Kitten

by Jack Harbon

  “Ooh, exciting stuff. That is exciting, right?”

  “Yes, it’s very exciting. We get to deal with another helicopter parent telling me how to do my job.” Roman’s deadpan tone amused Kit. In the beginning, it had gotten on his nerves, but since he’d been around Roman more, he’d started playing a game. Whenever Roman got like this, he’d try his hardest to lighten the mood by being upbeat and cheery. He knew it wouldn’t work and that it would only irritate Roman, but that was the point.

  “On the bright side, you get to make a lot more money and buy some more exquisite suits!” Kit’s voice was saccharine sweet.

  Roman’s eyes slid towards him, skeptical. “Stop being so happy.”

  “Stop being so mopey.”

  Roman started to say something when the elevator stopped on the ninth floor. Instead of replying, he stepped out and strode to the large room directly across from the elevator. Inside, four men sat around the table. They nodded at Roman and Kit as they took their seats.

  Without having to be told, Kit pulled out his tablet. He had no idea what was going to be discussed, but he didn’t want to get chewed out by Roman for not being prepared. He knew his boss was just waiting for that kind of opportunity.

  During the meeting, Kit tried to pay attention, but he couldn’t help his mind from wandering. Words like ‘fiscal’ and ‘monthly report’ jumped out to him, but outside of that, he had no idea what these men were talking about. It wasn’t until they began talking about aesthetics that he had some kind of understanding of the conversation.

  Roman leaned close to Kit’s ear and whispered, “Write down December thirteenth,” in his ear. Kit’s body tensed for a moment. The smell of spearmint gum washed over him, and Roman’s hot breath on his neck sent goosebumps racing down his back. He cleared his throat and wrote down the date as instructed.

  This continued throughout the meeting. Whenever Roman needed an important name, date, or noun written down, he brushed his nose to along Kit’s ear, whispering what to transcribe. It took all Kit had not to let the tiniest of moans slip out. There was no doubt in his mind that Roman knew exactly what he was doing, and by the end of the meeting, Kit’s pants fit more snug and his breathing grew more laborious.

  He forced himself up from the table and covered himself with the messenger bag, smiling and nodding at the men in the room on their way out. He waited until they were alone to let his shoulders sag. Roman looked him over carefully.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, adjusting the cuffs of his dress shirt.

  “Nothing,” Kit lied. He took a steady breath and headed to the elevator. When it finally made its way back up to them, Kit stepped inside. Roman followed him, brushing shoulders with the younger man. Kit kept his gaze on the wall before them.

  “Did you take all the notes I gave you?”

  Kit nodded. “I did. Something about a big, fancy party next week?”

  “It’s a party for everyone else. We’ll be going for business.”

  “We?” Kit stepped out into the lobby and followed Roman to the front door. He walked briskly, with a mission, and Kit had to increase his speed just to keep up with him. Roman held the door open for him on their way out.

  “Yes, we. I’m going to need you to come with me. I’m sure your obligations to your Xbox can wait.”

  Kit scoffed and maneuvered around a couple fighting on the sidewalk. “That’s rude, first off. I have a date with my Fleshlight.” Roman’s eyes went wide. “I’m kidding!”

  “Kit, what did I tell you about making gross jokes and comments while we’re working?”

  “Oh please, you were just in my ear on some phone sex operator shit. Where are we going, anyways?” Roman shook his head and carried on towards the corner of the street. Kit adjusted his bag again and hurried to keep up with him. “Roman!”

  “We’re going to pick out a suit for you. I assume you went over the charges to the card and found no other mistakes, correct?” That hardened look Roman had mastered landed on Kit.

  “Yeah, there was just the one spending error. Everything else was great.” He wasn’t being entirely truthful, but he was sure he could finish up the rest of the charges soon enough that it wouldn’t matter that he hadn’t finished yet.

  “Good. I figured you don’t have any tuxedos, so we’re going to find you a nice one for the event next week.” Roman pushed through the doors of Wexler Formal Wear. Though slightly annoyed that Roman had him running all over town today, Kit was happy to try on something fancy. It wasn’t every day that he got to shop around like this.

