Page 54 of Kane

“Would you stop,” I grumble, shoving Pumpkin off of me, which only makes him meow louder.

This fucking cat, I swear.

See, this is why I don’t keep pets.

Pumpkin mewls as he climbs onto my chest, his claws sinking into my skin and I curse. He keeps up his headbuts, his torturous meows, until I finally relent.

“Okay, okay…” I sit up, rubbing my eyes, the weird dream still lingering.

I think it was a dream. Maybe part dream, part memory, because I can’t say I remember ever seeing Jasper kiss my mom.

But something tells me it was real.

And so were her words.

What if he finds out?

What about the girl?

Something tells me she means the little dark-haired girl whose name I don’t know.

Who is she? Why was Mama asking about her?

I swing my legs over the side of the bed, getting up to piss because fuck, I need to. Pumpkin meows incessantly, following me to the damn bathroom and I shut the door so he doesn’t come in. To which he protests loudly, but I don’t care. I don’t need an audience while I do my business, thank you very much.

Every step I take, he’s there, wrapping his tail around me, purring, meowing for attention like he’s starved and doesn’t get enough of it, even though I know he does because I know how my neighbor is with her “babies.”

I get dressed quickly, make myself an omelet for breakfast while Pumpkin screams loudly that I have not yet fed him.

“You’ll get yours when you go home. To your mama.”

Pumpkin cries in protest. I roll my eyes. “Where you belong.”

I eat my breakfast as Pumpkin curls up on my foot, almost like he doesn’t want to move. I pick him up when I’m done, to which he protests again.

“Oh, hush.”

It doesn’t take long to slip my boots on and my coat, or to grab my keys and head over to Mrs. Burnside’s.

Pumpkin doesn’t meow or purr, or even hiss. He just goes limp against me.

I knock on her door, and hear her call out that she's coming, though it takes a minute for her to get to the door. It always does.

When she opens it, I’m met with kind brown eyes and a warm smile.

“Think I have something that belongs to you,” I say as she moves to pick up Pumpkin.

“Oh, what am I going to do with you, little Pumpkin?” she tsks before looking up at me with warmth.

“Thank you, Kane.” She smiles.

“No problem,” I say as I turn to leave, but she stops me.

“Would you like a cup of coffee? I just put on a fresh pot.”

I think about her words. Normally I wouldn’t accept such an invitation, but my head is still achy, and I could probably use the caffeine.

“Sure. I could use a cup of coffee.”