Off Limits Neighbor

“Rey?” I call as I walk in. He’s not in the living room or the kitchen.

“Office,” he says, voice muffled.

It hasn’t been long enough that I’m not still blushing at just the thought of his office. Eventually I’m sure the mortification will wear off. Not yet, though.

Eventually…

As if this isn’t all over in three days. I’m trying not to be sad about that. I knew it was coming, and still, I’m not ready.

I like my life in Austin, but if I’m honest, I am a bit lonely. That’s not really an excuse to uproot my life…but what if I did?

Shaking my head, I put down my bag and head for Rey’s office. I’m being ridiculous. This has been fun, but Rey doesn’t want to disrupt his life like that, and I would feel awful if I did.

“Hey—” I freeze as I push open the door to his office. “Is that a cat?”

Rey smirks. “Not just any cat. He’s the cat. This is Oreo.”

The animal is sprawled on his desk, washing itself like he was born to be there.

I think my mouth actually drops open. “You went and got…the cat?”

He actually looks like a cat himself right now, he’s smiling so widely. “I did, yeah. Took him to the vet, and he doesn’t have a microchip, so I decided to bring him home.”

It’s honestly not computing. “Do you even want a cat?”

“I’ve wanted a pet for a while,” he says with a shrug, “and I figured your parents wouldn’t want him, so…”

I cross the distance to the desk and look down at Oreo. He looks back at me with big green eyes. “You’re not going to try to trip me to death again, right?”

He chirps a little meow, and I smile. Before I even register it, I’m reaching out to pet him. “Well, I guess you’re friendly enough.”

“He’s a fucking ball of fluff,” Rey says with a chuckle. “Microchip or not, he’s been around people before.”

Rey pulls me down into his lap, and I relax. I love the way my body relaxes against his. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” Then he sighs. “I actually ran into your parents while I was getting him.”

“Fuck,” I mutter. “How did that go?”

“About as well as you’d expect.”

I’m cut off from asking him more about it by my phone ringing, and my mother’s name on the screen. “Speak of the devil.” I swipe to answer the call. “Hey, Mom.”

“Hi, honey. We’re over at the old house. We were wondering if you could come over and talk?”

“Is something wrong with the renovations?”

“No,” she says quickly. “No, it’s not that. They’re lovely. We just want to talk to you.”

I sigh but keep it quiet. “Okay, I’ll be over in a few minutes, okay?”

“Perfect.”

I hang up and lean my head on Rey’s shoulder. “That was my mother. They want to talk to me over at the house.”

He wraps his arms around me and hugs me a little closer. “Want me to go with you?”

“Will you? They probably want to talk to me alone.”

“I can stay away from the conversation and still be nearby. It’s fine.”

I shake my head. “You must think I’m crazy, still doing this for them when they’re so mean to you and everything.”

“They’re your parents,” he says gently. “I don’t know anybody—myself included—who has a simple relationship with their parents.”

“That’s fair.” He lifts me as he stands. “But let’s not make them hate me more by taking a long time.”

“You’re okay to leave Oreo here?”

Rey laughs. “He’s already proven he knows how to use a litter box. I swear this cat is ready to move in with us.”

I bite my lip at the word us, and the fluttering in my chest because of it. Rey and I need to talk about what’s between us, but I’d rather get my parents out of the way first.

They’re in our old house, and they frown when they see Rey with me, and my mom sighs. “I guess we’ll talk in the backyard, then.”

“Oh, this is definitely about you,” I say quietly.

He chuckles. “I kind of figured.” Rey kisses me on the forehead before I follow my parents into the warm evening air.

“How are you, Mom? I haven’t had a chance to ask.”

She shrugs. “I’m okay. I’m not out of the woods and need to go back for the next round of the treatment, but it’s nice to have a few days between. And your dad’s hip is doing well too.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” I say quietly.

There’s a moment of awkward silence before my mother starts to speak again. “Listen, Klara. First, your Dad and I really want to thank you for what you’re doing for us. It’s really wonderful, and you’re doing such a good job. We’re really proud of you and the way you’ve started to make a career for yourself.”