The Green Eyed Monster

Ch. 19

I wake up blearily, my mind awake before my body can follow suit, my eyes flickering open hesitantly. I snap awake when I see Cat, her form lit up by what red-hued light filters through my curtains. It's disconcerting to say the least, but not unpleasant. I can't even remember falling asleep... just talking and talking to her until her yawns got big enough to split her face. I remember worrying; the last thing I wanted to do was molest her in her sleep. It sounds stupid, but those urges... they're unpredictable; they've already made me lose control more than once. I lift the blanket up, looking down at myself. Good. Clothes are still on. Besides, I'd want to remember something like that.

I brush a tendril of ruby hair away from Cat's face. She's breathing evenly, her face tranquil, her hands pulled up to her chest. She looks like a sleeping puppy. I half expect her to start twitching and chasing something in her sleep. What do Cats' dream of? I wonder, smiling softly. These are the sort of urges I was talking about. Not so much to take her with abandon... no, those ones are okay, I expect them... no, these are urges to hug her and squeal over how adorable she is. And those ones I can't tolerate... they go against everything I stand for.

I slip out of bed carefully, stretching languorously on the way to the kitchen. I comb my fingers through my hair, peering at the microwave to see what time it is. I feel a spike of panic until I remember it's Saturday. With all this drama... I may have lost track of the days. A furry thing brushes against my legs, and I roll my eyes. "You're not my cat. It's not my job to feed you." The cat meows pitifully and I sigh. "Fine. Have it your way."

I'm in a surprisingly good mood. Waking up next to Cat... it wasn't an altogether unattractive experience. I get busy on breakfast, making some toast. I spot a box of Fruit Loops in the pantry while I'm looking for something to put on my toast, and pull it out. I don't know what it's doing in there, but it seems like the sort of thing Cat would eat for breakfast, so I put it on the counter, along with a bowl and some milk. If she's anything like the loud, crunching monster in the corner, she'll be ravenous. Sure enough, Cat comes padding out just as I sit down to eat my toast, yawning widely and rubbing her eyes. "Morning!" How she can be so positive in the morning... even at all, really, is beyond me. I don't see where she gets the energy. Cat squeals when she sees the box of sugary cereal, and I start to see where. She's beaming at me, pouring the cereal into her bowl, and it makes me feel like an ant under a magnifying glass, and things are starting to get uncomfortably hot.

"What?" I say finally, setting down my toast.

"You made me breakfast!" Cat chirps, pouring milk over the artificially coloured loops.

I frown. "Cat... I just got a box of cereal out. I didn't actually... never mind. I made you breakfast."

"Yay!" Cat grabs her bowl and sits opposite me at the table, smiling widely.

I shake my head. Her changes in mood... they're either end of the spectrum, never in the middle. Looking at her this morning, you'd think she was that airheaded, cheery girl who so many people see, and I'm having trouble connecting it to the Cat of last night. It must be exhausting to be her. "These are so good!" She exclaims, taking a spoonful into her mouth.

"It's just cereal... I don't get it." I say, bewildered.

Cat sets her spoon down. "What's that supposed to mean?" She's giving me a hurt look, like my statement was a personal attack on her. Which it wasn't intended to be.

"No, I just... how can you be so... so cheerful? It's just cereal."

Cat relaxes again, smiling. "Oh." She frowns. "I don't know." She toys with her spoon, swirling it through the soggy cereal. "I guess I just like it when things turn out good. Like... this cereal could've been horrible. I mean, I've had it before, but I haven't had this one... it could've been bad, or the milk could've been sour, but it wasn't."