Elise was woken up by a cat licking her face in the morning. Feeling the wetness on her cheek, she opened her eyes in a daze, reached out to pet the kitten beside her, and noticed how much livelier and cuter it looked in the sunlight than it had the night before.
"Good morning, little one," she whispered, a smile forming on her lips. Sitting up, Elise pulled the quilt around herself, but she was a little puzzled. 'Where did Arthur go?' she wondered. Her memory of last night was blurred, leaving only the feeling of exhaustion as she sat on the sofa, listening to the sound of wind and rain outside the window. Then, a moment of warmth flashed through her mind—Arthur's embrace.
Just as she was lost in thought, the door creaked open, and Arthur poked his head in, holding a cup of hot coffee.
