Your Kiss

Prologue

I just woke up and saw that the rain pattered and hit the window pane on this cold morning. With a toothbrush and one hand and a cup of water on the other, I looked at myself in the mirror and brushed my teeth. My messed-up hair made me think if I should get a haircut today. Then, I thought to myself that I was busy today so I might have to skip it again. Besides, I like my long hair. The hair that has volume, unlike the hair I had when I was 14.

14. I laughed at the number. It was one of the most horrible ages I have ever experienced. I was going through puberty and I had a lot of crushes that time. Thinking about the past, I remembered him. The guy that was the reason I left. I was lost in the thought of him and I didn’t notice that my cat was scratching my leg.

“Hey, what’s up?” I asked my cat who was still scratching and making wounds on my leg. She looked droopy and exhausted. I kneeled over to look at her who was groaning and panting. The look of full distraught on her eyes.

Naomi was a Siamese cat who always cuddled with me while I sleep. She always eats her food and I don’t know if she is sick or not. I always bring her to my photoshoots and she even has a personal caretaker. I think she is bored but I don’t know.

She then coughed right at the ground. I looked at her puke. When I saw what it was, I immediately carried her and went inside my car, panicking. Her puke was mixed with blood, red blood, and I don’t know if she is poisoned because I researched about it and I am scared to lose her. She was the only one who was with me through my ups and downs. I got my keys and didn’t even bother to change from my pajamas. It’s 10AM so I think the clinic is open.

I turned on the engine, looking at my cat who was still coughing which made me speed up a little bit, almost reaching the speed limit. Good thing that it’s a bit early so there’s not much traffic. When I reached the hospital, I saw several people who were already there. People with dogs, birds, and even snakes. Personally, I didn’t like snakes so I distanced myself from the people that had snakes.

I went up to the front desk. The person over there was chewing a piece of gum while looking at me, with a blank expression on her face. I smiled while putting Naomi down.
“Hi, can I make an appointment? I think my cat has been poisoned. I really just want to check,” I begged her to let me have an appointment with a veterinarian. She typed something on her computer and a receipt was printing right next to her. She ripped the receipt and handed it to me.

“Here. Mr. Autrich will meet you shortly,” she announced with a smile. I smile back at her, trying to be as nice as possible. I sit on an empty seat, carrying Naomi on my lap. I was scrolling through my phone while looking over at Naomi who was still coughing. I was getting a little bit anxious, tapping my feet on the ground, trying to ease my fear of her dying on my lap. Waiting for the clock to move. It felt like I was there for hours when it was just 5 minutes.

“Mr. Degamo! Mr. Autrich is ready to see you and your pet,” the front desk announced which made me stand up and carry Naomi inside the room where the front desk told me about. What I saw was a bed in the color of ash and medication everywhere.

“Kindly wait here while Mr. Autrich is walking here,” she told me and I nodded in response. I put Naomi on the table and caressed her fur to calm her down. She was still coughing and I couldn’t do anything, just be anxious for her and wait for the doctor to come.

I was biting my fingers and pacing around while all that echoes in my head was the coughing sounds of Naomi, more blood coming out of her pukes. The sight of her in pain made me anxious even more. The doctor wasn’t around which made me scared for her even more.

The door swung open. I turned around and let out a sigh of relief, thinking to myself that she will finally be saved. What I didn’t realize was how I distinctly remember who it was standing in front of me. The person who made me feel bad about myself.

A doctor, wearing a white lab coat and a stethoscope and scrubs. His glasses were clear with a frame that was as black as my hair. His eyes were the color of chocolate and his smile was the same smile that made me fall in love with a specific someone, 13 years ago. When I was 14. He was here. I should have seen the signs of him being here. “Mr. Autrich,” the name echoes in my head, making me scared for myself and making me remember the life I had before.

“Hi, Doc Autrich,” I composed myself. I sat right next to my cat who was still coughing up blood so I grabbed a bowl and made her puke in it. She started purring but not with pleasure, but with pain and ache. I ignored my past with the doctor himself for the safety of Naomi.

“Good morning, Mr. Axton Degamo. I’m Doctor Collei Autrich, your veterinarian for today. It’s a good day to save the life of your pet,” he smiled as he approached Naomi, holding his head with her hands and grabbing a small flashlight to look at her eyes. Are you really here?