School had just let out when I met Nathaniel outside the student council room. He leaned against the door, a friendly smile lighting up his golden eyes.
"Ready?" He asked.
"Yeah." I said with a nervous smile, picking a non-existent piece of lint from my shorts. I only hoped he didn't notice the blush that heated my cheeks as I approached him.
He'd told me yesterday that he had something for me. A thrill of excitement rushed through me as I tried in vain to suppress the stupid grin that threatened to split my face in half.
We pushed our way through the hall, flooded with impatient students, bumping shoulders and stepping on toes as we walked against the crowd. Once we made it through, Nathaniel led me out the back door to the green house where the Gardening Club took place. He lead me around to the back and stood beside me.
"Surprise." He said, gesturing to the ground in front of us. A plethora of kittens in every shape and colour were curled up on the stone floor, lapping at bowls of water and licking up cat treats from the floor, their tiny faces scrunching as they chewed.
I stared, open mouthed. "Wow." Was all I could think to say. I mention that I like cats once and he does this for me? My heart bubbled over with joy and gratitude.
"Do you like them? They're from the local shelter I volunteer at on the weekends sometimes." Nathaniel said.
"Yes, they're adorable!" I nearly squealed. My face-splitting grin widened further.
Nathaniel knelt down on the stone floor and beckoned one of the kittens over to him.
"Here Tasha. Here kitty." He said, his arm outstretched as if he were offering a treat. A grey furred kitten with bright golden eyes padded towards his hand and sniffed at it tentatively. Nathaniel ruffled the fur on its head briefly before scooping it into his arms and cradling it like a small child. He glanced up at me.
"You can pet them if you want. They are kittens after all." He said with a friendly smile.
"Oh,Right. Of course." I bent down to stroke the orange stripped tabby that had begun to weave between my ankles, purring blissfuly.
"That's a really nice cat. Such gorgeous eyes." I said, nodding to the kitten in Nathaniel's arms. They remind me of yours I wanted to add, but I refrained. The last thing I wanted to do was make him feel awkward.
" Yeah, they're amazing. Thats why I picked her." He said, stroking the fur under her chin.
"Oh, she's yours?" I asked.
"Yup. Picked her out from the shelter myself when she was just a baby." Nathaniel said. He held her against his chest and started scratching between her ears but she growled in protest, squirming and struggling against him. She jumped from his arms to his lap and onto the ground where she slinked away defiantly.
"Hey, get back here silly." He smiled as he stretched out on his stomach to reach over and grab her again, but she dogged his grasp. He sighed in mock defeat. "Fine. Have it your way." He mumbled.
"She seemed impatient." I said.
He rolled over and leaned back on his elbows. "Yeah well,that's Tasha for you. Never one to stick around long. She's all over the place, but that's how kittens are, I guess. Besides," he said, reaching over the scoop up the green eyed kitten that was pawing at his pant leg, "I like you much better ." He held the kitten against his chest. It kneaded at his pristine white shirt. I couldn't help the amused giggle that burst out of me. I quickly slapped a hand over my mouth. "Mr. What?" I said through my laughter. Nathaniel smiled Sheepishly. "It's just something my mom likes to call him." He shrugged.
The orange tabby pawed at my belly, its tiny claws catching in my shirt. Cautiously, I reached down and stoked its head, savouring the feel of its silky fur beneath my fingers. I was rewarded with several happy purrs as it nuzzled my hand.
"I think he likes you." Nathaniel said. I could hear the smile in his voice.
"You think?" I asked, glancing up from the purring kitten. Nathaniel was looking at me, his eyes crinkling around the corners as he smiled. God, I loved that smile.
"Yup. Doesn't surprise me one bit." He said. I giggled nervously and looked down at the eager kitten in my lap, letting my long brown hair fall over my face to disguise my stupid blush. I stroked the tabby's orange striped fur as it purred contentedly, stretching to nuzzle my neck.
When the cat had curled up in my lap again, I looked up to see Nathaniel stretched on the stone floor. There must have been a dozen cats mewing and pawing at him. He laughed as a tiny white kitten pounced on his head, ruffling his golden hair.
I starred for a moment. I had never seen Nathaniel look so at ease. It was as if all the stress of his job had disappeared, replacing the normally studious and responsible student body president with a smiling, carefree kid. I watched the sun glint off his golden hair, his eyes sparkling. The sight of him made my heart skip a beat. I wondered what it would feel like to run my fingers through that hair...
"Do you have any pets?" Nathaniel asked, startling me from me from my reverie. I paused for a moment before I could speak again.
"What? Uh, no. I always wanted a cat, but my mom never let me have any pets. She had enough to worry about without adding trips to the vet and ripped up furniture to the mix."
"ah, I see." Nathaniel said. "What would you call that one if it were yours?" He nodded to the cat in my arms.
"Hmm." I hesitated, thinking back to the carrot-coloured teddy bear I'd had as child. Sam had been my best companion until I was seven, bravely defending me from closet monsters and enduring the rough gravely sidewalk as I dragged him along on trips to the park every weekend. "I'd call him Sam" I said, stroking the fur under the tabby's chin. He Purred happily.
"Sam. I like it." Nathaniel leaned back on his elbows and let a black eyed kitten knead at his pristine white shirt. He grinned as he pet its fluffy fur. It was dazzling.
He took a treat from his pocket and fed it to the cat then glanced over at me.
"Would you like to feed one?" He asked.
I hesitated. "Um…y-yeah,sure." I stuttered. Dammit, Claire get a grip I scolded myself.
Nathaniel sat up, reached into his pocket and pulled out a star shaped treat. He dropped it into my hand and I held it out in front of the face of a brown stripped cat. Her tongue tickled as she licked it out of my fingers. I stroked her fur briefly before she slinked away, obviously bored of me and went off to attack a ball of yarn. I turned my attention back to Sam. He sat curled in my lap as I ruffled his orange fur.