  Roman waved over a saleswoman and instructed her to collect a few suits for Kit. He looked him over and gave an estimate on his measurements. The blonde woman nodded and hurried to grab four suits that might fit him. While they waited, Kit quickly snapped a few pictures inside the store. When Roman wasn’t looking at him, he even got a picture of him with a dog-ear filter on. Kit’s finger hovered over the button to save it to his phone. He tapped it and put his phone away quickly.

  The saleswoman returned with the suits and gestured for Kit to follow her to the changing room. He thanked her and headed inside. As he closed the door, he took notice of Roman’s eyes resting on him. Kit began undressing, putting aside his slacks to step into the dress pants. He looked himself over in the mirror and smiled. He looked good. The fit was a bit strange, but he liked how structured the entire look was.

  When he stepped out to get Roman’s reaction, Roman shook his head. He brushed past Kit and grabbed the tie from the dressing room. “You can’t wear a suit without a tie,” he said simply.

  “Well, I can’t tie a tie, so…”

  Roman made a face, then stepped closer to him. He slipped the tie around the back of his neck and began twisting and flipping the fabric this way and that. Kit’s nerves were on fire as he stared at the man. Roman’s brows knitted together, focused on tying the fabric properly. When he was done, he stepped back and looked at Kit in the mirror.

  “You look like you give a damn about appearances, now,” he said.

  “Shucks.” Kit cracked a smile at Roman’s annoyed sigh.

  After trying on the rest of the suits, Kit settled on the first one. It had been the one to fit the best, and he was sure after a little tailoring, it would look perfect. Roman paid for the suit despite Kit’s best protests. With a swift dismissal, Roman swiped his card and motioned for the door.

  On the way out, Kit peeked into the bag once more. “So, I’m glad you think I look cute in this suit.”

  “If only I said that,” Roman murmured.

  “You don’t think I look that good in the suit?” He paused for a moment, tapping his chin. “You’re right, I look better out of it.”

  “Kit,” Roman warned him. “You need to behave.”

  “But Roman… We’re not at work. The rules don’t apply outside.” With that, Kit took off ahead of him, practically skipping down the sidewalk, and though he could have been mistaken, it sounded as if Roman chuckled to himself.

  10

  Make Him See

  Kit sat impatiently on his sofa, growing more and more anxious as time went on. Their Uber driver was still late, and he’d told Michelle that he and Chad were going to be there at eight. It was already well past that time.

  “You need to calm down,” Chad said, biting into his cheeseburger. “It’s a party, dude, it’s not going to kill you to be a few minutes late.”

  Kit took a deep breath and tried to chill out. Chad was right. He was being his typical dramatic self. “I know. I guess I’ve just been getting better about punctuality at work, and it’s rubbing off here. You’re right, though, I should calm down.” Saying it out loud felt like Kit was ridding himself of the stress. Michelle wasn’t going to kick him out for being there at nine.

  Kit eased himself back into the couch and watched as Chad devoured the rest of his food. Chad was a strong believer in pre-gaming food before he went out to a party. He had a low tolerance to alcohol, and filling h
imself with greasy fries and burgers always helped balance him out and kept him from getting too drunk too quickly.

  “You want some?” he offered. Kit shook his head.

  “I’m good, but thanks.” Kit opened his phone and went over his schedule one more time. For the most part, it was clear. Monday through Thursday he had his typical hours to work, and on Friday he had the day off. Saturday night was the event Roman was taking him to.

  Kit tilted his head and considered whether that was the proper way to think about it. Roman wasn’t taking him to the event, so much as he had to be there for work, but either way he sliced it, he was technically Roman’s plus one.

  Ugh, get it together, bitch, he chastised himself.

  Ever since their kiss at the restaurant, he’d been feeling much more…fluttery around him. There was a newfound energy there that he couldn’t quite pin down or put into words. It was a natural response, but one he wasn’t used to feeling. Despite his best intentions, neither of them had talked about that night, and through all of the butterflies he felt in his stomach, Kit could also recognize the irritation. He wasn’t the kind of person that could let something like this settle in him. He needed to get it out and talk to Roman.

