Disclaimer: I. Do. Not. Own. House of Anubis. Still...
A Small Ball of Fur
Mara Jaffray peered into the shop window, seeing a nicely carpeted room full of kittens. On one side, there were a few beds with kittens sleeping; the opposite side held two big litter boxes, each filled with heaps of litter; one corner held a few dishes of water and food; and in the center, there was a huge checkered rug, littered with kittens playing.
One of the kittens hobbled over to the window on wobbly legs; it was so young it still needed to remember how to walk. It looked at Mara with it's big green eyes, as if wondering why she was not inside of the room playing with them.
Mara smiled at the little kitten. It was extremely cute, very small and fluffy. She wanted to scoop up the kitten into her arms and pet its soft black fur, cuddling with it and hearing the soft purr in her ear.
Instead of walking into the pet shop and buying the kitten, she walked right past the entrance, heading toward a coffee shop nearby.
Mara went up to the corner, ordered a muffin and a latte, and sat down in a booth near a big window overlooking a lovely park that many New Yorkers did not know about. The coffee shop was in a small remote town, with a few basic shops, such as clothing boutiques, a drugstore, a supermarket, and, as Mara just saw, a pet store.
She was studying abroad in America because she had received a scholarship to become an engineer in New York: one of her lifelong dreams. Another great thing about living in New York was that her boyfriend of three years, Jerome Clarke, lived in Brooklyn, which was close to her apartment in Manhattan, so they could see each other daily.
Speaking of Jerome Clarke, he was supposed to meet her at the coffee shop. She tapped her nails on the table, propping a head in her hand. She glanced at her phone that rested next to her elbow, seeing that he was ten minutes late.
Mara groaned, thinking, I'll give him ten more minutes.
As soon as that time had passed, she picked up her phone and dialed his number. Several rings later, Jerome's voicemail rang in her ear.
"Jerome!" she complained, glaring at the phone.
"Yes?" he said from behind her.
"Wh-?" She spun around in her chair. Mara smiled, stood up and threw her arms around him.
"Were you waiting too long for me?" he asked in her ear.
Mara pulled away to look into his bright blue eyes. "No." She pressed her lips together, a habit she always did when she was lying through her teeth.
"Mara," Jerome started. They both sat down and Jerome leaned forward looking at her straight on. "I can always tell when you're lying."
His girlfriend cocked her head to the side. "What? I'm not, uh, lying."
Jerome arched an eyebrow. He took his phone from his back pocket, looked at the screen's message that read, One Missed Call. "Then explain this call from you five minutes ago."
Mara sighed and bowed her head forward. "You're right. You were ten minutes late, so I wanted to see what you were."
"I was just searching through a mall to figure out what to get you."
Mara looked at Jerome. "I am so sorry I didn't trust you. I just- I'm punctual and-."
Jerome stopped her from rambling, "It's alright. If you were late, and I know you would never be late, I would be worried, too." He took her hand from across the table, squeezing it gently.
"Thank you, Jerome. And you know, you don't have to get me anything."
"But I want to. What would you like?"
Mara rolled her eyes. "I don't want anything!"
"Oh come on. I want to get you something. Can you at least give me a hint? What's your favorite animal?"
"Cats are my favorite animals. I had one when I was younger. Her name was Lucy. And she ran away when I was eight, and I haven't seen her since." Mara's lip trembled, remembering the depressing memory.
"I'm sorry, Mara." She met her boyfriend's loving, caring gaze. He really cared so much for her and hated when she was upset.
"You are such a great boyfriend." She leaned forward, planting a light kiss on his lips. "Enough about that. So, do you want to order something?"
"Sure, what do you recommend?" Jerome inquired.
Then, Mara launched into a babbling fit about the food she most loved at this coffee shop. All the while not knowing Jerome had the perfect present for his beloved girlfriend.
Mara awoke to the sound of a doorbell ringing. The two large windows that lit her room let in huge shafts of light, illuminating her face and giving her dark hair a golden brown look. Her eyes fluttered open, hearing the bell ring again
Groaning as she got up, Mara grumbled, in a hoarse voice, "Hold on, I'm coming." She pulled on a robe over her pajamas, slid her feet into a pair of blue, fluffy slippers and trudged over to the door.
She pulled the door open, only to reveal a well-groomed and wide-awake Jerome. He was grinning widely at her, holding a bouquet of white wild daisies, her favorite flowers.
"Hello, gorgeous. Happy twentieth birthday." He presented the flowers to her, and pecked her on the cheek.
