It's been a few weeks since we moved into our house now and we were finally starting to settle in. Lily was working regularly and I'd gotten back into my old routine. It was better than before, though, with the new environment. I'd begun writing a new story that had been on my mind for a while. Of course, with all that was happening I found it hard to post any new updates on my stories. Hopefully people wouldn't be too upset with the wait times..I had a great story coming soon!
Snow sat on my lap as I began to write the second chapter of my unreleased novel. It would be a fantastic journey about Life and Death and other things like that. I had been wanting to write this for maybe a year now and I finally had the right mindset. Of course, I'd written this book a long while ago. But I lost my documents and the entire story and I wasn't able to get it back. I'd practically given up on that story as I had written maybe four chapters each with over twelve pages. For someone like me that was a lot of motivation and creativity lost to the abyss of the internets trash can that I would never get back. But now I had some new ideas. New things to reference and more research on the topic. Lily had even draw my characters and offered to create the cover as soon as she could find the time.
Now, I could freely tap against the keys on my keyboard as I brainstormed ideas for this book. It would be my best story yet, I was hoping. Yet there was always that laziness in the back of my mind. The thought that I could be doing something else rather than sitting here writing. Which, I loved to write so it wasn't a waste of time. I'd just often been told that I could be more like my sisters. Party goers at heart, not introverted loners.
With that, I picked up my phone and sighed. I should be doing something at least. Lily wouldn't be done with work for a few hours and Snow was getting ready to take her next nap. I figured it wasn't a bad time to try and socialize with some friends. After all, now that we were in this city I knew a few old friends wouldn't mind stopping by.
I dialed the numbers into my phone, forgetting that I could have just clicked on the contact instead. I tended to do that as it felt like I was pretty cool for remembering people's numbers so well. The phone rang for maybe three beats. The usual amount for this person…they always took a bit to process before answering.
"Hello?" The voice on the other end of the line came through nice and clear.
"Hey, Sam! How are you?" I smiled, excited to hear his voice. I hadn't seen him since last year, he's grown busy with work and his newest girlfriend.
"Evergreen, it's been so long! I'm doing good, what about you and Lily?"
Sam had always seemed like Lily's big brother growing up. He stuck to her side through thick and thin. I had gotten closer with him over that time too, and he was the second I confided in when I started to have feelings for Lily. Lenny was the first, of course.
"We are really good, we actually just moved into our dream house. Lily and I were thinking of hosting a housewarming party soon and you are so invited!" I giggled, to which he laughed as well. "But I wanted to ask you a favor?"
"Ask away, Eves, I'm all ears."
"Well, did you perhaps want to go cat shopping with me…?"
Now, Sam loved cats almost as much as I did. He had three cats growing up and to this day he still has one of them in his home. Lily and I had talked about getting some more cats in the future, friends for my dearest little Snowball. Now, if I came home randomly one day with another cat, she couldn't possibly say no?
Of course, she said I could do whatever I wanted with the money I earned from my books and I currently had more than enough to afford a second cat. Lily also mentioned that I could divulge in my wants for another pet whenever we got this new house…so she wouldn't be too shocked. I'd had Snow for so long now, I'm sure she got lonely.
"Cat shopping? You think I'd say no?" I could practically hear his grin from the other side of the line.
"So that's a yes?"
He agreed quickly and before I knew it I was getting dressed and ready to go. Sam was a sweet guy. He always had Lily's back growing up, and at some point, he even had mine. Lenny devolved a super big crush on him as well…which was strange because at that point I'd always thought of him as the straight nerdy jock. Being nerdy was like the biggest quirk he had in high school. Sam was cool with it though, he never judged anyone when it came to that stuff and he even gave Lenny the opportunity to try and play out his feelings.
Sam was now happy with his current girlfriend and he had his little cat baby. Lily mentioned Kim and him were also planning to get engaged soon, which was exciting. It was nice knowing they were ready to start a happy family together, Sam deserved that kind of love.
I couldn't help imagining Lily and myself having a small family of our own one day. Of course, Snow was our current baby but it didn't count in the long run! I wanted more than just one fur baby and maybe even a real one…I didn't mind adoption or having a sperm donor. Lily had mentioned briefly that she wouldn't mind the second option either as long as I was comfortable. We'd joked many times that Lily would never be the one to carry the baby if we did go down that path.
I waited patiently with Snow in her little pink carrier, my dress matching. Sam would pick me up and we'd be on our way to the city! I left a little note on the refrigerator just in case we came home late..adopting a cat was a long process after all. I wouldn't be bringing them home today, I'd have to get Lily's approval first, but even then. We had to find the perfect cat that snow would be okay with.
Soon enough I heard the honking of Sam's car horn and I was making my way outside. Sam and Lily could have easily been related. He had the same blonde hair and blue eyes, a permanent smirk and he was extremely handsome. Not pretty, no…he was just handsome.
