Lucky In Love? A Valentine Anthology

Lost Love Latte

Down the street, turn the corner, down another street to the crosswalk, I walked and sipped and finally reached my building. My latte was empty, and I disposed of it in the lobby trash can beforeI took the familiar steps up, and up, and up to the fourth floor.

With a sigh, I hung my coat and locked the door behind me.

I kicked off my work shoes and went straight for the dresser where I could find my favorite comfortable clothes.

Opening the top drawer, I clenched my jaw as I observed Lance's socks all over the place, even on my half.

"Dammit, Lance," I grumbled, taking the socks out and putting them back in neatly if not angrily. "Is it that hard for you? I do the laundry, the least you could do is not throw it everywhere!"

"Mrow."

I blinked. Was that a cat?

"Mrow!"

We're on the fourth floor. Why is there a cat?

I walked over to the bedroom window where the fire escape was. Sure enough, a tiny white cat sat on the ledge.

"Aw, how'd you get up here?" I asked, putting my hand outside for it to sniff. "It's freezing, do you want to come in for a bit?"

"Mrow!"

The cat let me pick it up, and I brought it in as I shut the window.

"This isn't permanent, my boyfriend is allergic. But he's not home tonight so you've got a warm bed. Deal?"

The kitten started to purr, bringing a smile to my face.

"Well, at least someone's happy today," I said, scratching its chin.

"Mrow!"

"Okay, you sit tight while I change clothes." I set the cat down next to the dresser and pulled out my favorite sweater and sweatpants. If I couldn't get dressed up and go out, I'd at least be comfortable.

"Much better. Alright, now how about dinner?" I picked up the cat and walked it into the kitchen. "Let's see... if I got a larger order of shrimp lo mein would you want some shrimp? Can cats even eat shrimp? Maybe chicken would be better..."

Looking over the menu with a purring cat in my arm was kind of soothing. I picked what I thought would be the safest thing to share, and dialed the restaurant. Tonight was a delivery kind of night. After all, sometimes I need to give myself a break.

I blinked. A break. When did I ever give myself a break? Maybe I should be a little easier on myself. Maybe I'm just short with Lance lately because I'm stressed.

"How do you feel about a spa day, kitty?" I asked. "I'm thinking of a face mask, slippers, and a sad movie. What do you say? I'm a sucker for tear jerkers."

"Mrow!"

"Good. Let's get it all set up before the food gets here."

I dug out a cardboard box from the bottom of the hall closet and set up an old towel in there for the cat. "There. Now you won't spread too much fur around and it will be easier to clean up when you go."

The box fit nicely on the couch next to where I liked to sit. Then, I went through the bathroom for all the things I would want for my self care evening. Yeah, a self care evening, that's what this will be. I need to take better care of myself. What was that thing Mom used to say? If you don't pick a day off occasionally, your body will pick one for you. Good call, Mom. I pick today.

I hummed a tune while I dug through the cabinets. I got my mask, a new color of nail polish and all the supplies to go with it. I even went to the kitchen and pulled out a beer and the last chocolate cupcake from a box I got at work.

Sitting down on the couch with everything, I checked on the kitten. "Happy Valentine's Day. Cheers!"

I cracked open the beer and took a cool drink. Grabbing the remote, I flipped through my streaming service to find the perfect movie. I grinned as I selected one Lance hated, just as the doorbell rang.

"That must be the food, you stay here," I told the cat.

I opened the door, feeling in a lighter mood than I had in a long while. That is, until the door fully opened to reveal my boyfriend.

"Lance, I thought you weren't coming home tonight." I opened the door wider for him. "And why are you ringing the bell?"

"Left my key at Daryl's," he growled, walking past me to the kitchen. "Did you take one of my beers?"

My eyes darted to the couch and everything I had set up. "Yeah. Wait, that still doesn't tell me why you came home early."

Lance popped open his own drink and leaned against the fridge as he faced me. "Daryl found a new place he wanted to check out for pool nights. He was real excited about it, and insisted I come with him. But we get there and the place is packed!"

My face fell. "You're mad that a bar... was packed... on Valentine's Day?"

"Right? What kind of jerk takes their date to a bar?" Lance asked, then took a drink from his beer.

"What kind of jerk cancels his date last minute?" I said, before I realized what I was saying. My eyes widened.

"What?" Lance's head jerked up as he looked at me. "I told you, Daryl really wanted me to go with him. You know how Daryl gets."

I took a slow breath. "You're not dating Daryl, you're dating me. I deserved better."

Lance rolled his eyes. "Babe, don't be unreasonable."

He went to take another sip of his beer, then he paused, and sneezed.

"Mrow!"

Lance's frowned. "Is that a cat? You know I'm allergic.!"

I looked over at the box, a tiny white head was sticking out, watching us.

"Yeah, it was outside in the cold. I let it in for a few hours since you weren't supposed to be home tonight."

"Well get rid of it," Lance said. "I can't live with a cat, you should know that."

"Mrow."

I stared at Lance. When did I reach this point? When did it go from romance to... this? But I blinked, and suddenly a realization hit me. I was right a moment ago when I said I deserved better. Smiling, I relaxed my shoulders. "Then, don't live here."

Lance looked mad now. "Excuse me?"

"Get out." I grinned, crossing my arms over my chest. "If it's between you and the cat, I choose the cat."

"Babe-"

"No," I snapped. "Get out. Pack a bag, leave, and I'll box the rest up tomorrow. You're not even on the lease. Get. Out."

"You're serious?" Lance asked. "Where am I supposed to go?"

I grinned, walking to the bedroom where I pulled his gym bag off the floor and shoved some of his clothes into it. I came back out, and tossed him the bag. "Go to Daryl's."

"You know what? Fine! You're a stuck up bitch anyway." Lance took the bag, and stormed out of the apartment, but not before throwing his beer on the kitchen floor out of spite.

But I didn't care. Screw Lance. Who needed love anyway?"

"Mrow."

I walked over and picked up the kitten. "Well little guy, do you want to extend your stay?"

"Mrow!"

Lost love latte. Pfft, some help that was. I deserve better than Lance.

I blinked, then I smiled.

"Actually," I murmured to the kitten. "Maybe the love I lost... was for myself."

"Mrow!"

"Good call, let's clean this up and watch that movie."

If I could love an asshole like Lance, maybe I could love myself too.

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Hello, I'm Sabrina and I like to write love and magic. I hope you enjoyed my short story, and I hope you find love this Valentine's Day, especially for yourself. Read more from Sabrina here