He’d never heard that name before. Then again, he’d grown up on this rock. There were a lot of names Felix had never heard. His only exposure to the rest of the world had been through Ursula, her visitors, and the few books he’d been able to pilfer when nobody had been looking.
“Yes,” she whispered.
Again, arousal flooded his nose. She liked him, he realized. He wasn’t really sure why she liked him, or what it was about himself that she found appealing. All he knew was that it was a nice realization. He liked knowing that she found him acceptable.
He found her acceptable, too.
Well, he found her much more than acceptable.
She was gorgeous.
“What do you want, Tabitha?”
“That’s a bit of a blunt question,” she said.
Suddenly, there was a meow, and Maple Syrup appeared again.
“A cat!” Tabitha cried out, dropping to her knees. “Here, kitty, kitty,” she held her hand out, speaking in a sharp, high-pitched voice.
Maple Syrup looked up at Felix, as though he couldn’t believe what was happening. Felix choked back a laugh, but nodded at the cat, letting her know that this woman, Tabitha, was harmless.
Maple Syrup seemed appeased, and she made her way over to Tabitha.
“That’s a good kitty,” Tabitha murmured. She started petting Maple Syrup on the head and then scratched behind her ears.
Felix stared at her, appalled.
He’d never seen anyone else touch Maple Syrup. He’d never seen anyone just walk up to a stranger’s cat and start talking to it. What an interesting person Tabitha was turning out to be.
“How old is she?” Tabitha asked, looking up at Felix.”
“The cat?”
“Yes.”
“Um...”
He stared, looking at her.
“Five.”
“She seems sweet,” Tabitha commented.
You seem sweet.
The words were on the tip of his tongue, but something told him not to say them. Something caused him to hold them back, and he wasn’t really sure what. Perhaps it was that he’d never been around a girl like Tabitha before. He wasn’t really sure what was appropriate or expected of him.
“Thank you.”
“So, it’s just the two of you, then?” Tabitha looked up.
Felix tensed right away. Was she trying to figure out how many people lived on the island? Was she planning to attack?
“Woah,” she said, standing up and taking a step back. Maple Sugar ran off into the woods. Felix wasn’t too worried. He knew she’d be back soon. Tabitha, however, was looking at him like she’d just seen a ghost.
“What?”
“Your eyes.”