Maddie groaned and rolled over on the couch, hoping last night was just a dream. The late morning sun was pouring through the blinds of Jazmine’s apartment. She rolled over and replayed the events from yesterday evening, “God I’m such an idiot!” She said into her pillow. Jazmine agreed from the kitchen as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

“I got called into work unfortunately so you need to get your lazy ass together, we leave in 10 min.” She set some coffee down on the counter for Maddie, “I’m going to take Macy out for a quick walk around the block.”

The ride back over to Bennet’s was dreadful, it was the only time in her life she prayed for traffic on a Saturday morning just to prolong the inevitable. As the elevator doors opened into his house she peaked around the corner to see if he was in sight. The coast was clear, she walked briskly to her room, almost making it before Bennet walked around the corner and stopped. She stood awkwardly for what seemed like an eternity.

“Good morning.” She raised her hand in a causal wave only to realize he was dressed in business attire and dragging his suitcase.

“Good Morning, I have to fly to Amsterdam for work, I should be back sometime next week. Vince will be in the office to continue to help you sort through some things if you need it. Janice will also assist in any interviews you schedule for candidates.”

Maddie was sure her face spoke for her but she couldn’t wait a week to apologize to him, “Bennet please I’m sorry! Can we just talk for a minute, I promise I’ll be quick.” He walked past her as he checked his phone.

“Stuart is already waiting for me.” He stopped right before the elevator opened, “You don’t need to apologize Maddie, it didn’t work out and that’s ok. I’m sure you’ll find someone who is more age appropriate and can be what you need.”

And with that he left. Maddie sank to the floor, as tear rolled down her face, she felt like her heart was breaking into a million little pieces.

She tried to go on about her day, she went for a long run on the lakefront to distract herself but she just kept thinking about the times she had run with Bennet. She spent a few hours at her local Humane Society playing with the kittens and helping clean cages but ended up just crying and holding every cat telling it how much she loved it and that she wished she could bring it home.

By the time the sun had set she had cried as much as she could and instead decided to turn her sadness into productivity. She spent time on ideas for the next Larson campaign, went over resumes for an admin and scheduled her boxing classes for the week. If there was one thing she was good at it was multitasking even when she’d rather be elbow deep in some ice-cream.

She was just finishing up her late afternoon snack when she got a call from the company that managed her apartment building.

“Hi Miss Strickland? This is Amy from RRS Management, I wanted to confirm with you that the apartments have been cleared by the health department and fire and safety so you are all set to move back in at your earliest convenience.”

It couldn’t have come at a better time. She was sure Bennet would be thrilled to return home without her in his space. She hadn’t missed living alone like she thought she would, in fact she had grown so accustomed to having Bennet around that she missed him whenever he traveled.

“Not in love,” she said aloud trying to convince herself that all of the little tell-tale signs pointed to friendship and lust but definitely not love.

The next few days at work were busy but she had decided that she would move back to her apartment on Wednesday to be sure she had plenty of time to get back into a routine before Bennet returned. The last thing she wanted was to be running late several days in a row trying to get acclimated back to taking public transportation.

It was Wednesday evening and Maddie had successfully moved her small amount of belongings from Bennet’s house back to her place. She left a small handwritten note on the counter next to the keys he had let her borrow thanking him for his generosity and kindness then she headed back her place. She suddenly had the urge to stop back by the Humane Society she had visited this past weekend. The tubby orange cat she had befriended was still there, looking sad and alone in his cage.

“Excuse me? What’s the adoption process for a cat?” The lady at the front desk looked up over her glasses.

“Here’s a form we need you to fill out, the price depends on the age of the cat and we’d need you to confirm that you have the necessary space and items to care for an animal in your home.”

“I’d like the orange one, I think he’s named Rascal.” The lady looked over the charts on her desk.

“He’s 6 years old so he’s only a $50 fee however we do have a 24 waiting period to verify your information.”

Maddie filled out the forms and grabbed a sheet telling her the things she would need to buy to adopt a cat. She gave Rascal some scratches, promising she’d be back for him soon and headed off to the pet store to get her supplies.