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Charlie set his keys down in his new flat and slipped off his shoes before he knelt and opened the carrier. He sat on the floor as the large cat walked out and started exploring everywhere, meowing as he went.
“That’s right,” Charlie told him. “Go ahead and explore all you want. This place is your home now.”
The leonine creature stalked around the room, peering under furniture, until he found the kitchen. He stretched his front paws up against the trashcan and sniffed the air, then stopped in front of the refrigerator and looked back at his new person expectantly.
Charlie snickered. “Oh, you think you’re getting my food? Wow.”
Charlie Spring had just moved a few days prior, ready to begin postgraduate studies at the University of Birmingham. As excited as he was, he was already feeling lonely. Leaving London had been easy, but choosing to move farther away from everyone hadn’t , especially after the year he’d had. Isaac was still working in London at the same publisher Charlie had left behind; Elle and Tao and their adopted toddler, Wren, were in Brighton now; and Tori was still based in Kent with Michael, though their travels took them everywhere.
So after he finished unpacking, he wasted no time in looking for someone to keep him company, heading to the local pet shelter to meet the cats available for adoption. The kittens were cute, but the one that felt right was the adult male cat that the shelter volunteers told him was lovable but always slightly grumpy.
The feline walked back over to nuzzle an outstretched hand, and Charlie’s heart swelled as he gave the cat soft chin scratches.
“What am I going to call you?” he asked.
The ginger cat just stared at him stoically with big yellow eyes that seemed to hold so much experience and wisdom.
“Oh,” Charlie said softly. “You’re quite the philosopher, aren’t you? What about Marcus Aurelius, hmm? Are you my golden one, Aurelius?”
The purring that came from deep within the cat’s chest seemed to approve of the name, and that was that.
🐾
When Nick’s wife of seven years announced that she’d accepted a job in New Haven and was leaving him and their daughter Margot to move to Connecticut, he found himself far out of his depth and barely treading water.
On top of his full-time teaching job he was suddenly a single father without a co-parent, and because he could no longer afford the mortgage on his income alone, he also had to look for a real estate agent, put the house on the market, search for a rental, and go through six years of accumulated clutter in order to get ready for the move—not to mention the assorted boxes from his childhood that he took in without so much as a glance when his mum had downsized a couple years ago.
He had never been so thankful for the summer holidays, relieved for the break from teaching and grading. His mum recently started coming to stay every weekend, spending time with Margot while he tried to catch up on the never ending list of household chores or helping him sort their belongings into keep, donate, and rubbish piles.
When they opened his old box of comic strip collections that 10-year old Nick had loved too much to part with, Margot spent hours looking through the pictures and asking Grandma to read them to her. While Nick’s favorite was always Calvin and Hobbes, Margot quickly took to the Garfield comics that starred a large orange cat whose only hobbies amounted to sleeping, eating lasagne, playing mischievous tricks on his owner, and sending withering looks at his happy fool of a canine housemate, Odie.
🐾
Five months later, the house had sold, and they were newly settled into a two bedroom flat near the university. Moving during the winter holidays was convenient for Nick’s working schedule, but miserable in the cold and rain, and he was grateful that it was done.
Though it was still a couple of months away, Nick’s mind turned to how he could make Margot’s next birthday special. Turning five was a big deal, and he felt that her first birthday without her mum needed to be perfect. He took her to a classmate’s birthday party in January where the parents had spent an inordinate amount of money on catering, party games, and hiring an impersonator to show up in a Bluey costume.
He certainly couldn’t afford to go all out like that, but it did set the wheels turning in his mind.
Margot’s love for Garfield hadn’t diminished one bit since she first fell in love with the Monday-hating, lasagne-scarfing cat. Thankfully, she had quickly accepted Nick’s adamant no to her pleas to adopt an orange cat, but his daughter found other ways to express her passion for the character. She’d renamed her teddy bear Pooky after Garfield’s own stuffed animal, told Father Christmas she wanted a Garfield and Odie duvet cover (which a shameless Sarah Nelson managed to find), and had forsaken nearly all other telly for the sake of watching The Garfield Show on repeat, much to Nick’s chagrin.
He ruled out hiring an impersonator himself after about five minutes of research. The cost-per-hour was not in the budget, and he felt the adult-size Garfield costume was too creepy.
By the time January was ending, party-planning was well underway, but Nick still wanted to make Margot’s birthday even more extra special if he could. His epiphany came when she told him, apropos of nothing, that she wanted to have lasagne for her birthday dinner. Was his idea a strange one? Yes. But he would always put his embarrassment aside for his little girl.
A few weeks before her birthday, he took her out to a cafe for a pastry and pinned a piece of paper to the bulletin board at the back.
🐾
Charlie stood near the end of the counter staring at his phone while he waited for his second coffee of the day. Even though the cafe was bustling, he wasn’t worried about anyone stealing his table; no one would consider it worth it to move a pile of heavy books, not to mention clearing the papers scattered everywhere.
“I have a mocha for Joseph!”
“Excuse me,” someone, presumably Joseph, said, brushing past him as they approached the counter.
“Yeah, sorry.” Charlie backed away, leaning instead against a shorter counter behind him.
He sighed at the group chat with his best friends. They’d been trying to plan a video call for ages, but he had a group study session at the time they proposed. Which was… in four hours. He’d suggested a different day as soon as he saw the text, but by that time the chatter had died down. They still hadn’t responded, and he sadly wondered if they were all going to go ahead with the call without him. He loved them. He understood. Their lives were busy. His life was busy. He knew moving to Birmingham, where he knew absolutely no one, was his choice. But fuck, he was lonely. He’d buried himself in studying basically since he arrived, so he didn’t know anyone locally. Sure, he could accept that that was his own doing, as he had become a bit of a hermit, but he chose to grumble to himself about the rigorous schedule the university put on graduate students instead.
“Earl Grey for Hannah!”
Charlie switched over to instagram and was about to start watching stories from the friends and celebrity accounts he followed when another voice interrupted him.
“Um, sorry, could I get behind you? Just need to make this drinkable,” a young woman smiled at him, raising a cup of tea.
He glanced around and realized that he was blocking an island where the cafe had lids, coffee sleeves, straws, napkins, milk, and bus bins.
“Oh fuck, yes, sorry,” he said, quickly jumping out of the way into the little nook by the door to the loo. Rather than forget his surroundings once more, he tucked his phone into his pocket and listened for his name. As he swept his long hair up into a messy twist, something brushed against his arm, and he turned to see a bulletin board covered in leaflets offering everything from moving assistance to yoga classes to violin lessons. But one paper stood out among the rest.
The corners of his mouth turned up of their own accord as he looked over the ad in bemusement. It was cute to think about. He didn’t think they published Garfield comics anywhere these days; how did a five year old even know about them? He chuckled as he realized his cat Auri was sort of a perfect Garfield. His large, sly, grumpy, ginger cat who loved human food more than any cat should.
“I have a flat white for Charlie!”
He spun around to grab his coffee, now that it was finally ready, and headed back to his table.
Nearly an hour later Charlie began shuffling everything together, zipping up his laptop sleeve, rearranging the papers, and playing Tetris to fit as many books as he could in his bag. He hadn’t gotten quite as much writing done as he’d hoped, but he was fading and had to accept that no amount of caffeine was going to bring him back. He figured he had just enough time to head home for a short nap before his study group that evening.
It wasn’t until he took his mug back to the bus bins that he remembered the post on the bulletin board that had made him laugh. For reasons he couldn’t explain, he went over and unpinned it, folding up the paper and slipping into his pocket.
As he rode the 23 bus back to his flat, he kept thinking it over. He had only adopted his cat when he moved here, and he really didn’t know what Auri would do in someone else’s home. Would he run and hide under a couch? That would be such a disappointment to the little girl. Although, he’d hosted his study group at his tiny flat a couple of times and Aurelius had been fine. Not cuddly nor scared, but reasonably sociable, walking around and curiously sniffing at each newcomer until he settled on the back of the couch behind Charlie. He’d never seen the cat hiss or swipe, so he didn’t have that to worry about.
