Meow, Meow
Eleven
The following night I sleep much better. I don’t toss and turn, unable to fall into a restful sleep. Instead my head is filled with feverish, almost wistful dreams of meeting the cat-girl again so that I can apologize for hurting her.
These ridiculous images linger even after I go to three classes and finish up homework during the slowest day ever at work. The minutes seem to snake by and I’m literally ready to tear my eyes out by the time clock hits four.
“Bye guys.” I wave, slinging my bag over my shoulder and heading to meet Lucia, Chris, and couple other of my friends to grab something to eat at Caramel’s, the local restaurant two blocks downtown.
As we stroll there lazily down the fairly safe streets, I keep getting this strange feeling like I’m being watched. Paranoia sets in soon and I constantly look over my shoulder, scanning the area to see if I can catch anyone watching.
“What’s wrong with you?” Erin ask, making me turn around from my slow crawl in the middle of the street.
“Nothing.” I breath, smiling at the buxom blonde before dashing over to catch up with them.
After twenty-five minutes of a walking, we finally reach the tiny local hotspot. The crowd inside is made up mostly of college kids, with a decent mix of older adults. The lights are little dim, with an earthy scent in the air, and everything makes you think of something out a Harry Potter movie.
The five of us take a seat around a huge wooden table towards the back of the first floor. Chris seems to stick close to my side. He’s defiantly on his game today because he’s saying all the right things to have me laughing and smiling at him from ear to ear.
Besides Chris, the rest of my so-called friends are all acting a little on the strange side. I keep glancing at Lucia in the eyes, trying to see if I could get a glimpse of what exactly is going on, but she gives nothing away. So, I finally give up and focus on the conversation.
I’m laughing, nearly uncontrollably, when I get that the strongest feeling that someone is watching me again. My giggling fades to a light chuckle. Glancing up, I stare into the upper level of seating, carefully.
I know someone is watching me. I know it.
I’m about to abandon my searching, when I notice it: a furry tabby colored tail hanging from the rail, twitching back and forth. Either they let animals in here, which I doubt, or it’s her. That cat-girl, sitting at the table on the edge, shrouded in a dim light.
I nearly gasp.
“I’ll be right back guys.” Getting up suddenly and without much rational thought, I shimmy around the restaurant decor and walk up the stairs slowly, hesitantly.
As I near the place where she’s sitting, she looks up. My eyes connect with her gray flecked hazel orbs. My heart rate begins to speed up, the closer I get. It seems like hours before I finally approach her table.
She gets up with a slight smile on her features. “Hello.” She greets, sticking out her hand as if to shake.
“Are you stalking me?” I blurt without thinking and a little harsher that I intend.
She finches noticeable with a frown, but covers it but plastering an even bigger smile on her face. “Well, not really. Stalking isn’t the word I would use.”
“Ohhhh,” My eyes narrow to accusing slits, and cross my arms across my chest. “Then what would you call it?”
She pauses briefly, letting her hand fall to the side. “More like checking up on you.”
For some reason I really, really want to throw my arms around her. I want to hug her and tell her sorry for the things I said. I want- I want to hold her, and her to hold me.
Standing there, trying to reign in my tornado of feelings, I find it hard to stand still. Shifting uncomfortably, I settle on leaning lightly against the railing, gaze trained away from her face.
“Narissa.”
The calm, commanding tone in her voice makes me shiver. I look up quickly as she’s crosses her side of the table and stands beside me, looking me straight in the eyes.
“We really need to talk. I know you probably don’t want to, or you’re uncomfortable about it, which is understandable after what happened. However, I need explain everything. And I can answer all the questions you have.”
I blink, glancing away before returning my plain orbs to her prettier, more exotic ones. “A-Alright.”
The expression on her face shows a mix of surprise and glee. Her tail begins to twitch back and forth and her ears stand straight up in the midst of her shaggy orange locks.
“Oh, okay, I wasn’t- I wasn’t expecting you to be so…” She leads off, hesitantly, “Well, so compliant. I expected there to be more of an issue.”
Arching my brow, I simply shrug, taking a step back so I can catch my breath enough to state, “My friends are probably going to leave in a bit. Wait till then? And we can go to Rosie’s for desert.”
She nods. “Okay, I’ll wait.”
“You sure?”
“Positive.”
A slight grin creeps its way onto my lips. “Alright.” With that I turn on heel and head back down the stairs to meet up with my friends again.
Erin and Lucia gives me weird looks, Maurice blurts, “Who was that?”
“Oh, just some girl I thought I knew.” I breathe, sliding into my seat. As I do, Chris’ hand just so happens to brush against my butt. I slap him against the arm, throwing a glare his way.
I’m too distracted to have any input in the conversations that follow. The only thing I can think about is the fact that I just talked to the cat-girl. I talked to her! And my heart is racing inside my chest from just being around her. She’s definitely a lot prettier than the images I had in my head. So much prettier.
Eventually our chatting meanders off and we get ready to leave. After paying for our meals and leaving a tip the five of us file out of the deli and back into the brighter outside air.
We’re beginning to make out way back towards campus when I make up a little white lie, “Hey guys, I totally forgot. I’m supposed to be meeting a girl from my Stats class at Rosie’s.”
All four of them turn to me. Smart aleck Maurice asks why I didn’t say anything before now. I restate that I forgot, since I was having such much fun hanging with the buddies.
They’re obviously reluctant to leave without me. This fact kind of makes me feel nice that I have such loyal friends.
