Rey finds a lost cat and discovers something she never expected in her effort to get him home.
Written for the ficwip5k on Tumblr
Rey Smith sat in the comfortably padded chair on the front porch of the Skywalker house, enjoying the cool evening breeze as it blew gently from the southwest. It had been a hot day, but that made the coming night that much more beautiful to her, with the crickets and locusts singing. It was a lovely, quiet neighborhood, and Rey was going to enjoy every second of the time she stayed here in this house.
Rey herself lived downtown, surrounded by pavement, in a little apartment above a second-hand clothing store. The tiny AC unit she had was not keeping up with the heat, so she had been overjoyed when her former college professor and his wife had asked her to housesit for them while they were in Europe for six weeks. She felt like she was living like a queen, and the money they were paying her was all going directly to her savings account. Her job as a mechanic at the Jakku Motors Auto Servicing Department didn’t pay nearly enough for her to continue taking classes at the University, but this job would help.
She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She was tired after a hard day at work, but it was Friday, and she had the weekend off. She planned to do a little weeding in Mara’s garden, even though she had not been asked to. Mara hadn’t expected her to do anything but keep the flowers watered, but Rey loved working with plants. Though she also enjoyed working on engines for the most part, gardening didn’t feel like work to her, and the smell of dirt was far better than oil.
A scratching noise off to her right caught her attention. She opened her eyes and turned her head to look toward the detached garage, and her eyes widened as she caught sight of the cat in the window. It was a big orange tabby with a white chest, nose, and feet. He was pawing at the window, his eyes focused on her, his mouth open as if it was meowing. Or panting.
“Shit!” Rey said as she jumped up from the chair. It had to be hot in there, and she had not gone inside since she came to the house to stay three days ago, which meant that cat had been locked in there for at least three days! It didn’t matter that Luke and Mara didn’t have a cat, she had to get him out and get him some water!
She skipped down the side steps and walked the short, paved path to the door of the garage. As she did so, the cat jumped down from the window and disappeared. She wondered if it was hiding from her or if it would meet her at the door. She opened the door and the cat, still panting, immediately slipped out and started twining himself around her bare feet and ankles.
“Oh, you poor thing!” she said as she picked him up, happy he wasn’t scared or upset. She didn’t want him running off before she got him hydrated and she didn’t want to get scratched getting him inside the house. She carried him up the steps and to the front door, then took him inside. Though she had turned off the central air conditioning as soon as the outside temperature reached a comfortable point, the internal temperature of the house was still cooler than the outside. She set the cat down when she reached the kitchen and opened the cupboard to pull out a bowl. The cat continued to rub against her legs. “You are a friendly thing,” she said as she filled the bowl with water. “I bet someone is missing you!” He wasn’t particularly skinny, either, she thought with a smile.
Rey set the bowl down and as she hoped the cat began to drink happily from it. She watched him for a while, then moved to sit at the small kitchen table, pulling her phone out of the back pocket of her cut-off jean shorts. “Let’s see if we can find out where you belong.” She went on Facebook and searched for the local lost pet page, which just happened to be moderated by a friend of hers, Rose Tico. She didn’t have to scroll far when a picture of a cat that looked just like the one in front of her appeared. Its date was from four days ago.
Reward!!!! My cat BB slipped out the front door when one of the movers came back in unexpectedly. He is not only strictly a house cat, but we just moved here so neither of us have any familiarity with the neighborhood. He is super friendly but was very scared when he ran. I have his litter box on the front porch as was suggested to help him find his way home but no luck so far.
Update: Still no luck! Please help me find my boy!
The update was from today, Rey noticed. She quickly took a picture of the cat, who was now sitting calmly next to the water bowl, his eyes half shut, looking quite content. Then she clicked on the link of the person who had posted looking for him.
Poe Dameron.
There was very little on his profile page, indicating his privacy settings were tight, but there was a post similar to the one on the pet finder page, publicly asking for help to find his cat. His profile picture was of several men in ACUs and the cover photo was a fighter jet, so she gathered he was probably a military pilot who had just been transferred to the Air Force Base just outside of town. She clicked on his message link.
I think I found your cat! He was trapped in the garage of the place I am housesitting. He was hot and thirsty, but he is where it is cool now and has had some water and seems fine.
She sent the picture she took along with the message. It didn’t take long to get a response.
OMG! That looks like him! Where are you?
She gave him the address, her instincts telling her the guy was legit and just wanted his cat back.
That’s just the next block over! Can I please come get him, or can you meet me somewhere?
