The Illusion of Danger

Chapter 8

Now Wednesday evening, the night set for the two men to meet again for the hopefully final exchange, Mordecai stepped lively as he reached the bridge. Looking down at his pocket watch, he was on time once again which pleased him very much. As he crossed the structure, the tabby's vehicle could be seen; another thing that pleased the tuxedo cat. The interaction would be quick and smooth.

As he drew near, however, it appeared that Rocky wasn't in the car or around it. His ears stood upright for a moment before returning to their usual position, listening closely for any hint of the tabby. He looked over the guardrail of the bridge, but couldn't see much of anything.

"Mr. Rickaby?"
He called, almost hating that he had to.

If he was honest, he was still unsure about this entire thing. Mordecai had been keeping an eye on Rocky since their meeting at the club whenever he found they were in the same general area of the city. The coincidences were incredible and inconvenient, sometimes feeling as if Rocky had been following him at times. It was likely, considering his suspicions about the tabby.

Rocky had been planted under that bridge for three hours before he even needed to be there. It had been a few days since he had seen any form of Mordecai and he was definitely missing their run-ins. Once their agreed-upon hour came up, he knew he wouldn't need to wait even one more minute to see the other man. He was always punctual. At that exact moment, he heard his name being called from above, atop the bridge. Peering around the corner of the bridge, he looked up to see the tuxedo cat calling his name. The tabby waved to him, gesturing for him to come on down beneath the bridge.

Mordecai luckily caught sight of the man, not hesitating to make his way around and down to the underside of the bridge, keeping his hand in his pocket on an object in case of an emergency.

With a curt nod to the other man, the black and white cat extended his hand to accept his missing item.

"Hey, Morde... Mr. Heller, how are you doing tonight? Not too cold, I hope. It is getting close to winter after all."
He chuckled, being awkward and not sure what to say to the other. He didn't want to give the handkerchief so quickly and maybe not being able to spend extra time with the other man.
"How've you been this week? Up to anything fun?"
He did a little dance with his shoulders, trying to once again provoke a smile out of the stern-faced cat.

The tuxedo cat inhaled deeply as his eyes narrowed, lowering his hand again.
"No, nothing of interest for someone such as yourself."
He stated firmly, his suspicions only growing at an uncontrollable rate.
"I would appreciate it if you would give me what I have come for so I may depart peacefully."

Rocky looked around hesitantly.
"I'm sure I'd be interested in anything ya tell me!"
His face grew a little red at that. He didn't want Mordecai to leave just yet. He just got there after all.
"C'mon you can share with me! We're friends... aren't we?"
His face was a deep red now.

"Friends?"
Mordecai repeated with a cocked brow. Apparently, there was a small lesson to be given this evening. Not something he was particularly expecting, but he would do it regardless. Knowledge was power, so he was willing to share it and provide this small bit of education to someone who seemed to need it.
"The definition of a friend is a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual or family relations."
He explained as he adjusted his spectacles.
"I believe we are closer to the acquaintance role, the definition of which is a person one knows slightly, but who is not a close friend."

Rocky deflated like a balloon. He wanted more than friendship from Mordecai, of course, but he thought they'd at the least be friends by now.

"Ah... well this is how friendships form, yeah? By getting to know one another and..."
His tail bristled.
"I was thinking we could be friends..."
Swallowing the lump in his throat, he looked back up into the tuxedo cat's eyes.