Their first date was going so well. What's Jane even doing there? Stalker much?
The second the door clicked shut behind us, the energy shifted. Gone was the sharp burst of adrenaline from that kiss in the hallway, from Jane’s voice slicing through the restaurant like a butter knife dipped in poison. Now the air between us buzzed with something quieter… heavier. Tension, yes, but not the bad kind. Not the kind that came with yelling or anxiety. This was warm. Focused. A tension full of choice. I moved toward the kitchen almost on autopilot, mumbling something about feeding Spitfire and checking on the kittens. My voice felt foreign in my mouth. Not because I was nervous. Well, okay, maybe a little, but because everything suddenly felt so real. No more stolen glances or “almost” kisses or brushes of hands that might have meant something. We’d kissed. Fully. Willingly. And then I invited him in. What the hell was I doing? I crouched beside Spitfire’s makeshift nest of towels and watched the kittens squirm and nuzzle against her. Their eyes were open now, but th
This was some cosmic joke. It had to be. Because that’s the only explanation for why Jane Burns, bane of basically everyone at Ravenwood High School’s existence, was crashing my date with Ofelia. I don’t even want to think about how she knew where I was. Unlike my address, this wasn’t something she could find out from my parents. I haven’t spoken to my parents since the last time Jane reared her ugly head and tried to butt into my life. Jane Burns, the bleach-blonde menace in designer heels, had no business in this restaurant, let alone Newark. She didn’t look at me first. Nope, her eyes zeroed in on Ofelia, narrowing with instant recognition. The twitch of her lip told me she remembered everything. The ruined suede shoes. The faint scratch on her arm. The smug calico who’d delivered justice without flinching. Ofelia didn’t flinch now either. She went still, her expression neutral, but I knew her well enough to see the tension in the set of her jaw. The quiet inhale she took. I stood
A few days had passed since Spitfire claimed victory and my apartment as her kingdom. The dust from the chaos had mostly settled, though the cardboard boxes stacked in the corner, the lopsided utensil drawer, and the pile of mail I kept pretending not to see suggested otherwise. I was still adjusting, still juggling my long hospital shifts, late-night studying for an upcoming practical, and the adorable kitten circus that had officially taken over my living room. The kittens’ eyes were all open now, wide and curious, tiny heads wobbling as they tried to coordinate movement with enthusiasm. Goose had discovered the joy of climbing onto the couch cushions, only to fall over sideways like a drunk burrito. Mochi preferred launching sneak attacks from inside a shoebox. The rest rotated between Spitfire’s fluff-lined nest and short, uncoordinated expeditions around the coffee table, if Spitfire or I allowed it. She was very much the general in charge of her tiny army, her tail flicking like
The moment my door clicked shut, the air felt heavier, quieter, sure, but not calm. Not peaceful. Just… pissed. I rubbed a hand over the back of my neck, breathing deep as if that would somehow slow the steam building under my skin. It didn’t. I’d been biting my tongue since Jane sauntered in like she owned the damn building. Like she belonged in that apartment. Like Ofelia didn’t. And that look in Jane’s eye, the condescension oozing out of her voice like syrup gone bad. Not to mention that Spitfire had to go full Exorcist to chase her out finally. So yeah, I was done pretending this was just some annoying misunderstanding. I paced once across the living room, resisting the urge to throw something just for the satisfaction of watching it break. My place was practically untouched—bare furniture, barely-there decor, still smelling like the last cleaning service came through a month ago. It looked exactly how I’d left it… and it didn’t feel like mine at all. Not after the cozy chaos
The moment the door slammed shut, it was as if someone had popped the pressure valve in the apartment. The tension, thick enough to chew through minutes ago, dissolved into a flood of breathless laughter, relieved exclamations, and groans of secondhand embarrassment. I pressed both palms to my cheeks, which were somehow burning and frozen at the same time. My adrenaline was still spiking, heart hammering like I’d just run from a code red rather than survived a social ambush. “Spitfire deserves a damn medal,” Ace said, shaking his head with a low chuckle. He was still standing near the door, arms crossed, but now his mouth curved into something between a smirk and a sneer. “You see that launch? Precision strike. That was tactical.” “She’s a war general,” Amaya chimed in, eyes gleaming. “Tactical and fabulous. Look at her, she’s not even winded.” “She has the heart of a lion,” Xenia added solemnly, crouching down to scratch Spitfire under the chin like she hadn’t just gone full feline
Humans were exhausting. Mine more than most, but even I could admit that her siblings were loud, affectionate, constantly rearranging the furniture, but they had their uses. They brought things. Soft things. Boxes. Sturdy places to perch. And food. The freckled one, Ace, even tried to sneak me some turkey earlier. He earned points for that. I was reclined in my rightful place atop the throne, my nesting box, watching them assemble this so-called new home. The kittens were tucked safely beside me, still blind, still helpless, but perfect all the same. Ofelia buzzed around, flushed from exertion, laughing more freely than I’d seen in weeks. And Zach… Zach passed my inspection days ago. He knew how to scratch behind the ears properly, a rare trait in human males. He kept my food stocked. He respected boundaries. Mostly. Things were, dare I say, tolerable. Until she arrived. I spotted her before the others noticed, silhouetted in the doorway like the bad smell of cheap perfume and ar