The Cat

Chapter 5

After making sure Cat was squeaky clean, Gary and I went to a 24-hour diner because we were famished from the cleaning we have done.

We were patiently waiting for our bacon cheeseburgers when I asked him, “So why did you come talk to me tonight?”

It took him a moment to think until he finally said, “I found you interesting.”

“Really?” I raised my brow challengingly. “Didn’t you just come over because you thought I was hot?” I was definitely surprised after I immediately realized what I just said.

He laughed. “Wow, full of yourself much?”

“Hey, it’s an honest question, and I dunno, I think I deserve an honest answer?”

He sighed and looked at me in the eye. “Alright, I thought—no, I think—you’re beautiful and it seemed strange that you were sitting alone. I know you might think I’m creepy, but ever since you sat by the bar, I’ve observed you for a few moments and thought maybe you were just waiting for someone. But you were just there, brooding and watching people have the time of their lives while you were just…” He suddenly stopped when he realized that he was saying quite a revelation.

“Just what?” Now I was the one who was insatiably curious this time.

“Just sitting there… watching people live while you…”

“Yeah, while I was just in the background most of the time being the fool that I am,” I said resignedly.

He looked at me like he had an epiphany. “Yes, exactly like that! I know I don’t know you that well Sabrina, but it seems that you’re in a constant state of self-deprecation that you don’t allow yourself to become the best you can be.”

“Jeez thanks for psychoanalyzing me, Freud,” I said with mild irritation.

“No, no, no, I’m not yet done. Now I know why we’ve met tonight, and I know you probably don’t even believe in destiny and fate or whatever, but I was destined to become the friend who’ll help you truly live.”

I scoffed, “What makes you think I haven’t truly lived?”

He looked at me as if I was stupid. “I’m not stupid, Sabrina. I can gauge from our past conversations that you have a lot of issues with yourself, and well, I’m here to help you out.”

“What if I don’t want to be helped?”

He challenged my question, “What if you’re just afraid that I can possibly help you?”

“I’m not scared.”

“Then you’ll let me help you.”

I sighed. “Okay, fine.”

 @~@~@~@~@

 I woke up with the sun high in the sky as its rays filtered through the narrow slits of my curtains. I quickly sat up thinking that I was late for work, but then I realized that it was a Sunday morning so I sank in the comfortable sheets and closed my eyes once more.

I was close to letting the threads of consciousness fade away, but I was disturbed by the incessant buzzing of my doorbell.

I quickly put my bathrobe on and groggily trudged to the door. It was a Sunday morning so I saw no reason to make myself look presentable.

When I opened the door, I was about to shut it immediately because of my surprise.

What the hell is he doing here?

“Sabrina, please open the door.” I heard his voice clearly even if the sound was muffled by the door.

I closed my eyes briefly and performed a quick deep-breathing exercise; I needed to relax myself before I would face him again.

“Hi, Gary. Good morning. Not that I don’t want you to visit, it’s just that what are you doing here so early?” I sounded polite, so I gave myself a mental pat.

He laughed. Oh my gosh, he is probably laughing at the way I look!

“Sabrina, why do you look so surprised? It’s as if you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Well why are you laughing? It’s the way I look, isn’t it? Well, if we ought to become friends, then you must embrace the good, the bad and the ugly.” I countered defensively.

He shrugged nonchalantly. “My dear Sabrina, I couldn’t care less about the way you look. What I do care about is for you to let me in so that I could finally put down Sherlock.”

Sherlock? Oh yeah, he brought his cat. Great.

“It’s surprising he hasn’t even meowed.” I was puzzled by his cat’s behavior. Sherlock seemed too refined.

“Well, he has been disciplined well. Now where’s Cat? I think they ought to meet.” He genuinely looked excited.

“I don’t know, I wouldn’t a catfight to transpire.” I laughed upon realizing my joke.

Gary laughed along, and when we stopped, we found Cat and Sherlock hitting it off marvelously.

“Oh well, I guess I was wrong. Anyway, you wanna have breakfast?”

“Yeah sure.”

As I began heating up the pan and getting the eggs from the fridge, I asked Gary, “So, what’s your purpose, intruder?”

“Well, I ought to take you out shopping.”

“That’s strange for a guy. I mean, don’t tell me you’re secretly gay?”

“No I’m not.”

“Oh really?” For some inexplicable reason, I felt comfortable around him. I quickly thought of something that might rattle him a little.

He was leaning on the counter and behind him was a spatula which I needed. Instead of going around to get it, I virtually flushed myself against him while reaching for it. I felt his body tense and his breathing quickly sped up in a short amount of time. I leisurely reached for the spatula and feigned difficulty.

I heard him clear his throat, and then he said, “What are you doing?” He asked in a breathless voice.

I told him indifferently, “Just getting the spatula.”

“Are you really?”

I quickly looked up to meet his gaze, and it seemed that his eyes reflected an internal struggle raging within him. I have never blatantly flirted with anyone, but seeing his reaction made me feel empowered.

We were locked in each other’s gazes for what seemed like an eternity, while his intermittently switched between my eyes and mouth. Finally he broke the silence that settled in the tension-filled air, “Don’t play a game you can’t win, Sabrina.”

“What if I’m already winning?” I told him in a seductive voice which I could manage.

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I know you want to kiss me but you wouldn’t.” I immediately distanced myself from him because for one thing, I am actually afraid that he might kiss me and I would not know how to react, and for another thing, I felt utterly foolish for being so brazen.

I turned my back to him since I did not want him to see my look of humiliation, but I was shocked when he spun me around and met my lips with a kiss that deprived me of any rational thought.