Cats And Romance

"Come on, Austin! Let's go!"
Alan was particularly giddy today, his huge and bright smile never leaving his face as he pulled me along toward the animal shelter.
I had promised him that today would be the day we brought a new cat home; he had been bugging me about it for the past few weeks and I couldn't resist when he pulled those puppy dog eyes on me and pointed his lower lip out in a cute little pout.
That wasn't all the reasoning behind it, though - while Alan wanted this cat to play and cuddle with, I wanted it for an entirely different reason.
Today was Alan and I's fourth anniversary as a couple, and what better present was there than the classic ring in a box, right?
Wrong. What better present was there than a ring and a cat!
I couldn't think of any, not for Alan.
He was all about cats and sappy romantic things, and I just hope he likes it as much as I think he's going to.
I linked my fingers with his as he opened the doors to the shelter, his brilliant smile never leaving his face even as we walked over to where the receptionist was sitting.
"Hello, miss." Alan said, using his free hand to wave at the lady behind the desk.
She looked up at us and smiled, her black curls bouncing slightly as she did so.
"Hello gentleman, welcome to the Fairview Animal Shelter. How may I be of assistance?"
"We're looking for cats!" Alan replied, and I couldn't help but laugh at his childlike mannerisms.
"Ah, right this way." She said, standing up and placing the pen she was writing with down on her desk.
I turned toward Alan at him, taking my hand from his. "Wait here."
He gave me a curios look before nodding and sitting down on one of the chairs, his attention going over to the murals painted on the walls.
I walked up to the lady and asked her to lead the way, and she nodded and took me down a hallway to a door.
"Hey," I said to her as she opened the door. "You guys here don't mind if I put this on one of your cats, right?"
I fished around in my pocket and pulled out a thin, orange-coloured collar that I had gotten in advance for today.
She pursed her lips in thought, thinking something over in her head. "What for?" She finally questioned, in a tone that wasn't interrogating but truly curious.
I looked both ways to make sure Alan wasn't around before leaning in, my voice in a hushed whisper.
"You see that man I was with?" I asked, to which she nodded her head and beckoned for me to continue. "Today's our anniversary. I want to put this on one of the cats along with a ring hanging from it."
She smiled brightly at me and nodded eagerly. "Of course you can! If only all guys were as sweet as you are, this world would be a better place."
I smiled back and looked away, feeling my cheeks heat up at the compliment. "Thank you. Would you mind calling him over here for me?"
Shaking her head, she smiled a final time before turning the in the direction we came from and walking down the hall.
I sighed in relief and walked inside the room, shutting the door behind me - my plan was coming together nicely.
There were about 8 cats in this room, each of them of different colours and sizes. I studied them all, silently thinking over which one Alan would be most likely to choose.
Finally, there was one cat that caught my eye. I smiled; he was definetely going to pick this one.
It was ginger - like he was - and it merely a kitten. It couldn't have been any more than half a year old, and I immediately went up to it, inspecting it's info card.
It was a girl named Annie, and she was only 5 months old. She was born here and she had all her veterinary requirements up to date. She was perfect.
I opened her cage and took her out, wrapping the collar around her neck swiftly before pulling out the velvet box from my back pocket.
I flicked it open and stared down at the silver band that would soon be around Alan's finger, signifying our love for each other. I had gotten 'A+A' inscribed into it, knowing full well how much Alan loved cheesiness like that and how he would gush over it.
Carefully, I picked it up and slipped it around the collar, clicking the collar into place.
I closed the gate back up and just then, Alan burst through the door.
He had a look of wonder on his face as he marvelled at the cats, and I was thankful that he was too caught up in looking at them to notice my fumbling to get the box back into my pocket.
He walked past each of the felines, paying special attention to their cards.
Every so often, he would open a cage to pet the cat that was inside, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
He looked so content here, just touching these creatures that brought him the utmost joy in life, and the look on his face was of such pure pleasure that it made me smile.
Finally, he walked past Annie's cage.
My breath hitched in my throat as he opened the cage slowly, bringing her out and inspecting her all over.
He ran his hand over her fur, stroking it softly and cooing at her.
Then, ever so gently, he fiddled around with her collar, staring at the ring dangling from it.
I took that as my chance to promptly lower myself down onto one knee, deciding on leaving at least one thing here to the traditional.
His gaze flicked from the ring to me, and I could see tears glistening in his eyes as he did so.
"Oh, Austin..." he said in a hushed voice, leaning down to place a hand on my cheek. He had a huge smile on his face, and I returned it warmly.
"Alan," I began, putting my hand on top of his gently. "I've loved you since the day I met you. I can't remember the last time someone made me as happy as you do, and that's because that time doesn't exist. I want to spend every day from now til forever with you, nothing would bring my more joy. So please, Alan, will you marry me?"
He nodded again and again, the tears leaking from his eyes as he did so.
I smiled widely and stood up, wrapping my arms around him tightly before removing the ring from the collar and placing it on his finger smoothly.
He pressed his lips against mine, our lips working with each other as we kissed passionately.
This kiss was unlike any we've ever had before, and honestly it felt like the most important kiss we'll ever share - until we get married, that is.
He held the cat up, setting her gingerly in between our chests and smiling at her.
"I want her." He said, looking up at me happily. "Can we adopt her, Austin?"
"Of course." I replied, a grin tugging at my lips as I leaned down and kissed him again.
He kissed me back and help up his hand, marvelling at the ring.
"A+A," He said, his eyes growing wide with wonder as he read the inscribed letters from the ring. "Austin and Alan. I love it!"
I smiled to myself. if there was one thing I knew about Alan, it was that he had a knack for two things: cats and romance.