a man.” She locks eyes with me, a gleeful aha look on her face. “Is it your mindspeak buddy? I just knew there was something there.”
I feel myself begin to flush.
Naomi sets down her ice cream and leans forward. A quick study of whatever tragic emotion is making its way to my face softens her tone from glee to concern. “Do you need a hug? Do you even want to talk about it or just eat ice cream?”
“No, I’m OK. I mean more or less. I don’t know if I can talk about it.” I pause, images of last night flashing through my head. I feel angry and sad, and then I realize I’m crying. Shit . I need to get over this hangover if I’m crying. I seriously don’t cry except when animals die in movies.
“Oh, bullshit you don’t need a hug.” She walks over, takes my ice cream, and pulls me up into a hug.
I am so badly off I don’t even fight the affection as I normally would.
“I think this deserves curling up in bed.” She steers me all the way upstairs to my bed so briskly I barely have time to argue. Then she orders me to get in and comfy. I try to protest more, but she shushes me and sets a box of Kleenex on the bed. Funny that just a week ago she was making me get out of bed. “I’ll go get the ice cream. Be right back.”
She disappears, and I hear her bounding down the stairs and then quickly back up. She looks a bit dismayed as she hands me my ice cream. “Fair warning. I found Enoki licking off the top layer of your ice cream.”
“That sounds about right.” I smile, still crying.
“Should I scoop off the top?” Naomi offers.
“Naw. I probably already have his germs as much as he likes to lick my face in the morning.” This is ice cream we’re talking about. No use wasting it.
Naomi doesn’t judge, she just hands me my ice cream and then settles next to me on the bed with her own pint.
“I should warn you that he might have gotten yours first.”
At that she wrinkles her nose, gets up, and heads to the bathroom, presumably to wash the top layer down the sink. Sure enough, I hear the water running shortly. I’m laughing as she comes back in, and it feels good.
“Ah, that’s what I like to see.” She smiles back at me. “God bless the antics of cats.”
At the mention of cats, I suddenly think of Jorge as a jaguar sitting next to me, and my face falls again.
“Oh God, what did I say?” She almost drops her ice cream. That would have been tragic.
I sigh and start to tell her about last night. I hesitate to tell her about Jorge’s secret, but she’s my best friend and I trust her with my life, so I tell her that part at the end.
At first her blue eyes get bigger than life, then they slowly roll upward to give her a thoughtful expression. That’s Naomi. Cool as a cucumber in the face of all weirdness. She had a very similar reaction when she learned I could mindspeak with animals. Right now she’s probably wrapping her head around all the info and calculating what’s really wrong with me.
“So that’s why the cat comment made you so sad.” She’s good.
“Yeah. I just feel so stupid.” I groan, hanging my head and stuffing a few more bites of ice cream into my mouth.
“Why? You did nothing wrong. It sounds like this guy has emotional issues. So I say good riddance.”
I’d like to say that too, but in this moment my heart won’t let me.
Naomi must be reading my thoughts. “Oh, honey, it’s not that simple is it?”
I shake my head.
“Damn love at first sight. I knew you got it bad with this one.”
I look at her in surprise. “Do you think that is what this is?” I hadn’t thought of love at first sight as a possibility before, but it fits with what my heart is feeling. And despite my emotional distance from most living things, obviously my heart still believes in true love.
“I do. Pun intended.” We both laugh halfheartedly at her lame joke, but it’s better than crying again. She sighs. “I have to admit I have a hunch about you two.”
As
I feel myself begin to flush.
Naomi sets down her ice cream and leans forward. A quick study of whatever tragic emotion is making its way to my face softens her tone from glee to concern. “Do you need a hug? Do you even want to talk about it or just eat ice cream?”
“No, I’m OK. I mean more or less. I don’t know if I can talk about it.” I pause, images of last night flashing through my head. I feel angry and sad, and then I realize I’m crying. Shit . I need to get over this hangover if I’m crying. I seriously don’t cry except when animals die in movies.
“Oh, bullshit you don’t need a hug.” She walks over, takes my ice cream, and pulls me up into a hug.
I am so badly off I don’t even fight the affection as I normally would.
“I think this deserves curling up in bed.” She steers me all the way upstairs to my bed so briskly I barely have time to argue. Then she orders me to get in and comfy. I try to protest more, but she shushes me and sets a box of Kleenex on the bed. Funny that just a week ago she was making me get out of bed. “I’ll go get the ice cream. Be right back.”
She disappears, and I hear her bounding down the stairs and then quickly back up. She looks a bit dismayed as she hands me my ice cream. “Fair warning. I found Enoki licking off the top layer of your ice cream.”
“That sounds about right.” I smile, still crying.
“Should I scoop off the top?” Naomi offers.
“Naw. I probably already have his germs as much as he likes to lick my face in the morning.” This is ice cream we’re talking about. No use wasting it.
Naomi doesn’t judge, she just hands me my ice cream and then settles next to me on the bed with her own pint.
“I should warn you that he might have gotten yours first.”
At that she wrinkles her nose, gets up, and heads to the bathroom, presumably to wash the top layer down the sink. Sure enough, I hear the water running shortly. I’m laughing as she comes back in, and it feels good.
“Ah, that’s what I like to see.” She smiles back at me. “God bless the antics of cats.”
At the mention of cats, I suddenly think of Jorge as a jaguar sitting next to me, and my face falls again.
“Oh God, what did I say?” She almost drops her ice cream. That would have been tragic.
I sigh and start to tell her about last night. I hesitate to tell her about Jorge’s secret, but she’s my best friend and I trust her with my life, so I tell her that part at the end.
At first her blue eyes get bigger than life, then they slowly roll upward to give her a thoughtful expression. That’s Naomi. Cool as a cucumber in the face of all weirdness. She had a very similar reaction when she learned I could mindspeak with animals. Right now she’s probably wrapping her head around all the info and calculating what’s really wrong with me.
“So that’s why the cat comment made you so sad.” She’s good.
“Yeah. I just feel so stupid.” I groan, hanging my head and stuffing a few more bites of ice cream into my mouth.
“Why? You did nothing wrong. It sounds like this guy has emotional issues. So I say good riddance.”
I’d like to say that too, but in this moment my heart won’t let me.
Naomi must be reading my thoughts. “Oh, honey, it’s not that simple is it?”
I shake my head.
“Damn love at first sight. I knew you got it bad with this one.”
I look at her in surprise. “Do you think that is what this is?” I hadn’t thought of love at first sight as a possibility before, but it fits with what my heart is feeling. And despite my emotional distance from most living things, obviously my heart still believes in true love.
“I do. Pun intended.” We both laugh halfheartedly at her lame joke, but it’s better than crying again. She sighs. “I have to admit I have a hunch about you two.”
As
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