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Later, I was forced to admit I was developing a flicker of acceptance for Quinn. He did, after all, possess a magical technique for chin scratching, and he knew a surprising variety of games that involved small, crumpled paper balls. However, the one remaining issue was the excessive mouth to mouth contact he inflicted upon Hugh. Every time he arrived, it was an immediate kiss. My vision blurred just watching it. Honestly, Hugh should have displayed more self control.
"Enough of the disgusting mouth touching! Cease this behavior instantly! Or I shall be forced to activate the claw weapons. Hey! Let go of me! Let go!" I struggled as Quinn held me aloft.
"Does it hurt, kitty? Are you jealous of me?" Quinn asked, grinning.
"Who is jealous? I am disgusted! Tell him to release me, Hugh!"
"Please put Milo down, Quinn. Don't bully him," Hugh said, smiling faintly.
"I am not bullying him. I think he is as adorable as you," Quinn replied, still holding me.
"Huh, you call that 'adoring'? That is assault and battery! Yes, I know I am cute and exquisite, but put me down!"
Quinn's expression suddenly changed, becoming grave and intense. He set me down gently on the sofa.
"Milo, listen," he said, looking at me, but really speaking to Hugh. "I won't steal Hugh from you. From now on, we will be a family. I will take care of both of you."
I watched him. He looked sincere. Perhaps handing over partial ownership of Hugh would not be a disaster. I nodded, a silent, furry approval.
But Hugh's smile vanished. "Don't talk about that. You know we can't be together forever."
"Hugh, I know what you are afraid of," Quinn pleaded, stepping closer. "Don't worry. If my family rejects me, I will leave everything behind. I only need you by my side. Nothing else matters."
"Don't be so selfish!" Hugh snapped, his voice trembling.
"But I love you so much. I want to care for you! Listen to me, Hugh."
"No. I can't do that. Please go home, Quinn."
I was perplexed. Why was Hugh refusing such a solemn, honest promise? He told me every night how much he loved this ridiculous human.
"Go home. Don't come over again!" Hugh's voice cracked.
"Hugh, don't be stubborn. You know I can't stop loving you," Quinn argued.
"But I don't want to love you! You are a selfish person! Go home!"
"Do not raise your voice, Hugh! I feel terrible for Quinn. Look at him standing there, stunned and hurt. Boss, if you treat him like that, you will be sad too! Don't you know that?"
"Hugh, listen to me. Open the door," Quinn begged from the other side.
"I told you to go home! We won't make it!"
Hugh slumped onto the floor, tears streaming. Why were humans such illogical, contrary creatures? They said the opposite of their hearts. Hugh knew this would cause immense pain, yet he still insisted on hiding his true feelings behind a wall of fear.
"Boss, open the door and let him in! I am going to scratch the door! Your Milo will be a vandal! Don't blame me when I ruin the wood!"
"You love me, too. Don't lie anymore, Hugh! Open the door, please!" Quinn's voice was desperate.
I began my sabotage, Scratch! Scratch! Scratch! I attacked the door with all the fury of a betrayed deity. "Why don't you open it quickly, boss? Stop sitting there crying!"
Then silence. A terrible, heavy silence. "He is gone," I thought with a sinking feeling in my belly. "You were too slow, Hugh. Now you have opened the door, and he has vanished."
Rage, loyalty, and sheer stupidity took over my logic center. I saw Hugh's tear stained, ruined face. He needed Quinn. This was my fault for scratching the door too slowly.
"Well, for you, Hugh, I will retrieve him! I will run down and bring him back! Don't worry, boss. I am incredibly swift. I will make it in time."
"Milo! Milo! Where are you going!?" Hugh cried as I shot out the open door.
The stairs were an agonizing blur. I burst onto the street. The air was loud and dirty. "Where is Quinn? I don't see him! Why are there so many loud, pointing people? Oh, no. I am afraid of large crowds. And why are these small, loud creatures, kids, touching my tail? Let go of me, or you will regret everything!"
"Milo! Milo, don't run! Come back! Come here!" Hugh's panicked voice called from the doorway above.
I spotted him. There. Quinn had not gone far. He was standing on the curb, looking back at the house. "Thank the Sun! He has not left! Now I can go home! These noisy humans are terrifying!"
