Chapter 2
1356 Words
Chapter Two
My wet hair clings to the back of my shirt, but I didn't want to wait for it to dry before heading to Caspian's room. I've gone all day without seeing my kittens, and it turns out that I don't like it. They're such a big part of my life now it's hard to forget that once they just kind of got in the way.
I wrap on the door to Caspian's flat and he swings the door open instantly.
"Were you waiting on the other side?" I c**k my head to the side in a way I hope he finds cute.
"Of course. You said you were coming." He leans in and presses his lips against mine. The kiss is soft and tender, which I suppose is going to be the case when I tried to rescue him from jail, even if it wasn't strictly necessary.
We break apart, wide grins on our faces. I can't believe I'm so lucky as to have not just him, but Ryan as well. And Thomas, though he's still being stubborn because of his position as a teaching assistant. Part of me understands why things have to be the way they are between us, but I hate it at the same time. He's become such a big part of my life that it's impossible to imagine it without him.
"There's tea waiting for you in my room," Caspian says, shutting the door before placing a hand on the small of my back. I lean into his touch, not letting myself get too lost there. Some things I'm just not ready for, even if my body tries to tell me I am.
"Thank you. For looking after the kittens too. Have they been good?" It's a loaded question and we both know it. I'm sure they've been their normal mischievous selves. I hope they haven't ruined any of Caspian's furnishings.
He chuckles. "They're fine. Come see for yourself." He pushes open his door and lets me into his room. It's surprisingly neat for a stereotypical guy's room, though perhaps he tidied when he realised I'd be coming over.
Rhubarb saunters along Caspian's desk, heading towards the two steaming cups of tea that sit there. The others are doing their normal things. Seth's lying on the windowsill trying to get as much sun as he possibly can, while Romeo is trying to keep Ginger's attention on him.
I smile at the sight of them, relaxing instantly. I don't think I realised how off-balance not having them around made me.
"Do you want some time alone with them?" he asks.
I shake my head. "I'm here for you as well as them." It's not even a lie to make him feel better. Besides, we have a project we need to finish. I keep that part quiet for now. We can work on the siren stuff later, for now, it's about him and kittens.
I scoop Isla off his bed and sit myself down, shuffling back so I'm against the wall. I settle the kitten on my lap and begin to stroke her head. The fur there is so soft, and I close my eyes, enjoying the sense of closeness.
"May I?" Caspian asks, gesturing to the bed.
"Of course. It's your room." I frown, confused about why he's asking permission to sit on his own bed.
"That doesn't mean I should assume you're okay with everything. I prefer to check."
A warmth spreads through me as he climbs on and sits next to me. Our legs are almost close enough to touch, but not quite. He leans over and picks up one of the mugs, handing it to me and confusing poor Rhubarb in the process.
I chuckle as Rhubarb changes direction and all but falls off the desk and onto the bed. He's lucky that the layout of Caspian's room echoes mine and he doesn't end up seriously injured.
It doesn't deter him, and he sets off on an adventure through the sheets, climbing over lumps and masking his way towards Caspian and his tea. I shake my head. Nothing can deter him. I don't know if it's because he's the first kitten I made, or if it's just part of his nature, but Rhubarb is by far the most adventurous of them all.
"He won't stop, will he?" Caspian asks, laughter in his voice.
"Nope. Not until he's burned himself on your tea." I've seen it happen dozens of times. I'd have thought the kitten would have figured out it was too hot for him by now, but no such luck.
To my surprise, Caspian leans forward and pops his cup within Rhubarb's reached distance. My kitten sniffs it, before his tongue darts out and laps up some of the tea.
He jumps back, pawing at his tongue and trying to get rid of the burn.
I shake my head, trying not to laugh at him.
"I can't believe he just did that," Caspian says, laughter under every word.
"It gets him every time." I want to freeze this moment. The happiness within me is almost too much to take. "Thank you for looking after them today," I whisper.
Caspian reaches over and puts a hand over mine. "It's no problem, Mona. I'll always look after them for you. I mean, I assume they're going to be in my life for a long time to come."
"So long as they don't disappear if or when manage to cure myself," I mumble.
"They won't," he says assertively.
"You don't know that. We have no idea what's going to happen to them." I resist the urge to pull Isla close to my chest. I don't want to panic them.
"We do know," Caspian promises me. He pulls out his wand, twirling it around and producing the cutest locket I've ever seen. He hands it to me.
"It's so pretty." I rub my finger over the silver surface where a tiny engraving of a kitten sat. "And impressive."
"But the spell is over, right?"
I frown, thinking about what he's suggesting and how it applies to my kittens. "Yes."
"Then the same is true of your kittens. The spell that created each of them is over, but they're still here. And they still will be when all of this is over." He reaches out an arm and pulls me close. I nestle into him, enjoying the warmth.
His words make sense, but there's the lingering doubt in my mind that he's wrong about it and I'll lose them. The main problem is that I won't know until we manage to break the curse on me, by which point it'll be too late.
"Have faith, Mona. They'll still be here at the end of this all. Then we can focus on the rest of our educations, buy a house, make sure they have a room of their own..."
"You want to have a kitten room?" I pull back so I can look up at him. His expression is serious, and intense. He really wants what he's saying.
"Of course. What else are we going to do with them all? We don't even know if you won't create more of them. They have to live somewhere."
"You don't fancy waking up with a different one on your bed each night?" I tease.
"I'd rather wake up with you there," he quips.
My cheeks heat up. I take a sip of my tea rather than answering him. It feels like the safest thing to do, especially when I don't have a good response for him.
It's good to sit and chat. It feels like too long since I've done nothing and not had an urgent issue pressing on the back of my mind. It's funny to think I don't have much to worry about other than finding a cure for whatever is going on with me. I mean, sure, there's still someone around the academy using black magic and trying to blame me, and I still make kittens when I try to do magic, but it's not as urgent as Caspian being sentenced to death for something he didn't even do, or there's someone trying to stop us from doing something important.
I can't help thinking that this is the calm before the storm. If it is, then I'm going to try and make the most of it.
- Writer