  “Earth to Kit,” Chad said, waving his hand in front of his face. Kit blinked.

  “Huh?”

  “Your phone just made a noise. I’m pretty sure that’s our car waiting for us.”

  Kit looked down at his phone to see that it was indeed a notification letting them know that the driver had arrived. He hopped up and grabbed his jacket before looking around the living room. He wanted to make sure he had everything before he went out on the town.

  On their way down, Chad briefly mentioned the fact that he’d been talking to this girl but she was a little too kinky for him.

  “Kinky how?” Kit asked.

  “Kinky like, she wanted to suck on my toes!” Chad’s answer garnered a nasty look from an older man walking his dog.

  “The question is, did you let her?”

  Chad sniffed once then pointed to a white car parked a few feet away. “I think that’s the ride.” He hurried off towards it, Kit laughing and trailing behind him. They climbed inside and Kit reiterated the instructions the driver would need to take to get to the party.

  Once the driver was confident that he knew the way to the party, Kit sat back in his seat and opened up his camera. He and Chad took the first of many selfies that night, both posing with their middle fingers up and tongues out.

  The car finally pulled up to the right location, and the two of them hopped out. Kit straightened himself up and made sure his clothes weren’t too wrinkled. Jesus Christ, was Roman rubbing off on him, and not in the way Kit wanted.

  Michelle greeted the two of them at the door, squealing when she looked over their outfits. “You two look so cute! Hi, I’m Michelle,” she said, sticking her hand out for Chad.

  “Chad,” he said, speaking over the music.

  “C’mon, I’ll get you guys some drinks and we can talk some more!” Michelle led them into the kitchen, worming her way through the large crowd of partiers. She stopped at the punch bowl and grabbed hold of the ladle. “Jungle juice,” she explained. “My friend Dante made it. He’s literally the best bartender in town, just wait until you taste that.”

  Kit took a sip of it and nodded enthusiastically. “This shit is fire!”

  “Hell yeah it is,” Michelle grinned. She looked completely different out of her coffee shop uniform. Her brown hair, normally tied back into a ponytail, was now in loose curls framing her face. Her makeup was also bolder, deep and smoky, and her outfit teetered on the edge of free-spirited and escort chic. Kit was feeling all of it.

  Kit and Chad floated through the party for a good while, making small talk with people here and there. After an hour of playing the room, Chad ended up getting into a very in-depth discussion with a girl who claimed that she could never date a bisexual guy.

  For a moment, Kit leaned against the wall and watched as Chad explained to her why that logic was entirely flawed.

  “The thing is, being a cheater doesn’t rely on your sexual orientation. Just because I happen to like guys and girls, that doesn’t mean I’m twice as likely to cheat on you. It doesn’t mean that for any other bisexual dude either. All it means is that you’re insecure in your relationship with this person, and that’s your problem, not theirs.”

  Chad was trying to keep his cool, Kit could see. He often went off on these rants—but Kit never had a problem with it. Chad was right to feel passionate about this.

  “Can I steal you for a second?” Michelle whispered in Kit’s ear. He nodded, following her out to the balcony of the apartment. With his cup in his hand, he leaned against the railing and looked out at the city lights.

  “This party is great. I don’t think I told you that yet,” Kit said.

  “My friends know how to throw a good one, that’s for sure. It’s nights like this that I’m glad that I saved up enough money to move out here in the first place.” She sighed deeply and stared up at the sky.

  “How long have you been in New York City?”

  She shrugged. “A year and a half? Maybe two? I lose track of time these days. In a way, it feels like I’ve been here my whole life?”

  “I can relate,” Kit smiled. “During my summer before college, I moved her with my sister, and I’ve loved it ever since. I couldn’t wait to get away from our old town. New York was where we belonged.”

