36. Stella

Chapter Thirty-Six

STELLA

I would never, absolutely never , admit to Hudson that I cried myself to sleep that night. Butter and Biscuit curled up together and mashed themselves in a single ball against my hip. The sound of their collective purring was comforting. I was relieved that I wasn’t sleeping alone.

Childishly, I felt a petty joy that they picked me. It was like when you had a breakup. When you were trying to be mature and understand that shared friends wanted to maintain their connections with both of you, yet most of your friends ended up closer to you. The petty joy didn’t last. I woke up alone the next day. Hudson had already left and I told myself that was for the best.