Dating the Dead • lrh

5. breathless

I watched Shelby walk to our front porch, ring our doorbell, hug my mum once she opened the door.

When did they ever get this close?

"Come in, come in, don't be shy," my mother told me when I got inside.

I grinned, wrapping my arms around her. "Gee, thank you Mrs Hemmings. It's always an honour to be here," I let go of her and went to the kitchen where I found Shelby sitting on the floor. "Oh hey, Shelby, I didn't expect to see you here."

She looked up at me, a huge smile plastered on her face. "I didn't know you were coming. You should have called." She broke into fits of giggle, picking up the cat that has grown a lot for the past six months. "Thank you Liz for letting me see little Lukey."

"You call that little?" I asked skeptically through a mouthful of bread.

My mother sent a glare my way that made me gulp my orange juice. She was smiling when she turned to Shelby who was rocking the cat like a baby.

"You say that every time you come here," she said, clearing the table from her papers. "Do you want anything?"

I heard Shelby reply. "No, Liz, I'm o-"

"Luke!" Mum raised her voice and I almost choked on my bread. The cat leapt from Shelby's arm, and rubbing itself on Mum's ankle while meowing loudly.

Shelby laughed. "I'm perfectly fine Mrs Hemmings. I'm not staying long anyway. Just visiting little Luke."

"Jesus, woman, it's Lukey!" I raised my voice and it was a bad idea. The bread stuffed in my mouth got lodged in my throat.

I heard Mum's panicked voice as the breath got knocked out of me and my vision blurred. A pair of arms wrapped around my torso and I felt being heaved up a bit. There was a forceful jab on my stomach and after a moment, the bread shot through the air.

"Oh my goodness. This is why you're not supposed to talk when your mouth is full!" Mum slapped me in the arm as I let fresh air in my lungs.

When I turned to thank Shelby, her attention was somewhere else already. She was watching Lukey tentatively smell the slob of bread.

"Lukey, no!" She said but the little monster took it as a challenge and snatched the slob off of the floor.

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