She appreciated that he gave her options.
You can come here. I wouldn’t want to risk him running off again if I take him out of the house. He doesn’t seem upset, but you never know.
Absolutely! Thank you so much! I’m on my way!
It was less than ten minutes later when she heard the knock on the front door. She was not prepared for what she saw when she opened it.
He was freaking gorgeous! He was a few years older than her and not much taller. His thick black hair was in a military approved style but not excessively short, and his brown eyes were expressive and… kind. She couldn’t think of any other word. He didn’t look like a pilot, to be honest, but then her friend Finn didn’t look like a nurse. He was in jeans and a black Metallica t-shirt, and he was carrying a cat carrier.
She realized she was staring at him, and as she mentally shook herself, she realized he was staring right back at her. He blinked.
“Uh, hi.”
She smiled. “Hi.” She stepped aside. “Come in.” As he moved past her, she introduced herself. “I’m Rey.”
He nodded, then held out his hand. “Poe.”
Just then, the cat came trotting out of the kitchen, a long, piteous meow emanating from him as he moved.
“BB!” Poe grinned, setting down the carrier and moving to pick up the cat, who immediately started purring.
Rey watched, more than a little astounded. While she had never had a pet of her own, she had volunteered at the shelter and had taken care of friend’s animals through the years. “I’ve never seen a cat act like that,” she said. “He acts more like a dog!”
Poe laughed softly as he rubbed BB’s ears. “He was a barn cat when I got him. The owner was selling the place and rehoming all the cats, so I took him.”
“Barn?” Rey perked up.
He nodded. “I used to ride with the Equestrian Team at the Academy,” he explained. “I try and find a barn to ride at whenever I can. Eventually, I want to get my own horse, but it’s much easier moving with a cat when I’m transferred.” He looked down at BB. “Except when they slip out the door and get locked in the neighbor’s garage.”
Rey laughed. “I love horses. And cats. I can’t have any animals of my own.”
He frowned at her. “Why not?”
“The place I live doesn’t allow pets and I couldn’t financially support a horse.”
He looked around the living room they were standing in, his eyebrows high.
“Oh, this place isn’t mine!” she told him, reading his expression. “I’m just house sitting for a few weeks.”
His expression cleared and he nodded. They stood in silence for a while, the only sounds being the crickets outside and BB’s purring. Poe swallowed. “I’ll just get out of your hair.” He turned and squatted down, pushing BB into the carrier. The cat complained a bit, but didn’t fight his dad. Poe stood and reached into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet. “I promised a reward…”
“No!” Rey said, shaking her head. “I don’t expect anything. I’m just very glad he’s okay.”
Poe watched her, brow furrowed once more. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “Absolutely sure,” she said. “Just get him home safe.”
He put the wallet back in the pocket of his jeans. Rey couldn’t help but notice how good said jeans looked on his generous hips. Her gaze strayed and she immediately looked away, chastising herself internally. She met his gaze. He had his head cocked and was looking at her with a soft smile, his lids slightly lowered. Bedroom eyes, she thought. God, it was insane that a man could look this good.
“If you won’t take a reward, then maybe you’ll let me take you out to dinner sometime.”
It took a moment for Rey to process the words. “What?”
“As a thank you,” he continued. “And maybe more.” He paused. “If… I mean if you’re interested.”
He was actually asking her out! She blinked. Say something, Rey!
She cleared her throat. “I… would like that.”
He smiled suddenly, and Rey felt her breath catch. She hadn’t thought he could get any more attractive. He reached in his front pocket this time and pulled out his phone. “Let’s exchange numbers and I’ll give you a call tomorrow and we’ll figure out a time. You can choose the place, ‘cause I’ve spent the few days I’ve been here looking for Yahoo here,” he nodded at the cat carrier, “instead of getting to know the town.”
Rey giggled, then pulled out her phone as well. They exchanged numbers, then Poe picked up the carrier. “Okay, I’ll call you tomorrow, early afternoon. Is that okay?”
“Yeah,” Rey nodded. “I’ll look forward to showing you around.”
His eyes lit up as he grinned. “Me, too!” He turned and headed for the front door.
She moved past him to open the door for him and watched him walk down the porch steps. She didn’t see a car parked in the street and realized he must have walked here from his house. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” she called.
He looked back, still grinning. “Tomorrow. Goodnight, Rey!”
“Goodnight, Poe!”
As he reached the now darkened sidewalk and turned to head south, she saw him bend over the carrier and talk to the cat inside.
“Thank you, buddy!”
THE END
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