“Put your lunch in the refrigerator.” He reminded her of the leftovers as he led her back to the door.
“It will all be okay,” he reassured her before adding, “Sleep well, Little girl.” Pedro blew her a kiss as he backed down the hallway toward his apartment. He did not enter his apartment until she was safely inside hers.
Shaking her head as she locked the door behind her, Belinda stashed the macaroni in the fridge before turning off the lights. Deciding fresh air might calm her thoughts, Belinda opened the balcony door a few inches and leaned against it as she breathed in the cool night breezes. A swishing tail flicked her leg as the fluffy cat waltzed into her apartment.
“Tinkerbell. You should go home. It’s late,” Belinda told him.
With a meow, the creature turned and disappeared into the darkness of her apartment. Belinda called him several times, but the cat did not respond. Exhaustion crashed over her. She decided to go shower, guessing that Tinkerbell would be ready to stop exploring her apartment by then, and she could let him back out again. She closed and locked the door.
Twenty minutes later, Belinda had looked and called for that silly cat. Not finding him immediately, she gave into her exhaustion and turned out the lights to crawl into bed. Turning onto her stomach, Belinda slid her arm under the pillow and closed her eyes. The bed dipped slightly and a warm body settled against the curve of her body.
“Tinkerbell,” Belinda reproached. The cat simply cuddled a bit closer to her.
Belinda considered getting up to put the purring feline on the balcony so Tink could make his way to Pedro’s apartment, but the silly cat seemed happy to sleep with her. Closing her eyes, she cascaded into sleep.