7. Theo

I felt like time was standing still as I waited for our date.

I'd only seen him the night before. It wasn't like I had to wait an eternity to see him again. But that kiss, oh gods, it nearly knocked me to my knees. And every time I started thinking about it, my pants got a little bit tighter, which was unfortunate given I was at work. But all the deadlines in the world couldn't stop me from thinking about him.

I'd snuck away during lunch for a quick check on the kittens. Part of me wished I wasn't finishing up a big project and could be working remotely again more regularly. The practical side of me knew that me being at my place was going to be a thousand times more distracting than work was. At least here I wasn't having everything remind me of Carlton.

The kittens were, of course, perfectly fine. All four were sound asleep in the sun that came in through the front window. They woke up enough for some snuggles and to beg for food. I was glad I went to see them even if I knew in my head they were fine home alone. It was my heart that didn't want to listen.

I'd feel better once I was able to get them to the vet and get them good and checked out. But so far, they were doing great, adjusting beautifully to their new lives. I might not have been the world's best cat dad, but I loved the little furballs, and my place was a lot more comfortable than a dumpster.

Of course, once I was back at my place, what did I think about? Carlton. I saw him in everything, from the place he sat on the couch to the water dish he filled for them. I had it bad, and try as I could, my every thought was still on the way his lips made me feel as I climbed into the elevator after my break.

"Steak and ice cream," I mumbled to myself. "Cotton candy and pickles. Cheese and maple syrup."

"What are you doing?" the person beside me in the elevator asked.

"Oh, nothing. I was just trying to think of really unsavory combinations."

She looked at me as if I had six heads and then offered, "Milk and lemon slices."

"Perfect." I was glad she thought I was doing a puzzle or brainstorming or whatever it was she thought I was up to and not that the older woman was helping me get rid of a pesky erection.

"Glad to be of help," she said as the elevator opened, and she walked right out.

Did any of that work? Of course not. As I reached my desk, I saw the post-it that I had scribbled random cat information on and boom—there was Carlton right back at the forefront of my mind. He really did find a way to worm his way into my heart. And I liked him there.

But also, it didn't make sense. Was it because he came to my rescue when I needed him? It would make sense that feelings would be stronger since he aided me in an emotionally heavy time, right? But that didn't make sense either.

I couldn't even begin to figure out my feelings about the man. Logically they couldn't be real. It was too soon. But also, they felt real. Very real. And then there was the little dilemma where every time my mind had a chance to wander, it wandered straight to him, to his lips, his touch, his smile.

I managed to get pretty much no work done in the remaining time I had, but I didn't care. It could wait until another time. It was date night, and the second I was able to leave, I did.

Once back home, I took care of the kittens and then popped into the shower. This was date night, and I wanted to look and smell my best. If I'd had the time, I'd have stopped for a haircut on the way. I wanted this to be perfect.

Carlton was coming to pick me up. He said it was to check on the kittens, but I had a feeling he was just gentlemanly like that. I liked it.

And of course, by the time he arrived, I was full of cat hair and had to change again. I had a feeling that was going to be part of my life. And I didn't even mind.

"I'll be right back," I promised him and ran in to switch shirts. And when I came back out, I looked just as I had only a few minutes earlier.

"Did you get the roller wand at the pet store?" he asked. It took me a few seconds to figure out what he meant, and when I did, I ran and got it.

"I think I'm going to need to get stock in this company." I rolled it over where the kittens had been snuggling him. "There. Cat hair-free."

"Did you get everywhere?" He sounded more teasing than serious.

"I think so." I looked him up and down. "Where do you think I missed?"

"Right here." He pointed to his lips, and I leaned in for a kiss.

"We better go before we don't," I sassed, breathless and needy. I didn't sound too convincing. And if he'd suggested "we don't," I'd have been all for it.

"Yeah." He took my hands. "Let's go eat. We are probably going to need our energy."

He drove us to a little family-owned restaurant not too far from my place. It was quaint and had the kind of food your grandparents might have served up for Sunday dinner. I had roast beef, and Carlton ordered meatloaf.

The food was delicious. It really was, but none of it was about the food. It was about the two of us spending time together, getting to know each other, and of course, having a kitten update.

"How was work today?" It felt like a boring question to ask, and maybe it was boring. But also, I knew that I had interrupted one of his big meetings when I was accidentally messaging him instead of the rescue, and that made it feel less like a first-date-question-when-you-don't-know-what-to-ask and more of a natural conversation topic.

"It was good." He closed his eyes. "Yeah, that's not true. It was great. I spent most of it thinking about you. Unless you meant productivity wise. In that case it sucked."

I scooched my chair over a little, wanting to be closer to him, and placed my hand on his.

"I know the feeling, although I did have the distraction in the middle of the day to check on the kittens." The break had done me well. Who couldn't use some cuteness overload in the middle of the day?

"And let me guess… they were sleeping."

"How'd you know?"

"Well, according to cat statistics, they sleep over twenty hours a day. The odds were on my side." He turned his body slightly, facing me a little more.

"They like that spot where the sun comes in and hits the carpet. They were so cute, I couldn't even… I almost felt bad waking them up. But then they acted like I was the best thing in the world, and the guilt kind of fell away." It was one of those moments I wished I'd been filming so I could watch them realize I was home again and again.

"Well, you know, to them, you are the best thing in the world." He turned his hand over and intertwined our fingers. "Most people wouldn't have done what you did. They would have dropped them off at the first person who would take them, whether or not they were going to keep them safe."

I was sure he was right, though I hated to think of people being that uncaring. It was a very real possibility that people had seen or heard them at the dumpster and chose to ignore it. Those were the kind of people that I couldn't relate to, nor did I have any desire to do so.

To me, if you saw a creature in need of your help, you helped them. That was that. There was no decision to be made.

I rested my head on his shoulder. "Is this weird?" I asked

"Is what weird? Talking about kittens?"

"No, I mean who doesn't want to talk about kittens? I meant feeling as comfortable with you as I do."

"No, that's not weird." He kissed the top of my head. "That's not weird at all."

It felt like he was going to say more, but the waitress came and interrupted, asking us if we were through with our meals and if we wanted any dessert.

Carlton looked to me to see what I was thinking. I wanted dessert, alright, but not the kind we could get here.

"I think we have dessert at home," I said.

"Just the check, please."

We walked outside, hand in hand. "Thank you for a wonderful dinner."

"Thank you for the wonderful company." He squeezed my hand. "Let's get you home."

"Just to clarify, when I said ‘dessert,' I meant you."

"Best. Dessert. Ever."