31. Chapter 31
thirty-one
T heir mutual confession, followed by another flurry of ardent kisses, left Annie lightheaded.
“I’ll tell Ellie I’m taking off for the night.”
Annie bit her lower lip as Julian stepped back. “No, stay. We can talk more tomorrow. This is Ellie’s night.” She’d butted right into the night’s festivities. Ellie needs his help.
“And keep you waiting?” he tossed over his shoulder. He strode towards the diner. “No way. Meet ya at my cabin. I’ll be right behind you.”
She nodded, breathless.
Driving, Annie turned the radio down to a barely-there hum.
The woods along the highway flew by. Even with the heat kicked way up, she shivered, already missing Julian’s warm skin against her own.
Her free leg hopped to the beat of her nerves.
By the time she parked in front of Julian’s cabin, most of the negative adrenaline had thankfully worn off.
I did it… With nobody around to make conversation, the evening she sensed she had ahead of her bubbled in her mind.
She wasn’t strictly sure what Julian had in mind, what he was comfortable with, but she knew she needed him.
Live in the moment. If they hung out and talked until sunrise, then that was fine.
He invited me to his house. Don’t just assume…
She pulled out her phone. A social notification popped up. Molly had shared a post, tagging her and No Wait Diner.
“When your cabin neighbor catches the eye of your best friend,” Annie read silently. Molly definitely approved.
And a few minutes earlier, an Ellie Katz had liked the post, too. She’d commented, “I hope you’re enjoying catching up.”
A blush rose in Annie’s cheeks again. Fuck! You’d think the blood vessels in my face would take a break!
She snooped online and did her best to relax. With so little sleep and all the adrenaline now fading, that became easier by the minute. She’d closed her eyes for a second or two before a set of headlights came up the driveway.
Julian got out of his truck. While she unbuckled, he opened her car door for her.
She beamed. “Eager beaver!”
“Ellie practically shoved me out the door. Need me to grab your bag?”
At the front door, with her duffle bag over his shoulder, Julian fumbled with his keys. Much more than she felt he typically would. When the bolts opened, he muttered, “finally,” under his breath. She suppressed a giggle. He let her in first.
Annie stepped into the toasty cabin. The timber in the fireplace had burned away, but the cozy heat persisted.
When Julian turned on a light, she instantly spied a small furry figure bent over his kibble bowl in the kitchen.
“Wait,” she hissed, stepping back, gently pushing Julian outside. “He’s eating.”
“Who?”
“Kitty.”
“Ah.”
The cat stood at attention, his tail sticking up tall behind him. “Meow? ”
“Haven’t heard that in months,” Julian muttered.
“Well, hello there, little guy,” she cooed. She told Julian to wait a minute before she crept towards Kitty. She squatted down and held out her hand. “You gettin’ a lil’ shnack?”
Kitty chirped, stretched his long legs, and walked confidently towards Annie. Without hesitation, he head bunted her hand.
“Good boy!” She smoothed his soft back. Before long, Kitty rolled over and stretched out his arms long. Tentatively, she petted his belly. A few fluffs of fur came loose; it was nothing a good brushing couldn’t fix.
It tugged on her heartstrings knowing that Kitty was starved for attention — only because he was petrified of Julian, and for no solid reason. She cooed at Kitty before she got the courage to pull him into her arms. He purred and closed his eyes as she scratched his chin.
“Okay... want to come inside now? Slowly?” Annie called softly to Julian. “I’m holding him.”
The door squeaked.
Kitty, who opened his eyes, stared like an owl at Julian. She waited for the cat to wrestle his way out of her arms, but he hardly tensed at all. His ears flicked.
“I’ve never held him,” Julian remarked.
“He’s so sweet.”
“Amazed you haven’t kissed his head just to show off.”
Smirking, Annie planted a smooch between Kitty’s ears.
Kitty shifted his weight in her arms. He was still purring, but with less enthusiasm. Please don’t tear my chest and arms a new one… she thought before asking, “Has he been getting less shy?”
