Chereads / A catgirl's unnamed life / Chapter 19 - Arrival

Chapter 19 - Arrival

You follow Hanna out of the apartment, closing and locking the door behind you. The sound of the door locking echoes in the hallway, the silence that follows feeling oddly loud.

Hanna waits for you in the hallway, a mixture of excitement and nervousness on her face as she looks up at you.

-"Ready to go shopping?" she asks, her voice a little quieter than normal in the empty apartment hallway.

-"More ready than my will to tease you"

Hanna rolls her eyes at your playful jab, but there's a hint of a smile on her lips.

-"Oh, you're just begging to get teased back, aren't you?" She looks at you with a mock glare, but her cat ears betray her true feelings, twitching in amusement.

-"Just keep those teasing fingers to yourself while we're in public, okay? I don't want to be embarrassed in front of strangers."

You chuckle at her words, enjoying the playful banter between you two. You nod your head in agreement to her request.

-"Alright, I promise I won't tease you too much while we're shopping."

Hanna lets out a mock sigh of relief, her expression jokingly dramatic.

-"Good. Because I can't handle any more comments about my flat chest today."

You feel a small pang of guilt at her words, but you quickly push it aside in favor of maintaining the playful banter.

-"Hey, I didn't say I wouldn't joke about it at all. I just said I wouldn't tease you too much."

Hanna lets out another mock huff, pretending to be annoyed.

-"Ugh, you're insufferable, you know that?"

You smirk as she mock huffs once again, enjoying the back and forth between you two.

-"You love it. Admit it."

Hanna scoffs, a playful glint in her eyes as she replies, her cat ears twitching.

-"Never. I hate everything about your insufferable personality."

Hanna squeals a little in surprise as you suddenly pick her up, caught off guard by the sudden movement. She instinctively wraps her arms around your neck to steady herself, her cat ears twitching as she looks up at you with wide eyes.

-"Hey! What are you doing?!"

-"What about now?"

Hanna blushes a little as you hold her in your arms, a mix of surprise and embarrassment on her face.

-"I... um..."

She stutters a little, not expecting to find herself in this situation. She looks away, her cat ears drooping slightly as she tries to regain her composure.

-"Don't you dare drop me..."

Hanna lets out a little "eek!" as you pretend to drop her for a moment, her eyes widening in shock before you pick her up again before she hits the ground. She clings to you tightly, her heart pounding in her chest from the sudden rush of adrenaline.

-"Hey! That's not funny!" she scolds you, her voice a little shaky.

You ignore her protests, holding her in your arms as you continue walking. Hanna pouts and looks away from you, pretending to be angry, but her cheeks are still a little flushed and her cat ears are still twitching, giving away her true feelings.

-"You're the worst, you know that?" she mutters, her voice lacking any real bite.

-"At least I'm better than you"

Hanna huffs at your comment, her pout growing even larger. She crosses her arms in mock annoyance, her cat ears pinning back against her head. She turns her head away from you, pretending to be offended.

-"Hey! What's that supposed to mean? I'm great!"

Hanna blushes a little as you offer her a piggyback ride, a mixture of surprise and embarrassment on her face. She hesitates for a moment, her arms still crossed, but eventually her pride gives in and she climbs onto your back, wrapping her arms around your neck and her legs around your waist.

She feels a little embarrassed but also secretly enjoys the feeling of being carried by you, her head resting lightly against your back.

 The two of you make your way to the shopping center, Hanna riding on your back the entire way. She tries to maintain her pouting expression initially, but soon finds herself loosening up and enjoying the ride, her cat ears perking up as she takes in the scenery passing by.

She glances up at you from time to time, her expression softening a little as she looks at your back. Despite her initial reluctance, she can't help but feel a small flutter in her chest as you carry her around like this.

Hanna can't help but notice the snowflakes resting in your hair, and without thinking, she reaches up to brush them off.

Her fingers gently run through your hair as she carefully removes the snowflakes, her touch gentle and almost reverent. She doesn't even realize that she's doing it, her actions driven by an unconscious desire to take care of you.

As she brushes the snowflakes from your hair, her touch becomes more playful, her fingers lingering in your hair for a moment longer than necessary. She can't help but enjoy the feeling of your soft hair between her fingers, her touch almost unconsciously possessive. Her cat ears twitch as she continues to brush the snowflakes away, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

-"Looks who turn from angry to playful now"

Hanna blushes a little more as you point out her change of demeanor, her playful touch faltering for a moment before continuing.

She tries to hide her embarrassment by looking away, her cat ears flicking in faux annoyance.

-"Sh-shut up... I'm just... making sure there's no more snowflakes in your hair. That's all."

-"It's pointless but thanks anyway"

Hanna huffs in mock annoyance, but there's a hint of a smile on her lips.

-"Hmph, well, excuse me for trying to be helpful. I guess I'll just keep my hands to myself then."

She crosses her arms, pretending to be offended, but her eyes flutter up to your hair once more, longing to touch it again.

As the two of you continue to walk, Hanna's eyes keep drifting up to your hair, her fingers twitching slightly with the suppressed desire to touch it again. She keeps her arms crossed and her expression poutingly, but her gaze keeps wandering to the back of your head, the urge to touch it growing harder to resist.

Finally, after a few more moments, Hanna can't resist the urge any longer. She uncrosses her arms and reaches up to touch your hair again, her fingers gently running through the soft strands once more.

She tries to act nonchalant, pretending like she just decided to fix your hair "one last time," but her touch betrays her affection, her fingers lingering in your hair just a bit longer than necessary.

As you and Hanna arrive at the shopping center, she looks around in awe, her cat ears perked up as she takes in the bustling crowds and the bright, colorful storefronts.

She grips onto your shoulders a little tighter, the excitement of being in a new environment causing her heart to flutter in her chest.

Hanna's eyes dart around the shopping center, taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of the busy place. Her eyes widen as she sees all the different shops and stores, her cat ears twitching in curiosity.

She looks up at you, her expression a mix of excitement and nervousness. She's never been to such a busy place before, and the multitude of people and noise is both exhilarating and intimidating.