Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
T he cats seemed to have learned by now that I was the bringer of food. As soon as I stepped into the apartment, they padded towards me, meowing eagerly. I filled their bowls with biscuits and replenished their water. They devoured their dinner like it was a race. Bowey was first to the finish line. He licked his bowl clean, then claimed his chosen prize—Chichi’s food. He nudged his way to his reward. Chichi snarled in response, but he persisted. Chichi raised her paw and unsheathed her claws, preparing to take a swipe.
“Hey! Quit it, you two.” I pried the two cats apart.
I scooped some extra biscuits into Bowey’s bowl and shook it to get his attention. He lifted his head and stared at the bowl, whiskers twitching.
“Come on.” I shook it again.
He pounced on the bowl and dug in with gusto.
“Good boy. Eat up.”
As Bowey enjoyed his extra biscuits, Chichi kept a watchful eye on him, her ears flattened against her head. I knelt down and stroked her back, reassuring her. She eventually relaxed and resumed eating her dinner at her own steady pace.
I glanced around the apartment, assessing what needed to be done. It was relatively clean as per usual, just some cat hair that needed to be vacuumed up and a few crumbs on the kitchen counter. I waited for Bowey and Chichi to finish their dinner before I turned the vacuum cleaner on, sending them scurrying.
As I vacuumed, my thoughts drifted to Cat Dad. Our interactions had been minimal as of late. The last message he sent was to tell me the new door code. He seemed to change it frequently—a sign of his caution and attention to security. I supposed he had to be careful since he was sharing it with me. Even though I had to go through a background check to list myself on the app, letting a stranger in your house still had risks.
Once I had finished cleaning the living areas and kitchen, I moved on to the bedroom. The room was tidy apart from the crumpled duvet on the bed. I smoothed it out.
This is where Cat Dad sleeps…
I caught myself wondering what he looked like again. Then I had a flash of another thought: Neil’s toned back and chest. I tried to shake it out of my head, annoyed with myself.
Neil was invading my thoughts more often than I cared to admit. It had to stop. He was my boss, for goodness’ sake. He wasn’t my type, and his coarse personality still rubbed me the wrong way more than half the time. I had no business thinking about his intense eyes, the grey whiskers in his stubble, the way he ran his tongue over the back of his teeth, his seductive voice…
Stop!
I banished thoughts of Neil for the rest of the cleaning session, then I gathered my belongings and prepared to leave. Just as I was about to open the door, I felt something soft and furry brush past my legs. It was Bowey. He rubbed his face on me, purring.
I stopped what I was doing to give him some attention. “Aren’t you adorable?”
He leaned into my touch and emitted a low rumble of pleasure as I scratched behind his ears.
“Okay, okay. I’ll stay a little longer.”
I sat on the couch, and he jumped on my lap and settled there, curled into a ball. I lay my head back and relaxed.
At some point I must have dozed off, because I suddenly snapped to attention, feeling disorientated without a sense of how much time had passed. Bowey was still on my lap. I grabbed my phone and checked the time. It was forty minutes past seven. I had overstayed my time slot. Cat Dad could be back any minute. I pushed the vibrating mound of fluff off my lap. He gave a sharp yowl in response, then landed on all fours. He scarpered off, paws tapping on the floor. The cat flap slammed behind him as he escaped onto the patio.
I sprang from the couch, flung my bag over my shoulder, flicked off the light switch, then exited the apartment.
When the lift door opened, I stepped forwards without looking and almost collided with an emerging occupant. As I lifted my head to apologise, my eyes landed on a good-looking man, maybe four or five years older than me. He had a head of ruffled blonde hair and a square-jawed face. Blue eyes. He wore a shirt and suit jacket with blue jeans.
“Sorry,” I said.
“It’s all right,” he replied with a grin, before moving on.
I scrunched my face in thought.
Wait… could it be?
The mystery man turned the corner. I didn’t enter the lift. I tiptoed back down the corridor, stopping short of the corner, then peeked my head around to spy on him. He approached Cat Dad’s door. My heart raced.
It’s him! It’s Cat Dad! It must be.
Just then, the door behind me opened, causing me to lose sight of him in a moment of panic. A woman emerged. She shot me a disapproving look, as if to say, “What are you doing here?”
I quit spying and tried to act natural, joining her by the lift. She pressed the button.
The gravity of what had just occurred hit me on the way down. I had made the ultimate discovery. Cat Dad was young and good-looking. Cat Dad lived up to my fantasies and then some. He was cute in his messages and cute in real life. I was smitten.
But what happens next?
I exited the building. Part of me wanted to stop and text Cat Dad, ask him, “Was it you I just bumped into by the lift?” But I controlled my urge. Now wasn’t the time. I needed to think about whether I wanted to reveal myself to him or not. One wrong move, and I could ruin my lucrative side hustle.
A cold breeze swept off the harbour, making me shiver. I passed the familiar row of busy restaurants, envying all the happy families, groups of friends, and couples I saw through the windows.
Once I move overseas, that’s when I’ll sort my life out. I’ll reunite with old friends and make new friends. I’ll find a partner…
Someone in the restaurant caught my eye. I stopped in my tracks and did a double take.
It was Neil.
He was dining with a woman. At first glimpse, I thought it might be Christine, but when I focused, I realised the woman was younger and more glamorous. She had long brown hair, dimples, and a sweet smile. Red lipstick accentuated her lips, and her dangly earrings sparkled in the light. They leaned in towards each other across the table with effortless intimacy.
Was she his girlfriend?
Ruby?
My insides knotted, a lump rising in my throat.
Neil started to turn his head my way. I tore my eyes from him and strode onwards without looking back.
So what if Neil has a girlfriend? It’s fine. It doesn’t bother me. I don’t even like him, anyway.
Back at home, travel blogs and articles about Europe served as a welcome distraction from thoughts of Cat Dad, Neil, and the mystery woman. I sat in pyjamas, laptop perched on my lap, as I scrolled through images of cobblestone streets, quaint cafes, and historical landmarks, transporting me far from the confines of my tiny apartment.
I needed this. How could I keep going with the way things were while everyone I cared about was living their dreams on the other side of the world? I had to leave and spread my wings.
One thing led to another, and I found myself on an airline website. Why wait? Thanks to my new job, I could afford to book my ticket now, and prices would only increase the longer I left it. The thought of having everything locked in, of knowing that my dream was attainable, was too tempting to resist.
I entered a travel date and destination. A list of flights populated the search results. I scanned the options, hunting for one which struck a balance between price, timing, and number of stopovers. A one-way ticket via Dubai ticked all the boxes.
As I hesitated over the “book now” button, my stomach tightened. Did I really want to do this? Why did I suddenly feel so anxious about pulling the trigger?
I pulled myself together. There was no reason to put it off. I clicked through and filled in the booking form, checking each field twice before moving on to the payment screen. My heart raced as I entered my credit card details. All I had left to do was click “confirm payment,” then it would be official.
I took a deep breath, my cursor hovering over the button.
Okay. Let’s do this.
My hand trembled on the mouse. The ticket was non-refundable. Once I pressed the button, there was no going back.
I held my breath and clicked.
The cursor turned into a spinning wheel as the confirmation page loaded.
The success screen congratulated me on my booking and told me to check my emails to download my ticket.
My flight was booked. I was going to London in January—five months from now. From there, the rest of Europe would be within reach.
I leaned back against the couch, interlacing my fingers behind my head. Good things were around the corner. I just had to stick it out as Neil’s secretary for the rest of the year, then I’d be on my way to a new life. Nothing could stop me now.