"Wh-what are you doing hear?" Mara mumbled groggily. "It's seven in the morning on a Saturday."
"Well, I wanted to surprise you early in the morning! I wanted to be the first person you saw." He beamed at her, ruffling her messy bed head.
She smiled sleepily at him, touching his hand that was tangled in her hair. "Let me go get ready, and then we can have breakfast."
"Why don't we go out to eat? It would make your birthday even better."
"That'd be great. I'll be back in a few minutes." Mara strode over to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.
First, she took a shower, erasing the sleepiness from her face. Once she was clean, Mara wrapped a warm blue towel around her body, and bundled her hair into a towel. Then, Mara brushed her teeth, moisturized her face, and rubbed lotion on her arms and legs. After that, Mara dressed in a pretty blue blouse and a white flowing skirt.
Then, she blow-dried her hair, and after it was dry, curled it into long ringlets. She added her usual subtle makeup, adding a bit more mascara to make her eyes look bigger and then smeared some strawberry lip gloss over her mouth. Perfect, Mara mouthed to her reflection.
She examined herself in the mirror and decided her outfit was definitely not finished. Mara replaced her original thought of wearing white sandals and switched them with her favorite white slingback wedges, grabbed a white knit purse, and put on a pair of blue dangling earrings.
Mara gave herself a last check before walking out to meet her boyfriend. He was sitting on her black leather couch, watching a soccer game on the large flat-screen TV in her living room.
When he turned, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "You clean up well," Jerome choked out.
Mara giggled, strutting in her three-inch wedges towards Jerome. She placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Shall we go?"
"Yes. Let's, er, go." Jerome stood up, putting a hand on Mara's waist and guiding her to the door. He opened the door, allowing his girlfriend to go through, to which she said, "Why thank you!"
He took her to a small breakfast restaurant, where they ordered a plate of bacon, eggs, and waffles-which they both shared. Each having their fill, Jerome paid for the meal regardless of Mara's objections.
Then, Jerome led her out the door, back to her apartment, and turned her around to face him, and locked eyes with her. He spoke one sentence, "Do you trust me?"
At first, Mara was taken aback by this question. "Wh- Of course I do."
"Good. Now close your eyes."
Mara gave him a puzzled look, but obeyed the order anyways. She felt Jerome take her hand and lead her inside. He sat her down on the couch, and said, "Wait here."
"Okay. But you know I don't like surprises, Jerome."
Mara had always hated surprises. Mainly because her older brother used to do it all the time. The worst time was when her brother had given her a box with a supposed "scarf" which had actually been a rubber snake; snakes were Mara's biggest fear. Even though it had only been rubber, it had still scared her silly. From then on, Mara hated any surprise, all thanks to her brother.
"Mara, I have your present. Can you take off your blindfold now?" Jerome's voice echoed through the room. It came from the doorway, and a soft kitten's meow followed Jerome's voice.
Could it be? Did he really have a kitten with him? As quick as a whip, Mara snatched off her blindfold, spinning and staring at her boyfriend.
Her theory was correct. In Jerome's arms, the adorable black kitten that Mara had seen the day before in the pet shop was staring at her with it's gorgeous green eyes. A big purple bow was tied around its neck; it was obvious that the kitten was her present.
"Jerome! Oh my gosh, how did you know- I mean, how did you-?" Mara stuttered out, gathering the kitten into her arms. Instantly, the little black ball of fur cradled in her arms began to purr, vibrating her entire body and making her smile lovingly at the little kitten.
"You told me that you used to have a cat, and when I was walking you out of the restaurant, you peered longingly at the pet shop window, with all of the cats inside, and I just knew you wanted one. This one reminded me of you."
"Oh my- Jerome, I-" Mara could not say anything to really explain how much joy she was feeling. "Thank you so much. I love-"
"Her. The kitten is a girl." Jerome smiled.
"She's perfect," Mara cooed. She put her head on Jerome's shoulder, smiling at the bundle of fur in her arms.
"What are you going to name her?"
Mara tore her eyes away from the kitten beneath her, lifted her head from her boyfriend's shoulder, and locked eyes with Jerome.
"Lucy."
Done!
Well, I'm pretty satisfied with the end of this. I am a total Jara fan, even though other stories of mine don't say that. But, I love these two together, more than Joy and Mick together, even!
So please review! Tell me if anything is right, wrong, anything. If you liked it, hated it, tell me!
~Ary
