Chapter 8 #3
“I feel like I'm being discussed behind my back while standing directly in front of you,” Evie told Malek, narrowing her eyes as she tucked the camera strap more securely against her shoulder.
That would be rude, I told Evie, tilting my head and arranging my face into the most innocent expression I could manage. Her gaze slowly shifted toward me.
“You are absolutely doing it,” Evie accused me, pointing one finger directly at my nose.
I was having an excellent afternoon.
The sunlight had begun dropping lower by the time Evie finally started packing. I stayed close to the bag until she gave me one long warning look, at which point I moved two feet away.
Compromise was important.
Luca had remained quieter through most of the afternoon, watching more than participating, which was normal for him. He liked knowing where he stood before stepping anywhere, and while Evie packed, he finally rose and approached.
She noticed almost immediately. Her hands stopped over the open bag as Luca came close enough for her to reach him but left a small amount of space between them. Evie lifted one hand slowly and stopped before making contact.
She waited.
Luca's eyes dropped toward her fingers, and after a moment he stepped forward and pressed the underside of his jaw lightly against her palm.
Evie's face softened.
“There you are,” Evie murmured to Luca, smiling as her fingers moved gently beneath his chin and through the shorter fur there.
I looked toward Malek. He was watching too, completely relaxed, with the faint satisfaction in his posture that I understood immediately. Luca didn't approach strangers easily, and Evie had given him enough room to decide for himself.
Luca remained there for several seconds before stepping away, and Evie returned to packing her equipment.
“Well, I don't know why I've apparently become part of a leopard social club, but I'm not complaining,” Evie told us once she'd closed the bag and settled both camera straps over her body, pushing a loose strand of black hair away from her cheek.
You complain constantly, Malek reminded Evie, raising his head while I drifted toward the bag one last time to see whether she'd left anything interesting exposed.
Evie's eyes immediately found me.
I stopped.
“Only about you. And maybe him,” Evie told Malek, pointing toward me before stepping onto the first creek stone.
Maybe me?
After the afternoon we'd had?
Cruel.
“See you tomorrow, Cat. Try not to let your friends teach you any worse habits,” Evie told Malek, glancing over her shoulder while she carefully crossed toward the opposite bank.
I'm beginning to think I'm the good influence, Malek told Evie, watching her progress over the wet stones while I made an offended sound beside him.
“That is terrifying,” Evie replied to Malek, laughing as she reached the other side and turned toward the trail.
She lifted one hand in a quick wave before disappearing between the trees. Her scent lingered after she was gone, and the faint rhythm of her boots remained audible beneath the surrounding birds and insects for another minute or two. None of us spoke until even that disappeared.
Then I sat.
I'm courting her, I told Malek, because I saw no reason to make a simple decision complicated.
Malek slowly turned toward me.
You've known her for less than two hours, Malek reminded me, giving me the same expression he usually reserved for discovering I'd climbed somewhere he'd specifically told me not to.
And? I've known people for years and liked them considerably less, I told Malek, licking one paw while keeping one ear angled toward the trail Evie had taken.
Malek didn't answer, probably because there wasn't much to argue with.
Evie was attractive and her scent appealed to me, but what I wanted to know more about was everything else.
She'd put a hand on my muzzle and ordered me away from her belongings within minutes of meeting me, laughed when I interfered with her photographs, and still expected me to listen when something actually mattered.
I'd watched her ask Luca before photographing him and wait again before touching him, and I'd seen how completely she focused once the camera came up.
I wanted another afternoon with her.
That was enough for now.
Luca's tail moved through the leaves beside us, and I turned toward him. He was still looking down the trail.
Well? I asked Luca, because unlike Malek, I didn't believe questions improved with age.
Luca glanced toward me.
You waited almost seven seconds before asking, Luca told me, sounding mildly impressed as he shifted his front paws.
I've had a difficult day. I'm practicing patience, I told Luca, settling more comfortably against the damp ground. Malek made a quiet sound beside me that might have been a laugh.
I ignored him.
I want to know her better, Luca told us, looking toward the place where Evie had crouched to photograph him before his gaze returned to the trail. But yes. I'm interested.
I waited for more.
Nothing came.
That's it? I asked Luca, staring while one of his ears angled toward me.
What else do you want? Luca asked me, his face remaining maddeningly calm.
A little enthusiasm would be nice, I told Luca, disappointed by the complete lack of ceremony accompanying what I considered an important moment.
I willingly approached a human woman I've known for one afternoon and put my head in her hand, Luca reminded me, giving me a long look while Malek's tail moved beside him. You know me. Work it out.
He had a point. From Luca, that was practically dramatic.
So all three of us, I said to Malek, turning toward him while satisfaction settled pleasantly through me.