Neko Triology | 3 - A Feline Final

Written by LaylaTF | Published at the 02.04.2019 | MtF Hybrid MC | 3 3343

Tags: Neko Catgirl Cat Girl Transgender Tg Tf feminin

!! DISCLAIMER: This story was not written by me. It was written by another person who deleted his account on DeviantArt. Im not sure if I should mention him or not because I don't know if he deleted all of the stories because he doesn't want to be associated with it anymore. Sadly he didn't answer on my attempts to contact him. But I love this story so much that I think it has to be online and readable !!

It was one of the things I’d been looking forward to most since becoming the girl I always was. The infinite bastion of female companionship and privacy. The ultimate moments of bonding. And, of course, the cuddles.

I was at a sleepover!

I was sharing a giant cuddle with my best friend in the world, Kate, while all of us watched a movie on the TV in her room. Alex, Jane, and Kelly were sprawled out around the room in their sleeping bags, while I shared Kate’s bed with her. I’d have to retreat to my own sleeping bag eventually, but Kate wasn’t in any hurry to let me go, especially since all of us were still awake. I snuggled further into our embrace, almost content enough to start purring.

Suddenly, a face popped up on the other side of the bed. “Boo!”

I squealed in surprise, avoiding jumping off the bed by clutching Kate harder. Alex, my scarer, started laughing with glee.

“Hey!” I huffed.

“That never gets old,” she winked. The other girls started laughing with her. They seemed surprised when I started to smile.

“I wonder which of you will fall asleep first?” I asked innocently.

“I think you will,” Kelly chimed.

I giggled. “I don’t know… that scare will keep me awake for a while!”

Alex pursed her lips. “In that case… Jane’s due for sleepytime first!”

“I am not!” she protested, immediately betraying her confidence with a yawn.

“Come onnnn, Nikki! Start cuddling with her. Purr her to sleep!” Kelly insisted.

I stuck my tongue out at them. “Nah, I’m comfy enough up here.”

Alex giggled. “Sure, keep lezzing it up with Kate.”

I just snuggled into Kate again. “Maybe I will!”

“Kate, you’re being awfully quiet over there,” Kelly noticed.

“It was fun enough listening to you talk,” she said with a smile, “besides, Nikki over here is crushing a lung with how hard she’s hugging me!”

I loosened my grip. “Sorry.”

Kate patted my head. “I was just joking, girlfriend.”

I licked her in retaliation.

After our laugh at that, Jane spoke up. “So, Kate. What’s next?”

She yawned. “I dunno. I’m actually starting to get tired.”

“Oh no you’re not! It’s not even midnight yet!” Kelly said.

Kate laughed, sticking her tongue out at Kelly, “Okay, you got me,” she grinned, then turned to me, “but I think you should be asking Nikki that instead!”

My ears perked up at that. “What?”

She giggled. “Don’t you remember? This sleepover is for you, silly!”

My ears went flat. Only Kate knew the reason that she threw this party! I didn’t want her to tell everyone else! When Kate saw my distress, she hugged me.

“Hey, now. I’m not telling anyone. Okay?” she whispered, soft enough that only I could hear. I let out a small sigh of relief.

“Then… why don’t we all cuddle?” I asked, much to the amusement of the girls.

“You would suggest that,” Alex said.

I giggled. “I’m just kidding. What I’m really thinking is that our nails are way too plain! Let’s fix that.”

“Sounds good to me!” Kelly chimed.

“Ditto!” called Jane.

“Majority rules!” I grinned.

Kate laughed. “I’ll go get my polish.”

Once Kate got back, we started doing each other’s nails. Mine ended up in an ivory color, which went well with my silver hair. It ended up being the last activity of the night, because Jane couldn’t quite stay awake through the entire thing. We made sure to draw on her face a bit before moving to follow suit. Soon enough, Alex and Kelly were all conked out, but Kate and I weren’t ready to go just yet. We were cuddling on her bed again, whispering a conversation to each other.

“So, how was your first sleepover?” she asked.

“…Perfect,” I sighed.

“And now you’re back to normal from all the crazy you ran into,” she said.

I giggled. “Crazy?”

“What? Who would have guessed that your heat and your period would piggyback each other?”

“It makes sense, you know.”

“It still sucks.”

“I know! The worst part is that it’s probably going to start again in two weeks!”

Kate stroked my hair. “Don’t worry, Nikki. You’ll catch the signs this time.”

“I sure hope so,” I said softly, snuggling into Kate further. She giggled.

“Does my boob make a good pillow?” she asked.

“Uh huh,” I grinned.

