Chapter 3: Fate in Fur and Whiskers

Maybe if I batted my lashes and looked extra pitiful, he’d take pity on me.

Biscuit is already a big cat. He needs to take responsibility for his actions.

As a mother, I can’t spoil my child too much.

I gave Biscuit a stern look, silently promising him a lecture later.

"What, is there a problem?" Ethan’s voice was as cool as ever.

"No problem."

I said it with all the fake confidence I could muster, hoping he wouldn’t notice the tremor in my voice.

It’s just... a bit expensive, and a bit draining.

My savings account was already crying. I did the mental math and realized I’d be living on ramen for the next month.

I instantly lost all the earlier passion and determination. In my mind, I was already calculating my savings.

Maybe I could start a GoFundMe: “Help My Cat Pay Child Support.”

It looks like I don’t even have enough for the change.

I summoned my courage, looked at Ethan, and was just about to play the poor card or act pitiful, when Ethan’s magnetic voice sounded again.

"The company’s been slammed lately. I need someone to help take care of Daisy. If you have time, maybe you could help me with her instead?"

He said it so smoothly, like he’d been planning this all along. My heart did a little flip.

...

I never would’ve thought of that.

Was this his way of keeping me around? Or was I just reading too much into it?

No wonder I’ve been so hung up on Ethan all these years. He always knows how to help you out when you feel most helpless.

He could’ve just asked for the money, but instead, he gave me a way in—a real reason to spend time with him.

Like right now.

At this moment, my feelings for Ethan deepened even more.

I glanced at Biscuit, who seemed to sense the change in the air. Maybe this was the start of something new.

...

After Ethan left, I held Daisy, closed the door, and went back inside. Biscuit was clearly even more excited than I was, trying again and again to climb into my arms.

He kept circling my feet, purring so loudly I thought he might vibrate right through the floor.

"Go on, go on, let your mom calm down for a minute."

I waved him away, needing a second to collect myself. My heart was still racing.

Then, looking at the chubby, adorable Daisy in my arms, I couldn’t resist giving her a gentle nibble. Daisy still carried Ethan’s scent—a faint, fresh, pleasant fragrance.

I buried my nose in her fur, breathing in that clean, woodsy cologne that always lingered around Ethan. It was oddly comforting, and instantly took me back.

That scent—Ethan’s—was exactly the same as the first time I saw him years ago.

A memory flickered in my mind, taking me back to a day I’d never forget.

Back in my freshman year at Northfield University, all the new students had to do ROTC orientation at an old National Guard training base, pulling out all the stops to toughen us up.

The place smelled like sweat, old linoleum, and nerves. The instructors could make you question your life choices with a single whistle.

You can imagine how brutal it was.

We were all city kids, suddenly being barked at by retired sergeants who thought sleep was for the weak.

Just standing at attention every day was enough to make you question your life choices, not to mention the running and drills.

I’d never stood so still for so long in my life. My feet went numb, and my mind wandered to anywhere but that field.

One day, after standing at attention for half an hour, we were finally allowed to rest. A classmate next to me quietly tugged my sleeve, "Harper, you got your period."

My face went redder than a stop sign. I muttered a quick thanks, then made a beeline for the instructor, asking permission to bolt for the restroom.

...

My face turned beet red. After reporting to the instructor, I dashed toward the restroom, head down, as fast as I could.

I kept my eyes glued to the ground, mortified, praying no one would notice.

But because I ran too fast, I didn’t see who was coming out from the other side. With a loud thud, I crashed right into someone’s chest.

The impact sent my books flying. I bounced off something solid—definitely not a wall. I looked up, stunned.

The muffled grunt above my head told me I’d hit him hard.

I was hurting too.

My nose stung, eyes watering. I pressed a hand to my face, feeling like I might cry from embarrassment and pain.

Rubbing my sore nose, eyes brimming with tears, I looked up—and then I heard a voice in my head: Harper, look, this is what they call love at first sight.

The guy I’d crashed into was tall, with that calm, steady presence that made you want to spill your secrets. He looked down at me, concern flickering in his eyes.

The dazzling sunlight shone on the white wall behind Ethan. Bathed in that golden halo, Ethan looked like a god, making you want to give him everything.

It was like a scene out of a movie—the sun, the soft focus, the accidental meet-cute. My heart skipped a beat.

I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

For a second, the world shrank to just the two of us. I knew, right then, that this was a moment I’d replay in my mind for years.

...

Back in the lineup, I was lost in thought, secretly nursing this crush, occasionally sneaking glances around, hoping to spot him again among the crowd in camo.

I couldn’t help myself—every time someone walked by, I’d crane my neck, hoping for another glimpse.

Unfortunately, until the end of orientation, I never saw him again.

It was as if fate had given me a taste and then slammed the door shut.

Later, I saw Ethan again in a side-profile photo my roommate secretly snapped on her phone.

She’d caught him walking across campus, sunlight glinting off his hair. I recognized him instantly.

In the girls’ dorm, gossip about campus heartthrobs was never in short supply.

The group chat was always popping with updates about who’d seen who at the dining hall or the gym.

Of course, except for the guy I’d fallen for at first sight, I wasn’t interested in anyone else. But my roommate kept shoving her phone in my face.

She was relentless—“Harper, look! He’s even hotter up close!”

Just one look, and that voice in my heart piped up again.