12th of october, 1958
it had been a week since john had reluctantly agreed to keep the small black kitten, which had now grown fond of him, much to his chagrin.
anna couldn't deny that she found herself thinking about the little furball more than she should. she was dying to know how it was doing, but she also knew it would be impossible to ask john directly. he'd likely make fun of her for caring.
so, after a few hours of contemplating, she decided to act on her growing preoccupation. she found herself in front of john's house that evening, gripping her bag tightly, debating whether she was making a mistake. taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door.
the sound of footsteps echoed from within the house, before the door swung open, revealing a petite woman with soft, kind eyes. this, anna assumed, must be john's aunt mimi. "hello, dear," mimi said, her voice gentle. "can i help you?"
anna felt a pang of surprise at the unexpected sight of mimi, but she quickly recovered. "uh, hi," she began, her voice a bit shaky. "i'm looking for john. is he home?"
mimi smiled understandingly. "oh, you must be one of john's friends." she opened the door wider, gesturing for anna to come inside. "he's inside his room. just go on up, dear."
anna cringed inwardly at being referred to as john's "friend." but, she decided it was best not to correct mimi, not wanting to make the situation any more awkward than it already was. "thank you," she mumbled, her eyes darting towards the staircase mimi had pointed to.
with a hint of trepidation, she began climbing the stairs, each step creaking under her saddle shoes. as she reached the top, she spotted an open door with a dim light spilling out into the hallway. it had to be john's room.
john was sitting on the floor in the middle of the room, a cigarette clenched between his lips, the smoke curling around him. the guitar was in his lap, his slender fingers absently plucking at the strings. but his focus was mostly on the black ball of fur that was pouncing after a piece of thread he was slowly dragging across the carpet.
as the little creature chased the string enthusiastically and batted at it clumsily, john's face, which often wore a cocky smirk, looked unusually soft, his gaze fond. for a moment he almost looked gentle, as he continued the simple game, the kitten happily bouncing around.
john's head snapped up as anna clumsily stumbled into the room, her shoulder hitting the door frame. her attempt to remain unnoticed gone, she found herself face to face with the boy who was looking at her with a hint of surprise mixed with something else she couldn't quite decipher. he quickly hid it with a smirk.
"you know, birdie, i don't think sneaking around is your strong suit."
she flushed with embarrassment, quickly pushing herself upright. "i wasn't sneaking," she retorted, brushing off a non-existent speck of dust from her skirt as an excuse to avoid his gaze.
she entered the room, her eyes darting around the small and cluttered space. the room was a stark contrast to her own; unmade bed, clothes tossed on a chair, half-empty bottles stacked on the dresser. the scent of smoke and something else, something musky but not unpleasant, filled the air.
the kitten meowed softly, abandoning the thread in favor of the newcomer. it trotted up to anna, rubbing against her leg, its soft fur tickling her skin. she bent down to stroke the small cat, the soft vibrations of its purring making something in her chest soften slightly.
