He also hadn’t confronted Orry about his Thanksgiving night lie, because he was afraid Orry had some terrible secret that could hurt them both. Or worse, that Orry might lie to him again. It also made him wonder how truthful Orry had been in the past about his various part-time jobs and where he was really spending his time. Ignorance was better than a devastating truth, so George kept quiet.
On Wednesday, the sixth day of George watching over Ginger, Levi arrived early in the morning because Ginger had a vet appointment to assess her hip. George was sad to see Ginger leave, but Levi promised they were coming back with lunch no matter what the vet said about her confinement. He tried to work on a video while they were gone but his mind kept wandering. Would Ginger go home today? Would their amazing lunches end?
Would he ever see Levi again after today?
Levi texted that they’d both be back by twelve thirty, and George resisted asking how the appointment went. He managed to get a little bit of work done, but he didn’t find the male-on-male action as captivating as before. Probably because he was too busy worrying about his own personal life—now that he actually had a personal life. And a friend he really wanted to keep in contact with.
The buzzer went off at twelve twenty and George nearly flew to the door to hit the unlock button on the downstairs door. He unlocked and opened his apartment door, heart pounding, stupidly eager to see both man and cat again. Levi appeared with the carrier in one hand and his cloth bag in the other. Ginger meowed a few times but it sounded more like annoyed meows than pained ones. George had gotten pretty attuned to her this past week.
“Miss Ginger,” Levi said as he walked inside, “is free of her bandage, thank goodness, and she doesn’t need constant supervision anymore. She does, however, still need to spend a few more days confined to the crate, which we can do at home.”
George’s heart dropped and he worked hard to keep his disappointment off his face. “Oh. Cool. I bet she misses her siblings.”
“I know they miss her.” He put the carrier on the floor near the kitchen table. “They practically sleep on my head every night now. Ready for lunch?”
“Yeah sure.” Hoping to keep things light and not reveal how disappointed George really was, he joked, “Are we picnicking on the kitchen floor today instead of in my bedroom?”
Levi flashed him a blinding smile, his joy at taking his fur baby home clear. “She seems okay for now. Maybe we could eat at the table for a change?”
“Okay.”
Since they were using the table and could just eat off the waxed paper wrappers, George forewent plates and fetched them their preferred drinks and the bag of pretzels. Levi took their subs out of his bag, and then he produced two plastic-wrapped brownies. “To celebrate, if you like chocolate,” Levi said. “If not, maybe Orry wants it?”
“I like chocolate.” George didn’t indulge often but part of him agreed to eat whatever Levi put in front of him simply to please the man. They sat opposite each other and unrolled their lunches. “So Ginger is on the mend?”
“Yep, she’s still fairly young for a cat, you took great care of her, and vet says she healed quickly and well. Thank you so much for that, George, you have no idea how much it means to me that I can take her home.” Levi’s eyes shined with emotion. “They’ve always been a trio, so it’s been hard only having a pair.”
“I can’t imagine.” George meant that. He’d get a tiny slice of the feeling once Ginger was gone but he’d only had her a week. Levi had had the three of them for two years. George would just have to pay more attention to Lucky when she came around. “I’m glad Ginger can go home. Your family will be together again.”
Levi looked up from his sub and a charge of emotion seemed to shoot across the table from him to George. “I bet she’ll miss you. But you and I are going to keep in touch. You are free to come visit at any time, and while the ghost town is shut down, maybe I’ll make some trips into the city. We can hang. Here or maybe other places. I’ve been here almost a year and I’ve never been to Golden Gate Park.”
George placed a hand over his heart and feigned shock. “I’m a severe introvert, and even I’ve done that.”
“See? You can show me stuff. And maybe one day I can give you a private tour of the ghost town.”
The ghost town thing sounded strangely like a come-on, so George tempered his surprise with laughter. “I guess we’ll see. But I do want to stay friends, Levi. Not just for Ginger, but we have really good conversations. I can let my guard down with you.” I want to kiss you every single time I see you now.
George kept that one to himself.
“I feel the same,” Levi said. “You’re important to me, George. Our friendship is important to me.”
They held eye contact a beat longer, something new and unspoken there, before they both started eating. George didn’t enjoy his sub as much as the previous ones, because this one was the last. The end of a new tradition. While they ate, he got the name of the deli from Levi and plugged it into his phone, grateful to see the place delivered. He wanted to hold on to something of theirs.
He nearly asked if Levi would want to occasionally have lunch together via video chat but that seemed excessively needy. After a meal full of casual, occasionally awkward conversation, they washed their brownies down with water and ginger ale, and then it was time. Levi carried the crate down to his pickup, while George spent a few minutes petting Ginger. Silently saying goodbye to the sweet kitty he’d come to love.
When Levi returned, George got the extra food, litter and pill pockets for him. “Want me to carry the stuff so you don’t jostle Ginger too much?” George asked.
“Sure.” Levi winked. “You need some sunshine on that pale skin.”
George laughed. He didn’t care about the sun; he wanted to prolong this as much as possible. He grabbed his keys and they trooped downstairs together. The living room was empty for a change. His heart skipped once and his stomach sloshed with acid when George walked outside to the small front porch. He silently followed Levi nearly half the block down to his pickup.
Levi opened the passenger-side door. George deposited the cloth bag on the middle of the bench front seat, a little sad he might never see those bags again. Then Levi surprised him by hefting the carrier up into both arms, putting Ginger closer to eye level for George. George poked his fingers through the grate. Ginger licked them, then started purring.
“Bye, pretty lady. You were a great roommate, but I’m glad you’re going home to your sisters.”
Glad for you and your daddy, but sad for me.
George straightened, so Levi put the carrier in the truck and shut the door. Ginger immediately began yowling, and the sound made George want to cry.