“Come here, Hermione. I poured cat food into your bowl.” Luna called from the kitchen. She stood up straight from crouching down and hugged the small container of cat food in her arms, staring at the entrance of the kitchen to wait for the cat to enter. However, even if a long moment already passed, there was still no sign of the feline. Luna found out that Hermione can’t ever rid of her laziness, and every time the cat doesn’t answer or obey her—when she should—it never fails to test Luna’s patience, which in the first place, isn’t even that much. Luna sighed and pursed her lips in annoyance. “Hermione.”

Meow. Hermione finally replied.

Luna crossed her arms to her chest and leaned on the island table, expecting the cat to enter the room right away. A long beat passed. She felt like the vein on her forehead will pop out and she gritted out, “Hermione, if you don’t come I’m going to give this to the strays down—“

Meow. Meow. Hermione appeared, at last, answering with a hiss when Luna used the kryptonite—the threat of giving away her cat food. Luna felt her eye twitching as she watched the feline strut to the kitchen like she owns it. Hermione always acts like she’s the boss between them even though Luna is the human and Hermione is just the animal she is forced to feed and shelter.

Luna stepped away when Hermione dived into her bowl, before pointing to the cat with a slender finger, still hugging the bag of cat food in her arms, only to scold, “Hermione, when will you become obedient? This has been our conflict for months already. All you do all day is sleep! I think I should hide your cat bed. You don’t leave it anymore.” Narrowing her eyes to the cat, she raised the intensity in them when the cat lifted her head from her bowl to meet her eyes. Hermione’s eyes seemed daring, and really, Luna always wonders just why this cat was raised like this. Hermione acts like she’s always superior to her like she’s the real boss and even the owner of the house—well, condo unit at least since the house was still under renovation.

Meow. Hermione answered and it felt like she was glaring back at her.

Luna scoffed as she leaned her weight on one leg, annoyed. Hermione’s the only one who could pull so many expressions out of her face that is known to be almost permanently devoid of emotions. “You are talking back to me now? Do you want me to lessen the amount of cat food you actually consume? Excuse you, cat food isn’t cheap either.”

Hermione halted eating for a second before stuffing her face back in, answering with a short meow. However, the sight of her tail standing stiffly up in the air like the arrogant cat she is betrayed it all.

Luna’s eye inevitably twitched, displeased more than ever. “That’s it. I’m putting you on diet tomorrow onwards.” She threatened again. She doesn’t really like cats or animals in general, but Hermione is a special case. Well, aside from the fact that Hermione sure is a really unique one if you compare her to the normal ones, she’s special because she’s the cat of her uncle, and she’s the last thing that he had actually left her with.

Luna stared at the cat silently, her hard features due to her previous emotions softening the slightest bit as she recalled it all—after what seemed like a long time already. The cat was fortunate enough to survive the fire, as one of the firemen had seen her and immediately carried her out of the house. She was brought to the rescue after. Luna had actually thought that the cat also died so she was surprised when the rescue showed up and brought back the cat to her after she had woken up from her unconsciousness.

So no matter how annoying and stubborn Hermione is, Luna can’t not exactly take care of her nor does she has the heart to push her away. She has long decided to keep the cat in because after all, her uncle had loved the cat just as much as he loved his experiments.

Looking back to the past, Luna couldn’t have imagined herself talking to animals as if they were humans. Well, some things are actually possible to happen. Heaving a sigh, she pushed herself off the counter and walked out of the kitchen, only to come back to get her now cool tumbler from the fridge.

Meow. Luna looked down to see Hermione rubbing her soft fur to her leg. In any other situation, she would have stepped away and not pay any heed to the cat, but when you have been living on your own for long and many months already, in a condo unit where space is only limited, Luna who thought that she could get by alone found out the fact that no man is an island. Soon enough, she had learned it the hard way to just entertain herself to not rather lose what the remaining of her sanity has.

Maybe she’s starting to live up to her infamous name in the hospital—being a lunatic.

Luna found herself heaving a sigh for the nth time today. Swallowing the bitter truth she had thought should have left her long ago already, she murmured to Hermione, “You miss him too, don’t you?”

Hermione didn’t answer, and Luna looked away. I do, too. She thought silently to herself in wistfulness. The only person in her life now is the cat, and yet even then, she still struggles to express herself enough.

Maybe she doesn’t bother to anymore, because now stripped off him, it’s all judgmental world against her.

~

“Been working hard?” Luna huffed out an exhale as she looked up from under the weights she’s lifting, arching a brow when she caught sight of an upside-down familiar face peering down at her.

Lifting one last time, Luna returned them to their place before sliding down and standing up, uncomfortable by the close distance just now. She let out a hum and bent down to get her tumbler.

“I didn’t know you go here.” Doc Nam said as he sat right on the place where she lied down at. When she glanced at him from her tumbler on her lips, she saw him giving her a rogue boyish smile that would have made ladies even from a mile swoon at him. Luna, however, has always been a special case. She doesn’t even give reactions, and that’s what she exactly gave him—none.

“Just want to try a new place.” she answered with her usual professional and almost clipped tone that she uses on him and turned her back on him to sit on the seated press, working on the machine. Along the months that she had learned how to live independently, Doc Nam who has been her coworker just a few months after she came to the hospital, somehow had picked up more confidence in pursuing her. When the setting is the hospital, he is fortunately more tamed and professional with her, but outside of work, he’s just plain annoying in wooing her. Nonetheless, it seems also that fate always likes to annoy her. They always bump into each other more than she really likes them to.

