Night Club Cat, part five
This story keeps getting longer and longer.
Night Club Cat, part five
1k words
Key spend a crazy amount of time getting ready. He only had two jeans and three shirts fit to walk around town in. This shouldn’t take him this long. But should he wear makeup? Would Sexy even recognize him in street clothes?
Why was he even worried about it? Key would go as plain as he could be and Sexy would realize Key wasn’t worth his time.
Key had found the restaurant as a cat. Riding the bus made the journey shorter. Couples strolled the street and a few larger groups. Key stopped at the edge of the sidewalk and looked in the window. Sexy wasn’t there. Maybe he’d changed his mind.
“Kitten.” Hands brushed down Key’s arms.
Key spun. “You’re late.”
Sexy laughed. “I was waiting for you.”
“Liar.”
Sexy took his hand. “I thought you’d be more likely to actually come in if we came in together.”
The place smelled even better inside. Sexy chose a table by the window. “Fish or chicken?”
Key feigned disinterest.
“Or both.”
“Both!”
Sexy laughed. “That’s my kitten.”
Key gave him a slow stare. He wasn’t Sexy’s anything.
Sexy leaned across the small table and kissed Key’s nose. Key glared, but Sexy just laughed again. The waiter came and took their order.
Sexy chose water to drink, so Key didn’t feel silly doing the same. Bubbles popping in his nose hurt.
“How long have you lived here?”
Key turned from the window. If Sexy was trying an interrogation, he was going to have to try harder. Key ate inquisitive people for breakfast. But no point in chasing Sexy away until after they ate. “As long as I remember.”
Sexy smile softened. Was he always happy or did his face just freeze like that? Then his eyes twinkled. If he was going to ask how long Key remembered, Key was out.
“I’m just visiting.”
Key’s gut sank. Only why should that matter? They would never be anything more than a way to pass the time.
“I was tasked at finding someone for my graduate class.”
“You find them?”
Sexy’s eyes lingered over Key’s skin. Key leaned back. “You better not mean me.”
Other people were way more interesting.
“And what are you supposed to do with your victim when you find them?”
Sexy wiggled his eyebrows.
“What kind of a class?”
“Forensic Research.” Sexy leaned back so the waiter could set a heaping plate in front of him. Key’s was just as big. Sexy thanked the waiter then turned to Key and picked up a fry. “Dig in. I have three fathers.”
The French fries were hot enough to burn Key’s fingers, but that didn’t stop him from filling his mouth. “Three? And how many moms?”
“None. We called them Papa, Baba, and Daddy when we were young.” Sexy bit into a fish strip.
“We?” The chicken was too good. How was he going to be happy with cat food again?
“I have a lot of siblings.”
Key looked up. “How many is a lot?”
“Well.” Sexy broke open a chicken strip and dipped it in something dark red. “My oldest brothers were born when my fathers were in college.
They waited to have more until after they were all out of school. We-my nearest siblings-were an afterthought.”
Key stewed on that sentence while he ate more fish. This one tasted different from the last. “They had more after college and you later, so five? Six?”
Sexy laughed.
“And you dads are a couple? Or whatever. Together?”
Sexy nodded.
“And no mothers?”
“Nope, but my Dad’s parents are both women, so I have three grandmothers.”
“Many people have three grandmothers.” Key took a big bite of fish. Yum.
“And how many do you have?”
Key made a zero with his left hand as he grabbed a handful of fries with his right. Mom’s mom died when Mom was ten and Dad’s mother died in a car accident a few months after Key came to live with them. Nothing before that mattered.
Sexy nodded. “I also have lots of aunts and uncles. My grandmothers were prolific.”
Key swallowed and reached for his glass. “You family trying to breed themselves up for something? To fill the world with Sexys?”
Sexy laughed. “My oldest sister is a renowned beauty. The rest of us are merely in the running.”
Key shrugged. “If you like the kind of thing.”
Sexy grinned.
Key pointed a fry at Sexy. “So getting back to your fathers, why did they go through all the time and expense to have kids when still in college? Who has money for that?”
“You wouldn’t believe me.”
Key blinked slowly. Sexy must be pulling his leg.
“One of my fathers is Persian, so that’s why I’m called Yasin. What should I call you?”
Nope, Key wasn’t going there. “I thought you preferred Kitten.”
“If you like it?”
Key stole a chicken strip from Sexy’s plate. What had he said? “You’re called Yasin?
“You just don’t give out your name to anyone.”
Key agreed. “Key.”
He shouldn’t have done that.
Sexy nodded. Maybe he’d heard Key’s name at the night club. Key should have expected that. “But don’t use it.”
“In the bedroom?” Sexy grinned. “I promise to only call you Kitten.”
Key rolled his eyes. Sexy laughed. Key stuffed more food in his face.
Sexy cocked his head. “You sure you want me introducing you to my family as Kitten?”
Key’s heart swelled, but reality was sharp. “You won’t be introducing me to anyone.”
“I’d like to.” Sexy dipped a fry in ketchup. “If just as my friend.”
Key had no friends. Well, Terr might be called a friend, and the bouncers. Mrs. N certainly even if she thought he was just a cat. The library ladies? He talked to them a lot. No, no more than the clerks at the thrift store.
“How long will you be in town?”
Sexy shrugged. “A few weeks.”
Key could enjoy himself for a few weeks. “You said something about the river?”
“Sure you don’t want more?” He offered Key his last strip of fish.
Key snatched it up. “If I’m still hungry, you’re buying me ice cream.”
Sexy laughed. “Then I’ll make sure you’re hungry.”