"Milo, listen to me! There are cars! Come here quickly!" Quinn yelled, his face etched with terror.
"Why is he so scared? What is the problem? I am coming!" I darted toward him. "Why are you making such a dramatic scene, Quinn? Just pick me up!"
Then, the world tilted. A flash of chrome, a terrible, tearing sound, and the sudden, jarring realization that a vehicle's performance was, indeed, terrible.
"Milo! Milo..."
"Ouch! Why did you grab me so hard!?" Quinn had scooped me up just as the car slammed into him, shielding me with his body.
Suddenly, a warm, thick liquid soaked my fur. I hated being wet. I looked up. Quinn was lying next to me on the rough, dirty pavement.
"Hey! Say something. Hugh is looking for you. Oh! Hugh is here now! Sit up and be sensible, both of you! This time, you must stop arguing."
The sound of human chaos swelled. "Oh my god, I don't know. He suddenly jumped out, and I couldn't hit the brake!" a frantic voice screamed.
"Take him to the hospital! Hurry up! He is bleeding a lot!"
Hugh was there, his face contorted in a mask of panic I had never seen. "Boss, don't cry! Quinn has not gone anywhere! Why are they taking him away? Hugh, please tell them to keep him here with us."
The hospital, if that was what the dreadful place was, smelled of antiseptic and cold steel. I did not stay long. Someone, not Hugh, but one of the many shocked bystanders, had carried me back to the apartment, ensuring I was safe. They wrapped my throbbing paws and left me alone. My body ached, but the fear was worse than the pain.
Hugh returned hours later. I knew, based on the way his footfalls dragged across the floor and the way he did not even notice me, that the world had ended.
He had not slept for the past two days. He just sat in his chair, staring out the window at the empty sky. The newspapers, the iron clock, the tedious routines, all were meaningless now. I did not understand human death, but I understood absence. I knew when the warm light had gone out of the room.
I had not seen Quinn since the pavement.
I tried. I nudged his motionless hand, rubbing my cheek against his jacket sleeve. "Milo is here for you, Hugh. Just hug me. Why don't you hold me like always? You are behaving strangely. You haven't eaten or even offered me any salmon pate. You must be ravenous. Boss, let us find some food."
He only stirred to speak, his voice a dry whisper. "What should I do, Milo? What should I do?"
"What are you talking about? You should eat, and then you should tell me what is happening. Come on, you can hug me and explain everything."
"What else do I live for? What else is there to live for?"
The words were so strange and terrifying that they cut through my cat like self absorption. This was not just sadness, this was the quiet desperation of a human who felt the floor beneath him had vanished.
"Why are you talking like that, boss? You can live with your Milo. And you can live with Quinn, too! Didn't he promise to take care of us? He said we would be family!"
Hugh looked down at me, his eyes wide and vacant. "How. How can I see you again?"
"See him again? Where has Quinn gone, Hugh? Tell me. Why are you crying again? Did he finally abandon you, just like you feared?"
Hugh did not answer. He just collapsed, burying his face in his hands, shaking with great, wracking sobs. "Quinn, please come back to me..."
The truth hit me, heavy as a fallen book. Hugh's fear had come true. He had pushed Quinn away, believing Quinn would eventually leave for his wealthy family, and instead, he had driven him into the path of a speeding automobile. The guilt, the fear, the pain, it had all converged into this single, broken man.
I, a cat, still could not truly grasp the depth of human grief, but I knew my purpose. Quinn had made Hugh happy. Hugh was not complete without him. Having only me was not enough to save him.
I looked at the window, where the cold rain now streaked the glass, blurring the world outside. My paws hurt, my ears still rang from the screeching tires, but my resolve hardened. I had failed once, running out and causing chaos. I would not fail again.
"Can you wait for me, boss?" I meowed, licking the tear tracks on his jeans. "There will be a time when I will take him home to meet you again. Hugh, please wait for me. I will find him, wherever he has gone. I will bring him back."
I settled onto his lap, a small, trembling anchor in his storm. I knew where Quinn was. He was beyond the boundaries of the house, beyond the reach of the city. I was only a cat, but I had made a promise to the only family I had.
The great quest of Milo, the self important feline, had just begun.
[The End]
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