Page 32 of People Skills

Rex blinks but doesn’t move.

‘Fine. I will just put it on this plate and turn my back and…’

I turn away to the sink, pretending to be busy, but watching him out of the corner of my eye. His eyes remain on me. He can’t be fooled. He knows I’m still watching.

‘You’re too clever for me,’ I say.

‘Hi,’ Xavier says from the doorway, causing me to jump and slosh sink water on myself.

‘Sorry,’ he says. ‘I knocked when I walked in, but you mustn’t have heard.’

‘You don’t need to knock. You live here, you pay rent.’

Xavier bends down to pat Rex.

‘He hates me,’ I say.

‘He’s a cat. He can’t hate.’

‘He is not a normal cat. He’s different.’

‘Shhhh. He can hear you.’

‘So you admit it, he’s listening and he understands.’ I should be spelling out words because I am afraid Rex has heard me say too much already.

‘He does seem to have a higher level of intelligence than other cats.’

‘He wants me gone, I can tell. I was here first, buddy,’ I say.

‘He is just deciding whether to trust you.’

‘I offered him chicken and—’ I turn and look at the plate. It’s empty. ‘Oh. He ate it.’

‘See? He likes you.’

I can tell from Xavier’s face he doesn’t believe this. Rex isn’t a cat that likes people. Liking people is dog behaviour. It’s pathetic. Rex uses people until they no longer suit his purpose and then he eats them as they sleep, probably.

‘Hmm,’ I say.

‘Are you making chicken for dinner?’ Xavier says.

‘No,’ I say, evasive.

He looks at all the food containers I have laid out. ‘Oh. You’re meal-prepping.’

‘Yes,’ I say.

He picks up a lid, spins it absent-mindedly in his hand, and then notices what is written on it. AGGIE MONDAY.

‘No,’ he says, putting the lid down and picking up the next one.

AGGIE TUESDAY.

‘You are meal-prepping for Mum’s dog?’

‘Aggie has a lot of skin allergies that are triggered by food. She needs a specific diet.’

He opens his mouth, and I hold up a hand.