(from How we were chosen - Nikita, part I)
There she is, he thought with surprising relief as he biked toward the lone figure in the distant light. Yet some how he was only vaguely surprised to see her still sitting there patiently, rhythmically swishing her tail. It was as if he'd wished her there by putting the can of tuna and opener in his pocket when he passed through the office. She was in the exact same spot as she was in 30 minutes ago when he promised to come back - as if no time had passed at all.
"Hello again" he said, "look what I brought you." This time he swung his long leg easily over the bike, popped the kickstand and sat down in the middle of the pavement with her. He took his presents out of his pocket and she began to purr affectionately, pacing back and forth, pausing occasionally to rub her head against his knee. He'd barely put opener to can and she started gently pawing at his hands - her ravenous eyes pleading with him as she meow-ed her scratchy little meows. He chuckled and obliged. It took her all of 90 seconds to devour the entire can. He couldn't help but smile, watching her lick her chops with satisfaction and clean her paws with royalty-like daintiness.
Then they just looked at each other for a while. His heart ached a bit with memories of the last time he was looked at with that same kind of open gaze. It had been almost a year since the utter heartbreak of that loss, and remembering it, he gave her one last pet and stood.
Back on his bike, he looked again down at those expectant green eyes and recognized the stirring in his chest. "I've got to go back to the office now, but if you're still here after I punch out I'll take you home." No sooner had the words left his mouth, he shook his head and laughed out loud at himself and the ridiculousness of talking to a stray cat in a deserted parking lot in the middle of the night. Still, there was something about her...the way she looked at him...like she'd heard so much about him and was intrigued to finally meet him.
"Alright, then." He said awkwardly to the air. Then he biked away...still feeling her watching him.
...to be continued...
***favorite moment of the day: making Chad laugh.
