux leather-covered menus and servers. Just as a thank-you for sticking by him through all the shit. That was an excellent idea.
Luke slid his key into the lock and opened the door, only to choke and gasp as a wall of something smacked him in the face. He stumbled back a step and sucked in a deep breath of fresh air before making another attempt. Maybe he was wr?—
“Aaachhooo!”
“Achoo! Achoo!"
Within a matter of seconds, his nose was stuffed up, his throat was itchy, and his eyes watered so badly he couldn’t see. What the fuck was wrong?
A cat.
No! Catsssss.
Cats must have sneaked into the house when everyone had gone to bed. Fucking neighbors.
The way his allergies were going absolutely haywire, the first floor had to be filled with cats. At least there was no way they could get into his room. He always kept the door shut, and the window locked.
While it was tempting to run up to his room and shut himself in, that didn’t fix the greater problem. He’d have to leave his room eventually, and this would begin all over again.
“Meow. Meow. Meow.”
Luke jumped and twisted, but between the darkness of the hallway and his watery eyes, he couldn’t make anything out.
It sounded like he was fucking surrounded by big cats.
In his mind, he could see house cats the size of people, walking on their hind legs, their tails swishing back and forth, narrowly missing knickknacks and priceless vases.
“Meow.”
“What’s wrong, Luke? Meow. ”
Luke jumped, turning his head toward the voice. “Who is that? Sorry. I can’t see anything. My eyes have almost swollen shut.”
“It’s me. Meow. Annod.”
“Annod? Did the neighbor’s cats get in the house?”
“ Ummm …yes?”
“Shit!” Another fit of sneezing interrupted his curse. “I need…I need…to get them out of here. I can barely breathe.”
“ Ummm …”
Luke didn’t wait for Annod to say anything else. He stumbled to the front doors and jerked both of them open, so the cats had a quick and easy exit. Now he had to come up with a way to herd them outside.
Hissss…
It sounded like an enormous cat was standing right next to him, ready to bite his head off. Luke turned to tell the thing to scat, but he was pretty sure he sneezed right on the poor creature. A great yowl pierced his ears, and a breeze ruffled his clothes as the cat ran out the door.
That was one.
But he couldn’t sneeze on all the cats.
An idea occurred to him, and he cackled. He could have been mistaken for a Halloween witch. Stumbling and sneezing, he crossed the hallway and wound his way into the kitchen. He remembered seeing what he needed when he’d been searching for a bowl to capture the spider.
Dropping to his knees on the black and white tile, he dug through a cabinet until he found the treasure he sought. With his hand wrapped around the slender neck, he thrust it into the air as if he were Arthur pulling the sword from the stone. Instead, his sword was an empty spray bottle.
“ Ummm …Luke? Meow? What are you doing?”
“I found the perfect way to get rid of the cats.” He shoved to his feet and moved to the sink, where he filled the bottle with cold water. After screwing the lid on, he gave it a few test sprays to make sure it was on the mist setting and then began his hunt.
He stumbled his way through the first floor, bumping into nearly every piece of furniture and wall possible.
He was moving blindly. Tears slipped down his face, and his nose dripped, but he ignored both.
Every time he heard any movement or the softest meow, he wildly sprayed the water, spritzing the entire region.
Claws scrabbled on the hardwood floors and the pissed-off cats hissed.
He tripped over what might have been a footstool and was in danger of falling flat on his face, but a pair of hands grabbed his hips at the last moment and put him on his feet.
“Annod?”
“It’s me.”
“Thanks. Can you help me get to the next room?”
“Can you not see?”
“Nope. Completely blind.”
“Oh. Oh! Okay!” It seemed like relief and excitement mixed in his voice, but Luke didn’t have time to think about it.
With Annod at his side, they hunted down every cat, while Annod made sure he didn’t run into anything else during their trek through the first floor.
Little giggles followed him through the house as they chased the cats together.
Luke would have been laughing too if he wasn’t still sniffling and sneezing.
When they’d cleared the entire first floor, Luke leaned on the wall, gasping for air. He lifted the water bottle and shook it near his ear. It felt light. Had they emptied almost the entire bottle as they’d chased the cats from the house?
“Are they all gone? Do you think we should check the second floor?”
“ Ummm …no. I think they’re all gone now. I’ll go shut the front doors so they can’t get back in.” Light feet jogged through the hallway, and the double doors slammed shut, locking them safely away from the cats.
“Thanks for all your help,” Luke said as soon as he heard Annod’s returning footsteps. “I appreciate it.” Luke rubbed his eyes and nose. He was going to need a shower and a shit-ton of antihistamines before going to bed. At least he knew he was going to be knocked out until his alarm went off.
“Are you okay? You didn’t seem scared of the cats at all,” Annod observed.
“Oh, I’m not afraid of cats. I like them, actually, but from a huge distance and when they’re not hunting birds. I’m horribly allergic to them. My eyes water and get puffy. My nose gets stopped up. Plus, there’s the sneezing. I can’t be in a house that has a cat.”
“Ah, um…that sucks.”
“Totally. But that was kind of fun running through the house with you, spraying the cats.”
Another giggle escaped Annod. “It was fun.”
“But now I’m beat. Would you mind helping me up the stairs? I need to grab a shower so I can get some sleep.”
“Sure. Sure.”
Annod took one of his arms and helped him shuffle over to the stairs, where he picked up the backpack he’d dropped there.
They giggled their way up to the second floor and along the hall to the entrance to Luke’s attic.
Just getting off the first floor made it easier to breathe.
He blinked a few times, but Annod remained blurry to him.
He could make out a figure with what appeared to be blond hair and a wide smile.
“See you around the house.”
“See you.”
Luke stumbled up the stairs, exhausted but feeling better than he had after his chat with Harper. His life wasn’t all work and school. His roommates were proving to be entertaining, at least.
Now, he had to find a way to keep the spiders and cats out of the house.