- seventeen - dana
A tiny, scratchy meow.
I freeze mid-step, instantly forgetting whatever I was just thinking about. "What was that?"
Silence. Then another-softer this time, like it's losing strength.
I turn, scanning the dimly lit street, and then I see her. Tucked in the corner of an alley, barely visible in the shadows, is the tiniest kitten I've ever seen.
She's a mess-thin, fur ruffled and dirty-but the second she looks up at me with those huge, watery eyes, I swear I feel my soul physically crack.
"Oh my God." I'm already crouching, reaching out instinctively. "Hey, baby. What are you doing out here?"
She doesn't move away. If anything, she stares for a second before letting out another weak little meow, like she's asking me to fix everything wrong in her world.
And I will. Immediately.
I scoop her up, and she just melts into me, pressing her tiny, bony face into my sweater. My heart is gone. Obliterated.
She's mostly ginger, but the top of her head is white, like someone dipped her into frosting.
"Oh, you're a little muffin." I stroke her head, her fur rough under my fingers. "A ginger muffin with frosting."
She lets out a tiny sigh, curling into my hands.
"Muffin," I say, testing it. "No. Wait." I squint. "Sir Muffin."
She sneezes.
I gasp. "Lord Muffin."
A tiny purr. I grin, cradling her closer.
"Yeah," I murmur. "That's it. You're Lord Muffin now."
I glance up at the sky. It's dark, heavy with clouds, and the wind is picking up. No way I'm leaving her here. And she looks too grown to be with mama cat. She belongs with me now.
"C'mon, baby," I whisper, tucking her into my arms. "Let's get you home."
---
Cat food in one hand and Lord Muffin in another, I knock on the door. A moment later, the door swings open, and there he is.
Alex Lancaster, in all his devastating glory.
His dark eyes, sharp even when half-asleep, drop down to the kitten in my hands. His hair is a mess, like he just ran a hand through it, and he's wearing a plain navy blue T-shirt that clings to his frame.
His tattooed forearm rests against the doorframe, muscles flexing just slightly as he leans, taking me in with that lazy, unreadable expression.
I swear my heart stutters.
Which is stupid. Stupid and ridiculous and completely unnecessary.
I should really stop looking at him like this. I thought it would go away, but it only seems to grow.
I'm turning into a creep.
I blame the lighting. The dim hallway glow catching against his jawline, the way his messy hair just makes him look even more unfairly attractive.
I swallow, suddenly hyper-aware of everything-how close he is, how tall, how ridiculously arrogant he always carries himself, like the world should be grateful he exists.
The fluttering in my chest is aggressive. I want to swat it away.
And then-
"What's the mutt doing here? Leave it outside."
All the butterflies in my stomach drop dead on the spot.
I gasp so hard I nearly drop the bag of cat food. Muffin lets out the tiniest distressed meow, like she also can't believe the audacity.
Immediately, I slap my hand over her little ears, glaring up at Alex with the fury of a thousand suns.
"How dare you."
Alex raises a brow. "It's a cat, Dana. It doesn't even know-"
"Take. It. Back." I tighten my hold on Muffin, who is now vibrating with nervous purrs. "She is a baby. A helpless, beautiful, perfect little baby."
Alex mutters something under his breath that I don't catch. Probably something rude. Something cruel. Something deeply incorrect about Muffin, because she is flawless and deserves nothing but worship.
I stop just past the threshold, adjusting my hold on Muffin, and turn to him. "You know, you could just admit you have no soul."
His dark eyes flick down to me, unimpressed. "Because I don't want a stray shedding all over the place?"
"No," I say. "Because you looked her in the face-" I lift Muffin slightly, who, by the way, is staring at him with the wariness of someone assessing their enemy. "-and still managed to be a heartless monster."
Alex doesn't respond right away. His gaze shifts from Muffin to me, slow and deliberate. His jaw tics slightly.
"That's rich, coming from someone who forced a total stranger to be her roommate."
"Oh my God, that was one time." I groan. "And you could have just said no!"
He crosses his arms, leaning against the wall now, looking entirely too at ease. "And yet, here we are."
Something about the way he says it makes me pause.
Here we are.
Here, in this tiny room, where I should be bothered by how small the space feels with him standing so close, but instead, my body is completely, utterly distracted by the fact that Alex Lancaster looks annoyingly good with his arms crossed like that.
The ink on his forearm shifts slightly as he moves, and my eyes betray me by flickering down before I can stop them.
Bad. No, Dana. Look up.
I force my gaze back up, only to find Alex watching me with an infuriating smirk.
I immediately scowl. "Oh, shut up."
His smirk grows. "Didn't say anything."
"You were thinking it."
He leans in slightly, voice dropping. "Thinking what, exactly?"
My stomach does something deeply unhelpful, but before I can overanalyze it, Muffin lets out a loud meow, completely unimpressed with our nonsense.
I gasp. "See! Even Muffin thinks you're insufferable."
Alex sighs, running a hand down his face. "God, I already regret this."
"No, you don't," I say sweetly. "Because deep down, you know Muffin and I make this place a million times better."
He doesn't respond. Just exhales sharply through his nose and walks toward his bed, muttering something about "setting the whole room on fire."
I turn to Muffin, beaming. "That was a yes."
. . .
Apparently, keeping a pet isn't easy.
Or cheap.
I learn this after my fifth trip to the pet store. First, it was the essentials-food, litter, a tiny bed she'll never use. Then, the pink collar. The toys. A scratching post I absolutely could not afford but bought anyway because Muffin deserves the world.