He got home around half four and was, as absolutely no cat owner is surprised by, immediately accosted by Aurelius, who cried a mewling tirade to his person for leaving him behind and for starving him.
“I know, I know, Golden One, I’m the worst,” Charlie said, rolling his eyes. He ignored the animal as best he could while practically tripping over him as he took off his coat and Chucks and put away his book bag. Once they made it into the kitchen, he looked in the bowl and then glared at his cat, who yelled a meow at him once again.
“Yes, I can see that you’re absolutely starving. However, have you considered that you have kibble in your bowl? You’ve had hours to eat that!”
“Mrow,” was the only reply. Aurelius looked unamused.
Charlie scoffed, but caved anyway, grabbing a can of wet food from the pantry and emptying it onto a saucer.
Once Auri was happily lapping up the broth, Charlie made himself a smoothie and went to lie down on the couch. He peered through to the kitchen and watched his cat for a moment before he pulled out the “ad” and his phone.
[charlie]
hi, my name is Charlie and I saw your post up at the Sunlight Cafe??
about the cat?
[garfield dad]
Yes! Wow I really wasn’t sure I’d hear from anyone.
[charlie]
right
well I do have a large orange cat
he is rather like Garfield
[garfield dad]
And you’re offering to let us have him over for dinner?
[charlie]
maybe? I’m not sure
how do I know you won’t steal him?
could I meet you first?
you know, just to get a sense of whether I trust you
because you could be lying about the reasons or about having a daughter
and I don’t know many people around here
my cat is really all i have
I can’t risk losing him
[garfield dad]
…
…
…
…
[charlie]
fuck sorry, that was a LOT you probably want nothing to do with me now
I’ve been worried you’re a weirdo but I’ve just made myself seem like a weirdo instead
[garfield dad]
No, no you haven’t!
I totally understand
I felt the same sort of protectiveness over my old dog Nellie
[charlie]
old dog? has she passed then?
[garfield dad]
Yeah, yeah she passed a few years back
[charlie]
oh
sorry for reminding you of that
[garfield dad]
Don’t be, I brought her up!
And it’s all good memories
Can I ask you a question?
[charlie]
umm okay
[garfield dad]
Why don’t you know anyone around here?
[charlie]
ah
well I just moved here in August to start a postgraduate programme at the university
I know my cohort and my professors, but I don’t see them much outside of classes
[garfield dad]
That’s very cool. What are you studying?
[charlie]
classics
[garfield dad]
??
Like, as in classic literature?
[charlie]
no, like the ancient greeks and romans, their culture and language and everything.
[garfield dad]
Oh
Wow
So you’re a proper nerd
[charlie]
excuse me?
[garfield dad]
Sorry, we don’t even know each other well enough for me to tease you, do we?
[charlie]
well enough?! 🤨
we don’t know each other at ALL!
[garfield dad]
I mean, I know your name is Charlie, you’re studying classics at the university, you just moved here six months ago, and you have an orange cat?
[charlie]
meanwhile I don’t even know your name
[garfield dad]
Oh
Oops
I’m Nick
[charlie]
hi nick
[nick 🐈]
Hi 🙂
Charlie thought it was odd how easy it was to text this complete stranger. It was odd that he couldn’t stop grinning. He didn’t yet know what Nick did for a living, how old he was, why he was a single dad, or anything else about him, but something about their banter over text made him happy. The man felt genuine, earnest. He looked down at his phone again as he saw Nick was typing once more.
[nick 🐈]
So my suggestion: why don’t we meet at the Sunlight Cafe, where I posted that? Are you free Saturday morning?
We can talk a bit, you can see that I’m not a cat burglar
😉
[charlie]
wow that was terrible
okay, I believe that you’re a dad because you’ve got the dad jokes down pat
[nick 🐈]
It’s not Pat, it’s Nick
[charlie]
🙄
[nick 🐈]
Seriously, though, I’ll buy you a coffee or tea, we can talk, if you think I’m trustworthy we can discuss the whole me inviting your cat round for dinner thing?
Which I know is very weird, but it’s for my wonderful weird child, so
What do you say?
[charlie]
…
okay
saturday
what time?
[nick 🐈]
10:30 okay?
[charlie]
great
🐾
After Charlie’s meeting with his supervisor, his list of side topics to research to further narrow his study had tripled. While he would normally opt to spend a day like that tucked away in a quiet corner of the campus library, he didn’t want to have to haul everything on the bus to the library, then to the cafe, then back to the library before taking the bus back home once more.
Instead, he was the first customer inside when the bleary-eyed barista unlocked the door. He smiled his apologies, set himself up at a large table back so he could spread his things out, then went up to order the largest black coffee he could get and a pastry.
Two hours later, he was ready for his third cup of the day, but when he checked the time he realized Nick would be arriving soon. The man had offered to buy him coffee, but Charlie wasn’t sure how serious that was. He hesitated, wondering if he should go ahead and order so that he could deflect if Nick did offer. But then what if he thought that was rude?
After deliberating, Charlie slumped back in his chair, resigned to waiting. He opened his phone and texted Nick.
[charlie]
I’m here at a table way in the back when you arrive
[nick 🐈]
Oh fuck I lost track of time
Shit
I’ll be a little late, but I swear I’m coming
I’m so sorry
He smiled at his phone. If he was only here to meet up with Nick, he might feel a twinge of annoyance, but the only thing this would affect was how soon he got more caffeine in his system. And Nick’s profanity-laced apologies were kind of… endearing?
Charlie thought for a moment, then sent one more text:
[charlie]
I can order for us if you like? That way your drink will be ready by the time you get here
[nick 🐈]
Not a chance
I said I’d buy yours
I definitely owe you now that I’m keeping you, please wait for me to order
🥺
[charlie]
okay okay
He supposed he had enough time to write a bit more.
It was nearly a quarter to eleven when the papers on the table fluttered from a whoosh of air as someone skidded over.
Charlie looked up and was startled by the sight that greeted him: a tall, muscular man about his age whose dark blond hair could have used another pass with a comb and whose freckled cheeks were growing pink. The apology and… surprise? he was feeling were written all over his face. Charlie didn’t think he’d ever met someone so immediately expressive—or someone so immediately attractive.
“Er… hi?” he said in an uncertain tone.
“Hi,” was the breathy reply he received, coupled with the beginnings of a smile on the man’s unfairly handsome face. “You’re Charlie, right?”
He nodded, biting his lip to suppress the dopey smile he could feel pulling at the corners of his mouth. “Charlie Spring. And… you’re Nick?” he asked, though who else could it be, at this point?
“Yeah. Erm, yeah, that’s me.” He looked at all of the papers on the table, and Charlie jumped up to clear a space opposite him, trying to apologize as he went.
This seemed to put the man—Nick—at ease.
“Oh,” he huffed, “Thanks, you didn’t have to do that. I was just marveling at it all.”
“Marveling?” Charlie asked skeptically.
“Yeah. I take it all this is your research or writing? It’s impressive!”
Charlie felt himself flush at the compliment and didn’t reply, instead organizing his papers once more.
Nick continued to stand there awkwardly for a moment. When he snapped out of his daze a moment later, he blushed and ran a hand through his hair.
“So, erm, what would you like to drink?”
“Oh!” Charlie thought about it for a moment. Despite his desperation for more coffee half an hour ago, he now felt far too amped up to take much more caffeine. “Could I have a mint tea?”
As Nick smiled and left to go order, Charlie slumped back in his seat and ran his hands over his face.
When he’d read “single dad,” he’d pictured someone more like his own father in their family photos from when he and Tori were young. Julio Spring had always looked like a dad. Nick looked—
Charlie shook his head, trying to rid his mind of thirsty thoughts about this guy who has a child, Charlie, get a grip!
