Purrfect Neighbour (ShubmanGillxIshanKishan)

19

The first thing that slipped into Shubman’s consciousness the following morning was that his head no longer ached. His tongue wasn’t stuck to the roof of his mouth either—a small but welcome relief. As he tried to roll over in bed, he became aware of the strong arms wrapped around him. Ishan. Suddenly, fragments of memories from the previous day began to flood back. He barely remembered any details, except for the overwhelming nausea and the need to cancel his appointments. Everything after that was hazy—he recalled Ishan mentioning something about a fever and vaguely waking him up in the middle of the night to take some pills. Now it was morning.

Shubman had so many questions.

How did Ishan know he was sick?
Had he just happened to stop by?
Were they still fighting?

He wasn’t sure what had caused this turn of events, but he was grateful for it, whatever it was.

He managed to roll over to face Ishan, only to find him already awake and watching him with an expression of concern mixed with something softer. Ishan had a day’s worth of stubble on his face, and Shubman couldn’t help but notice the relief that washed over Ishan’s features.

“Hi,” Shubman rasped, his voice rough and scratchy, not sounding like his own.

“Hi,” Ishan responded, his tone gentle. “How are you feeling?”

“A lot better, I guess.”

“That’s good.”

Ishan’s fingers traced along Shubman’s jaw, dipping under the curve of his bottom lip in a touch so innocent yet somehow so intimate that it made Shubman’s heart flutter.

“How did you know I was sick?”

“I didn’t,” Ishan replied simply.

“Then how did you know to come here?” Shubman asked, still confused.

“Well, Sara came and got me.”

“Sara?” Shubman looked skeptical.

“Uh-huh.” Ishan nodded against the pillow and then explained how Sara had found him at The Leopard and led him back to the apartment.

Shubman was stunned.

“She did all that for me?” He sat up in the bed, spotting Sara curled up on the rug.

“Sara! Come here, girl.” The cat immediately sprang up, jumped on the bed, and bounded gleefully toward Shubman. He rubbed her down, making a huge fuss over her.

“You’re the best pussy in the world, aren’t you? You knew Daddy was sick, and you tried to save me, just like how I saved you.”

His voice dropped a bit as that memory came back. He squeezed Sara against him, and the cat purred appreciatively.

“I love you, Sara.”

“Ahem.” Ishan cleared his throat loudly. “Don’t mind me. I’m just the guy who looked after you and went and got your meds.”

He rubbed his fingers against the blanket, pretending to inspect them. “No big deal.”

Shubman grinned, throwing an arm around Ishan’s shoulders. “Jealous much?”

Ishan huffed, but there was a playful glint in his eyes.

Shubman leaned in and brushed his nose against Ishan’s neck. “Thank you.”

He let Sara rest on his lap and placed his other arm around Ishan’s waist.

“I didn’t expect to see you, but you came through for me.”