The fact that Mitch had gotten any sleep at all was nothing short of a miracle. He was almost positive that it was his body’s response to the stress that had threatened to actually kill him if he didn’t settle down. His heart was already faulty enough, after all; two open-heart surgeries and an ugly ass scar down his sternum were proof of that.

But he was awake well before the alarm went off, and was careful to avoid waking Jodie as he went about getting ready for the day. Unfortunately, the bathroom was occupied before he could get to it, so he waited on the top step of the stairwell and messed around with his phone. Thus far, Calvin hadn’t tried to change the time they’d agreed upon, which was a genuine surprise. Not that he needed to be present; if anything, it’d be preferable if they didn’t see one another at all. He still wasn’t sure how to avoid having Avi getting involved with any of this, short of attempting to convince him that his ex was Actual Satan.

While he strategized, Estrella, the ragdoll cat that Jodie had inherited from her grandmother, rubbed up against Mitch’s side and squeaked. “Hey there,” Mitch held his knuckles out and allowed her to brush against them. “You hungry?”

Estrella squeaked in response, so Mitch slowly stood and the cat perked up, alternating between purrs and frantic chirps. But before he’d even taken a step downstairs, the door to the bathroom swung open; the shower must have stopped running while he was paying attention to Estrella.

In the doorway stood Avi with steam pouring out from behind him and a towel wrapped around his waist. His hair was damp, and beads of water trailed down his bare chest. “Oh, hey!” he greeted cheerfully, and Mitch opted to look down and stare at Estrella instead. “I just gotta get dressed, and then we can go. Wait, did you eat already?”

“It’s cool, take your time, gotta feed the cat,” Mitch spoke simultaneously. Then, once the words registered, he answered the question with, “No, but I’m not hungry.”

“Well, I just got back from a run and I’m starving.” Avi walked towards his bedroom, then paused to ask. “Do you mind if we grab something on the way?”

“That’s fine,” Mitch agreed, desperate to move on from this situation, scuttled into the bathroom and locked the door behind him. As much as he wanted to get in and out of Connecticut as soon as possible, finally be able to move on with his life, he wasn’t about to make such demands with the person that was doing him a selfless favor. He took a leak, then brushed his teeth and applied deodorant and, after some debate, splashed on some cologne. Not that he was trying to make himself appealing, especially not for Calvin (if anything, it’d be smarter to be as unpalatable as possible); but Avi was about to be stuck in the car with him for six hours, so it seemed like the courteous thing to do. At the very least, he’d taken a shower right before going to bed, and the new clothing he’d picked up while out shopping with Jodie was freshly laundered, so he knew that he wasn’t rancid. He was presentable, even.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

When he was at last satisfied with his preening, Mitch followed the impatient cat downstairs, to where her food dishes were located. On the way to the kitchen, he’d had a rare encounter with Mia, Victor’s girlfriend’s daughter and the 4th member of this half of the duplex. The two exchanged brief pleasantries: he inquired about how college was going, and she asked about his arm. Once she’d taken her leave to head over to one of her jobs, Mitch savored the fact that he’d been able to complete a normal human interaction with minimal awkwardness. With any luck, he could survive the long car ride ahead.

A fresh can of wet food was opened and a fork was retrieved from the drawer, and half of its contents were scooped into one dish. As Estrella scarfed that down, Mitch poured some kibble into the other dish, then gently scratched the base of her tail, causing her rear end to lift up like a wave’s crest. Wanting to do his damnedest to be thoughtful, he’d started to dig through the cabinets for a bag of coffee to make a pot while he waited. Alas, footsteps that could be heard from the dining room distracted him from his mission, and Avi surfacing with a tight tank top and chino shorts didn’t exactly help him focus any better.

“Has the cat always been here?” Avi asked, his eyes glued to the ragdoll and was clearly amused by her presence. “I’ve never seen it before!”

“Yeah, Estrella’s just shy. That’s all.” It was the truth. The poor cat had always been skittish, and everyone had assumed that it was due to the same genetic defect that made her cross-eyed and unable to meow. However, Estrella seemed to have taken her previous owner’s passing just as hard as Victor and Jodie were, eventually escalating to a point where Jodie needed to take her to the vet and get a prescription for an appetite stimulant when she’d stopped eating. When Mitch visited for those few weeks, partially to keep an eye on Jodie but also because it was yet another never-ending rough patch with Calvin, he’d become the unfortunate participant in the spectacle of trying to pill a cat.

In retrospect, if he’d just faced down the inevitable and called it off then, he could have moved up here sooner and even had his own room instead of making do with sharing Jodie’s bed. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Toby and Calvin still would have slept together, but at least Mitch wouldn’t have been cheated on, so that wouldn’t be dangling over his head every waking moment.

And. He could have gotten clean sooner.

Should have, could have, would have. Who the fuck actually knew for certain. Instead, he did what he always did, and returned to the familiar the moment that the opportunity presented itself. It had always been safer to take the path that was well-tread, because he could handle getting hurt when he could anticipate and brace for it. The unknown path had almost cost him everyone and everything that he’d ever loved. The unknown path had nearly gotten him killed. Now, the only risks that he took were in the ring, and even that confidence had been shaken.

“She?” asked Avi, dragging Mitch right out of his spiraling thoughts and back into the present.

“She,” Mitch confirmed, curious how Avi could tell, then concluded that the name was feminine sounding.

“Well, she’s very cute,” Avi spoke as though he was addressing a small girl showing off a new dress; unlike a small girl, Estrella simply continued to chow down. Her tail flicked, and Mitch wondered if that was anything.

“I’m sure she appreciates the compliment,” Mitch softly chuckled.

“I sure hope so,” Avi commented with a gentle tone and bright smile. “Anyway, ready to hit the road?”

“I think…” Mitch paused, abandoning the coffee endeavor altogether in favor of gathering himself. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”