“Here we are!” Nick announced happily, setting a glass mug in front of him, mint leaves swirling. He pulled out a chair across from Charlie and blew on his own drink in one of the cafe’s branded diner-style ceramic mugs.
“What did you get for yourself?”
“An Earl Grey,” Nick said. “And a lemon lavender scone, sounded like the perfect pairing.”
“Oh, that sounds nice!”
Nick looked at him hesitantly, opening his mouth.
“I have a scone and pinwheel for Nick!”
The blond pushed his chair back and stood up. “One moment.”
When he returned a moment later, he had two small plates in hand. He set both down not directly in front of himself, but between them. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted anything to eat as well, so I ordered an orange pinwheel. You’re welcome to have it, if that sounds good at all. But if not, that’s fine, you don’t… have to.”
Charlie looked at the man, surprised both at his kindness and at how nervous he seemed. Tall, attractive men around thirty weren’t usually bumbling messes, were they? Not unless they were called Charlie Spring. He pushed those thoughts aside and smiled encouragingly at Nick. “Thank you. That sounds delicious.”
🐾
When Nick first learned Charlie didn’t have many friends nearby, he had wanted to invite him to join them for dinner, not just his cat. Before they met in person. Before he saw the man’s beautiful, long, wavy hair; adorable dimples; stormy blue eyes; or the intensity of the concentration he’d worn on his face while typing furiously as Nick had approached.
But now the prospect of asking this man to dinner—at his house, no less—was intimidating. He berated himself inwardly; this wasn’t a date, it was a lasagne dinner with a cat , for fuck’s sake, and it was to make his daughter happy.
The original post had been just the cat, and he could leave it at that. That way he wouldn’t be distracted. But once again, he had to remind himself, this wasn’t about him. Regardless of his instant attraction to the man, Charlie didn’t know many people in town. He deserved some friendly conversation and a home-cooked meal. Nick couldn’t bring himself to exclude the man from a dinner for his own pet.
He thought through these things as he took a couple bites of his scone. After a moment, Charlie brought him out of his reverie.
“So… your daughter is five?”
Nick looked up, remembering where he was and that they were supposed to be talking. “Oh! Er, she’s four, but I’m trying to plan this surprise for her fifth birthday in a few weeks. I say four, but she’s four and a half, if you asked her.”
Charlie smiled at him. “Sounds like kids.”
Nick chuckled. “Yeah, it’s such a kid thing to do. I teach year threes, and half birthdays are very important. Some of my students will tell you their age down to the day.”
“You’re a teacher?”
Nick smiled at him. “Yeah, I’m a primary teacher. I initially chose an Education course because at age eighteen I thought I wanted to teach grammar school PE.” He shuddered. “I know now that I would have hated that. Having to work with the sort of lads I was around in high school?”
He was pleased to see Charlie’s dimples as the man smiled at that. “That sounds rubbish. I get it though, I nearly went for a Maths degree.” He scrunched up his nose adorably in complaint.
“Maths? And here I thought you were a proper nerd before…”
“Shut up!” Charlie rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling widely. “Anyway, how long have you been teaching?”
Nick thought to himself. “Well, I started eight years ago, although when we moved here I had to take a teaching assistant position for the first year.”
“What brought you here if not your job?”
“My wife—or my ex-wife now, she accepted a position at the university.”
“Oh.” Charlie’s smile fell. It wasn’t until he pulled away a bit to sit back in his chair that Nick realized he’d been leaning over—they both had. “Is she still there?”
Nick looked at the man across from him as he considered how much to say. Charlie had shown curiosity, but something had tempered that. Besides, they were just chatting about surface level things. He didn’t need to burden a stranger with the details.
“Uh, no. No, she moved away last summer.” He looked down, not wanting to see the look he always got when he hinted at his divorce. Suddenly the scone he’d nearly forgotten about was incredibly interesting.
“Oh, I’m—”
Charlie’s phone buzzed, and he looked down. As his focus was drawn away, Nick felt a surprising pang that the other man might have somewhere else to be shortly. He chided himself for wanting more time with someone he’d only just met and slowly sipped his tea.
Less than a minute later, though, Charlie turned off his phone and tucked it away in the book bag by his feet. He picked up his mug and placed his elbows on the table, leaning in and giving Nick his full attention again.
“Sorry, that was just my study group confirming our plans for tomorrow.” He looked kindly at Nick. “I’m sorry to hear that, about your ex. Must be difficult, with your daughter?”
Something about the moment tugged somewhere behind Nick’s sternum. Charlie’s head was tilted slightly, poised to listen, and his long waves brushed against his shoulder.
“It has been, yeah. My mum’s great though, takes the train up fairly regularly to help out.” As nice as it was to have someone listen with kindness and not pity, he felt far too vulnerable to share much more with someone for whom he could so easily catch feelings. He gestured to Charlie’s collected papers. “Can you tell me a bit more about your studies?”
Charlie glanced down and his mouth twisted into a wry smile. He obviously saw through Nick’s effort to change the subject, and he took a moment, seeming to consider how to answer.
“Well,” he began slowly, “I’m doing a Masters in Late Antiquity.”
“Late antiquity?” Nick asked. He didn’t have any clue what that meant.
“Mhmm,” Charlie said. “The third through seventh centuries BCE.”
Nick nodded and sipped his tea, attempting to hide how bewildered and impressed he was. The gleam in Charlie’s eyes suggested he was doing a poor job.
“Specifically, I’m looking at how expressions of Celtic sexuality changed as Roman influence in Britain spread.”
Nick’s heart thudded in his chest. Was that a hint? Was this beautiful man queer? God, he hoped so. Or not, he hoped not ! Or actually, he didn’t hope one way or the other. He felt neutral about how Charlie identified or the genders to which Charlie was attracted. He cleared his throat and tried to redirect that confusing train of thought by asking more questions.
“Er… wow, that seems like a fascinating subject! What led you to that?” As soon as he asked that, Nick realized he might have come across as fishing for information on Charlie’s sexuality. As curious as he was, he certainly hadn’t meant it in that way, and he quickly spoke to redirect his question. “Um, I mean, have you always been interested in Classics?”
For the briefest second Charlie smirked, then settled his face into a more neutral expression. “Yeah, ever since I took Latin in grammar school. The teacher introduced me to a sort of classicist professor-slash-influencer, Henry Maddox, who I may have had a slight crush on from Years ten to twelve, but honestly, I loved the subject even apart from that.”
There it was: the confirmation that Charlie liked men. All at once, Nick’s scone became terribly interesting and the temperature in the cafe seemed to increase by several degrees. He finished the pastry, nodding with interest as he chewed and swallowed before he replied. “That’s so co-ol!”
He nearly inhaled a crumb as he spoke and fell into a coughing fit. Once his body calmed down and accepted that there was no more food trying to go down his windpipe, he sipped the last of his tea and cleared his throat once more.
“Sorry about that,” Nick said sheepishly. “So… I presume you didn’t jump into this programme straight after your undergraduate study? What were you doing before?”
As he looked back up at Charlie, he saw the man looking at him in some concern, and he flushed with embarrassment.
“I worked in publishing for several years. My parents hadn’t seen much value in Classics, so I did an English Lit course at uni and publishing was a natural direction to go from there.”
“Wow. Were you in London, then? I imagine that’s where most publishers are headquartered?”
“Yes, and I hated every moment of it,” Charlie scowled.
Nick laughed heartily at that. “So did I!”
That won him a new grin from Charlie. “Did you live there too?”
“Yes, and it was bloody awful!”
They spent several minutes sharing their favorite things to hate about London and laughing in delight to have found another who shared their dislike for the city. As they settled into a quieter conversation once again, Charlie smiled down at their empty mugs, then looked shyly back up at Nick.
“Er, so we still haven’t talked about the cat thing,” he said.
Nick’s eyes grew wide. He’d been so caught up in getting to know this man that he’d forgotten their reason for meeting. “No, we haven’t!”
“I was thinking I might get another drink first. Would you like another tea? Or something else?”