So now I'm broke. And a certified cat mom.
Balancing the bags, I unlock the door, already bracing myself for Alex's latest complaint about Muffin existing-
Only to freeze.
Because Alex is already home.
And he's asleep.
With Lord Muffin.
Oh my God.
My entire soul exits my body.
Alex is lying on his side, one arm curled under his head, the other resting next to Muffin, who is tucked against his chest, her tiny body rising and falling with his breath.
He's cradling her.
Like she's something precious.
My heart explodes.
The sight is so violently adorable I nearly start sobbing. Instead, I do the only rational thing-I pull out my phone and start taking rapid-fire pictures.
Oh, this is gold. This is my Roman Empire.
I crouch, zooming in on Muffin's tiny paws against Alex's stupidly defined chest.
Who gave him the right?
Muffin stirs, letting out a soft little meow. At the noise, Alex shifts, his brows twitching. Then, slowly, his dark eyes blink open.
For a second, he looks dazed. Confused. Then his gaze locks onto me-my phone still mid-photo-and I swear I see the exact moment realization hits.
His body goes rigid.
Then he looks down.
At Muffin. Nestled against him.
He flinches so violently, he nearly throws himself off the bed.
"What the fuck," he hisses, scrambling back like she just bit him.
Muffin meows again, blinking up at him, and I lose it.
I burst out laughing, doubling over. "Oh my God. You-You were-" I wheeze. "You were cuddling her."
Alex glares, shoving a hand through his already-messy hair. "I was asleep."
"You were cradling her like a baby." I hold up my phone. "I have proof."
His face does something weird. "Delete that."
"Never. I'm printing it. Framing it."
Alex exhales sharply. "I hate this cat."
"No, you don't," I sing-song, scooping Muffin up. "She likes you, Alex."
"I don't care," he grumbles, but his eyes flicker slightly when Muffin stretches in my hands, tiny paws flexing.
A pause. A deep sigh.
And then, under his breath-
"...stupid cat."
His demeanor shifts. I can practically hear the screws turning in his head. My instincts go on high alert.
Alex leans forward, elbows on his knees, expression calculated.
I know that look. That's his let's negotiate face. Uh-oh.
My guard instantly goes up. "What."
He exhales like this is exhausting for him. "If you're keeping the cat, you're gonna have to do something for me."
I blink. "Okay. . .?"
He straightens, pins me with a look. "Be my girlfriend for a day."
Silence.
Utter. Dead. Silence.
I stare. Then stare harder.
"What."
"Come to dinner with my family," he says smoothly, like he didn't just say something completely unhinged.
I open my mouth. Close it. Open it again. "What?"
Alex shrugs. "It's not a big deal."
"Not a-" I sputter. "Not a big deal? Are you out of your mind?"
He remains utterly unfazed.
My brain combusts. And so does the rest of me.
Because-because my stomach clenches, and my face heats, and my heart starts going so stupidly fast that I swear he can hear it, and-
Oh God.
Oh no.
Abort. ABORT.
I shake my head rapidly. "Why do you even need me to go with you? Can't you just-" I wave a hand. "I don't know, not go?"
"Not an option."
I squint. "Why?"
A muscle ticks in his jaw. "It's complicated."
I scowl. "Yeah, well, my answer's simple-no."
Alex tilts his head slightly. "So you don't want to keep the cat?"
I freeze.
He smirks. "Because that's what I'm hearing."
I clutch Muffin closer. "You monster."
"Dinner, Dana." His voice is all smooth, effortless persuasion. "One night. Fake girlfriend. That's it."
I glare. He stares. The room is thick with tension.
Then-
"Tomorrow."
My breath catches.
The floor drops from beneath me.
"Oh, and my parents will also be visiting our room, so let's make it look a bit more... couple-y."
My soul leaves my body.
I gape. "I'm sorry-what?"
Alex leans back, stretching like he didn't just detonate my entire existence. "You heard me."
My pulse skyrockets. "You mean to tell me-not only do I have to pretend to be your girlfriend in front of your family, but they're also coming here?" I gesture wildly at our very much not couple-y room. "To this room?"
"Yep."
"Oh my God." I clutch my head. "Oh my actual God."
Alex watches me, amused. "Relax."
"Relax?" My voice is shrill. "You just dropped five bombs on me-"
"Five?" He raises a brow. "Pretty sure it was just two."
"Oh, I'm sorry." I glare. "Would you like me to list them?"
"Not really."
I ignore him. "One-you want me to be your fake girlfriend. Two-your parents will be there. Three-this is happening tomorrow. FOUR-" I point aggressively. "-they're visiting our room. And five-" My voice pitches. "-YOU EXPECT ME TO MAKE IT LOOK COUPLY? Are you hearing yourself?"
Alex smiles, slow and pleased. "Loud and clear, baby."
I choke.
Baby?!
He leans in, twirling a strand of my hair around his finger, his voice a smooth hum. "It won't be so bad."
My brain short-circuits.
"After all-" his lips curve into a smirk-"we'll have to be convincing."
His tone. The way his fingers brush my neck.
I am going to die.
I shove his hand away. "You're insufferable."
"And yet," he says, tilting my chin up with a single finger, his dark eyes dancing, "you're going to do it."
I should say no. I should.
Instead, my stomach clenches, my heart betrays me, and I suddenly can't look at his mouth because why is he this close?
Oh God.
I shake my head violently. "I hate this."
"Great." Alex smiles. "Let's begin."