"Hey, Princess!" He greeted as I opened the door and took my seat. I placed the cat carrier on the ground in front of my feet, where there was a surprising amount of leg room.
"Samuel, it's so good to see your face!" I grinned happily at the man. He leaned over and placed a kiss on my head, as he did every time we saw each other. "How's Kim?"
"She's wonderful…I bought the ring last weekend and we have a date tomorrow." He gave me that bashful look that said he was confident but not confident enough to make the engagement perfect.
"I wouldn't mind going undercover to get a cute video of the whole thing." I winked, the both of us laughing.
"I'll let you know when it comes to that. This is a really nice place, by the way, it fits you two perfectly." He nodded his head to our home. I could only agree.
Sam started down the road and we began to talk about our lives. I told him about Lily and her new job, he told me about the guys and how he'd recently gotten into a steady flow with his own personal things. We were both in that state where everything was perfect with those little flaws you couldn't exactly get rid of. Like the days where you just feel sad or the occasional lovers spat.
I rarely argued with my wife, we never disagreed. My mom always told me that when lovers fight it's because they either love each other so much or they just aren't meant to be. Lily and I fought because we cared about each other. Sometimes she'd get upset with me for doing something dumb or wrong. I'd do the same, but I was less confrontational than her. Arguing usually lead to me crying until my head hurt. Lily tried her best to avoid those little things, but I was prone to making mistakes and lots of them scared her.
Sam mentioned his latest disagreement with Kim. He'd gotten home late from work, a meeting with a few of his colleagues. Kim was a naturally insecure and paranoid person, nobody ever maimed her for it. But Sam would often mutter how hard it was to do anything without her feeling jealous. He didn't love her any less, I mean, he was proposing tomorrow! He just found it difficult. He'd text her every hour and would always let her know where he'd be and who he would be with. He would tell her if he'd be drinking or if she could join him.
Naturally, him coming home later then he was supposed to worried her. She'd asked questions that annoyed him, he was tired and he'd been drinking. He ended up rolling his eyes and frowning, causing her to ask if he was mad at her. He responded truthfully, telling her he was annoyed and just wanted to sleep. He could tell that this upset her and that she was feeling lost. This lead to them arguing, just a small thing but it felt so big at the time.
"As soon as she started tearing up I grabbed her in my arms and didn't let go. I can't stand to see Kim cry, she didn't do anything wrong. I need to remember her past when it comes to those talks." He gave a small smile as I took that in. Lily and Sam just had one more reason they could have been related.
"I get that, sometimes I can't help but feel jealous. Everyone flirts with my wife, and she wears a ring!" I laughed a little. "It's harder when you aren't married, people are less aware of your relationship."
"I know, I hope getting married will make things easier on her brain…she's always so scared I'll leave her. I feel like proposing will prove myself, you know? I love her to death and back."
"And when you love people, Sam, you never let them go. How long has it been for you two? Six years?"
"And counting. It hurts that she still finds it hard to trust me…"
"You remember her ex, he still contacts her right? She trusts you, Sam, but she trusted him too."
"And it feels so selfish to compare that. I know that she looks at me some days and wonders if I'll end up just like him."
"You won't, I know that. Marriage is going to prove to her that you want to give yourself up."
We both fell into a comfortable silence after that. Talks with Sam always seemed to go that way. We'd talk about deep things and give each other advice before we'd take a minute to let that all sink in. There was still a good fifteen minutes before we arrived at the pet shop, so I pulled Snow out and cooed at her. Sam even reached over and pulled her into his lap.
She curled up against him and purred, Sam and I giggling. We were huge cat enthusiasts and Snow loved people. I was glad he would be taking me, as much as a I loved Lily she didn't get the joyous tingles from spotting a cat that I did. Sam, however, he got the whole deal. We'd always squeal in sync and get super excited before halfway fainting whenever we saw a cat.
Okay, I was being dramatic. But cats are little spawn devil babies with the sweetest little paws and the prettiest eyes and the softest fucking fur!! And they can so easily read your emotions, Snow was always my support animal. She could tell when I was sad or angry. It was nice having a companion that understood you.
"Here we are!" Sam announced as he parked perfectly. I was not that good of a driver and I always managed to park crooked or outside the lines.
We got out of the car, Snow tucked securely in Sam's arms. I walked beside them and we entered the pet shop, immediately heading for the cat area. There were multiple pens and cat carriers around, each having different names and sizes. I immediately walked over to the pen with kitten in it. There were seven, all from the same litter it seemed. Their mother sat in a corner as she watched them.
Sam joined me, Snow mewing as she eyed all the other cats. She tended to get defensive, but she didn't mind other cats as long as they didn't steal her things. I happened to be one of her many things, so it made sense that she was going a bit crazy in a room full of adorable kittens.
