Reunion

Bolt paced back and forth while planning out everything he was going to say. He grew more anxious with every minute that passed. He found a puddle of water and checked to make sure his fur wasn't sticking out in a funny way. He even practiced smiling to himself with teeth showing, half smile, but everything he tried just made him look silly. He sighed.

"Bolt!" Bolt recognized the voice instantly, a voice he could never forget and one he missed dearly. He turned around and there she was.

"Mittens!" He ran towards her and softly tackled her to the ground. They rolled around in the grass until they were tired and she rested on top of him.

"I can't believe you're here. How have you been?" Bolt couldn't believe it either. She was really in front of him. It was like in his dreams, except it was better.

He first talked about his journey here, about Smoky and the stray city cat who helped him, in which he learned her name is Alice, according to Mittens. Then he continued with his trip home and how happy everyone was to see him safe and sound, Penny especially. The crew even allowed him to go home with Penny. They doubted his ability to act when he returned, but they gave him a chance anyway since they were left with no other options. He rambled about all the work they put him through to make up for lost time, but he still enjoyed it at the same time. It comforted him knowing he could still be the actor he once was.

"I saw the season finale." She told him.

"How?" He suddenly felt embarrassed. It felt a little awkward knowing she saw him acting. She didn't know him as an actor when they first met. Just thought he was one, crazy dog.

"There's a store that sells old human belongings. They have a TV always playing on the inside of the window. I was lucky enough to catch it when it aired."

Bolt was too nervous to ask what she thought about it. He kind of hoped she wouldn't bring it up, but a part of him wanted to know what she thought, what she thought of him.

"You were amazing," she smiled, as if she had read his mind, "You know you're pretty famous now."

I wouldn't be without your help. "I'm not sure if I like all the publicity," he joked.

"So, what have you been up to?" He asked quickly, changing the topic, before he saying something he would regret saying.

"Ah, not much really. Just doing whatever, not a whole lot that goes on in this city."

Come back home with me. "How are the humans?"

"They're really nice, not hard at all getting food here, even for a cat." They laughed, knowing they were both thinking of the time she taught him how to beg with the infamous dog face. She went on about how she met Alice.

They walked along a path that went by the lake. The sun had set by now and the moon shined upon the water, making it seem brighter out than usual. The two had gone quiet. Bolt was too preoccupied with his thoughts. He wanted to tell her so much more, but something, he didn't know what, prevented him. Was he afraid? Where should he start?

"Hey Mittens."

"Yeah Bolt?" He stopped her and grabbed her paw with his own.

"I missed you. It's really nice to see you again."

"I missed you too," She smiled and wrapped her paws over his shoulders to hug him. He reached under her arms to hug back. He felt warm against her fur. They finally let go after what seemed like forever.

"I think I better head back." She whispered.

"Oh, alright." He smiled to hide his disappointment. They wished each other good night and promised to meet again tomorrow. Bolt stared out at the lake by himself into the dark horizon. A soft breeze blew from the quiet waves, it was then when he realized he still felt warm under his fur and he didn't really know why.

Bolt found a dark and quiet alley that separated two small houses. The alley was narrow so he figured the humans rarely bothered to check there so he can stay at night without disturbing them. He decided it would be his temporary home while he was here. He settled in a soft patch of tall grass which tickled his fur. He felt pretty sleepy, but he sensed a long, restless night.

The events from tonight replayed in his head over and over. Even the tiniest detail remained so vivid. The innocence in her voice, her glowing green eyes, and even the smallest smirk she gave him. He received many hugs from Penny and fans, but nothing was like this before.

Mittens was his friend. No, more than that. She was his best friend. Someone who didn't judge him and wasn't afraid to expose him to the truth that hid behind the lie he was living in. He enjoyed her company and wasn't afraid to tell her anything. In return, he was always there for her. It started as friends with benefits, but escalated to much more than that. Before they realized it, they knew nearly everything about each other after only knowing each other for a short period of time. Everything was going well, before they went their separate ways anyway.

On their journey, Mittens decided to stay at this city for it reminded her of home. Bolt ended up continuing his journey home alone. They didn't say much before he left, but that's what bothered him the most. He felt like he had a million things to say to Mittens before he left, but couldn't find the words. This continued to haunt him even when he returned home. Every night, he thought about what he should've said and planned out what he would say in case they would ever meet again. And of course, when they did finally see each other again, he forgot anyway.

And now, Bolt only felt more confused with his thoughts. He experienced so many different emotions from tonight in such a short time. He recalled feeling overwhelmed with joy as they hugged, but also fear. Fear of losing that particular feeling of contentment. Fear of losing Mittens again and never seeing her. He then realized he wanted to tell her so much more. How much he thought about her every night, how much she inspired him for his acting, how much he enjoyed just talking with her, how much he cared for her.

How much he loved her.

As quickly as the thought crossed his mind, it vanished and he wondered why he didn't tell her all these things. He didn't really know why. He suddenly felt very lonely and wished he could be with her tonight. He felt tempted to search the city until he found her and when he did, he would hug her and never let go. He would tell her everything he held back. Tell her she meant the world to him, to go home with him.

And yet.

He wasn't so sure, despite these strong emotions that overtook him. He felt like he couldn't control himself sometimes, but his thoughts didn't stop. Did she think about him the same way? Was she thinking about him right now? Would she really go home with him if he asked her to?

He always looked at Mittens as a best friend and they promised to stay that way, but was he honestly okay with that?

Is this what love is like? When you constantly think about someone to the point where it drives you insane? When you care for that someone so much, you would do anything for them?

Love sucks.