He Said the Cat Needed Him. There Was No Cat Chapter 01

He Said the Cat Needed Him. There Was No Cat Chapter 01

My boyfriend, Adrian Cole, and my best friend found a stray cat.

After that day, he started going to her apartment all the time.

Every time, he looked annoyed. “If that stupid cat didn’t only let me hold it, I wouldn’t bother stepping through her door.”

Vanessa Reed would roll her eyes.

“Who asked you to come? The cat likes you. I don’t.”

They argued whenever they saw each other.

Somewhere between all those arguments, he memorized the code to her apartment.

He learned that she had a sensitive stomach. He learned that she drank warm water before bed.

He even missed my birthday dinner.

He said, “The cat has a fever. She can’t handle it alone.”

I put up with it for a long time.

Then my parents came to meet him and waited for three hours.

He still didn’t come home.

Without warning anyone, I went to Vanessa Reed’s apartment.

The place was spotless when I opened the door.

There was no cat bed.

No litter box.

Not a single strand of cat hair.

There was only a pair of men’s slippers by the door and Adrian Cole’s usual razor in the bathroom.

A sticky note was attached to the refrigerator.

It was in his handwriting: Dummy, wait for me. I’ll cook when I get back.

…

I stood in front of the refrigerator and stared at that note for a long time.

Dummy. Adrian Cole used to call me that too.

He once told me he only used that word for his girlfriend.

The bedroom door suddenly opened.

Vanessa Reed walked out wearing an oversized black T-shirt.

I recognized it.

It was the limited-edition shirt I had stood in line for three hours to buy for Adrian Cole’s birthday the year before. He had told me he lost it.

I searched for it for a long time.

Adrian Cole only said, “It was just a shirt. It’s gone. Let it go.”

Vanessa Reed went pale for a second when she saw me.

Then she quickly walked over like she always did and reached for my hand.

“Claire, why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

“I just got out of the shower. This place is a disaster.”

I pulled my hand away. “Where’s the cat?”

She paused.

“At the animal hospital.”

“Didn’t we tell you it had a fever?”

I looked around the living room, which was almost unnaturally clean.

No cat bed. No litter box. No cat hair.

Only the men’s slippers by the door and the razor in the bathroom.

A man’s dress shirt was drying on the balcony.

Vanessa Reed followed my gaze and rushed to explain.

“Adrian got soaked the last time he helped me take the cat to the hospital, so I washed his shirt.”

“He forgot the razor too.”

Her voice softened after she finished.

“Claire, I’m your best friend. You don’t seriously distrust me, do you?”

Adrian Cole’s voice suddenly came from the hallway.

“Vanessa Reed, did you order iced coffee again?”

The keypad lock beeped.

His tone had already turned cold before he even stepped inside.

“Your stomach stopped hurting? Are you trying to make yourself sick?”

Vanessa Reed’s expression changed, and she immediately glanced at me.

The next second, Adrian Cole walked in carrying a bag of groceries.

There was beef, sweet potatoes, squash, and a carton of milk.

Every item was something Vanessa Reed liked.

Vanessa Reed quickly rolled her eyes and forced her voice back into its familiar irritated tone.

“Who asked you to manage my life? You’re so annoying.”

Adrian Cole set the groceries on the floor and gave a cold laugh.

“If I don’t manage you, who was the one calling me three times last night because her stomach hurt?”

I stood by the refrigerator, unable to fit a single word into their conversation.

They had always been like this.

They argued every time they met.

Vanessa Reed complained about his temper, and Adrian Cole complained that she was difficult.

Back then, I used to laugh and break up their fights.

I thought they had met because of me and the stray cat, and maybe they would finally stop tearing into each other.

Adrian Cole finally noticed me.

The coldness on his face stalled, and he hurried over.

“Why did you come out wearing so little?”

He took off his jacket and moved to place it over my shoulders.

Before it reached me, Vanessa Reed’s eyes turned red.

Adrian Cole’s hand stopped, and his voice cooled.

“Didn’t I tell you I’d come over after I handled the cat situation?”

“Why did you come looking for me?”

I looked at the jacket suspended between us and smiled faintly.

“Where’s the cat?”

Adrian Cole frowned. “Didn’t we already tell you?”

I held out my phone.

The reply from the apartment management office was perfectly clear.

“Ms. Reed in Unit 1502 has no registered pet.”

“She is allergic to cats and filed a complaint last month about a stray in the hallway.”

The living room went silent.

I looked at both of them. “Adrian Cole, where exactly is the cat that supposedly only lets you hold it?”

Tears spilled from Vanessa Reed’s eyes.

“Claire, I didn’t mean to lie to you. I’ve just been having such a hard time lately.”

Adrian Cole said nothing, and his silence was more humiliating than any excuse.

My phone rang.

It was my mother.

“Claire, did you find Adrian? Your father said he has reheated the soup three times.”

My throat tightened.

They had waited for three hours.

They had waited for me to bring their future son-in-law home.

I looked at Adrian Cole and spoke softly. “Mom, stop waiting.”

“He won’t be coming over anymore.”

Adrian Cole jerked his head up.

“Claire Bennett, what is that supposed to mean?”

Vanessa Reed cried as she reached for me.

“Claire, I’m sorry. Don’t fight with him because of me.”

I tore free and stepped backward. The back of my hand struck the sharp corner of the shoe cabinet, and blood welled instantly.

Adrian Cole reached for me on instinct, but Vanessa Reed started crying harder.

His hand stopped.

That single second told me everything.

I pulled my hand back. “Adrian Cole, we’re done.”