Part Thirteen
Tugger wrapped himself around Etcetera, pulling the naked queen against his chest. She was sleeping, and she looked so cute. One long arm went around her shoulders and Tugger pulled the young queen up so her cheek as resting on his shoulder. Delicate fingers wove through his chest fur, moving over his heart and spreading out there. Tugger watched Cettie sleep, breathing calmly and trying to assess the situation.
He liked her, no. It was just 'like'. The word seemed too impersonal for what was coursing through his blood. Were his hormones on overdrive? Yes, they were; but it felt good. Love. Plain and simple love, that's what he felt for this young queen. Damn all the others, they'd point and whisper. Bombalurina. Oh crap, what was she going to do? What would poor Etcetera be submitted to when the scarlet bombshell figured out what had happened? When she found out that Tugger loved Etcetera?
Etcetera stirred out of sleep, and brought Tugger's thoughts back to the bedroom. Her nose pressed against his fur for a moment, and then her eyes fluttered open. Cettie yawned and looked up at Tugger with a dreamy smile on her face.
"Mornin'." She said, yawning again and sitting up. With a laugh, Tugger sat up and wrapped his arms around Etcetera. He planted a happy kiss on her cheek and nuzzled his nose against her throat. Giggling, Cettie looked at the clock.
"I'll take you up on that offer for a ride home now. My mom'll kill me if I'm late for curfew." Tugger's eyes went to the clock. Almost eight.
"Want some food first? I can have you home by nine if I cook." Cettie gave Tugger a sideways glance and grinned.
"Fine, but no seafood. I'm off seafood for awhile." Nodding his head, Tugger motioned to the shower.
"You're welcome to use it if you want. I'm going to go make some chicken. I have some in the fridge, I think." With that, he left the room in just a pair of boxers. Etcetera wrapped her arms around her knees and put her chin onto them. Yeah, she felt damn good about herself. Now to take a shower and have a tom cook for her. No tom had ever cooked for her. Not even Tumblebrutus, and he was taking foods as one of his classes. With a smug look on her face, Etcetera got out of the bed and went to turn on the shower.
"What the hell gives him the right to do that to me?!?" Bombalurina was storming angrily around Deme's livingroom, waving her cellphone around madly. Deme was reading, looking up every so often at her friend.
"Mm-hmm." She hummed for the millionth time. Bomba stopped her storming to glare at Demeter.
"You know, you could be a little bit of a supporting friend and give me some advice here!" Demeter sighed, putting her bookmark back in her book and leant against her paw. Looking intently into Bomba's flashing blue eyes, Demeter shrugged.
"I told you so?" She supplied, rewarded with a disgusted snarl.
"'I told you so'? What the hell kind of advice is that? I figure out that my boyfriend, no, ex-boyfriend, is breaking up with me over the phone and the only thing you can think of saying is 'I told you so'? Heavyside Deme! You're almost as useless as he is!" Anger filled Demeter's face and she stood up. Bomba took a step back when Demeter's ears flattened against her face.
"Yes, Bomba." Each word was accented with an undertone of fury. "That's all I can say because there is nothing else to say. What do you want me to say? It's not like I'm going to go along and placate you after you just buried yourself in self-pity. No Bombalurina, I am not that type of person. You know that, dammit!"
Bombalurina stood stalk still and looked at Demeter down her straight nose. Her red-slicked lips twitched and tears filled her eyes.
"I just want a little support? What am I supposed to want, Deme? The absolutely most perfect guy just broke up with me and I'm feeling betrayed. What am I supposed to do?" Breaking down, Bomba sank on the couch and buried her face in her paws. With a sigh that was almost that of relief, Demeter sat beside her best friend and wrapped her arms around her.
"Bomba, I'm not saying that you shouldn't feel betrayed, but I think that you knew it was coming. I think that deep in your heart you knew that Tugger was going to do something stupid. What did he say to you?" Bomba sniffed unhappily and reached into her pocket for a kleenex. She mopped up black tears that streamed down her cheeks and looked at Demeter.
"He said he had guests over..." Her sentence trailed off and her eyes widened. "No! You don't think he would... But he said..."
Demeter didn't even have time to say a thing before Bomba sailed out of the house; leaving the door wide open.
"Watch out Tugger, incoming betrayed ex." She said, retrieving her book and opening it again.
Rum Tum Tugger and Etcetera were sitting at the table, laughing and joking over the chicken breast that Tugger had made up. They were drizzled with some amazing white cheese sauce and accompagnied by some mixed veggies. The doorbell rang and Tugger looked up at the clock.
"Who the hell?" He said, standing up and going to the door. Cettie put another bite in her mouth, and nearly choked when Tugger opened the door and there stood Bombalurina.
"You stupid, lying, cheating son of a bitch!" Tugger side-stepped just in time to avoid the fist aimed at his jaw. When he did, Bomba stared right at Etcetera. Eyes locked and Etcetera felt like dying. She stood, wringing her paws together when Bomba staggered into the small dining room.
"Bomba, I'm really sorry, I didn't know... I didn't..." Bomba's head snapped towards Tugger and she snarled viciously.
"Don't you dare tell me you're going to think of toying with her next, you damned tom! I can't believe you would think of stringing someone like her along! Heavyside, you have a sick sense of humor." Etcetera stood frozen while Bombalurina verbally smacked Tugger. His head did snap back like she'd punched him and the look that crossed his face made a large sick ball fall in the pit of Cettie's stomach. Bomba kept going until finally Etcetera let out a frustrated cry. Both Bomba and Tugger stopped sniping at each other and turned surprised eyes at Etcetera.
The small tabby's tail was slashing around behind her violently and she was griping her ears with her paws. Her eyes were clamped shut and her upper lip was pulled back in frustration.
"Heavyside! Will you two stop it?!? Bomba, just for starters, it was really my fault. I let Tugger get me here even though I knew he was still dating you. Tugger, you need to back off and let me talk." Etcetera's paw came up to stop Tugger from moving close to her. Going around the table, Cettie faced the taller scarlet queen. Blue eyes locked with Cettie's and tears started to ball up again.
"But he's going to break you apart." Bomba said quietly, putting her arms around Cettie when the younger queen offered a hug. Taking a deep breath, Cettie pulled back to look into Bomba's eyes.
"He won't, and I'll tell you how I can be so sure. Just after you called and Tugger broke up with you, I asked him what I meant to him. I really wanted to know because I really truly like him. Believe me, Bomba, if he'd been lying it would've shown up in his eyes. But there was nothing there Bomba. Nothing. Just the Heavyside truth. He told me that he felt more for me than anyone else. I'm sorry, because I know that hurts, but Bombalurina, I want to believe him." Bomba bumped her forehead against Etcetera's before the younger queen continued.
"I didn't want to come here. We mostly argued the whole way here. I look up to you, Bomba. Always have." Tugger stood back, leaning against the counter as Cettie calmed Bomba with her words. The scarlet queen looked up at him and set her jaw.
"I believe you, Cettie. But just one thing before I try to get out of here with most of my dignity attached. I just have to say, Tugger, that if you hurt here, your hide is mine." Flinching only a little at her words, Rum Tum Tugger crossed and pulled Bombalurina into a hug. She clung to him a little, and buried her nose in his shoulder.
"I love her, Bomba." Both queens looked up at him and saw the truth, and Bomba nodded her head. She smiled up at him, wiping a single tear off her cheek with the back of her paw.
"I know. Talk to you later, Cettie." And Bomba strode out, carrying herself with more dignity than she had when she had burst in. Etcetera closed the door and turned to Tugger.
"I love you too." She whispered, letting herself into Tugger's arms when he opened them for a hug.