Chapter 3

Instead of accepting Kate's gift, I crouched down and petted Muffin's head to comfort him.

Kate frowned. She had lost all patience, and she was about to explode in anger.

"Jonathan, will you stop making a scene?

"I'm a busy woman, so I don't have time to waste on picking out gifts for men. Samuel was the one who took on the job and helped me pick out your gift. He even said you'll look distinguished in a suit with the obsidian!

"He's helped me so much, so as his best friend, of course I'd get him a gift as thanks. Did that somehow offend you too?

Can't you just let things go for once? Look, I'm fine with your cat, and he can't even talk! I even take care of him like he's my own child, so why are you so upset about my friends?"

After venting her anger, Kate grabbed Samuel, turned around, and left.

I slowly stood up. As I watched them leave, I felt my gaze turn cold.

Kate knew very well that Muffin wasn't just a cat to me. He was family.

He was the only keepsake that I could remember my late grandmother by, so I cherished him a lot.

At 2:00 am, I received a check-in message from Samuel.

In the video, Kate's face was flushed from drinking, and she was lying slumped in the booth. Under the dim lights, I could make out Samuel holding her chin.

"Don't worry, Jonathan. I'll teach Kate a lesson for you. I'll bring her home tomorrow to apologize to you, and she'll swear she'll never lose her temper at you again." Samuel was speaking with an intimate and forceful tone as he tapped Kate's face. He looked very much like her partner instead. "Well? Have you learned your lesson? Are you going to make Jonathan mad again?"

Kate muttered, slurring her words, "I've learned my lesson. No, I won't make him mad ever again."

I felt my heart grow ever colder as I listened to their conversation.

Kate only came home late in the afternoon the next day.

She was holding a takeout box from my favorite restaurant, and there were some rashes on her neck, which were a mild allergic reaction to alcohol.

I never let her near any alcohol because of her allergy.

However, I could see that someone had kept her company as she went all out last night.

"Honey, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things about you and Muffin. Consider this my peace offering for you and Muffin." Aside from the takeout box, she had also brought a bag of premium cat food Muffin usually ate.

My expression relaxed a little, and I was about to say something when Samuel invited himself in with a suitcase in tow.

"Kate, did you tell Jonathan about it? You lost the draw to me at the bachelorette party last night." Samuel was holding a pink dare card in his hand, and the suggestive text read, "Stay with your male best friend before your wedding."

"Well, here I am!" With that, Samuel turned to look at me. "Jonathan, it's just a joke between friends. We just wanted to liven things up a little. You wouldn't mind, would you? Kate had promised last night that I could move in today and stay with you guys until the wedding.

"In our circle, we call this a housewarming ahead of time. It's a gesture of goodwill, you see. You're welcome, Jonathan."

Samuel gleefully lugged his suitcase to the second floor as if he owned the place.

I turned to look at Kate, my expression darkening.

Kate hastily took my hand and explained, "Jonathan, please don't get the wrong idea. It's just a card drawing game between friends. It should've been another friend who got the card, but Samuel is really just that lucky.

"Still, I never thought of him as a man, and it's just a bestie thing. No one really takes it seriously. It's the perfect time for you to try and get along with Samuel too, right? You can prove that Samuel and I are really just friends, and nothing will ever happen between us."

Before she had finished talking, Samuel's voice rang out from upstairs. "Kate, what are you spacing out down there for? Come upstairs and help your temporary roommate with the bedsheets!"