“Oh! Yes, but I can get it—” he said as he began to stand up.
Charlie threw out a hand to stop him. “No. I let you get the first ones, but it’s my turn.”
And Nick was too weak to argue with that dimpled smile.
🐾
A few minutes later, Charlie returned to the table with another Earl Grey for Nick and a chai for himself this time. The way the blond looked up at him as he set the mugs down made his heart betray him with a flutter.
“So how did your four-year-old daughter learn about Garfield comics?” he asked. “I don’t think I’ve seen those around in years.”
“Oh. I was going through everything in the house, downsizing our things to get it ready to sell. I had a box in storage full of comic collections from when I was a kid, and she pored over them. Garfield’s definitely her favorite, though.”
“Are you moving, then?” He wished he didn’t feel so crestfallen at the possibility.
“What? No!” Nick rushed to correct him, and something in Charlie’s belly swooped with gladness. “No, this was last fall, we moved into a rental in December. When my wife left…” Nick shook his head, and Charlie had a feeling the man was worried about what details to share. “Well, I didn’t need all that space—and all that mortgage—for just myself and my daughter.”
“Oh. That’s… I hope you like your new space alright?”
Nick smiled. “Yeah. Yeah, it’s just right for us.”
Charlie couldn’t help but smile back as he met those amber eyes.
“So! Do you have a photo of your Garfield lookalike?”
“Oh my god, so many,” Charlie said, grinning. He stood up and moved his chair around so he could sit beside Nick, his heart picking up as he did so.
He opened his photos app and clicked on a folder called “Marcus Aurelius,” bringing up hundreds of photos of an orange tabby cat.
“Marcus Aurelius?” Nick asked him curiously. Charlie felt himself blush.
“Yes,” he declared defensively. “You already know I’m a nerd, you don’t need to tease me for naming my cat after Marcus Aurelius. It works for him, Aurelius means ‘golden one’. Anyway, I usually call him Auri.”
“Aww, Auri? Okay, that’s cute,” Nick cooed.
Charlie continued to swipe through his photo album, stopping every few pictures to tell Nick the story of what was happening or just observe how the man’s face lit up at a particularly adorable image.
🐾
As they scrolled, Nick’s smile grew bigger. Auri was a good fit for Garfield. He was a rather large, bright orange tabby with a lazy expression. It had been so long since Nick had had a pet, and he found himself feeling wistful as they looked at pictures.
“God, I love him already,” he gushed.
“I thought you didn’t want to keep him,” Charlie said. Nick looked over and saw the dark haired man narrowing his eyes, but the gleam still visible gave away the teasing nature of it.
“I didn’t! I don’t…” he trailed off, lost in thought. He missed having a pet, if he was honest. And while he’d only ever had dogs, training a dog and teaching Margot how to properly care for one seemed like too much work for their life right now. A cat might be a nice, low-key change of pace.
“I don’t know,” he said, focusing back on the man in front of him. “Obviously I’m not looking to take Auri! But it might be just the thing that convinces me to get Margot a pet.”
“When is her birthday?”
“Two weeks from today. She’s got a party that day, so I was hoping to have this dinner that Friday.”
Nick watched as Charlie looked thoughtfully down at the pictures of Auri. The dark-haired man pursed his lips, but a smile was playing at the corners. Long, dark lashes brushed against his cheeks and Nick gulped. He was In Trouble, and he was helpless to save himself.
Knowing this, he drew in a breath and made his pitch. “What if,” he began, waiting for Charlie to look at him again.
Once those blue-grey eyes did find his, he continued. “What if you stay for the dinner? Bring Auri, we all have our lasagne—well, the humans at least—and then you take him home again at the end of the night. That way you can be sure he isn’t fed anything wrong, or treated poorly, or stolen…”
Charlie giggled—fucking giggled, and Nick was so taken by that sound. “You know I don’t actually think you’ll do any of those things, right? I mean, maybe I was wary at first, but…”
“Sure, but asking you to drop your pet off at my home when you’ve only met me once is weird. I know it’s weird.” Nick looked at the man, trying to convey his sincerity in his gaze. “You don’t have to decide right now. You have my number. Just… text me your decision?”
Charlie bit his lip and looked at him bashfully, his eyelids fluttering. He nodded, just once. “I’ll do that.”
Clearing his throat once more, Nick leaned back in his chair. “Great! Well, I should get back and see what havoc my daughter and mum have wrought in my absence.”
Both men stood, Charlie moving his chair back over to the other side of the table as Nick collected their mugs.
“It was good meeting you, Charlie. I’ll see you around.”
He left hoping with every bone in his body that he would, in fact, see the man again.
🐾
Charlie watched Nick leave, feeling grateful and surprised for that interaction. Nick seemed like a sweet guy, and he felt like they’d had a genuine, easy connection. He wasn’t at all what Charlie was expecting… especially his looks. The man was hot, what with his broad shoulders and strong arms, but what really did Charlie in was his warm brown eyes that crinkled in the corners, his innumerable freckles, and his endearing lopsided smile.
He let his mind wander as he considered his last relationship. Ben had been the complete opposite of those qualities he liked most in Nick. Cold eyes and leering smile, frigid personality, rarely showing curiosity about another person, and even then, he was certainly never interested simply for the reason of knowing them better. Ben always swore he never wanted a family, and his penchant for luxury and status had kept them in the heart of London long after the dazzle of the city had worn off and Charlie would have preferred cheaper accommodation elsewhere. Ben had also dismissed his interest in postgraduate study, arguing that publishing held much better opportunities; eventually Charlie had realized that the actual reason was that Ben’s crowd wouldn’t be impressed by “Charlie is studying something too nerdy and niche for me to care about the details.”
When they’d finally broken up last spring—for the last time—he’d wasted no time in getting in his applications. Despite the looming deadline, he’d already researched programmes and done much of the preparation in secret moments away from Ben’s narrowed eyes. He’d been so focused on getting accepted, wrapping up his projects at work, and finding a place to live that he hadn’t given any thought to dating again in the months that followed. And once his course started, he’d thrown himself wholly into research and hadn’t sought to make friends here, let alone meet anyone.
Now, though, something about Nick had him wondering. He didn’t know whether Nick was interested in dating, let alone interested in dating men . And Charlie had never thought about dating someone who already had children, but being a doting father who would post such a silly request on a cafe bulletin board certainly said more about Nick’s capacity for love and commitment than anything Ben had ever done. It seemed worth befriending the man, even if nothing else came of it. He quickly opened his calendar app and confirmed he didn’t have a study group or anything else planned for two weeks from now. Smiling at his open schedule, he created a tentative event and set a reminder to text Nick to confirm the next day. No need to seem too eager…
🐾
[charlie]
checked with Aurelius and we’re both free Friday after next 😉
what time should we be there?
[nick 🐈]
Seriously??!
You’re amazing, THANK YOU
How’s 18:30?
[charlie]
perfect 😊
🐾
Nick smiled down at his phone in disbelief, fighting the butterflies in his stomach. He’d only just met Charlie, and while he’d felt an instant connection to the man, he knew better than to expect Charlie had felt the same. So Charlie’s willingness to come over for dinner to celebrate a five year-old girl he’d never met was astounding.
As he finalized everything for her party, he sent his mum the update as well.
[Nick]
Hey Mum, hope your week is going well. Wanted to let you know what we’re doing for Margot’s birthday now that it’s all settled.
[Mum 💛]
Ohhhh yes, tell me! I’m taking the first train on the 18th so I can be there as much time as possible!
[Nick]
That’s perfect.
I’m making a special dinner for her on the 17th, and she’s decided to invite a few friends to a creative arts studio on her actual birthday the next day.
They get to do an art project, hang out in a playroom, and have time for birthday cake and presents at the end.
That’s in the afternoon, so why don’t Margot and I pick you up from the station and go out to lunch just the three of us
[Mum 💛]
Oh, that sounds lovely, but I don’t want to miss out on anything! I can take the train up on the 17th! What time is your special dinner?