“It’s alright, guys. I’m not a little kid, I can find my way back to campus.” I separate myself from the group, waving my hand with a friendly grin before walking in the opposite direction towards the ice cream shop.
These ridiculous images linger even after I go to three classes and finish up homework during the slowest day ever at work. The minutes seem to snake by and I’m literally ready to tear my eyes out by the time clock hits four.
“Bye guys.” I wave, slinging my bag over my shoulder and heading to meet Lucia, Chris, and couple other of my friends to grab something to eat at Caramel’s, the local restaurant two blocks downtown.
As we stroll there lazily down the fairly safe streets, I keep getting this strange feeling like I’m being watched. Paranoia sets in soon and I constantly look over my shoulder, scanning the area to see if I can catch anyone watching.
“What’s wrong with you?” Erin ask, making me turn around from my slow crawl in the middle of the street.
“Nothing.” I breath, smiling at the buxom blonde before dashing over to catch up with them.
After twenty-five minutes of a walking, we finally reach the tiny local hotspot. The crowd inside is made up mostly of college kids, with a decent mix of older adults. The lights are little dim, with an earthy scent in the air, and everything makes you think of something out a Harry Potter movie.
The five of us take a seat around a huge wooden table towards the back of the first floor. Chris seems to stick close to my side. He’s defiantly on his game today because he’s saying all the right things to have me laughing and smiling at him from ear to ear.
Besides Chris, the rest of my so-called friends are all acting a little on the strange side. I keep glancing at Lucia in the eyes, trying to see if I could get a glimpse of what exactly is going on, but she gives nothing away. So, I finally give up and focus on the conversation.
I’m laughing, nearly uncontrollably, when I get that the strongest feeling that someone is watching me again. My giggling fades to a light chuckle. Glancing up, I stare into the upper level of seating, carefully.
I know someone is watching me. I know it.
I’m about to abandon my searching, when I notice it: a furry tabby colored tail hanging from the rail, twitching back and forth. Either they let animals in here, which I doubt, or it’s her. That cat-girl, sitting at the table on the edge, shrouded in a dim light.
I nearly gasp.
“I’ll be right back guys.” Getting up suddenly and without much rational thought, I shimmy around the restaurant decor and walk up the stairs slowly, hesitantly.
As I near the place where she’s sitting, she looks up. My eyes connect with her gray flecked hazel orbs. My heart rate begins to speed up, the closer I get. It seems like hours before I finally approach her table.
She gets up with a slight smile on her features. “Hello.” She greets, sticking out her hand as if to shake.
“Are you stalking me?” I blurt without thinking and a little harsher that I intend.
She finches noticeable with a frown, but covers it but plastering an even bigger smile on her face. “Well, not really. Stalking isn’t the word I would use.”
“Ohhhh,” My eyes narrow to accusing slits, and cross my arms across my chest. “Then what would you call it?”
She pauses briefly, letting her hand fall to the side. “More like checking up on you.”
For some reason I really, really want to throw my arms around her. I want to hug her and tell her sorry for the things I said. I want- I want to hold her, and her to hold me.
Standing there, trying to reign in my tornado of feelings, I find it hard to stand still. Shifting uncomfortably, I settle on leaning lightly against the railing, gaze trained away from her face.
“Narissa.”
The calm, commanding tone in her voice makes me shiver. I look up quickly as she’s crosses her side of the table and stands beside me, looking me straight in the eyes.
“We really need to talk. I know you probably don’t want to, or you’re uncomfortable about it, which is understandable after what happened. However, I need explain everything. And I can answer all the questions you have.”
I blink, glancing away before returning my plain orbs to her prettier, more exotic ones. “A-Alright.”
The expression on her face shows a mix of surprise and glee. Her tail begins to twitch back and forth and her ears stand straight up in the midst of her shaggy orange locks.
“Oh, okay, I wasn’t- I wasn’t expecting you to be so…” She leads off, hesitantly, “Well, so compliant. I expected there to be more of an issue.”
Arching my brow, I simply shrug, taking a step back so I can catch my breath enough to state, “My friends are probably going to leave in a bit. Wait till then? And we can go to Rosie’s for desert.”
She nods. “Okay, I’ll wait.”
“You sure?”
“Positive.”
A slight grin creeps its way onto my lips. “Alright.” With that I turn on heel and head back down the stairs to meet up with my friends again.
Erin and Lucia gives me weird looks, Maurice blurts, “Who was that?”
“Oh, just some girl I thought I knew.” I breathe, sliding into my seat. As I do, Chris’ hand just so happens to brush against my butt. I slap him against the arm, throwing a glare his way.
I’m too distracted to have any input in the conversations that follow. The only thing I can think about is the fact that I just talked to the cat-girl. I talked to her! And my heart is racing inside my chest from just being around her. She’s definitely a lot prettier than the images I had in my head. So much prettier.
Eventually our chatting meanders off and we get ready to leave. After paying for our meals and leaving a tip the five of us file out of the deli and back into the brighter outside air.
We’re beginning to make out way back towards campus when I make up a little white lie, “Hey guys, I totally forgot. I’m supposed to be meeting a girl from my Stats class at Rosie’s.”
All four of them turn to me. Smart aleck Maurice asks why I didn’t say anything before now. I restate that I forgot, since I was having such much fun hanging with the buddies.
They’re obviously reluctant to leave without me. This fact kind of makes me feel nice that I have such loyal friends.
“It’s alright, guys. I’m not a little kid, I can find my way back to campus.” I separate myself from the group, waving my hand with a friendly grin before walking in the opposite direction towards the ice cream shop.