Gwen hustled down the street with her overnight bag, dodging pedestrians as she studied the numbers on each building. She’d been in the neighborhood before, frequenting it at night when crime spiked. Car jacking and robberies was the area’s specialty, half the reason why she agreed to her friend’s request to house-sit for the week while they went on vacation.
Gwen hurried past an apartment building but jogged backwards, confirming the address. She stepped inside and scanned the lobby, acknowledging the lady at the front desk before stepping towards the elevators. She ascended to the third floor and stepped down the hall, studying each door number until she found the right one.
She knocked on the door and stepped back when she heard the rush of approaching footsteps.
The door swung open.
Gwen awkwardly smiled.
“Hey…” she waved, trying to keep her eyes on Hazel’s face and not the sea of unpacked clothes on the couch. “…sorry I’m late.”
“You’re not” Hazel said, smiling while her eyes panicked. “I am.”
She turned and hurried back to her half-packed suitcase in the living room. Gwen entered and shut the door, then loitered by the foyer.
“Totally overslept” Hazel mentioned, stuffing her things in her bag, cursing, then rushing to grab a toothbrush from the bedroom. “And my bus leaves in thirty.”
“Damn” Gwen sympathized, still getting an eyeful of the space.
Her responsibility for the next week.
There wasn’t much. A television. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. And a…contraption…in the corner. Gwen set her bag by the door and approached, studying it from each angle.
“What’s this?” She finally asked, looking over her shoulder.
Hazel looked up from zipping her overstuffed bag.
“Oh” she laughed, adjusting the frames on her face. “A cat tree.”
Gwen felt her eyes widen.
“Cat?” Gwen repeated.
“Yeah. Though you can climb it if you get bored” she teased, then paused. “Wait. I didn’t tell you?”
“Would’ve remembered” she begrudgingly answered, then scanned the floor for it. “Where is it?”
“She’s in the bedroom. Sleep” Hazel said. “Are you mad?”
“No.”
“Sorry…”
“I’m not mad” Gwen sighed, looking to the closed door she assumed was the bedroom. “Just not a fan. They’re rude.”
“Not my V…” Hazel promised. “She’s a doll.”
“I’m sure.”
“Quiet, too. You’ll hardly know she’s here.”
“Yeah, okay.”
“Left instructions on the fridge” Hazel said, hurrying towards the door with a suitcase in tow. “I promise she’s easy. Just give her time. She’ll warm up to you.”
Gwen held the door open for Hazel and waved her off before shutting the door again. She exhaled, leaned against the door and scanned the space again, her eyes landing on the bedroom once more. She stepped towards it then cracked it open, peering inside.
She braved inside, slowly entering with her eyes on the floor, scanning each corner of the sun-lit room.
“…V?” She called, then whistled when she didn’t reveal herself. Eventually Gwen turned to the bed, noting the space beneath it. She fell to her knees and leaned her cheek to the floor, scanning the shadow’s of the bed’s underside, pausing at the pair of white specks that shined her way until—
“Holy fuck, it’s a tiger!” Gwen yipped and stumbled back, nearly putting a hole in the wall behind her. When she came to, she rose to her feet, watching her new housemate emerge from the depths.
“…hey” Gwen waved, awkwardly gravitating towards the corner as the house cat made her approach. “…s-sup?” she tried, then squeaked when V sat at her feet.
The cat stared with eyes that peered into Gwen’s soul. Gwen took a deep breath, shimmied against the wall towards the door, then whined when V followed.
“I come in peace” she promised, even raising her arms to prove her innocence.
V meowed back.
“Yup. Yup. Totally. Sniff me out. See? I’m a good guy.”
V looked to the open bedroom door then left through it, giving Gwen the space she needed to come down. She held her chest and watched from a distance as V walked her territory, perhaps even looking for Hazel.
Gwen cautiously stepped to the bedroom door.
“She’s on vacation” Gwen explained, earning her eyes. “Some convention or something. She’ll be back soon.”
V looked to her, then stepped to a set of bowl in the corner of the kitchen. After a pause she meowed, as if beckoning Gwen closer. Gwen would, inching forward at a snail’s pace.
“What? You’re hungry?” She asked, then looked up to spot the note Hazel mentioned on the fridge. “Is it lunchtime?”
V meowed as Gwen read the notes, scanning the meal and grooming schedule. She lowered the paper and yipped again, spotting V at her feet again.
“Yes, ma’am…” she said after V meowed. “Lunchtime. Coming right up.”
====
Hazel dragged her bag to her apartment and knocked on the door, feeling better than the day she left. The convention was a success, as it was every year, though she couldn’t help but worry about Gwen and V. While Gwen’s text promised she was okay, Hazel couldn’t help but wonder.
She paused, knocked again when there wasn’t an answer, then flinched at the hustle of approaching footsteps.
The door swung open.
Hazel awkwardly smiled.
“Oh” she said, noting the calm in her eye…and the cat cradled in her arm.
“Hush…” Gwen warned, raising a finger to her lips. “It’s nap time.”
“Nap time?” Hazel asked, stepping into her apartment to find cat toys scattered across the floor. “Whoa.”
“Yeah, I know. Sorry” Gwen whispered, then took a seat on the couch. “We were playing and I didn’t pick up yet.”
“Playing? You?”
“It was V’s idea. Had no choice.”
“V’s idea? Seems you had a good time” Hazel smiled. “Was she good?”
“A doll” Gwen said. “A little spoiled, though.”
“Sounds about right. Long as she wasn’t trouble.”
“Tough first days but we warmed up to each other. Now I can’t put her down.”
“Really?” Hazel asked, then extended her arms.
Gwen turned, denying the handoff.
“Nope. My cat now.”
“Glad you had a good time” Hazel said, resting her hands on her hips.
“Yeah” she said. “You should go outta town more often.”