Forbidden Love

Chapter 13

Anna

"Do you like my outfit?" Maya asked while spinning around. She was wearing leggings, a new band t-shirt, her favourite necklace and black boots. It was a simple outfit, but she made it look so good. "You look beautiful, babe. You always do," I answered with a smile. "Okay, let's go," she said, trying to hide her excitement.

We were on our way to volunteer at an animal shelter for the day. She's obsessed with animals and has always wanted a pet. I was pretty sure I would not be able to get her out of there without 5 kittens in her arms. It was about 20 minutes from her house on an old farm. We sang to the radio the whole ride there and when we arrived, she practically leapt out of the car.

"I know you're excited, but you can not steal one, okay?" I joked. "We signed up for volunteering. Anna Canning and Maya Roderick." I announced as we reached the front desk. The woman quickly checked the computer and then let us in with a smile. "It would be great if you two can bathe the kittens and clean some of the cages," she instructed as she showed us around. "Kate here will you show you how to do it, and you can call her anytime you need help," she said, gesturing to a girl a bit older than us who I presumed to be Kate.

The kittens were so tiny, you could hold 3 of them in one hand. Bathing them was pretty easy, even though they screamed the whole time. We put them in a makeshift enclosure to dry off while we got started on the cages. "This is so fun." Maya squealed. "Cleaning poop is fun?" I asked while laughing. "Spending the day with these adorable kittens and my girlfriend is fun," she answered.

"I love calling you my girlfriend," I said, looking over at her. "Aww, I love calling you my girlfriend too," she replied, giving me a quick kiss. I still blushed every time she did that. "What do I do with this blanket?" I asked, lifting it out of the cage. "Throw it in that basket," she replied, pointing behind me.

Maya

I was having the best time. I immediately became attached to one of the kittens. She was light grey with a few darker spots, and it felt like her misty blue eyes saw right through me. I knew I needed to have her. "I want one," I said, looking over at Anna. "I know. You've said that 4 times already," she stated. "I know, but I really do. Just look at her face, you can't say no to it." I replied, holding the kitten up for her to see. "Yeah, I see, she's very cute, but your mom will say no."

"We'll see about that," I said proudly. If there's one thing I was excellent at, it was my negotiating skills. Anna just laughed, and we continued cleaning out the cages. "Where is the food again?" she asked after a while. "No idea, go ask Kate," I answered. She left the room and I picked the kitten up again. "I'm going to have you," I whispered to her. I already thought of the perfect name, but I still had to convince my mom first.

***

"Are these kittens up for adoption?" I asked Kate when we were finishing up. She nodded her head and said that some of the litter have already been adopted. "I'm going to call my mom," I told Anna excitedly.

"Hey, mom. Listen, I was wondering-" I started when she picked up the phone. "You are not getting a cat, Maya," she answered, already knowing what my question would be. "Mom, please. I'll look after her, I really will. I'll feed her every day, clean the bowls, potty-train her, bathe her, I'll even get a job to pay for the food and vet appointments." I stated my case.

"You said all those things when you wanted a hamster when you were 7, and then he died," she replied. "The hamster wasn't my fault, mom. He was old and died while I was at school one day. Just consider it for a second. It will make me really happy." I argued. There was a moment of silence until she spoke again. "Okay, Maya, you can get the cat, but I'm holding you to those promises." "Yes, thank you, mom. Thank you so much." I said, doing a little dance that she couldn't see. "See you later, mom," I said in a sing-song voice before hanging up the phone.

"She said yes," I practically shouted at Anna. "I heard" she laughed. We had just put the kittens back into their clean cages, and we were walking back to the reception desk. "I would like to adopt one of the kittens we worked with today," I told the woman from before. "How old are you?" she asked. "17" I replied. "Great, I'll bring the paperwork to you. Are you aware that we have an adoption fee?" she asked. "Yes I am" I answered

I signed all the forms as quickly as I could and paid the fee. "Okay, that is all of it. You can collect your kitten now. Have a nice day and take good care of it." she said with a smile after looking over the papers. I hurried to the back and got the kitten out of her cage. "Ready to go?" Anna asked. I nodded and we headed over to my car. "Can she sit on your lap?" I asked her. "Sure. What is her name going to be?" she asked, taking the kitten into her arms as we got into the car. "Misty" I replied.

We stopped at the store on the way home to get a bag of cat food and a toy. "Do you want to come over?" I asked her when we were almost home. "You can drop me off at my house, so you can spend some time with Misty," she replied.

We drove in comfortable silence while she stroked the kitten in her lap. "Thank you for today, it was really fun," I said when I pulled into her driveway. "It really was." she smiled at me. "I love you, Anna," I said while taking the kitten from her arms. "I love you too" she replied and kissed me. "Bye Maya. Bye Misty," she said while getting out of the car. I took the kitten's arm and made her do a little wave, which made Anna laugh.

Misty and I drove the short 5 minutes to my house and went inside to introduce my mom to her. I knew she fell in love with her the second she saw her, just like I did. "Can I hold her?" she asked as I gently handed Misty over to her. "Her name is Misty," I said. "That's perfect. She looks like a Misty with those eyes" she replied, holding the kitten close to her chest. "I'm going to the store tomorrow to get her a bed, some bowls and more toys. Will you look after her then?" I asked, putting her down on the floor to explore the house. "Of course" she replied, following Misty around with me.