TweetyGram

16 - #TreatDayPart2

Thanks to couples and teenagers who couldn't decide what they wanted to buy, I spent longer at the dessert shop than I'd expected. The evening was still hot as an oven, but heavy clouds darkened the sky as I rushed back home. Strange, considering how sunny it had been two hours ago.

By the time I arrived at my apartment, the room was pitch dark. As I stepped into the entryway, a flare of light outside caught my attention. My breath hitched in my throat when I saw a floating head on my balcony.

"Oh, my—" I flinched back a step and snapped my teeth together, my eyes squeezed shut.

Peeking an eye open, I realized the thing that almost scared me to death wasn't a floating head. My infuriating neighbor was wearing all black and holding his phone under his chin, the light eerily illuminating his face from below like a scene straight from a horror movie.

As if enjoying my fear, Jake bared his teeth in a creepy grin and waved at me.

I flipped the light switch on before stomping toward the balcony. "What the heck, Goldilocks?" I shouted, swinging the door open. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack or something? I thought you were done with the whole balcony-hopping thing."

"You're late." He sauntered into the kitchen. "And you've never been late before. I tried to call you, but it kept going to voicemail. I thought something might've happened to you, so . . ." He shrugged.

Although he tried to act nonchalant, I detected a note of genuine concern in his voice, and it sent a rush of guilt through me. "Sorry. My battery died."

"No worries," he reassured me. As I placed the box of desserts on the kitchen island, he cocked his head forward. "Holy crab. Is that what I think it is?"

At first, I thought he was talking about the box of dessert. But he wasn't. His gaze was fixed on the cat keychain dangling from the front zipper of my bag.

Shoot.

Panic shot through me, but I managed to put on a mask of calm. "If you think I'm going to give you one of these expensive desserts in jars, then you're dumber than I thought," I said, trying to distract him.

"You know that's not what I'm talking about." A teasing grin spread across his face.

I spun around and strode toward my room. "What else can you possibly be talking about other than food?"

"Come on, Shrimp," he insisted, following me. "That's the keychain I gave you for your thirteenth birthday, isn't it? No need to be embarrassed. I mean, I still keep all the songs you—"

"Alright, fine." I stopped in my tracks and spun around to face him, causing him to stop abruptly only inches away from me. "It is. So what? You want it back or something?"

He chuckled. "No, I just . . . I can't believe you still keep it."

Feeling a blush crawling across my cheeks, I averted my gaze. "It's cute." I scurried into my bedroom and grabbed the stack of photos I'd prepared. "Let's get to work."

I locked my apartment and followed him into his. When Jake opened the door, Princess Tortie dragged herself out of her new, pink velvet bed beside her throne near the window. Yawning, she stretched out her front paws and lifted her butt high in the air before sauntering toward us.

"Hey, Princess Tortie," I greeted.

"Meow." She bumped her head against my leg, and I bent down to rub her head, smiling.

It's nice to have a pet, huh?

As Princess Tortie sauntered toward her daddy, I stood straight and handed him the photos. "Here you go. Do your magic."