“Well, I’m glad you find me useful for something,” Kate said amusingly. She continued to stroke my hair until I started purring. After a few moments, she yawned. “Wow, your purring really does put people to sleep.”

“You’re not the only one,” I said, yawning myself. I closed my eyes, feeling myself start to drift off.

“Heeeey, you have to get into your sleeping bag…”

I was fast asleep before I could finish listening to what she was saying.

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“Look at them! They’re so cute together!”

“Shh! You’ll wake them up!”

“Has Nikki been purring all night?”

I let out a yawn as I became more aware of my surroundings.

“Oh, we’re too late. Let’s leave the lovebirds alone,” I heard Alex’s voice say. My eyes fluttered open to find that I was still holding on to Kate. A blush rose to my cheeks when I realized that we had slept in each other’s arms. I couldn’t help but smile, though. That was the most wonderful sleep I’d ever had. I was feeling particularly loving, so I decided to have some fun with her. I began licking her cheek repeatedly, resisting a giggle when she started to squirm slightly.

“…That tickles,” she said in her half-awake state. It took a few more seconds for her eyes to finally flutter open themselves. I stopped when she stopped blinking.

“Good morning!” I chimed.

Kate rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. “Nikki?”

“Yes?”

“Nikki!” she suddenly yelled, “What are you doing?”

“Licking you,” I said innocently.

She sighed. “Mom’s going to kill us when she finds out we slept together…”

I frowned. “I’m sorry.”

“No, I guess it was kind of my fault. I was the one who started you purring,” she sighed again, “well, it’s too late to worry now. “

I squirmed out of my grasp of her and finally performed my morning stretch. A short moan escaped my mouth as I smiled, officially ready for the day. Kate smiled back. “You look like you had a good sleep.”

“I had the best sleep!” I gushed, “I think it was because I was holding you. I never got nervous because I wasn’t touching someone!”

“I’m glad that at least one of us got a good deal out of this little incident,” Kate said somewhat humorously.

I pouted. “You enjoyed it too.” I said as a statement of fact.

Kate gave me a glare. “You know me too well. Okay, it was nice to hold someone all night.”

“Uh huh!” I chimed, getting into my clothes. Kate did the same behind me and then surprised me with a hug.

“Only one more week until Spring Break!” she cheered.

“I can’t wait,” I smiled. It was a time honored tradition for Kate and I to spend most of Spring Break together. This time, we could finally hit the beach as a pair of girls!

“Is your bikini ready?” Kate asked, eyebrows bouncing.

I giggled. “Definitely! It did take a while to find one that had room for my tail though…”

“You’re going to look great,” she assured me.

“It’s going to be great!” I replied.

“Now, come on. Let’s get you downstairs before the girls start getting funny ideas,” Kate said, gently pushing me out of her room.

“Um, I think it’s too late for that,” I giggled.

“Yes, yes, they saw us sleeping,” she said. I wondered why she suddenly wasn’t so angry about that. Down the stairs we went, to face three laughing girls.

“Oh, they’re here!” Kelly said.

“Quiet!” Alex followed. Jane just smiled.

“Morning!” I waved.

“I see you took your time getting up,” Alex said.

“Well, you only managed to wake me up with your awwws,” I said, pointing to my ears, “I had to lick Kate awake.”

“Oh, that must have been hilarious!” Jane cried.

“We get licks too, right?” Kelly pleaded.

“Of course!” I chimed, giving the trio what they asked for. We were caught in a fit of giggling until Kate harrumphed.

“I know you’d all love to stay, but my Mom’s expecting company today,” she told us. She also told us last night, so this wasn’t a surprise. I walked up and gave her a hug.

“I’ll see you tomorrow at school then,” I grinned. The rest of the girls followed in their hugs.

“Bye everyone!” Kate called out, just before we all left. Alex was nice enough to drive all of us to Kate’s house, and she would also get us home. Jane and I got into the back seat of her sedan while Kelly rode shotgun. Right as we started moving, Jane turned to me.

“So, Nikki. How was your first sleepover with our little group?” she asked.

Alex snickered. “I think it was more with Kate than anyone else!”

I blushed. “I didn’t mean for that to happen, I swear!”

“I know. You’re just too much fun to mess with,” Alex grinned.

“So I’ve noticed,” I giggled.

“You know, she’d probably stop if you didn’t take it so well,” Kelly said.

“Then it’s a good thing I do!” I said with a smile.

“Nikki, sometimes I swear you’re too nice for your own good,” Jade remarked.

“It’s not like she was any different as Kyle,” Alex said. I froze at that.

“Um, what?” I asked.

