𝙷𝚒𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙵𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙿𝚊𝚜𝚝 ↠ 𝐂𝐀𝐂𝐖

Just Wait For Me

"I don't think it's ugly at all. It's unique. You're not a machine. What kind of machine would be able to have a full-on conversation with me?" I joked, trying to lighten the mood. He only let out a breathless laugh before his eyes went back to losing their spark, returning to full emptiness.

I shook my head to rid my head of the memory. As much as I missed him, it was probably better off if he just forgot I ever existed. It doesn't mean that it hurts any less when I think about him, though.

I began to walk away from the stand and over to a food vendor to get what I originally came here for: food. When I saw it had nothing I needed, I continued to walk around the stands. Nothing I saw caught my eyes, though. All of it was the same thing. Plus, there were too many people around the stands to actually get a good look at the stuff.

So, with a disappointed sigh, I held the strap of my bag tightly and began to walk to the convenience store for Alpine's food. And, of course, a Hostess cupcake for me.

When the bell above the door rang, signaling I was there, the woman at the counter didn't even bother to look up at me. I paid her no mind, though. As I ventured further into the store to get Alpine's cat food, people seemed to shy away from me as I walked. It was a little confusing, but I just assumed that they might have smelt Alpine or something.

Once I had found and gotten the kind of brand of food that Alpine likes, I made my way up to the counter to pay. On the little shelves near the register area, I grabbed a Hostess cupcake and set it on the counter, waiting for the clerk to scan my items. Once she was done scanning the items, I grabbed my cupcake and opened it, taking a bite out of it, all while I was fetching the money from my pocket.

With the cupcake still in my mouth, I went to hand her the money for the items that I bought. As she took my money, she finally did look up at me. She smiled in appreciation, so I gave her a tiny grin of my own. "Mulțumesc." (Thank you) Though, the smile that was on her face for a moment quickly disappeared the moment she saw me and took in my features. Her skin went pale, and she backed away from the counter, towards the back, muttering something under her breath. 

While I was chewing the rest of my cupcake in my mouth, I looked around in confusion, trying to find context clues onto why and how I spooked the woman so badly that she turned as pale as a ghost. I looked around the counter, on the walls, and on the floor to see if I saw anything, but I saw nothing that stood out. Until my eye caught a tiny corner of something behind the register. A newspaper. I grabbed it, making sure not to spook the woman anymore than I already had, and I began to read the headline of the front page.

" Tyranny, also known as Blaire Carter, a former Hydra asset now a main suspect for the bombing at the UN building in Vienna, Austria, earlier this week."

The newspaper dropped from my hands, hitting the ground. All of the pages went everywhere, all but one. The headline landed, facing up. An image that had supposed evidence that I bombed a United Nations building. I stared down at it for a while, a million thoughts running through my head. But one was more prominent than all the others. Go home.

I ran for the door, pushing it so far open that it hit the wall of the building, making a crack in the brick outside. I kept a steady hold on the bag Alpine was in. She most definitely was awake now, but that didn't matter right at the moment.

I began to push people aside, trying to make it home in a quick amount of time, but that's when I realized something. I stopped in my tracks and immediately found an alleyway, making sure no one else was around.

I set my bag on the ground gently, trying not to hurt Alpine more than I already had. I was wanted, and there was a good chance that people would stop at nothing to find me. Even if I was innocent. I wasn't going to bring Alpine into all of this. And I'd be damned if she got hurt on my watch. So, choking back the tears, I began to say empty words to my beloved cat.

"You're not safe with me anymore, Alpine. I'm sorry. I have to let you go. But I promise you, when this is all over, and they're not after me anymore, I'll come and find you." She only tilted her head at me, her blue eyes looking at me in confusion. I felt the tears coming to my eyes. The longer I tried to hold them back, the harder it became. I tried so hard, but the dam broke. I picked her up and began to hold her like it was the last damn time I'd see her.

I buried my head into her fur and let out my sobs, trying not to get my tears on her purely white fur. She just nuzzled into my shirt and began to purr. Just like she always did. I leaned down and gently kissed her head, stroking her back, as my cries eventually ceased.

"I promise you, Alpine. I'll find you. All you have to do is -" I took a deep breath, gaining the courage to say the words that got stuck in my throat.

"Just wait for me."