As expected, Doc Nam followed her. He’s wearing a fitted gray tank top that emphasized the outline of his hard-rock abs, showing the broadness of his shoulders. “So, am I going to see you regularly here?" he asked and leaned down to the railing of the other machine in front of her, large and defined biceps flexing while he throws a handsome smirk towards her way.

Luna continued working with the machine, arching a brow his way again upon his question. I’d rather not, she thought firmly. She goes to the gym at least three times a week to stay fit and be healthier, and she doesn’t want those supposed to be peaceful and fruitful three times spent with and ruined by him for he’ll just surely annoy her the whole time. Luna had learned, unfortunately, his stubborn attitude and irritating ways of working to get the things he desires. “Maybe, maybe not.” she answered vaguely, beads of sweat running down her temples down to her flawless face.

Doc Nam let out a deep chuckle that even managed to attract a few females running on the treadmill a few feet away. He put down his own tumbler and sat down to the seated press machine in front of her, also working with it. Luna pursed her lips. She might just cut down her supposed time in staying in the gym if he will continue to annoy and chase after her like this. “What does that suppose to mean, Doc Moon?” he asked and grunted.

Luna’s eyes flitted to his muscles flexing due to his movements and looked away. He really looked like a regular in the gym, but it isn’t like she ever bothered to notice or know. Sure, he is handsome, and also a doctor at that, but men for Luna are just annoying creatures who let their tongues out and wag their tails like rabid dogs to any person who wears a bra or a skirt. Very similar to what happened with Doc Nam and just the opposite gender this time, men nearby snapped their heads up like they were whistled and asked to fetch upon hearing the ‘Doc’ accompanied with her name.

Of course, men like women with money too. It took all of Luna’s control to refrain the itch of her eyes in its desire to roll.

“It means you won’t see me here anymore.” she bluntly retorted.

Doc Nam, instead of being rejected—or accepting it—only became more amused. The more Luna pushes him away, the more it drives him to push forward more. Since the sight is just completely in front of him, his eyes took in Luna’s figure as she works on the machine. His gaze slid down to her tight tank top that accentuates all the curves in the right places, a distinct enough 11-line abs peeking through the tight material and how the sweat is running down from the smooth expanse of her face down to her jawline, neck, and deep y collarbones, sliding deep downwards to her gifted bust. Paired with the tight tank top that covered the cleavage the opposite gender wishes to get a sight of are skin-tight leggings. Rather than feeling entire disappointment at the fact that Luna seems to be actually the most overdressed one amongst all females in the gym with them, he felt more enlivened with her. Truly, Moon Luna is unlike any other woman out there. Doc Nam looked back up to her eyes and feigned a hurt moan, “You hurt my feelings always.” Only to grin after and add cheekily, “Well, we see each other at work anyway. I guess that would make up.”

Luna, now with furrowed eyebrows, ignored him and left the machine. She felt more than the usual annoyance when she caught his gaze on her body—she was boiling mad and disgusted also. Turning her back on him again, she picked up her tumbler and went to grab her duffel bag, intending to leave already. Her mood is now more than down the drain.

Footsteps sounded behind her and it made her hasten her strides, grip on the strap of her duffel bag tight. She really hates men. “Wait! Doc Moon!” Doc Nam called for her, attracting attention from the other people in the gym.

Luna went to the counter to bail out but immediately took a large step back when she saw Doc Nam about to touch her from the corner of her eye. Not bothering to hold back anymore—she only did because he’s a co-doctor and she respects him enough—she whipped her head to him with cold and almost murderous eyes. Her voice was just as cold and murderous also, if not more, when she said, “Doc Nam, I much prefer that our relationship don’t go as far as more than doctors in the same field and at the same place. Please respect that and keep your distance.” She saw Doc Nam ceased in his step with an almost flabbergasted expression upon her telling him off, turning away from him to mumble a ‘thank you’ to the man watching with an interested face at them behind the counter, then leaving right away.

Doc Nam pursed his lips and raked a hand through his hair, letting out a sigh. The crestfallen face didn’t last long however and in exchange is a more than amused and curious smirk plastering on his attractive visage. The more she pulls away from the hook, the tighter he holds to the fishing rod.

“Tough nut to crack?” The man on the counter jested.

Doc Nam snorted and threw him a sideways look. His ego might have been scratched, but he figured he could easily patch it up. “That’s an understatement.”

~

She opened the door to her condominium unit and entered inside. Greeted with the almost eerie silence that has become way too familiar and comfortable for her, she stopped by the foyer and held all her stuff with one hand as she used the other to remove the running shoes in her feet. After that dispute in the gym, she just decided to make up the remaining time she has lent for work out in jogging and walking around the neighborhood. It felt like a long time since she has a breath of air, and she realized that what happened back there might have led her to something better. She feels better too.

She placed the shoes on the vacant space at the shoe rack and entered inside. The sight of Hermione sleeping peacefully in her large and fluffy cat bed on the middle of her carpet by the living room felt the most normal thing for her—it was almost repetitive. Her life is repetitive; she wakes up for work, goes to work, leaves after work, then sleeps to go back to work. She has always rendered close to the borderline of being a workaholic, and these months of living alone might have just pushed her into finally being one. Her whole world has long completely and solely revolved around work, work and work after she has lost her literal world.

As she entered inside her kitchen, her feet wandered her to the wall, reaching out to something that wasn’t visible in the eye because after all, it’s nonexistent in the first place. All at once, she halted and stared at the white blank wall that stared back at her. The thoughts