George frowned, then sat in the chair beside him. “Look, give me your number. Please? I need to know how Ginger is doing.” The bubble of hurt those words produced burst when George added, “And you, too.”
Levi happily exchanged information with George, grateful his new friend wanted to stay in contact. “Excepting my cat getting hurt, hanging out with you today was fun, George. I’m glad we got to know each other.”
“Me too. I have a hard time making new friends, and I think you’re, like, a really cool person.”
“Same. Not as much the making new friends part, but the cool person part. I truly hope you keep testing your comfort zones and trying new things.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“That’s all any of us really can do.” Levi resisted the new, strong urge to kiss George goodbye. That was a bad idea for a whole host of reasons, the least of which was George’s likely inexperience when it came to dating and sex. The inexperience, Levi was guessing at, but it was a pretty good guess based on what little he knew about George’s life. He was also uncertain if George’s apparent interest was because of Levi specifically, or because Levi was the first person in a long time to show him a lot of direct attention.
“Ginger is going to be okay?” George asked.
“Yeah, they’re fixing her up. She’s gotta stay in a carrier for a few days or more so that’s not going to be fun. I’ve gotta watch her, make sure she doesn’t mess with the bandages. I’m not looking forward to spending my winter break cooped up inside with one cat and my laptop.”
Levi abhorred the idea of losing his hour-long morning runs. Runs that woke him up and made him feel like part of the wider world. He hated the idea of being stuck inside his tiny home all day long, instead of outside and moving around, reminding himself of why he was sober—so he could live his life in honor of his baby brother. Sure, he could take Ginger’s carrier wherever he went to watch her, but too much jostling would hinder her recovery. Maybe even negatively affect it. But she was his cat, and he didn’t have any other options than to stay home and care for her.
“It’s too bad she isn’t my cat,” George said. “I spend my entire day in my bedroom working. I could watch her easy.”
Levi studied George’s face, the idea striking him hard. George preferred staying indoors, versus going out, and he worked from home. Watching Ginger would be easy enough without hindering his routines. And visiting Ginger every day would be the perfect excuse to spend more time with George. Get to know his new friend better. And it would give Ginger a better environment for her to recover, while also keeping Levi on his own path forward. “Is taking Ginger temporarily something you’d seriously do?”
George blinked at him several times. “I mean... I’ve never owned a cat before but Lucky is fun to play with.”
“Cats are very independent creatures, which I’m sure you know from Lucky. The hardest part is going to be her whining to be let out and keeping the litter box clean, since she’ll be in an enclosed space. But no pressure to do it, I know that was probably an off-the-cuff comment, not you volunteering.”
“You’d really trust me to take care of Ginger? We barely know each other.”
“True, but you strike me as a sincere person. And selfishly, the idea of being inside all the time...” Levi searched for a way to explain that didn’t dump his past all over George, or make himself sound like an ass. “I love my cats, but being outdoors gives me a sense of peace I don’t get from anything else right now. Keeps me centered. As strange and impulsive as it sounds, I think this is a great option for her recovery.” And my continued sobriety.
Determination crept over George’s face. “I’ll do it. I can do this. It’s not as if I really go anywhere. Sure.”
“Yeah?” Something like pride warmed Levi’s chest and, despite knowing how much he’d miss and worry about her, this still felt right. “I really appreciate this. I’ll be over every day to visit her, if that’s okay.”
“Of course, she’s your cat.” His eyes flickered briefly with panic. “Um, so how do we do this?”
“Well, I’d offer to drive you guys home, but I’ll need to swing by Walmart for a carrier, food, and a litter tray. Plus, I bet you’ve come pretty close to your limit of pushing boundaries today. Why don’t you go home with Orry and the others as planned. I’ll be by later with Ginger and the supplies.”
“Okay. Okay, that sounds like a good plan.” George’s shoulders relaxed a bit. “Thank you. I do need to get back to familiar surroundings again. I’ll text you the address.” He did, then made a call. “Hey, brother, we’re going to have an extra roommate for a couple of days to two weeks.”
Orry squawked.
Chapter Four
George had gone into today’s Thanksgiving meal expecting to be exhausted when it was over and needing a nap as soon he got into the car. Instead, he was a ball of nervous energy on the ride back to the house, telling the tale of his cat rescue afternoon to Derrick and Slater while Orry shot him annoyed looks over the new roommate announcement. George was rarely an impulsive person, and while he hadn’t expected Levi to take his offer seriously, he was glad he’d volunteered.
It meant seeing Levi again soon. And often.
He liked his new friend. He liked Levi’s overall positive attitude toward life. His love for his cats. His...well, pretty much everything. He just really liked Levi.
“You might want to do your best to keep Lucky out of your apartment,” Derrick said. “He’s always been king of the house, and he might not like having another cat around.”
“Good idea,” George replied. “But Ginger has to stay in her carrier anyway, so even if he sneaks inside, she’ll have protection.” He’d be careful, though. Levi was entrusting George with his little girl’s care and George couldn’t fuck it up.
“Ginger is an outdoor cat, though, right? She’s not going to like being locked up.”
“I know. Hopefully, she doesn’t yowl loud enough for it to go through the walls to the other apartments. And I apologize ahead of time if it does.” George didn’t want to alienate his new friends with noise but doing this for Levi felt important in a way he couldn’t explain. Not only important to Levi but also for George.
I’ll prove I can take care of another living creature, instead of always being taken care of.
“Don’t worry about it,” Slater said. “You’re doing a really nice thing for Levi by taking in his cat.”
Derrick reached out to squeeze Slater’s shoulder. “Kind of like when I took in you and your busted ankle this summer?”