Falling slowly ...

Naruto nights...

Y/n pov:

Two months have passed.
Two months.

I stopped chopping the celery the moment I realized it, only to resume it after a few seconds.
Two months ago, on this exact date my fam was rendered homeless.
Images of that day start flooding in as my memory gate opens up.

As I see the chicken breast sizzling on the fry pan, I realize how much far we have come along since then.
The squad is shooting videos once every week and persuing other work the rest of the week.
Ian and Matt are working their asses off finding a new home for us. They came close a couple of times but never made it.
Many of the other members have been doing great on their own and luckily had no problem finding a temporary stable source.

I and Damien have been meeting almost everyday to edit videos.

I flip the meat and resume my race of thoughts.
I wanted things to be professional between us, and that is how it has been since then.
We dont talk much when we are editing. Freja and Zelda aren't here yet so I do bring Pebbles along everyday.
Mark has been bringing some of his friends occasionally so its not very monotonous, not that being around him would ever be boring.

It is just the way I wanted things to be, and yet it leaves me wanting more.
I realize that we both have an empty space and a serious deprivation of a best friend right now, but....
But how do you begin that?

I am not experienced in that field at all and moreover, I don't know if he even considers being my friend.

I sigh and quickly finish my breakfast.
Courtney had sent a new batch of recordings yesterday and we have to get on them.

Time skip:
I sit down on his sofa and quickly take out my laptop. In the peripherals I can see Damien doing something near the dining table, but I choose to ignore it.
Pebbles is already at her spot, curiously pawing the fake plant.

Damien grabs his laptop and sits on the other side of the same sofa. I inhale deeply as his musky scent travels around, telling me that he just had a bath.
I send him the video and we both begin our work.
Mark was out for a project today so the only living souls in this house were me, Damien and Pebbles.

And then something weird happened.
Just 20 minutes into today's work and I feel something brush past my hip.
My eyes lift up from the screen and I see Pebbles still at her spot, solid 8feet away from us.
Did Damien just brush his hand past my hip!!!
I turn my head to see him and he was smiling.
HE WAS SMILING.
I could feel my heart resume its beating suddenly.
Don't be silly y/n. You must be imagining stuff.

I decided to let it go, with a mental note of confronting him if he does this again.

I barely touched the mouse pad again and this time something legit pressed against my thigh, travelling up to my hip and rub itself there.
I tighten my grip around the laptop and stand up immediately.

What is wrong with him?! He isn't that kind of a guy!

"What the hell do you think you are doing Damien?" I asked sternly.
"What did I do?" he asked, confused.
Really?!!!

"Do I have to tell you what you did? Are you insa..." and mid sentence I stopped,
because something brushed against my feet this time.

I instinctively looked down, and saw a grey cat near my feet and another black and white one on my spot on the sofa.

Oh.

So... it was... them.

Sjit.

I looked up again and Damien still has a confused expression on his face.
An involuntary, barely audible sorry escaped from my mouth.
I think he heard it, because his lips parted to say something, but stopped midway.
"You thought I was doing that?" he asked, his voice very low.