Nick grimaced. If he’d thought for more than a couple seconds, he could have predicted that his mum would want to be a part of the entire birthday weekend, but he needed to persuade her to wait until Saturday. Having his mother at the dinner might be a bit too strange for Charlie, and he couldn’t risk having the man change his mind. He wondered if Margot and Sarah could have a special birthday outing for themselves to placate her.
[Nick]
Oh! Well, the 18th as planned would be best.
I was thinking she might like to spend Sunday afternoon going to the Botanical Gardens with Grandma, though? What do you think?
[Mum 💛]
Of course, I know your one-on-one time is special, I want you two to have that.
The Botanical Gardens would be wonderful. I’ll plan on that, then.
I’m so excited! We’ll make sure she has the best birthday, Nicky, I promise.
🐾
Margot’s birthday week got off to a very thematic start. When Nick leaned his head in and knocked on her door frame to wake her up for school, she was already awake, but upon seeing him she gave an exaggerated pout, pulled the covers over her face, and shouted, “I HATE MONDAYS!”
“What?!” Nick was taken aback. Margot had always loved school and loved mornings, so he had no idea where this was coming from.
He didn’t have to wonder or worry long, because a second later she popped back out from under the covers with a big grin on her face. “I’m just kidding, Papa! That’s what Garfield says!”
And okay, after months of reading comics to her, he should have seen through that. He laughed and said, “You’re right, Garfield does hate Mondays. Now come on, brush your hair and get dressed and come down for breakfast!”
“Okay, Papa!” She sprang to her feet with her usual energy, but it still surprised him. Seriously, Nick had always gotten up earlier than the average adult, but he had no idea where his daughter got her love of mornings.
Once she came downstairs and they had sat down to eat, Nick decided to run through birthday weekend plans with her.
“Five more days until you turn five years old, mon chou! Are you excited?”
“I’m excited, Papa!
“How are we going to celebrate you? Do you remember all our plans?
“Uh huh!” she said, her mouth full of blueberries. “We’re having lasagne for dinner and on my birthday we’re going to get Grandma from the train and take her to lunch, and Anna and Maya are coming and we’re going to paint treasure boxes. And then we get to play in the playroom and have cake! And Grandma and me are going to the flower gardens and we get to see the butterflies!”
She said all this matter-of-factly as she ate her fruit and yoghurt, swinging her legs back and forth under her chair, and Nick beamed at his sweet girl.
“That’s right! Do you think that sounds like a special birthday weekend?”
“Yep!”
“I’m glad. And there’s one other surprise for your lasagne dinner on Friday.”
At this, Margot looked up from her breakfast. “What other surprise, Papa?”
“We’re going to have a special guest.”
“Who?”
“Can you think of someone who loves lasagne?”
Nick grinned as Margot’s face lit up. “Garfield loves lasagne!”
“You’re right, he does!”
“Is Garfield coming to dinner?” she asked, eyes wide.
“Well,” he said, “I don’t know the real Garfield personally, but I know someone with a cat who looks a lot like Garfield. Would you like to have a lasagne dinner with him?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” By now Margot was bouncing up and down in her chair. Neither of them couldn’t contain their smiles. Nick felt proud that he had already made his little one so happy.
As Nick finished wrapping birthday gifts Wednesday night after Margot was in bed, his phone buzzed.
[Charlie Spring 🐈]
looking forward to friday! can I bring anything?
[Nick]
No, just yourself and Marcus Aurelius!
Margot is very excited by the way ☺️
Oh, by the way, are you vegetarian or vegan?
[Charlie Spring 🐈]
I’m glad 😊
not vegetarian
I’m very much looking forward to lasagne
would margot want to play with Auri? if I brought one of his toys?
and would you mind if I brought his food? I normally give him a couple small meals in the evening
[Nick]
Yes, of course you can feed him while you’re here!
And I’ll bet Margot would love to play with him if you brought cat toys
[Charlie Spring 🐈]
great, thanks!
see you then
On Friday morning, Nick was buzzing with excitement, and evidently Margot was, too. She came running down the stairs in her pjs as soon as she heard him puttering around the kitchen making tea and wrapped her arms around his legs.
“Papa, I want crepes!”
Nick leaned down and scooped her up in arms. “Oh, mon chou, we can have crepes tomorrow morning.”
Margot pouted. “Pleeeease, Papa?! I want a special almost-birthday breakfast!”
He shook his head sadly. “We don’t have time before school, love. I promise I will make you crepes for your birthday breakfast, though.”
With an exaggerated frown, Margot let him set her back down. She went upstairs sullenly, and Nick worried at his lip. She didn’t get upset very often, and he hoped this wouldn’t ruin her day. Thankfully by the time he’d made eggs and toast, she was her usual sunny, curious self and excited for their special dinner with ‘Garfield’.
As soon as they got home after school that day, Nick sent Margot upstairs, instructing her to change into one of her old tee shirts and leggings.
“But why?” she asked, wrinkling her nose at her dad’s horrible fashion sense.
“Because we might get messy, and I don’t want you to stain any of your school clothes.”
“Okay.”
He changed too, then set out a light snack for her and prepared the pasta while she ate.
“Okay, I’m ready!” She said once she had eaten and washed her hands.
“Excellent! Let’s get your step stool so you can reach the counter.”
Margot stepped up and surveyed the baking dish and all the ingredients Nick had laid out. “How do you make lasagne, Papa?”
“Well, I’ve already made the sauce and the cheese mixture. Your job will be to layer everything. Do you know what layers means?” he asked.
“No,” she said, her head tilting to one side in confusion.
“Layering is laying one thing flat on top of another, on top of another.” Nick tried to gesture this with his hands as he spoke.
Margot looked thoughtful. “Like blankets?”
He smiled. “Sort of like blankets, yes! Okay, so the first layer is pasta, can you cover the bottom of the dish with the pasta?”
“Those are big!” She giggled as she picked the first one up. “It’s squiggly!”
Nick laughed as she beamed with pride each time she placed a lasagne noodle.
“Okay, it’s done, Papa!”
“Great job! Next we make a layer of the cheese”
His daughter stuck his tongue out in concentration as she followed his instructions.
“Now we spread on some of the sauce.”
Margot begged to ladle the sauce, but ended up spilling it onto herself.
“Oh!” she looked down at her shirt sadly.
“That is okay, it’s why you wore an old shirt, remember? We’ll clean up when the lasagne is in the oven.”
She was careful and methodical about the layering the whole way.
“We’ve made quite the mess, sweetheart. Let’s run upstairs while the lasagne bakes and get changed. We wouldn’t want to greet Mr Spring and his cat with tomato sauce all down our fronts.”
“His name is Mr Spring?!” she shrieked. Her eyes grew wide as she demanded to know.
“Erm… yes?” Nick said, entirely bewildered over his daughter’s reaction.
“Eeee!” she shrieked again, dashing up the stairs and slamming the door to her bedroom without another word.
More than half an hour later, Margot hadn’t yet emerged. Considering how excited she had been for this dinner, Nick was surprised and curious. He headed back up the stairs and knocked on her door.
“Margot, sweetheart, have you changed yet? Dinner will be ready soon!”
“Yes, Papa! Is Mr Spring here yet?”
“No, not yet. Ten minutes, maybe?”
“Okay!”
When she didn’t open the door, Nick furrowed his brow, curious, but walked back downstairs once again.
Now that he had dinner in the oven, had changed into something nicer (that didn’t have pasta sauce all over), and had nothing to do but wait, his nerves returned. Charlie would be here soon. He was going to have dinner with Charlie Spring, a brilliant, soft-spoken, gorgeous, wonderfully nerdy man who had been quick to turn teasing even before they met. Sure, his daughter would be there, too. And yes, it was a silly little dinner with a cat who vaguely resembled a comic strip character, dreamed up by an exhausted, unnecessarily guilt-ridden father. None of that was helping to calm Nick at the moment. He wiped his clammy palms on his jeans, then grimaced and went into the kitchen to wash his hands.