“Oh, whoops,” Alex suddenly sounded regretful, “I spoke without thinking there…”

“So… you know?” I asked meekly. I didn’t think my ears could possibly go any flatter.

“We figured it out almost immediately,” Kelly explained, “Only you were ever that close to Kate… and she certainly wouldn’t be that close to a girl on her first day of school.”

“We just put two and two together.” Jade finished.

“But, why didn’t you tell me that you knew?” I asked.

Alex shrugged. “Because we don’t care!”

My mouth fell open. My voice almost came out as a squeak. “R-Really?”

Jane put her hand on mine. “Of course.”

“But… we hardly ever talked when I was Kyle,” I continued.

“You were too shy to make the effort,” Kelly answered, “and it was kind of hard not to notice that you’re happier now than you ever were as Kyle.”

I blinked, my eyes watering. Since she was closest to me, Jane pulled me into as much of a hug as our seatbelts would allow. “I love you guys,” I said softly.

Alex laughed. “There’s the Nikki we know and love.”

I smiled, my tears of happiness still falling. In the span of just a few minutes, I grew to feel so much closer to my friends. Maybe, we could one day share what Kate and I shared. That unbreakable bond that I was sure would bind us forever.

By the time Alex finished driving to my home, I had calmed down. After hugging everyone goodbye, I trotted out of the car and opened the front door. I didn’t immediately see my parents, so I went upstairs and deposited my things before going to look for them. I found Daddy first, and he seemed to be on his way to the garage. I walked up and hugged him from behind.

“Good morning Daddy,” I said happily. He turned himself around and rubbed the top of my head.

“Good morning kitten,” he answered, “how was your sleepover?”

“It was fun!” I chimed.

“Good to hear,” he chuckled, “now, I was about to go do some work in the garage. Would you like to help your old man out?”

“I’d love to. I’ll be right down in some jeans,” I gushed, hugging him again. True to my word, I was right up and down. I also switched my heels for some sneakers, even though they had heels too. I just needed my toes to be covered.

By the time I got to the garage, Daddy was already preparing to work on our Beetle. We recently finished working on the engine itself, so there really wasn’t that much left to do. It was mostly a matter of repainting it and making sure everything we had already done was holding up correctly. Instead of getting dirty with the tools, we ran benchmarks on the little car, smiling when we realized that it was almost ready.

“Looks like all you need to do is finish getting your license,” Daddy said, mirroring my thoughts exactly.

“I can’t wait,” I told him. I waited for him to put down the diagnostic equipment before hugging him once more. “Thank you for doing this with me.”

“It was a pleasure working with you, kitten,” he said softly. I held him tighter for a moment before letting go.

“I think I’m going to go find Mom and then get ready for my date tonight,” I continued. Daddy chuckled.

“You do that,” he said, “and make sure John comes in for a bit before taking you out, okay?”

“Are you going to grill him?” I asked.

Daddy smiled. “Now, that is a father’s secret.”

I giggled. “Okay. I won’t ask, then. I’m off!”

“I’ll finish cleaning up here. Tell your mother I’ll be right in, okay?”

“I will!” I chimed, before dashing back into the house, easily finding Mom reading a book in the living room. She looked up when she heard me walk in.

“Good morning!” I told her, bouncing on my toes slightly.

“Good morning, sweetie,” she replied, “how was your sleepover?”

“It was great. I was just helping Daddy out in the garage for a while. I’m sorry for not finding you first.”

Mom laughed. “It’s quite okay. I slept in a little.”

“Oh,” I said, “that explains why I didn’t see you at first.”

She smiled. “Why don’t we prepare some lunch for your father when he finishes cleaning up in the garage?”

“That sounds wonderful,” I said, following her to the kitchen. We prepared something simple, but Daddy appreciated our effort, making sure we knew that we were his favorite two girls in the world. I made sure to disappear before my parents started kissing. Now that lunch was finished, it was only a few hours until John arrived to pick me up. We were just doing a simple dinner and a movie, but it was the first genuine date he had ever asked me on. I was so excited!

But, of course, I was torn over just what to wear. I really wanted to wear a dress, but it didn’t fit the event. Skirts were definitely in order then! But, I just had to wear a dress! I broke down and chose one of my more casual ones, a soft yellow sundress. Yellow, after all, had the unique property of really making my eyes pop!

Once that dilemma was solved, I went through the rest of the motions in getting ready and then went to see Mom again. She smiled warmly at me, softly cupping my face.

“Oh, there she is. My beautiful daughter, going on her very first date,” she almost sighed, “you look perfect, sweetie.”