"So…how often do you dedicate your weekends to cats?" I asked. He looked up from the black eyed cat he'd been petting.
"Certainly not every weekend, if thats what you're wondering. I'm not that much of a bore." He said, a tinge of humour colouring his tone.
"I glad to hear it." I said.
"I volunteer whenever I'm needed. I do it because I love cats. I can't really put my finger on it, but there's something about them that dogs just don't have. They say dogs are man's best friend, but I've always thought cats were better, I don't know, I like that they're more independent" He shrugged.
"Yeah, I'd chose a cat over a dog any day." I said. "The last time I walked a dog, I ended up with skinned knees." I shuddered at the memory of walking Castiel's dog and my hand went reflexively to the now-healed scar on my knee. I wouldn't be repeating that experience any time soon.
Nathaniel chuckled. "You won't have to worry about that with a cat."
"Yeah, I'm glad." I cradled Sam against my chest, nuzzling my face against his. He licked the tip of my nose, making me giggle.
Nathaniel's eyes lingered on me as he pet the white furred cat in his arms. "You have a really pretty smile, you know that?" He said. His voice was softer, huskier than it had been all afternoon. I froze. A flood of warmth washed through me. All my coherent thoughts vanished as I stared into his soft gold eyes. He starred back, never letting his gaze stray from mine. There was something about that look that made everything around us disappear until it was just the two of us, locked in our private world. Something that made my breath catch and my heart beat rapidly. I was the first to break eye contact.
"Um, thank you." I mumbled into Sam's fur, my voice barley audible. We sat quietly for a moment, the silence hanging between us like a thick fog. I racked my brain for something to say, but came up empty. I had always known I liked Nathaniel, but what I felt now had to be more than like. Everything about him enchanted me and when I went home tonight, I knew I'd be tossing and turning with his face haunting my dreams.
Speaking of home…Crap, what time is it? The thought barged unwelcome into my mind. I checked my wristwatch. 6:30 already! We'd been out longer than I thought. I glanced up from sam and noticed the sun beginning to set in the orange-and-pink stained sky. It was funny how the time slipped away when I was with Nathaniel. "What's wrong?" Nathaniel asked, noticing my troubled expression.
"I should get going. My aunt's expecting me home." I saw a flash of disappointment cross his face. He set the white kitten on the ground with the others and stood.
"You're right. It's getting late. I'll walk you home." He said. I wasn't about to protest.
Nathaniel began scooping up the kittens and returning them to their crates. I nuzzled Sam.
"Well buddy, looks like this is goodbye." I said. I stood up and gave him one last pat on the head, then held him out to Nathaniel. It was disappointing. The little guy was starting to grow on me.
"Oh no," Nathaniel held up a hand to stop me. "He's yours." I starred at him in shock.
"Mine? You mean it?" I said, a rush of pleasure surging through me. He smiled. "Yes. You can have him."
"Wow. Thanks a lot!" I said, grinning from ear to ear. I Nuzzled Sam.
"No problem." Nathaniel locked the kitten's crate. "Let's get going. I wouldn't want you to get in trouble." He said. I set Sam down to let him walk beside me and we headed off.
We walked home in silence. All I could think about was the way Nathaniel looked at me when he'd told me he like my smile, the way his golden eyes glinted in the sunlight...
I stole a quick glance at him as we rounded the corner. His eyes were glued to the ground as he carried the crate in one hand, his brow furrowed and his mouth set in a hard line. What's going on in that head of his? I wondered.
Soon, we came to the entrance of my building. I turned to Nathaniel.
"I had fun today." I said. And I meant it. Nathaniel gave me one of his shy smiles. "Me too." He said.
"See you tomorrow, Nathaniel." I said, turning to walk through the glass doors of the building, Sam following behind me. I felt a hand grab my shoulder abruptly.
"Wait." Nathaniel said. I heard urgency in his voice as I turned back to him. There was an intensity in his expression that made my breath hitch.
He hesitated, his hand gripping my shoulder. He opened and closed his mouth several times, as if searching for the right words. "Is something wrong?" I asked. He swallowed hard and stepped closer to me. His proximity made my heart race, his face hovering only inches form mine. We had never been this close before. I could't breathe.
"I wanted to tell you…" he said, his voice barley a whisper as he tucked lock of stray hair behind my ear. "I think you're beautiful." Before I could process what was happening, his lips were on mine, warm and soft and sweet. My heart threatened to burst out of me as his hand tangled in my hair. My hands went to his chest as I kissed him. This was all so unfathomable, so unimaginable. I felt like I was flying…
Nathaniel broke off the kiss abruptly and stepped back. He looked away for a moment, ashamed, then glanced back at me. We stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, one pair of eyes locked on the other, until Nathaniel spoke. "I'm sorry, that was-" He began, but I cut him off mid sentence.
"No." I said. "No need to apologize…" I trailed off. Sam pawed at the hem of my jeans, impatient.
Nathaniel picked up the crate of kittens. "I should go now…I'll see you around, Claire." He said, melancholy in his voice. This time it was me who abruptly grabbed his shoulder. "Wait!" I said "Would you like to come inside?" I asked hesitantly. He starred at me for a moment, shocked written all over his face. I panicked. He's going to say no… I felt my heart sink. Suddenly his eyes lit up. Heflashed me one of his brilliant smiles and I knew I had my answer. I took his hand, savouring the feeling of his strong fingers in mine. I glanced down at Sam. He meowed up at me, his green eyes bulging. You knew the whole time, didn't you buddy? I thought as my face-splitting grin returned. I didn't try to suppress it as I pushed through the glass door, my heart overflowing with joy.
~The End~