Key grinned back. He could live with that.
Night Club Cat, part five
1k words
Key spend a crazy amount of time getting ready. He only had two jeans and three shirts fit to walk around town in. This shouldn’t take him this long. But should he wear makeup? Would Sexy even recognize him in street clothes?
Why was he even worried about it? Key would go as plain as he could be and Sexy would realize Key wasn’t worth his time.
Key had found the restaurant as a cat. Riding the bus made the journey shorter. Couples strolled the street and a few larger groups. Key stopped at the edge of the sidewalk and looked in the window. Sexy wasn’t there. Maybe he’d changed his mind.
“Kitten.” Hands brushed down Key’s arms.
Key spun. “You’re late.”
Sexy laughed. “I was waiting for you.”
“Liar.”
Sexy took his hand. “I thought you’d be more likely to actually come in if we came in together.”
The place smelled even better inside. Sexy chose a table by the window. “Fish or chicken?”
Key feigned disinterest.
“Or both.”
“Both!”
Sexy laughed. “That’s my kitten.”
Key gave him a slow stare. He wasn’t Sexy’s anything.
Sexy leaned across the small table and kissed Key’s nose. Key glared, but Sexy just laughed again. The waiter came and took their order.
Sexy chose water to drink, so Key didn’t feel silly doing the same. Bubbles popping in his nose hurt.
“How long have you lived here?”
Key turned from the window. If Sexy was trying an interrogation, he was going to have to try harder. Key ate inquisitive people for breakfast. But no point in chasing Sexy away until after they ate. “As long as I remember.”
Sexy smile softened. Was he always happy or did his face just freeze like that? Then his eyes twinkled. If he was going to ask how long Key remembered, Key was out.
“I’m just visiting.”
Key’s gut sank. Only why should that matter? They would never be anything more than a way to pass the time.
“I was tasked at finding someone for my graduate class.”
“You find them?”
Sexy’s eyes lingered over Key’s skin. Key leaned back. “You better not mean me.”
Other people were way more interesting.
“And what are you supposed to do with your victim when you find them?”
Sexy wiggled his eyebrows.
“What kind of a class?”
“Forensic Research.” Sexy leaned back so the waiter could set a heaping plate in front of him. Key’s was just as big. Sexy thanked the waiter then turned to Key and picked up a fry. “Dig in. I have three fathers.”
The French fries were hot enough to burn Key’s fingers, but that didn’t stop him from filling his mouth. “Three? And how many moms?”
“None. We called them Papa, Baba, and Daddy when we were young.” Sexy bit into a fish strip.
“We?” The chicken was too good. How was he going to be happy with cat food again?
“I have a lot of siblings.”
Key looked up. “How many is a lot?”
“Well.” Sexy broke open a chicken strip and dipped it in something dark red. “My oldest brothers were born when my fathers were in college.
They waited to have more until after they were all out of school. We-my nearest siblings-were an afterthought.”
Key stewed on that sentence while he ate more fish. This one tasted different from the last. “They had more after college and you later, so five? Six?”
Sexy laughed.
“And you dads are a couple? Or whatever. Together?”
Sexy nodded.
“And no mothers?”
“Nope, but my Dad’s parents are both women, so I have three grandmothers.”
“Many people have three grandmothers.” Key took a big bite of fish. Yum.
“And how many do you have?”
Key made a zero with his left hand as he grabbed a handful of fries with his right. Mom’s mom died when Mom was ten and Dad’s mother died in a car accident a few months after Key came to live with them. Nothing before that mattered.
Sexy nodded. “I also have lots of aunts and uncles. My grandmothers were prolific.”
Key swallowed and reached for his glass. “You family trying to breed themselves up for something? To fill the world with Sexys?”
Sexy laughed. “My oldest sister is a renowned beauty. The rest of us are merely in the running.”
Key shrugged. “If you like the kind of thing.”
Sexy grinned.
Key pointed a fry at Sexy. “So getting back to your fathers, why did they go through all the time and expense to have kids when still in college? Who has money for that?”
“You wouldn’t believe me.”
Key blinked slowly. Sexy must be pulling his leg.
“One of my fathers is Persian, so that’s why I’m called Yasin. What should I call you?”
Nope, Key wasn’t going there. “I thought you preferred Kitten.”
“If you like it?”
Key stole a chicken strip from Sexy’s plate. What had he said? “You’re called Yasin?
“You just don’t give out your name to anyone.”
Key agreed. “Key.”
He shouldn’t have done that.
Sexy nodded. Maybe he’d heard Key’s name at the night club. Key should have expected that. “But don’t use it.”
“In the bedroom?” Sexy grinned. “I promise to only call you Kitten.”
Key rolled his eyes. Sexy laughed. Key stuffed more food in his face.
Sexy cocked his head. “You sure you want me introducing you to my family as Kitten?”
Key’s heart swelled, but reality was sharp. “You won’t be introducing me to anyone.”
“I’d like to.” Sexy dipped a fry in ketchup. “If just as my friend.”
Key had no friends. Well, Terr might be called a friend, and the bouncers. Mrs. N certainly even if she thought he was just a cat. The library ladies? He talked to them a lot. No, no more than the clerks at the thrift store.
“How long will you be in town?”
Sexy shrugged. “A few weeks.”
Key could enjoy himself for a few weeks. “You said something about the river?”
“Sure you don’t want more?” He offered Key his last strip of fish.
Key snatched it up. “If I’m still hungry, you’re buying me ice cream.”
Sexy laughed. “Then I’ll make sure you’re hungry.”
Key grinned back. He could live with that.