Sofie

Chapter- 7

Sofie was gone

When he reached the door, he hesitated for a moment, his hand hovering over the doorknob. He took a deep breath, then finally opened the door.

He noticed Kate sitting on the balcony, softly lit by the warm evening glow, with Sofie curled up in her lap. He walked slowly towards her, unsure of what to say, but knowing he had to say something.

To his surprise, the place was spotless. The mess Sofie had made earlier was completely gone.

"Kate..." he began, standing in the doorway of the balcony. She didn't turn immediately, but after a moment, she glanced at him

"I have to tell you something," Michael began, his voice waving slightly.

"It's not a little thing, it's quite large."

Meowww...... meow....

Kate raised an eyebrow, still stroking Sofie, who had just curled up in her bed.

Meowwwwwwww............

"Okay, you already hurt me. I'll give you 60 seconds. Tell me."

"60 seconds? Seriously?" Michael asked, taken aback.

"Okay, now for 30 seconds," Kate responded with a sharp edge, her tone signaling she was not in the mood for any games.

"Okay, okay! Don't reduce any more time!" Michael pleaded, closing his eyes as he gathered his thoughts. Suddenly, it was as if a clock had started ticking in his head. He could almost hear the words,

"Your time starts now."

"Spending too much money on unnecessary things or not sticking to a budget," he started, speaking quickly.

"Making all the decisions, thinking I'm always right. Spilling coffee on the table and forgetting to take out the trash. Being critical of your best friend Ginny that bitch, I'm sorry, I hate her. And another thing wanting to be together 24/7 it's not possible!"

Kate's expression shifted, her eyes narrowing as she listened, her arms crossed.

Kate stared at him for a long moment, the silence stretching between them like a heavy fog.

Kate stared at Michael; her arms crossed tightly as he spilled his rapid confession. "That's a lot of info in 30 seconds," she said. Her voice was still cool but tinged with surprise.

She glanced down at Sofie's bed, suddenly noticing something was off.

"Wait... where's Sofie?" she asked, her eyes widening with panic.

Michael turned around, his heart sinking. The door to the balcony had been blown open slightly in the breeze.

"Oh no..." he inaudible, rushing to the door.

Kate bolted to her feet, fear taking over. "Michael, where is she?"

Without waiting for an answer, she darted toward the door. Michael followed close behind, scanning the hallway as they burst out of the apartment.

"Sofie!" Kate called out, her voice trembling with worry.

Michael sprinted toward the door just in time to catch a glimpse of Sofie's tail disappearing as the elevator doors began to close. In a panic, he watched her calmly sitting inside, licking her paw, unaware of the chaos she was causing.

"Damn it, Sofie!" Michael mumbled under his breath. Without waiting for the elevator to return, he bolted toward the stairwell, taking the steps two at a time.

By the time Michael reached the ground floor, the elevator doors were already open. He stepped inside but was greeted by a creepy emptiness. Sofie was gone. His pulse quickened as he stepped back into the dimly lit lobby. The clock in the hallway showed it was almost midnight, and the building felt strangely quiet.

Panic started to creep in, and without wasting another second, Michael pulled out his phone and called Kate. She answered after a few rings, her voice tense.

"Where's Sofie? Did you find her?"

"No, she's not in the elevator," Michael replied, his voice shaking slightly."She must have slipped out somehow. I need you to come down. We need to look for her."

There was a brief silence on the other end before Kate sighed. "I'll be right there."

Within minutes, Kate rushed down to the lobby, her eyes wide with worry. "How did this even happen?" she asked, running a hand through her hair, clearly still processing the situation.

"I don't know," Michael admitted. "One second she was in the elevator, and the next she was gone."

As they walked through the park, the tension between them hung in the cool night air. Michael hesitated, sensing Kate's frustration.

"Kate, actually, about what I said back then..."

"Mike, this isn't the right time," Kate interrupted. Her focus was still on the search for Sofie, though her mind was elsewhere.

Sofiee.......... Sofie..... meow meow....

They kept walking, calling out for the cat, but her thoughts drifted back to his words.

to be continued...