At that moment, Margot thudded down the stairs and burst into the kitchen, beaming, a Garfield book in hand. He giggled, puzzled but amused at the sight before his eyes. She had changed into a turquoise blue dress and darker blue tights, but the peculiar part of the outfit was her headband, which she had tucked under her chin instead of behind the nape of her neck, and onto which she had attached paper in the shape of flower petals. The resulting effect was that her face was the middle of a floppy white flower, her golden hair hidden behind it.
Nick opened his mouth to ask her what this was for, but before he could there was a knock at the door.
He had never been successful at hiding how he felt about things, and his daughter had clearly gotten that from him. He smiled, enamored, as he watched Margot’s reactions flicker over her face in rapid succession. She gasped, then her eyes lit up as she looked at her papa, and then her smile burst into a brilliant beam once more as she reached for his hand and eagerly pulled him toward the front door.
“Come on, Papa! They’re here, they’re here!”
Right by the door, she stopped, placed the book in her hand on the floor, a bookmark carefully placed inside, and then looked up at Nick and nodded solemnly. “You can open the door now.”
As soon as the door was open wide enough to show Charlie, his cat in a carrier in his arms, Margot jumped forward, threw her arms out wide, and shouted, “HELLO, MISTER SPRINGTIME!”
🐾
Charlie blinked. He hadn’t known what to expect at Nick’s house, but it certainly wasn’t such a greeting. He smiled in confusion and delight as he looked to Nick, hoping to get some clarification, but Nick was no help. The man was standing slightly behind his daughter, eyes wide and lips pressed in a thin line in an apparent effort to not burst out laughing.
Charlie shifted the carrier in his arms, prompting Nick to open the door more widely.
“Sorry, come on in!”
“Thank you,” he said, walking in and setting the carrier down. He turned to the girl with bright eyes and a round face as he knelt to show her Auri. “And thank you for that lovely greeting. You must be Margot?”
She nodded, her flower petals flopping as she did so.
“I heard that tomorrow is your birthday?”
The flower nodded again.
“Can you tell me more about your outfit?”
She looked at him proudly and picked up a book of Garfield comics, opening it to where a bookmark had been placed. “Look! Papa told me your name was Mr Spring!”
She pointed to a comic in which Jon, Garfield’s owner, put petals around his own face and his two pets and went outside for their “traditional greeting” of the new season, which involved him exclaiming, “HELLO MISTER SPRINGTIME!”
“Oh! Look at that! You’ve done your petals to look just like theirs,” Charlie told Margot, grinning widely as he understood. Nick hadn’t been exaggerating her love for these comics. “And you’re even wearing the same colors as him, aren’t you?”
She beamed and nodded proudly, then placed her book down before kneeling in front of the carrier. When she peeked inside and saw a large orange cat, she squealed.
“Oh, honey, let’s make softer sounds around animals, okay? Their ears can be quite sensitive,” Nick told her gently.
The girl pulled off her flower headband as she ran over to her father, jumping up and down with delight. “But it’s Garfield, Papa, he looks just like Garfield!” She whirled around to face Charlie once again, who was quickly growing dizzy by merely existing so close to this exuberant girl. “Can he come out so I can meet him?”
“Well, cats need time, sometimes, to adjust to a new space. Why don’t we let him stay in here for a bit longer while he gets used to the smells and sounds of your home. You could show me more of the comics while we wait.” He looked up at Nick from his position kneeling on the floor. “Unless you were ready to eat?”
The taller man was looking down, watching Charlie interact with his daughter, his expression impossibly soft, and it made Charlie’s stomach flutter just for a moment. Then Nick cleared his throat and said, “No, the lasagne has only just come out of the oven. We have time while it cools.”
Margot led Charlie to the couch where she instructed him to sit in the middle and hold the comic book so that she could point out her favorites from one side while her Papa followed along from Charlie’s other side.
Charlie sat between them and felt at ease and warm and happy in a way he hadn’t yet found since moving here. He let himself be enveloped by it all for a few moments until Nick got up and left the room to get a salad ready.
After a short while, Charlie brought the little girl over to sit calmly in front of the cat carrier.
“Okay, this is Auri, are you ready to meet him?”
She nodded, her eyes shining brightly.
He fished a catnip mouse out of his pocket and handed it to Margot. “Hold this out to him when he comes over to greet you, okay? And if you want to pet him, hold out your hand like this and let him sniff you. He’ll nudge his head against your hand if he wants pets.”
Charlie could tell she was excited and holding in so much energy. He smiled as he opened the door and let Aurelius skulk out, looking around and sniffing the air. He wound his way around Charlie first, then tentatively padded over to the next nearest creature in the room, who was of course Margot. She gasped quietly as Auri came over, let him nose at the mouse she held face up in one palm, and then held her other hand out as Charlie had indicated.
When Auri leaned forward for a pet, she whispered a reverential, “Hi,” and beamed up at Charlie. He beamed back at her and at his grumpy cat.
Overcome by the sweetness of the moment and needing to look away, Charlie glanced around the room, making eye contact with Nick, who had quietly come back to the sitting room and was standing in the door watching the scene with his head tilted and a tender smile on his face. When he locked eyes with Charlie, the smile grew as they silently acknowledged how special the meeting of cat and girl was.
When Auri had sprawled out in front of Margot, purring, Nick cleared his throat to announce that dinner was ready.
The shiny blonde head whipped around as the girl looked from her Papa to Charlie. “Can I bring Auri in to eat with us?”
“I can’t promise he’ll stay nearby, but yes, you may.” He pushed himself to his feet and followed Nick into the dining room.
“What would you like to drink?” the blond man asked him, glancing back. “I have beer or white wine. Or fizzy drinks, if you’d prefer.”
“I’ll take a glass of wine if that’s alright,” Charlie said. “And could I use your toilet?”
“Of course,” Nick smiled at him. “Follow me to the kitchen, it’s just through there.”
When Charlie came back out into the kitchen, Nick handed him his glass and led them back to the table. Charlie stopped to smile at the artwork displayed on the fridge. It seemed to be a mix of Margot’s drawings and some from students which had “To: Mr Nelson” at the top. Nick Nelson. Good name, Charlie thought to himself. Just before he was about to tear his eyes away, he noticed a magnet holding up a drawing on the side of the fridge. A rectangle with pink, purple, and blue stripes. The bisexual pride flag. He froze and blinked a few times as he processed.
“Charlie?” He spun around to see Nick leaning into the room.
“Yeah! Yes, sorry. Was just admiring all those drawings,” he explained.
Nick smiled sheepishly, standing out of the way so Charlie could pass through. “Yeah, I’m awful about hoarding them. Can never bring myself to get rid of their artwork, so it just takes over everything.”
“It’s cute,” Charlie told him. As he slipped through the doorway and brushed, just barely, against Nick’s hip, he was sure he didn’t imagine the sharp inhale from the other man.
At the table, Margot proudly showed Charlie that Auri was happily sitting in a loaf on the chair next to her.
“He’s ready for lasagne!” she trumpeted. Her eyes lit up then, and she said, “Oh! Be right back!” and ran up the stairs that led off from the room.
Nick huffed out a laugh, sounding ever so slightly exasperated. “Margot! Come back down, it’s time to eat!” He turned to Charlie, shaking his head. “I’m sorry for the delay. I’m not all too surprised, though.”
Charlie glared playfully at the man for apologizing. “It’s fine. This is her birthday dinner, right? She wants it to be perfect.” He was pleased to see Nick’s blush as he nodded his agreement.
The men took their seats, and a minute later they heard small footsteps running back down the stairs. Margot leapt off the last stair and proudly showed Charlie a small brown teddy bear.
“This is Pooky, like Garfield’s teddy! I’m going to set him next to Auri!”
He chuckled in understanding as he reached a hand out to feel the well-loved bear. “He looks very cuddly. Auri might not want to be right next to him, though. What if Pooky sits on the floor by Auri’s chair?”
