Summary:

When Irene's mysterious neighbor comes to the rescue and returns her lost kittens.

***

Irene walked home from her weekly grocery shopping. It was a sunny day, and a fresh humid air swims by every nook and cranny of the city. Except for one part, she thought, as the shadow of towering house just beside her own looms over her. There’s suddenly a jolt that ran through her spine as she eyed the obsidian door meters away from her, the covered windows that never seemed to open, and the grass that was neatly trimmed—though she never saw anyone do the work. There were rumors surrounding the house, “An ex-convict” said by Joy her neighbor parallel to her house, “A vampire” said Yeri squeaking with excitement “It feels like Monster house don’t you think” She added, and Irene took it upon herself to end the conversation so that they could be done reliving childhood traumas, “Don’t listen to those two, I saw her once, she’s very nice.” Wendy said and then continued watering her succulents. With the dark and shallow aura that surrounds the house, she suppose, the rumors aren’t far off.

She dragged her feet cautiously up the pavement, intermittently glancing at the mysterious house, and when she saw the curtains move, she ran immediately to the comfort of her home.

The next day was as usual as the day before. That was before her friend Solar came, holding a humble basket. Shielding herself with a throw pillow, she glanced down on her couch with three kittens resting peacefully. To say she was scared to her wits would be an understatement. Don’t get her wrong, she doesn’t hate animals (she does), it’s just the last time she held one, it almost brought her six feet under. With a shaking breathe, she raised her hand, reaching for the little kitten’s ears but before she could, one jolted awake and bit her.

She was out again, and the sunny day that day seemed to just add to her aggravation. Here goes my rest day, and all the home way grumbles about her friend not leaving food and any information about how to take care of kittens. Once she takes sight of her grass lawn, her eyes bulge out of its sockets, her hands flinching, dropping the cat food in the process. There on her grass lawn lays a kitten rolling to-and-fro. How did they get there?! She deftly lifts the kitten on its belly and returned it back on its basket. There were two left, she ran around the house, searching every corner, the backyard, under the porch, and the second floor (how can they go to the second floor?!). She was panicking.

“Meow”

Despite how embarrassing it was, she meowed her way across her lawn, lifting pots after pots. That was until a tap jerked her back to her wits. She turned back and saw the two other kittens sleeping serenely on long slender arms.

“Are these babies yours?”

As she looks up she was met with eyes similar to those kittens, feline, youthful, and innocent, and it took her breath away. This is a cat she is willing to keep, she thought for a second until those plump lips smiled at her expectant for a reply.

“Yes they are my kit—babies.” She smiled back.

“I saw them in my lawn.” The girl jerks her head to the mysterious house beside hers and Irene’s mouth went agape.

As the girl sees her hesitance to touch them, she offered to carry them back to the house.

“They can’t eat cat food yet.” The girl said as she gingerly plants the kittens back to the basket. Irene stares at her quizzically. “Umm I saw the bag of cat food in front of your house and…” She continued.

“Oh.” was Irene’s only reply.

To her disappointment, before she can thank her and introduce herself to her beautiful neighbor, the girl swiftly walked out of the house. She sighed heavily, walking to her fridge to look for anything edible for the kittens, but before she could go further in surveying her kitchen. A knock resonated at the front of the house, and she was met again with kitten-like neighbor.

“I have kitten food.” She said as she raised the said food to Irene’s vision.

Irene welcomed her back whispering a soft Thank you and a shy you didn’t have to.

The girl introduced herself as Seulgi, as they lay at the foot the couch, petting the kittens as they feed (with Seulgi’s enthusiastic support, Irene immediately got over her fear or touching them). They talked for an hour, Irene asking why she never saw Seulgi before, why her windows were always shut; how she keeps the grass lawn neatly trimmed, and does she likes cat and all other important questions.

“I work at home. I’m a character concept artist.”

“I like it dark, it helps me focus.”

“I wake up at the dawn to jog and trim the lawn.”

“I love them.”

She replied respectively, with a very cheery voice and a wide smile that constricts her eyes to look like crescent moons. Irene discovered that Seulgi was 2 years younger than her and most importantly, she was certainly not dating. It was almost lunch, she was about to offer Seulgi have here lunch their when a loud grumbling from the younger, incurred them both to walk to the kitchen with gleeful snickers in a silent agreement.

The rest of day was spent playing with kittens, Irene herself was surprised too, she didn’t expect to enjoy the fur babies that much, but she thinks it was the security that radiates from her newfound friend that assuaged her worries.

It was night time, and the doorbell violently shrieks all over the house. “I told her to just knock at the door” She grumbles under her breathe after recovering from the sound that jarred her house as she rises up to get the door.

Solar walked joyfully to the living room, gliding down to pet and kiss the kittens. Irene was left to scoff behind her after she was blatantly ignored by her friend. Her friend leaves shortly afterward after she expressed her gratitude and a whispered “who’s the hotty” ending with, Irene shutting the door to her face.

As she walked back she sadly eyes Seulgi rising from her seat, and patting her shorts, she wishes to spend time with the girl again even though she doesn’t have kittens to hold hostage anymore. She pursed her lips silently debating whether to ask the girl to have dinner with her, or just say her goodbye, while her courage to ask for another hangout lays dormant under her feet. Thankfully, Seulgi beat her to it.

“C—Can I have your number—or your email, I don’t know, is this how they do this.” Seulgi rambled aimlessly, her eyes darting from the wall, the ceiling, and anything except Irene’s protruding head. “To hang out as friends you know…” Seulgi finished, internally face-palming nervous self.

They both chuckled after a moment of silence. Irene, suddenly gaining an air of confidence after seeing the younger girl stutter at her stead, walks closer, a feet or less separating them.

“As friends?” She asked raising her challenging brow.

“Y-Yes.” Seulgi stuttered.

“What if I want to go out as more than friends?” She tried to hide her smile seeing the red rising to the girl’s large ears. She watched as the girl ducks her head, heard her whisper words of encouragement, and finally release a decided breathe as she once again faces Irene.

“That will be better.”