Page 48 of Calling a Cease-Fire

Me: Rage room?

Zack: *video of a group of kittens*

His obsession with cats was a tiny bit strange. And why the hell was he just sending me cat GIFs and videos instead of answering my question?

Me: Not sure what that means

Zack: They’re kittens.

Me: Duh. I know that. But I asked if you wanted to hit up the rage room.

Zack: I can’t. Watching kittens.

I blew a puff of air toward the wisps of hair covering my forehead. Why was he so frustrating? Was he really saying he couldn’t go with me because he was at home watching cat videos? I knew he had the day off, so I hit the dial button to call him instead. A loud melody of meows in the background sang through the line.

“What the hell are you doing?” Or maybe where the hell are you might have been a better question.

“Fostering kittens. Just brought them home. They are insane, but so freaking cute. I’m trying to—Oh. Don’t do that. Wait a minute, dude. Come here.”

Fostering kittens? What? “Seriously?”

“Yeah. Trying to get them set up and fed and all that. Want to come help?”

I easily got my fill of cats and kittens at the shelter, so they weren’t that big of a draw, but I couldn’t ignore the excitement that raced down my body at the prospect of seeing him. I did choose to ignore the part of my brain that was telling me it wasn’t a good idea. We were friends. Friends who wanted to fuck each other, sure, but friends regardless. And he would be completely focused on the kittens. I could totally go hang out at his house with him alone. No problem.

“Sure. Text me your address.”

“Sure thing, Raven.”

Ever since I remembered what he said that night when I was drunk and he drove me back to my apartment, I didn’t find the nickname to be all that horrible. I hissed playfully anyway, making him laugh before he hung up.

I pulled up in front of the house my GPS led me to—one of the old Victorians that sat in the original part of town—and double-checked the address he gave me. This was his house? How did I not know this about him?

It was absolutely breathtaking. Painted a light teal color with darker colored accents and a touch of gingerbread trim, it stood out from every other house on the block. The porch wrapped around one side, where a single large turret pointed to the sky over the second floor. Two large roof gables, with a smaller one over the porch, defined the front of the house, while another faced a manicured yard on the opposite side of the house from the turret.

I walked up the short flight of stone steps and knocked on the front door. Two wicker chairs and a small table sat off to my side on the porch, giving it a very small-town feel. It was easy to imagine sitting across from Zack, a glass of iced tea in my hand, watching the world drive by. A little too easy, actually. The place just felt so incredibly peaceful. Comforting. Like a home should.

Shadows filtered through the two large panes of glass on either side of the solid wood double doors, pulling my attention back to where I was. And why. And it definitely wasn’t being a happy homemaker with a bunch of kids running around in the yard.

The right door swung open and Savannah appeared. I stiffened as shock and a little bit of jealousy hit me. I had no right to feel any of it, and I knew that. But the sourness in my gut was hard to ignore.

“Oh, this is going to be so much fun,” Savannah singsonged, an impish smile curving her lips as she waved me inside and shut the door. “Let me guess, he didn’t tell you I was here?”

I shook my head, glancing around the beautiful foyer. It had all the charm you would expect from an old Victorian house, but with a totally modern feel to it. “No. But that’s okay. I can leave if I’m intruding.”

She laughed and looped her arm through mine. “I do not want your man, so just relax.”

“He’s not⁠—”

“Riiiight. You guys are friends who actually want to fuck. Got it.”

I sighed. It was easy to see that Savannah and Zack had identical matching energies, and I wasn’t sure I would be able to handle both of them together.

She led me past the gorgeous wooden staircase that curved up to the second level, and down a long hallway that emptied into the kitchen. I laughed at the scene that greeted us. Zack sat in the middle of one of those baby play yards as half a dozen tiny little kittens climbed all over him. He looked up at me and smiled, showing off those damn dimples.

I dropped my bag and walked over, stepping over the gate and sitting down across from him. “They are so tiny.”

Savannah joined us, shaking her head. “I’m still not sure who thought it was a good idea to entrust you with a bunch of kittens.”