Margot nodded and propped the bear up against a chair leg.
Nick tried again, sounding more stern. “Sit down, now, so we can eat, mon chou.”
“Yes, Papa.”
When he took his first bite of lasagne, Charlie moaned loudly. “Oh my god, this is so good. Did you make this?!”
“We made it!” Margot declared proudly.
Charlie finished chewing and smiled at her. “Well, I am very impressed. You did such a good job!”
He looked at Nick, whose face was bright red. “Er, thanks. Yes, we made it from scratch.”
“God that’s amazing. I can hardly make toasties.”
As they ate, Margot told Charlie all about her birthday plans.
“Papa’s going to make birthday crepes for breakfast, and Grandma’s coming on the train, and then Maya and Anna will be at my birthday party!”
“That sounds like a lovely day!” he said sincerely.
“Yep. And next weekend, Aunty Darcy and Aunty Tara will come up and we get to have a sleepover!”
“What do you like to do at your sleepovers?”
“We paint our nails and watch movies in our pajamas and Aunty Tara plaits my hair!” She looked thoughtful for a moment, then gave Nick a stubborn look. “The right way,” she added.
Nick laughed. “Woooow,” he said teasingly to his daughter, reaching over to tickle her. “I guess you’ll never ask me to plait your hair again.”
She squealed in laughter and jerked away from him, and the noise was apparently too much for Aurelius, who jumped down off the chair and darted through the open door and up the stairs to the first floor.
Charlie felt embarrassed and got up to chase after his cat, then hesitated and looked to Nick. “Shi—I’m so sorry, do you want me to get him?”
“I’m not worried about him if you’re not,” Nick shrugged. “I’m sorry, I should have thought to close that door when Margot came back through. Do you think he’ll come back down shortly?”
“Probably? It is time for him to eat, though, maybe he’ll come down if I set his food out.”
“Oh, sure! Do you need a bowl?”
“If you don’t mind.”
Nick nodded and jumped up to pop into the kitchen while Charlie went to get a can of food from the carrier in the lounge.
“Papa, can we have ice cream?”
Charlie walked back in and took the bowl Nick handed him. Margot was still seated with her elbows on the table and her chin resting in her hands. He smirked at the angelic expression she wore; he had a feeling she knew exactly what she was doing.
Sure enough, Nick’s face was soft, and he looked as if he was about to give in. Then those bronze eyes flicked down at her plate and he seemed resolved.
“Not until you eat more of your dinner, mon chou. You did such a good job helping me make the lasagne, but you need to actually eat it, too. Like Garfield.”
Having placed the bowl of cat food at the bottom of the stairs, Charlie took his seat once more.
“Are you going to eat more, too, Mr Spring?” Margot asked.
“I’m definitely going to eat more lasagne! It’s very good, and I’m still very hungry,” he told her encouragingly. “Aren’t you?”
She nodded and watched him bring a bite to his mouth, following his lead, and after a few minutes she had cleared her plate.
“Now can we have ice cream, Papa?”
“Oh, I suppose,” Nick said with a smile, standing to take the leftovers and plates to the kitchen. Charlie moved to help, but the man gave him a stern look that caused him to still and a heat to spread in his stomach.
“No, you stay. Would you like some ice cream?”
“I’d have a small bowl,” Charlie answered.
“Perfect. I’ll be back in a minute with our options!”
Charlie leaned back in his chair and thought about how the evening was going. Nothing about this was what he’d expected; it was much, much better. He couldn’t say why it felt as familiar or right as it did, and he didn’t know if he’d ever join them for dinner again, but he willed himself not to overthink any of that right now. He could just enjoy this evening for what it was. Margot was bubbly and bright, Nick was sweet and engaging, and Aurelius even seemed to be comfortable here.
“Garfield’s back!” Margot announced happily.
Charlie looked over to the stairs and sure enough, Auri had come back down and was lapping at the broth in the bowl. Margot hopped down out of her chair to run over.
“Oh, hang on!” he told her softly. She stopped and looked at him. “We don’t want to interrupt him while he’s eating, but if you tiptoe around the table, you can watch him and wait until he’s done. Would you like me to bring one of his cat toys in to see if he wants to play in a moment?”
“Yes!”
🐾
Nick came back into the dining room with a stack of bowls and three tubs of ice cream. Neither Charlie nor Margot were in the room, so he ducked back into the kitchen to get the hot fudge sauce he’d just microwaved as well.
Once everything was set for dessert, he followed the sounds of giggles into the sitting room. He found Charlie sitting cross-legged on the floor by the fireplace as Margot stood waving a wand with a wire and feather attached to it. Auri was running around, jumping, practically doing backflips to get the “bird.” After a few more leaps, the ginger cat flopped down on the floor, lazily swatting at the feathers as they swung by but no longer giving any real effort.
Charlie chuckled knowingly at his pet, reaching out to stroke the orange fur, and Nick watched as Margot looked curiously at the man. The hand that wasn’t holding the cat toy reached out to touch his long, dark waves .
“I like your hair, Mr Spring,” she said.
He smiled up at her from his place on the floor. “Thank you. You can call me Charlie, by the way.”
She nodded thoughtfully. “Do you know how to plait hair, Charlie?”
Nick barked out a laugh, giving away his location, and the two turned to look at him. “Okay, who’s ready for ice cream?”
“Me! Me!” Charlie and Auri were all but forgotten as Margot ran past Nick back to her chair at the dining room table.
She reached for a tub, but Nick called over to her. “Have patience, mon chou, I will serve it once we’re all sitting down.”
He looked back. Charlie hadn’t stood yet, but was just absentmindedly petting Aurelius’s head as he seemed to think about something. A small smile was on his face.
“Char?” Nick said quietly, not sure if the man would mind the interruption. Charlie looked up at him, slightly startled as if he’d forgotten he wasn’t alone. “You coming?”
“Yeah. Time for ice cream.” He stood up and scooped up the large cat, carrying him back to the table. As he walked past Nick, he stopped for just a second and raised one eyebrow. “Char?”
And then he placed Auri in the chair by Margot once more and took his seat, an innocent look on his face as if he hadn’t said a word—as if he hadn’t set Nick’s face aflame.
“Erm. Great! Uh… so!” Nick squared his shoulders and returned to the table. “We have mint chocolate chip, strawberry, or double chocolate,” he announced to the table, neither addressing nor making eye contact with anyone in particular.
“I want strawberry and double chocolate!” Margot declared.
“One bowl of strawberry and double chocolate, coming right up! Would you like hot fudge on it, miss?”
She nodded excitedly, eager eyes boring into the bowl.
Dropping the carnival voice, he looked to Charlie, who had been watching the father and daughter happily. “What would you like?”
“Oh!” His brow furrowed a moment, and he looked shyer than Nick had yet seen him. “Uh, actually… I’d like to serve myself, if that’s alright?”
“Of course.” He passed Charlie a bowl and held the ice cream scoop out to him.
“It’s just that I have a thing about…” the dark-haired man trailed off. He took the proffered scoop and then looked up at Nick. He drew in a sharp breath as he whispered his thanks and served himself just enough of the double chocolate and mint chocolate chip to equal a small serving.
While he did that, Nick grabbed a spoon and placed two scoops of strawberry ice cream into his own bowl, drizzling hot fudge on top.
They all emptied their bowls quickly in comfortable silence, save for the clinking of metal spoons against ceramic and the occasional hum of delight from Margot.
Once they had finished, Nick checked his phone for the time. “Oh, Margot, sweetheart, it’s past bedtime now. Go on upstairs, get your pajamas on, and brush your teeth. When you’re ready for bed I’ll come up and read to you.”
She looked up at him with the puppy dog eyes she knew he was weak to. “Can Garfield come with me?”
“His name is Auri, honey, and I think he probably needs to be going home with Mr Spring soon.”
Margot’s face crumpled, and he could see a meltdown was near.
At that moment, Charlie nudged him and mouthed so Margot couldn't hear, “It’s fine, I don’t mind.”
