Page 60 of On My Side (Quiblings #3)
Ren
Playlist: Carry You Home (feat. Ella Henderson) | Alex Warren, Ella Henderson
Piper takes an aggressive bite out of her burger, and I eye her cautiously.
She stayed home from school, but kept herself busy by continuously texting me things she needed.
What she “needed” was burgers from Queenie’s and about twelve different types of ice cream.
“I hate this show,” she grumbles through her mouthful of food.
I nod to placate her, deciding not to mention the fact that Gilmore Girls was on when I got here.
I check my phone, pleased to see a text from Audrey.
Audrey
on my way home, how’s she doing?
Ren
i honestly have no idea, she keeps angrily chomping down on her burger and grumbling under her breath
Audrey
sounds like she’s fine heart emoji
“Ooooh, someone’s crush texted him,” Piper teases as I grin at my phone like a damn fool.
“Shut up,” I mumble, maturely and paternally.
A few minutes later, there’s a loud cry and a thud from outside. Piper and I exchange confused glances.
“Stay right here,” I tell her warily. I walk outside, finding the contents of Audrey’s bag strewn across the porch, and Audrey sprinting down the driveway.
“Aud!” I yell after her, but she doesn’t so much as look over her shoulder. I shove my feet into my shoes, and hurriedly tell Piper I’ll be back, before taking off after Audrey.
I follow her down the driveway, but she has too much of a head start for me to catch up.
I wonder if she’s been secretly running every morning, too.
She runs without responding to my calls for a few blocks before turning into a yard.
Finally, I catch up to her. Christ, you’d think I didn’t run ten miles a day, but the shoes and clothes really make a difference.
“Aud,” I wheeze. “Why are you praying to a shed?” That’s the only reason I can think of as to why my girlfriend is prostrated next to this decrepit shed.
“Leia!” she coos, and I stare at her, somehow even more confused.
“What?”
“Leia was on the porch when I came home,” Audrey says before meowing. “But she ran away and I followed her here.”
“Oh my god!” I exclaim, lowering myself to my belly and joining her on the ground. “Are you sure?”
“Random cats aren’t a frequent occurrence on my front porch.” She meows again and I’m immediately taken aback when I hear an answering meow from under the shed.
“Leia!” I call, my heart swelling with hope. “Come out, baby girl.”
“ Meow ,” Maybe Leia responds.
After a few more seconds of calling her, she comes out from under the shed, a tiny gray kitten dangling from her mouth. I sit up, and Definitely Leia climbs into my lap. She drops the kitten onto my thigh, glaring at me like I’m a deadbeat dad who’s hours late for our agreed-upon visitation time.
“She had a baby,” Audrey says softly, pushing herself off her stomach and scooching in closer to me.
“ Meow ,” the kitten adds, blinking at me in confusion. I run my index finger along their tiny head, and they knead their paws on my thigh, hard at work making biscuits.
“Leia’s fixed, but maybe she found a kitten without a mom and has been taking care of them.”
Leia purrs and nudges me with her head. I scratch behind her ears.
Audrey grins. “God, Piper’s gonna love this.”
I smile. “Yeah?”
“She’s been begging for a cat of her own for years . And your damn cat led me right to a tiny kitten?” She shakes her head in disbelief. “If I don’t let Piper keep them, I’ll be cursed by an ancient spell. It’s fate.”
I scoop the kitten off my lap and put them in Audrey’s cupped hands. “What were you saying about accidents last night?”
She smiles up at me. “That sometimes life is better because of them. Because sometimes you get a baby. Or a kitten. Or a hunky dude.”
I laugh and kiss her, grateful for every accident that led me to this, to her.