  “It sounds like you’re reading my life story back to me,” she chuckled. “I mean, I left when I was twenty-three, but it’s pretty much the same thing. New York was where I was meant to be. I needed to get away from Nebraska and my shitty job at Geek Gang and just…experience shit, y’know? I was way too smart for that dumb ass job, anyway. Here, I’ve experienced so much. Fell in love with a guy right off the bat. Lost a job. Lost that guy. Got a new job. One time I even got mugged. Bastard stole my Starbucks gift card that I got for Christmas.”

  “What a dick,” Kit exclaimed. He took a long drink from his cup. The booze inside had loosened him up substantially. Now he didn’t care if he got a little dribble of the drink on the front of his shirt. “I just graduated college, so I’m back here. Lost a boyfriend. I got a new job, too. And I’m kinda… Never mind.”

  “Kinda what?” she said. She turned to face him, curious.

  “I was gonna say that I’m in love with this guy, but that’s the alcohol talking. I don’t really know him. I just know I like him a lot. But we never talk about anything between us.”

  Michelle nodded. “Have you guys done anything, or is it, like, one-sided?”

  “Oh, no, it’s definitely not one-sided. We went to this dinner a while ago, and he kissed me in the bathroom. It was a wild kiss too. It felt… I don’t wanna sound basic, but it felt electric. It felt like how kisses are supposed to feel. You know what I mean?”

  “Did the hair on your arms stand up? Did you feel a silly laugh deep in your stomach, but also kinda like you wanted to throw up?”

  “Exactly,” Kit said, blushing. “But it’s been two weeks and we’ve said nothing about it. I’m getting bored of just sitting there, waiting for him to bring it up.”

  “Why don’t you talk to him about it?”

  “I’ve tried,” Kit sighed. He’d tried many, many times to bring it up, but Roman was some kind of master of diversion. Every instance that Kit mentioned the kiss, Roman steered the conversation in a different direction. It made Kit want to shake the man and tell him to knock it off.

  “If you want my lame ass advice, I say make him see that you’re still interested in him. Do something that will grab his attention and won’t let him go. Guys are stupid like that. Sometimes you have to prove to them that what they did actually meant something to you.” Michelle shrugged. “It’s up to you, though.”

  Kit looked down into his cup, watching the drink slosh inside.

  Michelle was probably right. Thou
gh he was intelligent, professional, and confident, Roman probably wasn’t the most aware when it came to feelings. Sometimes Kit wondered if he had any feelings at all. Outside of contempt, that is.

  “We should probably get back to the party,” Michelle said after a moment of silence.

  “Definitely,” Kit said. He followed her back inside, only to find that Chad was now making out with the girl he’d spent a long amount of time schooling. Kit pulled him away from her and dragged him to the middle of the room to dance.

  “Why are you cockblocking, bro?” Chad whined.

  “I wanna know what happened to you and her fighting over dating bi dudes?”

  “She told me she’d never looked at it like that, and that it was hot that I felt so passionate about it.” Chad smiled confidently, and Kit couldn’t help but do the same. Before Chad could say anything else, the music changed to a song he and Kit had obsessed over last summer.

  “Aw shit, here we go,” Kit exclaimed. The corny dance routine came back to them at the same time, and they moved to the music like it was a second nature. The girl Chad had been kissing cheered for them, soon followed by a few others in the living room.

  “Michelle!” Kit called. She looked over her shoulder, and he waved her over. “Get in on this action,” he said once she was close enough.

  “Don’t have to tell me twice.”

  She moved between the two of them with ease, and though she didn’t know any of the dance moves that Kit and Chad had come up with, she managed to keep up with them—and even throw in a few moves herself.

  “Thank you for inviting me to your party,” Kit said over the music. “And thank you for talking to me earlier!”

  “Don’t even mention it!” she said back.

  Kit nodded, but he really was grateful for her advice. He hadn’t been able to talk to anyone about what was going on with Roman, and finally getting that off his chest was liberating. On top of that, she’d been right.

  Kit had to make Roman see him, and he knew exactly how he was going to do that.