AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I booped Spud's nose through the netting of his carrier. He was staring, wide eyed, examining the bits of the world that came into his line of sight.
Billie waved from a set of main floor windows as I pulled up.
“Ready, Spuddy? You have to be on your best behaviour, okay?”
He didn’t respond beyond looking at me, slow-blinking to show his love. I carried him up to the front door, and it opened before I had a chance to knock.
“You’re here!” Billie crashed against me in a hug. Their purple curls were up in a high ponytail that bounced with their movement, and their face was free of makeup, body dressed in indigo shorts and a black tank top. “Roscoe is chilling with Gabe so your little prince can wander to his heart's content during his visit.”
The entryway had hanging plants and a gilded mirror as tall as me. I wasn’t sure what to do in the face of such a luxury.
I set the carrier down and removed my shoes, letting Spud gain his freedom when Billie closed the door behind us. I’d put him in a harness with an extendable leash just so that I wouldn’t lose him in some nook or cranny.
“Your home is gorgeous.”
“Thanks! It used to belong to my grandparents. We’ve spiffed it up since moving in.”
“I feel a little out of place being somewhere so fancy.”
“Don’t worry, that’ll go away.” Billie grinned. “Would you like the grand tour first, or breakfast?”
“How about a partial tour of the main floor? At least show me where the bathroom is.”
Billie laughed and waved me in further. Spud was sniffing away at everything, but a gentle tug on his leash had him trotting along beside me. To the left of the entrance was a large dining room enclosed with double French doors, and sporting what looked like an antique table big enough to fit twenty. Next was the kitchen that equaled my entire one bedroom apartment for size. White cupboards filled the space with light and a shimmering backsplash of white, gold, and black tied things together with the black granite island in the centre that was as big as a king-sized bed. A huge raised countertop matched the island, and had white leather bar seating.
Tony was at work at the stove, dressed in red lounge pants and a fitted white T-shirt that showed off his lean muscles. He turned to greet me with a little wave. “You made it! I just started cooking. What can I get you to drink? We have a super fancy machine so I can try my hand at pretty much anything.”
“Maybe a matcha latte?” I suggested.
“Hana's favourite,” Tony said. “Coming right up.”
Billie tugged me along, and Spud followed, rubbing against everything within reach and sniffing excitedly. A kitchen table sat in the soft afternoon light with a round bouquet of white roses in the center. The absolutely massive living room took up most of the remaining space on the main floor with a giant square of dark grey couches, bigger in all directions than a king-sized bed, where the centre was all filled in like one huge nest of pillows and blankets.
“No TV?” I asked.
“Projector,” said Billie. “The screen drops down from the ceiling.”
I choked a little. “You have a living room theatre?!”
“Uh, yeah. How else are we supposed to have epic movie nights?”
That was definitely the question of a person who had grown up in wealth.
Billie waved me over and showed me the deck that seemed to wrap around the entire back of the building and overlooked a backyard filled with flowers, lounge chairs, and a hot tub, as well as a covered gazebo.
“Holy shit,” I whispered to myself.
Billie giggled. “There's not much else on the main floor except for the pantry and the guest bath. Come on, I'll show you.”
Spud and I followed them and they swung open the door on what I assumed would be a powder room, but turned out to be a bathroom with marble floors and walls, a glassed in shower I could probably fit a dozen adults standing without touching, and a clawfoot tub.
“This feels like a five star hotel.” I scooped up Spud and kissed his little head just to anchor myself in the moment. He purred away as I scratched his chin.
“Upstairs is all of the bedrooms and the basement is all of our recreation spaces,” Billie explained. “Let's get you some breakfast. I bet Spud would like to nap on the couch.”
We backtracked, and I set Spud down on the giant couch nest, hooking the handle of his leash under the foot of one of the side tables to keep him somewhat secured. He curled up, completely unbothered, and I let Billie take me back to the kitchen.
Tony set down a steaming cup for me when we both came to lean on the island to watch him.
