Trey nervously knocked on Catzye’s front door to her apartment and waited quietly with a gift in his hand. It was a small red box with a bow.
Catzye ripped the door open as music blared.
“Trey! What are you doing here?” she asked grabbing the remote on her waist to turn down the music. She opened the door wider. “Is everything okay?”
Trey smiled at her softly as he declined to enter. “Everything’s good. I just wanted to give you the final piece of this gift I’ve been saving for you,” he smiled. Catzye looked at him curiously, her eyebrow raised as she always did at him. She hesitated as she took the box. Her eyes did leave his as she shook it gently.
“Don’t-” he began as it rattled and set off an alarm. Her eyes lit up as a motorcycle alarm sounded off.
“Trey, what is this?” she asked holding up the keys.
“Well, it’s a motorcycle Cat…” he stammered quietly.
“I know what it is!,” she laughed. “I’m asking why-”
“Well,” he began as he cleared his throat. “It’s just something for you to get around in. I can’t pick you up from work everyday like I used to and I just think you would like a bike.” She closed the door behind her as she walked over to the red and black motorcycle.
“It’s pretty,” she smiled walking around it.
“Pretty? l’ll have you know this is one of Alexios’ finest motors. This is a-”
“Velvet Reaper X3-” she smiled hopping on it. “Equipped with a top of the line Reactor. Trey, where did you get the money for this?” He looked at her and blushed.
“Don’t worry about money ever with me. This is why your rent won’t ever be due until I say so,” he sighed possessively. Catzye looked at him and smiled quietly.
"Let’s go for a ride,” she said grabbing helmet. He stepped back.
“Let’s? As in both of us?" he asked blushing. “S-sure.” Catzye scooted back as he revved up the bike wrapping her arms around him.
They both rode under the stars towards the desert. She pointed to a spot where he should park and sat as she hopped off. Her mind and heart were fluttering with emotions she didn’t know how to express.
“Don’t get up,” she demanded. “Just listen.” He sat back down slowly like a child scorned.
“What?” he sighed. “What’s wrong.”
“So you don’t kiss me. You flinch when I touch you. You blush when I look at you, but you don’t want me,” she began. “You’re not attracted to me?’
Trey’s face flushed red as he looked at the ground.
“But then you buy me things. You’re a big bully to every man around me but….you don’t want me.” She said walking over to him. “You are playing a rather confusing game with me Trey Trey.”
He looked at her annoyed.
“I can’t do this,” he began. “I just wanted to make sure you were safe Cat-” he said softly.
“I can’t do this. We can’t do this. You shouldn’t do that,” she mocked him. “So I’ll continue to accept gifts and pretend that all of this is okay and normal,” she sighed crossing her arms. Trey turned her face to his.
“I wanted to show you the stars but I’m afraid you can’t see what I see,” he murmured looking at her lips and then back into her eyes. “What feel for you is irrelevant.” Catyze became upset immediately.
“What I feel is important! I love you and I want to be yours and-” Trey puts a finger to her lips.
“There goes that L word again,” he said softly. “And you wanting me to possess you…” Catzye’s heart fluttered at his words.
“Is that wrong?” she asked as his nose rubbed hers gently.
“Very,” he murmured. “Celestial rules….”
“You always say that,” she whispered. “So ONE kiss would be bad?”
“Is that’s what this is about? Wanting a kiss from me?” He teased. She thought about it quietly.
“Yes,” she admitted. "I want to kiss the man that saved me.”
“I am not a man, I am an angel. Fallen one at that. Broken and trying to redeem himself to get my wings so that I can be a guardian again. If I break the law again, I will be forever fallen,” he said to he quietly. “And I don’t want to hurt you…” Catzye’s eyebrows furrowed as she held back tears.
“You should have never saved me,” she whispered. “Then-'“
“So selfish over a kiss. Come here,” he smirked tilting her chin up to look at her softly. Catzye held her breath as she thought quickly.
“D-don’t kiss me now….” she said moving his hand away. Trey looked at her confused and then shook his head.
“Don’t?” he asked making sure. “So now you don’t want me to kiss you.” Catzye moved to sit on his lap quietly.
She looked deeply into his eyes before a letting out a deep sigh holding back tears.
“I am selfish. I just want more I guess. What we have is enough. Our friendship. I would hate knowing you didn’t get your wings because of me. You lost them because of me already,” she admitted. Trey looked at her with restrained passion fueling him, admiring her honesty.
“I didn’t lose them because of you, I lost them because of me. My reckless decisions to defy celestial law. My visions of you were not meant for me to save you. It was meant for me to step aside and allow fate to happen no matter how much it hurts,” he replied softly. Catzye adjusted her catsuit listening to his words carefully.
“And then now, look at us. Are we even heroes? Is Alexios worth even saving? What are we saving besides a fractured grid that gives us no hope,” she said softly to him as the sun began to go down. Trey pulled Catzye to sit with him as he took in her scent quietly.
“Without you, there is no Alexios. Without Alexios, there is no past to learn from, no present to be grateful for and no future to protect. Alexios is nothing but the hope and imagination we will build from and build for,” smiled Trey as he played with her fingers. He held her tight as the stars began to shoot through the sky. They both looked up as they held their breaths together looking for a perfect star.
“That one, let’s make a wish,” she whispered to him. His eyes met hers and he smiled softly.
“Oh madam. What was your wish?” he asked.
“Trey, If I told you my wish then it will never come true,” she laughed playfully. “I don’t make the rules.” His face became serious as he stroked her cheek, something he always did when he was about to say something heavy.
“Ever thought of the childhood rhyme ‘twinkle twinkle little star?” he mused.
“Yes, I love that song, why?” she pondered reading her face.
“Well,” he smiled. “up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky,” he sang in deep vibrato before his eyes meeting hers again. “How I wonder, what you are, Miss Kitty. My little star…stars must align don’t they.” Catzye rolled her eyes.
“Ok Mister Philosophical. What does that have to do with me not telling you my wish?” she said rather annoyed. He poked her nose playfully just to see her scrunch it up.
“Because whether you tell me your wish or not, your wish already came true. Just not at this time,” he explained. “And if your wish is to still kiss me, then it came true already.” Catzye smiled softly.
“That wasn’t even my wish,” she laughed quietly. “See there you go again. Assuming things when-”
“It was mine and always will be. With a diamond, like in the sky,” he said quietly his eyes glassy as if a tear would fall. She noticed it but decided against speaking instead.
“How I wonder, what you are my little brat,” she smirked changing the subject. “Besides my favorite wisher.” She leaned against his chest looking at the stars almost knowing deep inside that the feelings she had for him was mutual.
Seraph Hills, Alexios City, Year 26