Nick raised his eyebrows, silently asking “Are you sure?” And when the other man smiled and nodded, he turned back to his daughter “Okay, Auri can go upstairs with you while you get ready for bed. I’ll be up in a few to read you.”
“Thank you, Papa!”
And with that she picked up the large cat as best she could and started up the stairs. He squirmed for a moment in her arms, but once she freed him, he followed her happily.
Charlie giggled watching them go, and Nick’s heart fluttered at the sound, just as it had at the cafe. He let himself imagine, just for a moment, what it might feel like for this to be a typical night in his home. For Charlie to be in their lives. He hadn’t given much thought, if any, to dating post-divorce, and he had no idea if Charlie could be seriously interested in someone with a kid.
“What is it?” Charlie asked. Nick looked up to see the other man leaning towards him, his face open and earnest. “What’s up?
“What do you mean?”
“That was a very heavy sigh.”
“Oh.” Nick felt himself blush. “I hadn’t realized I sighed.”
He hummed, shaking his head to clear his thoughts and standing up.
“I’m going to rinse these and start the dishwasher while Margot gets ready for bed.”
He could see something flash in Charlie’s eyes, perhaps sadness or disappointment, but then it was gone. The man settled his face into a neutral expression and broke eye contact, looking around the room. Nick’s heart squeezed, but he ignored it and went to the kitchen.
🐾
Charlie sat at the dining room table, unsure what he should do. Once the dishwasher was running, Nick had run upstairs for Margot’s bedtime routine without another word. Had Charlie overstepped? He understood that Nick didn’t owe him the details of whatever was concerning him, but he didn’t know if Nick’s reaction was simply not wanting to answer or if Charlie had made him uncomfortable. Maybe Nick wanted him to leave now. Auri was still upstairs with Margot, so obviously he couldn’t slip out the door just yet, but should he be prepared to go as soon as his cat came back down? Would this be the second and last time he ever saw Nick? Would they even exchange pleasantries at all when he left? His chest ached at the thought, and he needed to do something with the worried, nervous energy, so he stood up. He used the loo once more, then went into the sitting room and began putting the cat toys and the food back in their appropriate pockets of the carrier.
“Mrow.” He looked over his shoulder. Aurelius was walking back into the room, blinking sleepily. Charlie reached out for him and pulled him close. He didn’t often insist on pets and cuddles from his lovable grump of a cat, but occasionally when he was sad or anxious, he felt an overwhelming need to bury his face in the ginger fur like one might with a stuffed animal. Thankfully, Aurelius usually humored him in these moments.
“Hi, Golden One,” he murmured. “Did you like it here? You ready to go home now?”
“Oh. Are you leaving now?” Charlie’s head shot up. Nick was, once again, standing in the doorway.
“Jesus, how do you do that?!” Charlie demanded, feeling frustrated for the first time by Nick’s tendency to appear suddenly.
The blond man looked confused by the question and taken aback by the severity in Charlie’s voice. “Do what?”
“You must move around so quietly, because I never hear you come into a room. You’re just there, and it’s like a jumpscare.” He was gesturing a lot and knew that he was being hyperbolic and a little ridiculous, but it was better than letting the man see how irrationally sad he felt at having to leave.
“O-okay,” Nick said slowly, a frown forming on his face. “I’m sorry for startling you. But, um… are you leaving? Did you have to go now? I was going to ask if you wanted another glass of wine? Or something?"
Charlie thought he could recognize a nervous hope in Nick’s eyes, and it settled the anxious knot in his chest ever so slightly. “Um. Yeah, I could do with another glass of wine. If you’re sure? I didn’t want to overstay my welcome.”
“Not possible,” Nick said hurriedly, and Charlie watched in awe as a pink blush spread over those freckled cheeks.
They smiled shyly at one another for a moment, and then Charlie needed to break the tension by being a little shit. “Hmm,” he smiled up at Nick wickedly. “I think maybe you’re still trying to steal my cat.”
Nick spluttered. “What? No! Oh my god, I swear. I’ve shut the door to the stairs, so Auri can’t go wandering up there again, you can go look!”
Charlie cackled and stood up to follow Nick into the kitchen. As the other man poured the wine, he stopped to take his time and really look at the drawing pinned up by the bisexual flag magnet. It was a young child’s attempt at portraying a child on a tall person’s shoulders. There was a rainbow streaming down the child’s back, and a big smile on both faces. In large uppercase letters, some backwards, it read, “ME AND PAPA AT PRID.”
Charlie blinked back tears as he took it in. He’d gone to many Prides in his adult life, of course, and seen all different kinds of families with children of all ages. It had always been heartwarming, but he’d never considered how meaningful it could be to take your own child to Pride, to be the one teaching them about all the ways to love and be loved.
Nick handed him the wine glass and peered around the refrigerator to see what Charlie was looking at.
“Oh. Margot drew that for me for Christmas, but it was from a photo we took last summer.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and showed Charlie his lockscreen. Sure enough, Margot was hanging from her papa’s shoulders, a Progress Pride flag tied around her neck. You could see Nick’s own Bisexual Pride flag tucked between his back and his daughter. They both had glittery face paint, faint sunburns, and the widest smiles Charlie had ever seen.
“I love that. What a special day to get to share with her.”
“Yeah, it was,” Nick said quietly.
“Mrow,” Aurelius whined, curling around Charlie’s legs. He bent down to pick up his cat, the large fur ball purring happily in his arms.
“Oh, were you lonely, Golden One?” he cooed. “I’m sorry I left you in the other room.”
Charlie looked at Nick again, who was smiling softly. The hope in the blond man’s eyes looked less nervous now, more solid, and Charlie’s heart leapt as his own nervousness evaporated and hope settled in his chest.
🐾
Six months later
Nick sighed as he walked into the bedroom. Aurelius had made himself comfortable right on top of his pillow.
“This is why I said I didn’t want to adopt when I made that post,” he told the cat. “You just moved in and you’re already a menace!”
Nevertheless, he walked over and flopped onto his bed—their bed—to give Auri scritches under the chin. As the cat’s eyes closed and he started purring in contentment, Nick smiled despite himself.
He looked up as he heard a chuckle come from the bathroom door. Charlie, freshly showered, was in a pajama shirt and shorts, smirking down at him.
“‘Didn’t want to keep him’ my arse,” the younger man said. “You were gone the first day you met him.”
Nick sat up and reached out with grabby hands, and Charlie walked over. “Not true for Marcus Aurelius here,” the blond said as he beamed up at his boyfriend. “But it was definitely true for you.”
Charlie rolled his eyes. “Budge up, you sap. You too, Auri.”
The cat sniffed at him in offense, jumped down, and left the room, while the two men pulled back the covers to climb in bed after a long day.
They sat there for a moment, Charlie’s head on Nick’s shoulder, until Margot came in carrying Auri and a storybook.
“Here, Papa!” She dumped both animal and book into Nick’s lap and clambered up onto the bed, crawling over her father.
“Oof! Margot, you’re supposed to be in your own bed!” Nick scolded.
“But I want you to read a story while Charlie plaits my hair!” she whined.
Despite their exhaustion, the two men both found themselves helpless to deny her request, moved as they were by the girl’s easy acceptance of Charlie into her and her papa’s lives.
Charlie in particular felt his tired eyes mist over. He reached out and pulled Margot towards him.
“Alright, come here, GoGo,” he said, and she wriggled happily until she was sitting comfortably in front of him.
Nick picked up the book Margot had brought, flipped to the right page, and began to read. Aurelius curled up on his lap.
As he listened, Charlie’s fingers wove deftly through the girl’s blonde hair.
When he had finished, Margot snuggled in between them to listen to her dad read. Charlie felt slightly overwhelmed as he soaked it all in.
They’d all been instrumental in brightening his lonely life since he moved here. His big orange cat with yellow eyes, sweet sunny Margot, and Nick, his honey-haired boyfriend.
His loves. His golden ones.