"Oh my goodness!!" I practically squealed, Sam laughing as he waved at some of the other cats. "Sam look!"
I carefully scooped a small ginger kitten into my arms, a worker helping me. She told me that his name was PB, short for Peanut Butter. I cradled him for a long while, not even noticing Sam disappearing to the other side of the room. Snow and him were playing with some of the older cats.
The worker gave me the thumbs up to walk around with the kitten in my hands. He was just barely too big to fit in my palm. I happily walked over to Sam and showed off the little ball of fur in my hands. I even knelt down and let Snow nuzzle him for a while. She was so sweet and gentle. A while after I adopted her she had given birth to a few kittens of her own, only two of them making it through. She had two stillborns and one died an hour after being born. It was heartbreaking to my whole family.
I knew that I'd have to get a kitten, it would work best. She was always up for taking care of the young cats I used to pet sit. I liked to think it healed the inner mother inside of her. The way she picked Peanut out of my hands and set him down to roll against her was so adorable, even the workers were staring in awe. I knew right then and there that Peanut would be coming home with us one day.
I talked to the worker and she agreed to keep him under my name while I discussed things with my wife. Hopefully I'd be able to come back tomorrow in hopes of taking the little guy home. With a slight protest from Snow, we were on our back. Sam talked about how he might just have to adopt one the cats he'd been playing with while we were there.
"This was fun, Eves. I always love hanging out with you." Sam looked at me, his eyes glowing and his smile bright. I smiled back.
"I do too. Lily will be happy to hear you've taken great care of me today." I giggled. She always loved when I would go out with one of our friends, she hated leaving me alone at home with nothing to do.
"Tomorrow, if you're available, I'll text you the details for my date with Kim. Show up and get a video…I'd rather you see me rejected than Lily or any of the guys."
"I'm the best emotional support?" I smiled, Lily would be so jealous of me. "Your sister from another mister might not be happy to hear that."
"She loves you, I'm sure she'd be ecstatic to hear her big brother wants her wife to witness his proposal over her." He joked.
He pulled the car into the driveway, Lily's already parked. I invited him, to which he agreed. But we didn't quite yet get out. We stared at the house in front of us, looking forward to seeing Lily. But we both still had things to say.
"If she says yes I'm inviting you girls and the others to the water park an hour away." Sam finally spoke. "If she says no, I'm inviting you girls and Leonard to console me."
"Not your boyfriends?"
"They'd make fun of me, jokingly, but it'd still hurt. I can take words over the phone but not to my face.." He trailed, a smile on his face. "But after a day they'd have me watch movies with them and let me talk and cry all I want."
"That's what I love about our little group. Cmon, Lily might get hungry and burn the house down…I usually prepare dinner before she arrives."
"Ha! I forget your a housewife."
"A damn good one too, my darling only gets the best from me!"
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I entered the house, my elbow linked with Sam's and Snow in the cat carrier. We were giggling about something stupid when I noticed my wife huddled near the couch. She was talking quietly as she stared at something in her hands.
I unlinked our elbows and very silently walked up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and pecking her neck. She half jumped half squeaked as she turned around to face me. And then I noticed the thing in her hands. A small gray and white hamster.
"Lily-" I started but she shushed me.
"He's so cute..don't make me get rid of him."
"That's a hamster. A rodent…it might carry a disease?"
"He was just on the coffee table when I got home from work! Please can we keep him?"
I sighed as I watched my wife beg for her own little hamster. Lily loved mice and rats and anything small like that. I knew she would be upset for the rest of the evening if I told her no, but I also didn't want her to end up with rabies.
"You need to get that thing checked for diseases, Lils." I spoke softly, watching her face drop.
"He hasn't bit me yet…I even fed him. His name is Charles."
Sam chuckled in the background, Lily looking up and smiling as she saw him. She walked over and gave him a quick hug, the hamster scurrying in her palm to stay up. She then whipped back around and looked at me with those beautiful and pleading blue eyes.
"Lily…"
"Evergreen…" She stared at me, her eyes promising she would give me something in return. And as much as I wanted to accept her silent steamy offer, I had other plans.
"Fine. Charles can live here but you have to come with me to the pet shop tomorrow morning."
"You're going to the pet shop?"
"Mhm!" I grinned at Sam. "You are getting that thing tested and then giving him shots. I'm getting a cat."
Lily stood there a little stunned. I didn't usually declare things like this, but I really wanted Peanut to become a part of our household. Lily gave me a smile back after her moment of processing.
"Oh you little devil. Okay, I'm assuming you and Sam found a cat then?" She glanced between the two of us. We gave her our most innocent looks. "Alright, we will go to the pet shop tomorrow morning and you can have your cat as long as I can have my hamster."
"Deal!" That was easier than I thought.