I died. A year later, I was reincarnated as an orange tabby. I was an orphan in my last life. My cat mom was the first to ever show me real motherly love. One day, she picked me up by the scruff and carried me to an apartment. The door opened, and I saw a familiar layout, and a familiar eight-pack... I swallowed. This was my ex-boyfriend's house. My ex, Alex, skillfully opened a can of tuna, scratching me under the chin. "I'd love to adopt him, but... she's afraid of cats." He must have guessed what my cat mom wanted, but... wow. He moved on fast. I tried to curse him out, but all that came out was "Mrrow." "Babe, who is it?" A male voice came from behind Alex. It was... familiar. Wait. Your new partner is a guy?? 1 I was reborn as a stray. My cat mom's whole litter died except for me. When I was finally able to wobble on my own paws, she stared at me for a long time, then started grooming me, licking and meowing. I understood her. She said I had to be clean so a nice human would adopt me, so I could have a good life. I asked if she would come with me. She didn't answer. She just bit the scruff of my neck and took off. Even though I was getting used to walking like a cat, I was still terrified of heights. First-person cat-view is no joke. The world is a dizzying, bouncing blur. My mom was fast, slipping through a gap in a fence and stopping at an apartment door. My head was spinning. I did a few circles and plopped over. My mom scratched the door. It opened. I looked up. Familiar apartment layout. Familiar eight-pack abs. "???" My fur stood on end. I sprang up. Alex must have just gotten out of the shower. He was just standing there in a low-slung towel, water dripping down his stomach. He crouched down, petting my mom with one hand and opening a can of cat food with the other. "Sorry, girl. Got held up. I didn't put food out. Are you starving?" As he crouched, the towel gaped. Have some decency, man! My sharp critique came out as a soft, pathetic "mew." Alex finally noticed me. "Is this your baby? He's cute. I think I have some kitten formula." He went to the kitchen. I stood in the doorway, peering in. The furniture, the layout... it was all exactly as I'd left it. I wondered how he was doing. If he ever... thought about me. While I was lost in thought, Alex returned with a small bowl. His warm hand landed on my head, and he gently rubbed my fur. I started purring. The last time he'd touched me like this, I was in a hospital bed. He was covering my eyes, whispering, "It's okay, Zoe. You're the bravest girl I know." A wave of emotion I'd buried deep inside came rushing up. I let out a few choked mews, my eyes suddenly wet. I'd planned to find him as soon as I could walk, but my mom beat me to it. Get him to adopt me. The thought sent me stumbling toward him on my wobbly legs. My cat mom, seeing her chance, nudged me from behind. Alex froze, seeming to understand. He scratched her chin, murmuring, "I'd love to, girl. I really would. But... she's afraid of cats." I'd just started rubbing against his leg. Nope. This cat rescinds her affection. Request denied. 2 My cat mom had no idea what he'd said, but she could read the room. She meowed anxiously, pushing me back toward Alex, trying to show him how clean I was. I didn't know how to explain. As far as I knew, almost no one in Alex's life was afraid of cats. I certainly wasn't; I adored them. Back in the day, I had a whole crew of strays that would walk me home, and Alex would always laugh and buy them treats. So who was "she"? It had to be his new partner. It's been a year. He deserves to have his own life, to move on. No one stays stuck in the past forever. I looked up at him. He was tanner than I remembered, with dark circles under his eyes. But his eyes... they were still the same. Bright. Too bad the person reflected in them wasn't me anymore. I tried to walk out, but my mom blocked me, picked me up, and deposited me back at Alex's feet. Then she backed out the door. Alex sighed. It was a standoff. Just then, a familiar male voice called from inside. "Babe, what's up~" Wait. Why is it a guy? A second later, my nemesis, Leo, stuck his stupid face out. "You're feeding the strays? Just don't bring them in. They're full of germs. Disgusting." Alex didn't say anything, but he didn't look surprised. He was used to it. Well, I wasn't. I launched myself at Leo and gave him a full-on kitty-fu combo. What the hell! Who are you calling disgusting? You asshole, Leo! When I was alive, you fought me over everything, and now that I'm dead, you steal my boyfriend? My toe beans made a solid bap-bap-bap on his shin. Alex, afraid Leo would hurt me, scooped me up. "I think he knows you're insulting him." I spat at him. I started yelling at Alex, too. If you'd found a nice girl, I'd understand! But my nemesis? And a GUY? Are you trying to make me die all over again from pure rage? I tried to smack Alex, but my legs were too short. He just laughed and booped my nose. I hissed. Leo, however, was just staring at the spot I'd hit, frowning. "Just... wash your hands after touching that... thing. Or you're not sleeping in