The Love Cube

Chapter 21 : Heart to Heart

Kingsley had fifteen minutes before Heather made it to his home after abruptly asking if he had a cat and if she could have him for a day. She had not given him any extra information, just asking for a pin to where he lived. The house was tidy at least and did not smell dusty. Running to his laundry room, he got the air freshener and sprayed it around the room. It had been sometime since he brought or got a female who he was interested in visiting his bachelor pad.

His cat, Serendipity, was just watching her master running around, a rare case especially in the evenings for them. She would normally be resting on his lap watching TV while he sipped a warm beer. Now he was sniffing at her as if she smelled, offending her. She was a clean cat. She groomed herself three times a day.

She felt his warm hands wrap around her as she relocated from where she had been earlier settled to the coach, then to her bed, then to his lap in under ten minutes. Whoever was coming must have been important, but if he relocated her one more time she was going to scratch at him. Finally, the doorbell rang and instead of going to open the door, he turned to her and told her to behave. She knew that from the raised index finger and the stern look on his face.

She did not dare move but raised her head to see who was at the other side of the door. It had been so long since her owner had brought over or even had a pretty woman visit him. She understood his nervousness,as the beautiful stranger walked in. She was way more beautiful than anyone else she had seen around and smelled even nicer. Maybe she really needed a bath with the nice shampoo.

Kingsley wiped his sweaty palms on his shorts one last time before he opened his door to a very elegantly dressed Heather. She beamed at him as he opened his door wider to allow her inside,

" Welcome to my humble home,'' he said while closing the door behind him.

" Cozy,'' Heather replied as she made a beeline towards his cat. She slightly petted her and the traitorous cat just moved to her lap and curled around her.

He suddenly felt jealous of his cat. The feline was getting to enjoy privileges he never knew he would ever get but dreamed of nonetheless.

He had been standing in the middle of his living room when Heather opened her phone and gave it to him. Her camera app already open.

" You just wanted a picture?'' he asked, surprised by the turn of events.

" Yes, and hurry up,'' she said, wanting to get done with the task as fast as possible.Maybe she was one of those people that did not like pets. How unfortunate , Ivy had been the same and it had resulted in having Serendipity staying with his cousin when she had moved in, but after they broke up she had moved back in and he loved having her around.He did not understand why he tended to gravitate to women who did not accommodate his interests.

It was when the first sneeze was followed by another that he realized what was happening.

Heather was allergic to cats. Slowly she lay Serendipity on the couch as she made grubby hands for her phone, ready to leave. Her eyes were already watering and her nose red and he couldn't allow her to leave like that.

He had antihistamines in his bathroom cabinet,she just needed to give him a minute to grab them.

"Why did you not say you were allergic? I have something that could help," he told her while trying to get her to sit on a different couch from Serendipity.

"I will be fine. The drive home is a couple of minutes. I can handle myself. " she countered, still trying to leave but having to stop to blow her irritated nose.

She was skittish, just like his cat when he first got her.

"Heather,it's fine. You can get the medicine then leave," he told her and she quietly nodded.

Heather was not used to getting help and Kingsley helping with the cat felt like a lot to her. To anyone else it would not seem like a big deal but it was to her,now he was getting to see another side of her. Sick Heather who was vulnerable.

Kingsley rummaged through the neatly arranged cabinet till he found the labeled container that contained what he needed. He passed through the kitchen to get a glass of water and found Heather where he had left her but Serendipity had made her way back to her lap and despite her red teary eyes, Heather continued petting her, aggravating her allergies even more.

" Serendipity down!'' he ordered the cat, who reluctantly moved away from the warm lap with one dejected meow. He would apologize later.

" Why do you keep letting her close to you, knowing the effect?'' Kingsley asked while handing Heather the glass and pills.

" It's a split milk-like condition.I have already held her and my allergy already flared,not holding her does not help. Plus, I love cats it's just unfortunate that this happens,''she responded, handing back the glass with a murmured thankyou.

" So what exactly were you running from? You are too well dressed for a business meeting,'' Kingsley had observed.

Heather huffed but she was sure the desired effect especially with her teary eyes and blocked nostrils, had not been achieved.

" Are you implying I don't look good on other days?'' she asked . The man had the nerve. She had been voted best dressed lawyer three years in a row for his information and that was just based on her court attire.

" You definitely don't look like this when you come to visit me at the station, '' Kingsley responded bitterly and that made Heather laugh.

" You want me to be dressing like this for you?'' she asked, and the last words had been laid like a trap.She loved playing games and when a redness spread on Kingsley’s cheeks she found it adorable. The detective had always been somehow shy around her. He would flirt and when she would flirt back, he would revert back into his shy shell which she found cute.

In another setting she would have pushed to see why this would lead.

" I didn't mean it like that,'' Kingsley replied while quickly getting up and leaving for his kitchen.

Kingsley felt embarrassed and he knew it was obvious, with his face and neck redder than a tomato. He had never experienced a woman who gave it as good as she got it and that was why he found Heather so alluring and attractive. She was different from the shy and reserved women he always went for but at the same time she was such a closed book.

He could be reading into things. Maybe that was just her character, but what if it was not and she was interested in him?

Not wanting to appear like he had run away, he got back to the room and found Heather already standing up, purse in hand, ready to leave.

" Thank you for this, it's getting late I need to get going,'' she said while inching towards the door.

" Anytime, but hopefully on things that will not make you sick,'' he replied with a sad smile.

Serendipity meowed from her spot on the floor and Heather was tempted to pet her for the last time.

" She is already missing you,'' Kingsley noted as Heather stared at his cat longingly. He felt like offering her to spend the night but he did not know how to.

"Will miss you too Serendipity,'' Heather replied while blowing his cat a kiss, then turning to him, " I would give you one too but while looking like this I don't think you would appreciate that,'' she smiled before muttering a goodnight and waving as she disappeared through the corridor.

Kingsley would not have minded at all but he remembered that he never got his answer on what she had been running away from.

She had skillfully diverted the topic like always.