Stepping Out for a Bite
“I think Sheldon is depressed. I want to get him a playmate,” I announced as I set the table while Oliver prepared dinner.
“You do know that your cat is not a typical cat, right?” he asked, quirking a brow in my direction.
“Yeah yeah, magical realm traveling and talking cat. I got it. Either way, I’m not here all day and you in theory should be getting sleep at home or doing whatever it is you do.” When I finished setting the table I went to my now always stocked fridge to grab some water. As I finished pouring us both a glass Oliver effortlessly maneuvered around me to fill the plates with pasta and veggies.
Settling into our seats we began to eat quietly. Finally, Oliver broke the silence. “So I have arranged for us to go up to see Kat and Hue walk the red carpet next weekend and kick off the Holiday Season. There is then a party after the presentation; you’ll want to bring a cocktail dress for that. Would you rather go up Friday night after work or Saturday morning early?”
“I don’t do early, so Friday night would be great.” I shoved a bite of broccoli in my mouth.
Oliver chuckled. “Indeed. You do refuse to communicate via anything other than grumbles or squeaks before ten in the morning. I’ll meet you here just after dusk Friday night.” He paused while he chewed but continued with an intense stare that told me he had something else to talk about.
“What else do you want to talk about?” I prompted.
“I think I found a way to put you in touch with Queen Mab and get an audience with her.” He seemed nervous.
“That’s great,” I told him, finishing off my dinner.
“There is a small catch, and one I need to speak with Kat and Hue about before committing to it fully,” he explained. “Until we know for sure that it’s possible I don’t want to get your hopes up but at the same time I wanted to let you know I hadn’t forgotten about it.”
I grinned evilly, batting my eyes at him. “Oh, I doubt you could forget about me so easily.”
Choking on his last bite of food his eyes flared at me. “Yes, I’m most certain I couldn’t forget about you.”
I stood and began gathering the dishes. “Let’s just put these in the sink.”
“I’ll do them,” he said following behind me closely.
“No,” I responded, spinning around so quickly I collided with him. I wobbled on my feet, flailing my arms in an attempt to to remain standing.
Oliver immediately reached out to steady me but instead pinned me against the kitchen counter. “Oh, sorry. I forget my strength compared to yours sometimes. Are you alright?”
“Yeah, if super vamp doesn’t squash me first.” I pushed against Oliver’s chest with my hands. It was like trying to push a brick wall. He moved away quickly, once again leaving me off balance.
Sheldon stretched where he sat on the couch yawning widely. “Have you prepared my dinner yet?” he asked as his ears perked.
“If by prepared you mean opened the can? Not yet, but I will shortly.”
The cat’s tail twitched side to side in annoyance as he watched the two of us. “Why do you insist on feeding the Vampire before me? Do I not provide snuggles and purring to show my gratitude? I demand sustenance.”
Oliver rolled his eyes as I moved away to open a can of cat food for Sheldon. I had hardly set the dish down on the floor before the fuzzball all but attacked my hand, muttering words of thanks between bites. “Eat up, Sheldon. You need to stay well fed to keep my feet warm,” I teased as I petted him. “Then I will turn on the iPad fish game you are so obsessed with.”
Oliver pulled on his shoes by the door and reached for his coat. “Have a good night, I’m going to go get a bite.”
“Didn’t you just eat?” I asked, feeling a little sad that he was leaving so early.
“You told me it wasn’t nice to snack on friends.” He flashed his fangs to make a point. I knew he was a Vampire but it was so easy to forget sometimes.
“Wait,” I told him, rising to walk over to the door. Before he could question anything I grabbed the front of his jacket and with a playful tug pressed my lips against his. He resisted, shocked at at first, but quickly caught on. When I leaned back and pulled out of his grip I grinned suggestively. “Then sometime we will have to discuss who it is alright to snack on.”
He stepped forward but I held a hand up. “Another night.”
He laughed and smiled warmly at me. “I look forward to that discussion.”
“Oh, you should!” I told him as I turned to walk back into the living room. “Good night Oliver. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He mumbled his own goodbye and then the door clicked closed behind him. I balled my hands into fists to keep from going after him. I wasn’t sure why I had kissed him or why I was suddenly so jealous at the idea of him feeding.