my bed tonight." Leo said it and vanished into the bathroom. The shower turned on. "I know," Alex replied, his voice gentle. Okay. Okay. A year after my death, my boyfriend and my arch-nemesis are together. And from the sounds of it, they're sleeping together??? When did this start? After I died? Or before? Either way, I have to get him to adopt me. I need to know what's going on. 3 That night, I started exploring my new territory. Leo, wearing rubber gloves, pointed at me and yelled, "Alex! It's me or the cat! Pick one!" Hearing Alex's footsteps, I immediately flopped onto my side, weak. "Mew..." Alex rushed over and scooped me up, putting me in a soft cat bed. "Keep your voice down. He's stressed from the new environment." "Then send him back! I'll buy more cat food for the stray, fine?" Not happening! "Mew~" I trembled. I was weak. I was pathetic. I wobbily stood up and did a little "please" gesture with my paws. Alex immediately stood in front of me. "Leo, calm down. Let's talk." "What's there to talk about?" Leo stormed into the guest room and slammed the door. I gritted my teeth. Every piece of furniture in this apartment, I picked out. How dare he slam my door? Alex looked upset, too. He murmured a few things to me, then went to the guest room. He knocked and talked quietly for a long time before Leo finally opened the door. They both went inside. I hesitated, then crept over to the door to eavesdrop. Thank God for cat-hearing. Even though they were whispering, I could make out bits. "...you're crazy! It's a cat!" "I know, but she... she..." "You're seriously sick. We are getting rid of it tomorrow!" "..." It was like a TV show with bleeped-out keywords. I couldn't hear the important parts. I was pacing, trying to find a better angle. The door suddenly opened. I face-planted into the room. "Mrow~" Leo smirked at me. "Oh, eavesdropping now? I thought you were 'stressed'?" "She's just a cat, Leo," Alex said, picking me up. "She knew what 'disgusting' meant, but she doesn't understand this?" "Leo! What is wrong with you? It's a kitten! It's not even weaned!" "You better hope it's just a cat." I had no idea what they were arguing about. But I knew Leo was up to no good. Alex just held me and walked out, clearly angry. I looked back at Leo's dark face, extended my paw, and very carefully, gave him the finger. The full, extended, single claw. He was probably the first person to ever be flipped off by a cat. But he didn't get mad. He just... stared at my claw. What's his deal? Is he a masochist? He hates me when I'm nice but gets quiet when I attack him? Alex put me back in the cat bed. Since I'd just shown up, he hadn't had time to buy supplies. He dug through a closet and came back with a big, red, knitted scarf, tucking it around me. Are you kidding me, Alex? That scarf took me two weeks to knit, and you're using it as a cat blanket? I mean, the cat is me, but still. It's the principle. "Get some sleep. Goodnight." Alex bent down and kissed the top of my head, his voice impossibly fond. If I wasn't a cat, I'd swear I was back in the old days. 4 My name was Zoe Hayes. I grew up in a group home. Leo was there, too. He's a year younger than me. We fought constantly. The worst time, I broke his arm, and he cracked my head open. The director said if we fought one more time, we were both out on the street. We finally called a truce. After high school, I got into a college a thousand miles north. Before I left, we had one last fight. He'd hidden my suitcase. He blocked the door, furious. "Zoe! I thought you were applying to schools down south!" "I did! I didn't get in, I ended up at a state school up north! Are you psycho? Give me my bag, or I'll punch you!" He just stared at me. So I punched him. I grabbed my bag, my hand throbbing, and left. I found out later he got into a college a thousand miles south. Whatever. Good riddance. I never went back. I worked part-time jobs through college to support myself. After I graduated, I worked a day job and a night job. I wasn't just supporting myself. I was supporting my cat. I found Momo on the street. He was soaked, like he'd just been pulled from a river. I wrapped him in my scarf and was about to go when I heard splashing from the nearby pond. Another cat? I ran over. A guy was clinging to the bank, half in the water, too exhausted to pull himself out. I put Momo down and hauled him out. The guy looked up, his eyes dull with exhaustion, and then they focused on me. "I'm pulling you up, don't let go." He nodded and kicked. I'm strong. I yanked him onto the grass. He just lay there, panting. "Should I call 911?" "Is the cat okay?" We both spoke at the same time. We laughed. "No, I'm fine. Just need a minute." "Okay." I sat next to him, showing him Momo, who was trembling but alive. He drove us to the vet. Momo was fine. Just scared and an ear infection. I happily shoved the vet's bill into his hand. "Good news! Father and son are both healthy!" He blinked, then laughed. "Glad to hear it." My eyes landed on the soggy business card in his hand—"Alex Reed."
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