Through the Dark (Sequel to Taking Chances)

Chapter Fourteen: "Roomie"

Brielle
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"Harry, get that damned cat away from me," I snapped trough my teeth, glaring pointedly at him. He was smirking, glancing around the room as if he didn't know what was happening.

"Look at that snake," he laughed, squinting into the distance of the entirely other side of the room.

"Harry!" I hissed.

"I wonder how much a rabbit costs...?"

I groaned in frustration. "Harry, I swear to God, if I have some kind of allergic reaction to this cat, and I die, I'm gonna come back and haunt you for the rest of your life."

He laughed aloud, catching attention from other customers in the store. I waited impatiently as he picked up the cat and scooted it along in the other direction, but it wandered back our way. I moved as quickly as I could, tiptoeing past Harry and moving toward the rabbits that he'd mentioned before the cat could get to me again.

Harry had mentioned wanting to get a companion for Claire, as she'd hinted quite a few times during their conversations about the wedding and their living arrangements. He also thought it would be nice considering soon enough the athletic season would be coming full circle, and he enjoyed that just as much as he loved Claire. I could tell, without him even telling me, that he wanted her to never be alone. And the only way to do that without people always over is to have a pet.

I liked the idea from the start. I'd always wanted to have an animal somewhere in our group, and now I would get one. I was sure Claire would use that to get me over more, no doubt.

As we browsed through the many litters of kittens and puppies, and all the other animals they sold, I waited and watched Harry's expression. If his eyes lit up, I made a mental note to watch that one or the other; Harry had to enjoy the pet as much as she did, or else this was a waste of time, energy, and money.

"I thought you were just saying that when you told Tilda Ridden about your allergy to cats," he mused, smirking at me.

I glared at him, not a hint of a smile on my face. Talking about my cat-allergy like it was a joke was a soft spot sometimes, because I couldn't express how many times I'd had an allergic reaction to the cats in all the foster homes. And then when I first arrived to Judie's place, they'd owned a cat - John got rid of it as soon as my allergic reaction had already been in affect. Although it was a bit too late; I'd already been submitted to the hospital.

"No. I was being so serious."

He chuckled. "Well that's good to know. No cats."

"Well, I mean, you can get her a cat," I replied with a shrug of the shoulders. "I just won't be able to come around at all."

He looked at me as if he wanted to hit me, to which I laughed, but turned away to resume our search for the perfect companion for his fiancée.

"Cats are the spawn of Satan," he said.

I looked at him, unsure of what to think for a moment. A child next to him looked up, frowning. Next to the child was his brother, I assume, who looked equally as perplexed to the whole experience. The mother turned to us, looking rather upset. I bit my lip until I was sure I'd drawn blood to keep myself from bursting into laughter, but it was no use because he'd already been caught.

"Mom, Satan's real?" The younger boy turned to his mother, petrified. She looked down at him in horror as she grabbed him and began pulling him away.

"Don't listen to strangers," she told him sternly, where behind them the older brother looked back and forth to us before they were out of the store completely.