Page 56 of Autumn at the Cat Cafe

“I’m not finished.” He leaned toward her, his playful smile disappearing to dead seriousness. “Your intelligence is one of many... many sexy things about you.”

And with that admission of truth, he’d hit a home run. The blush was back, along with her knockout smile. “Thank you,” she murmured.

Add her sultry whisper to the list.

The lines of tension on her face fully relaxed. “I’m glad we talked about this.”

“I think we just friend-zoned ourselves.” He held out his hand.

She shook it. “Agreed.” She chirped at Sir, “Come on. You’ve done enough damage for the night.”

“Want to take the ice pack with you?” Leo grabbed it off the floor, unceremoniously dumping Sir out of his lap in the process.

“I don’t need it. I’m really okay.”

The red mark had disappeared from her forehead, and that made him feel better. Sir led the way as they went to the door. “See you Monday?” he said.

She nodded. “Good night, Leo.”

“Night, Via.” He shut the door behind her and Sir. He glanced at his hand, still tingling from her firm yet soft handshake, then brushed off the palm. “Friends,” he said out loud, as if that cemented it. “Just friends.”

On Monday morning, Via put on her teal and pink beanie, wrapped a rust-colored scarf around her neck, and slipped on her red-and-blue polka-dotted jacket. Nothing about her outerwear matched but she liked the look. More importantly, she would be comfortable and warm for her walk with Sir Meow, who was taking his sweet time in the litter box at the moment.

She took the leash off the hook by the door and smiled. She’d been in a good mood since her talk with Leo about their feelings for each other. Dora had been right—there was a spark. But they had extinguished it the other night, and she had no regrets.

Somehow she hadn’t actually sent her sister the text she’d typed out clarifying that she wasn’t going to sleep with Leo, but she didn’t discover it had gone unsent until she went to her apartment after talking to him and had checked her messages. She had sent Via several panicked ones over the course of a few hours.

Dora:You’re kidding, right?

Dora:Via?

Dora:Okay, I’m assuming you didn’t mean you and Leo were literally going to bed together because that doesn’t sound like something you’d do. But just in case it is, DON’T. He seems like a decent guy, but you haven’t known each other very long.

Dora:I know I sound like an overprotective mom and you’re an adult, but I don’t want you to get hurt again. Or do something you’ll regret.

Dora:Via?

It had been an hour since Dora’s last message and she felt bad that her sister thought she was ignoring her... or doing exactly what she feared Via was doing.

Via:Sorry! I thought I sent you my last text. I didn’t read this until now. You have nothing to worry about. Leo and I are just friends. And I’m definitely going to bed ALONE tonight.

Dora:Whew! Night night.

At their family Sunday lunch the day before, she had taken Dora aside and explained about her talk with Leo, leaving out the part where she saw him in a towel. That was an image she wouldn’t get out of her mind for a very, very long time. It had turned embarrassing for her, although he didn’t seem too concerned about it. Again, it was hard for her to ascertain his emotions. Even when he insisted he liked her, she still wasn’t sure if he was just being polite. Or nice. Possibly both. She only had his words to go on because his expression was always so guarded.

Or she was just that bad at reading signals.

Objectively talking about their feelings had been the right decision, though. She especially liked how he complimented her brain. Her ex—she wasn’t even going to acknowledge his name anymore—had never done that. He was the one with the PhD. She just had a bachelor’s.

She slept like a baby Sunday night, with no fantastical dreamsabout Leo. She couldn’t remember dreaming at all. Now she was prepared for the next time she saw him. Friends were all they would ever be, and her attraction to him would fade. It was already fading, thanks to his levelheadedness.

Sir meandered from the bathroom, and she went to clean up his litter box before taking him outside. She clipped on his leash and opened the door. Yes siree, she was over Leo Brewster. Just. Like. That.

Until she saw Leo leave his apartment. Gym shorts, Harvard sweatshirt, running shoes. But all she could think about was him in that towel—

“Hey,” he said with a grin. “Off for another run.”

“Off for another walk.” She held up the end of Sir’s leash. For once he wasn’t clamoring for Leo. In fact, he’d been subdued since she and Leo hit the friend zone.