The Lasso Effect 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐭

8

Alicia had come home from work, where she took care of the process of rehiring Roy as a coach at the club. He was due to start tomorrow. Just before she could get in her comfy clothes, there was a knock at her door.

Since her socks were slippery on her floors, she did a bag slide over to the door and looked into the peephole.

She opened the door. "Hi Jamie."

"Hey Leece."

"What brings you here?"

Jaime took something out of his pocket. "You left your wallet at work. I remembered where you live, so I just brought it me self."

"Oh, thank you! Hey, can you come in real quick and watch the kettle? I'm gonna change clothes."

"Uh, yeah. Sure."

"Cool, be right back."

Alicia did a sock slide towards the small hallway that led to her room, greeting her new cat Wally on the way. Jaime walked to the kitchen, looking around at her flat.

The walls had a calm earthy color. They had shelves with small plants and crocheted animals. There were a couple mirrors and framed art and pictures. The tv was on a furniture piece with clear cupboard doors that showed the extensive vinyl collection behind them.

Wally jumped onto the kitchen counter as Jaime entered, demanding to be acknowledged. He pat his orange head in compliance.

The kettle made the noise and he took it off the stove, turning it off and beginning to make a cuppa.

Alicia walked in with her sweatshirt and house shorts. She pointed to a drawer. "Tea's in there. Fix yourself some if you'd like."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, you came all this way. Come sit after."

Jaime soon joined Alicia and Wally on the couch. He handed her a cup. She took a sip.

"Mm, James, I don't think I ever said it, but thank you so much for that birthday gift. It meant a lot to me, really, and I'm so grateful for it."

"Nah, wasn't a big deal."

"Of course it was! I never thought I'd see that shirt again, and it just showed up on my doorstep with a humble note. Thank you, truly."

Wally meowed.

"I didn't know you had a cat."

"Yeah, this is Wally. He's 10, and I'm taking care of him until I can find him a permanent family. He needs one that has someone at home a lot, cause he hates when I leave for work."

"Is that why some of your clothes have been looking slightly orange?"

"Yeah, he sheds easily. But he's a sweetheart, so I forgive him. So! While you're here, you wanna watch a movie or something?"

"Actually, you think I could ask you something?"

"Sure."