“He sat in the same room as me. Once. That I know of. While I slept. ”
“That’s wonderful!” She wanted more than anything for Julian to pet his cat. “Okay...” She addressed Kitty. “Are you goin’ to be a brave boy and let your daddy pet you?”
“I’m not his daddy,” Julian muttered.
Lifting a finger to Kitty’s white chin, Annie moved his lower lip up and down as she said in a fake voice, “Yes, I is brave and want Daddy to pet me.”
Julian rolled his eyes.
While encouraging Kitty with cheek rubs and holding him a little more snuggly, she took a couple steps towards Julian. She cooed again at the cat. “Shhh, it’s okay... Hold out your hand, Julian.”
Julian lifted his hand.
Kitty squirmed.
“Shhh... shhh... it’s okay,” she murmured. Annie rocked him like she was soothing a crying baby. Kitty licked his chops and relaxed when Annie scritched his chin.
“He’s gonna bolt.”
“Nah, he’s going to be the bestest boy...” Taking two more steps towards Julian, she said, “This isn’t so scary, huh, Kitty?”
Kitty squished a bit against her chest, but looked curiously at Julian’s hand, which was close enough to touch his black fur. A small chirp escaped Kitty, but he didn’t fight Annie’s grasp.
Frowning, Julian walked over, leaned down, and picked a few pieces of kibble out of Kitty’s bowl. He offered it to his cat.
Kitty’s little black nostrils flared. His head bobbed with enthusiasm. Waving his paw, he snagged a few pieces from Julian’s flat palm. They dropped to the floor.
Annie laughed. “Maybe it’s time to get him some treats.”
Julian smiled. Gingerly, he extended his hand, fingers curved downward slightly .
Kitty arched his neck and met Julian partway. His little snout moved as his nose kissed Julian’s skin.
“Good boy... Brave boy.” Annie held her breath. Julian turned his hand, fingertips brushing Kitty’s cheeks.
The cat started purring again.
Joy filled her heart when she glanced at Julian’s face. She thought he was tearing up.
“Maybe I’ll actually have a cat now.”
Kitty endured their affection a little longer until he decided it was time for Annie to put him down. He lashed his tail, letting out a meow of protest.
“Good to catch up once in a while,” Julian said.
Annie giggled, setting Kitty on the back of the couch. Kitty leaped down, jogged towards the stairs, and disappeared around the corner.
“You know... if you think about it, emotions are kinda like cats,” Annie remarked. “Like emotional intelligence?”
“How so?”
“Well... you can either be a feral cat. You scratch and bite anyone who gets too close. Or a house cat… You might listen, but only when you want. Or you can be a lazy cat owner. You see the cat suffering, but you neglect your cat-like emotions. You let the cat dictate what happens and screw everyone else.”
She wandered to the kitchen. Julian followed close behind, listening.
“Or… you can be responsible and kind... You guide the cat and other people’s cats in a gentle way so that you don’t let anyone’s emotions run anyone’s lives.”
“Never would’ve thought of that.” Julian picked her up by the waist and set her down on the kitchen counter. She squealed in delight. “Sounds like ‘herding cats’ to me. Managing others’ emotions. ”
She rested her forearms along his shoulders. “More like not letting it get to a boiling point? People can be tricky.”
“Always.” He smiled, then swallowed. “As nice as it was to pet my cat, I’m happy that I got you all to myself tonight.”
“Oh?” Annie batted her lashes coyly.
“Mmm-hmmm...” Julian stepped between her legs and kissed her.
He tasted wonderful as he kissed her deeply, salty and sweet. She let out a small involuntary groan as he pulled her closer. They made out for several minutes before Julian paused to smile at her and tease the tip of her nose with his.
“I should ask if you want to watch a movie, but I’ll have to sit on my hands the entire time.”
“We could watch one and I’ll just watch you slowly go crazy.” Honestly, keeping her own hands off him seemed impossible.
“That sounds grueling.” His voice rumbled as held out a hand. She slid off the counter. “I’ll do it… but please don’t make me...”