I blushed. “I think it’s about time he finally asked me properly, though!” I answered, trying to make light of the situation. It seemed to work, as Mom smiled again.

“He’s just being a little shy. Just humor him, okay?” she asked.

“Actually, I think it’s just that he really isn’t the dating type. We’ve spent a lot of time together and it’s obvious to us that we like each other, but we didn’t need a formal date to figure that out,” I said.

“Then why do you think he asked now?”

I smiled, suddenly realizing something. “He wants a great excuse for our first kiss!”

Mom chuckled. “Is that so?”

I blushed again. “Well, there have been times where we got really close, and…”

“Then you might be right. Do you trust him enough to show that much affection?” she asked gently.

“Only up to first base!” I grinned again.

“I’m sure your father would be delighted to hear that,” Mom grinned right back.

“Oh, I don’t know. I thought I saw him twitch the last time John hugged me,” I joked.

Mom laughed out loud at that one. “Oh, you!”

I smiled innocently. “Who, me?”

Mom kissed my cheek. “Your date will be here soon. Let’s go find your father.”

“Sounds good to me,” I chimed. I could use another good hug from my Daddy before leaving. We found him in short order, but my hug was interrupted by the doorbell ringing. I volunteered to answer it and was all smiles when I found John standing at the door.

“Good evening,” he said, smiling himself.

“Hi John! Please, come in,” I said, stepping out of the way. I closed the door behind him as he walked in. I led him to the living room, where my parents were.

“Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Leona,” he told them. We both sat down with my parents after they returned his greeting.

“If you don’t mind, we’d like to ask a few questions about your night,” Daddy said.

John suddenly realized what was going on. I was sure they’d go easy on him. They liked him too. “Not at all,” he replied.

“They’re quite simple, really,” Daddy continued, “we’d just like to know where you’ll be tonight.”

“I’m going to take Nikki into town for our reservation at Seaside Cuisine, and then we’ll go to the Trillium Theater a couple of blocks away,” he said. I had to stop my mouth from gaping open at his restaurant choice. I’d never been there myself since it was relatively expensive, but I’d heard that the food there was heavenly! I think Mom noticed my small effort, because she smiled first.

“It looks like Nikki approves of your restaurant choice. I think she’s drooling!” she said.

I let out an audible “Eep!” as a hand flew to my mouth. “I was not drooling!” I squealed. The entire room erupted into laughter. John and Daddy soon stood up and shook hands.

“I leave my daughter in your capable hands,” he said, “take care of her, okay?”

John nodded. “I will.”

Daddy then glanced at me. “Be home by 10, okay? It is a school night, after all.”

10? That was hours away! “I’ll have her home by 9:30,” John answered for me. Daddy’s small nod of approval showed that he definitely said the right thing.

“Have fun, you two,” Mom finished. I gave both of my parents hugs before leaving the house with John.

“You look beautiful tonight, Nikki,” John told me before we got to his car.

I blushed deeply. “Thank you. You’re looking quite handsome yourself.”

He smiled. “I must say… if you look this good in a casual dress, I can’t wait to see how you look at the Spring Fling.”

“Are you asking me?” I hinted coyly.

“One might say that,” he said, being coy right back.

“Then it’s a date!” I grinned, cutting the conversation short by getting into his car. It was a nice little Ford Focus, but my Beetle was better. Then again, I was biased toward the cute little bug. John flashed me another smile before starting on our way to Seaside Cuisine. Knowing that he chose the restaurant more for me than for him swelled my affection toward him just that much more. He was certainly a fan of seafood, but my love for it was in a completely different league! I did have a soft spot for birds as well, but seafood still won in my book. I didn’t immediately notice when John parked because I was idly wondering whether or not they served milk.

Luckily for me, they did! The server had to ask the management or something to make sure, though. I decided to increase our tip for his effort. The food itself was as amazing as I heard it was. The salmon I ordered practically melted in my mouth, and I noticed John smiling often at my small moans of pleasure. He ordered a plate of shrimp, which I made sure to sample as well. He successfully fought me off when I tried for a second piece, though. I pouted a little, but the salmon was better anyway. John insisted on paying for the entire bill, but I was still able to sneak in that little extra for the waiter.

When it came time for the movie, John left the choice up to me. I decided against watching the latest chick flick, because I didn’t want John to think that he had to kiss me in the dark movie theater. I wanted to be able to see what we were doing when we finally kissed. I ended up choosing some comedy about a dog hybrid who ended up working with a talking rabbit to solve a theft. It seemed familiar somehow. It was pretty funny, though, even if I did have to remind myself once or twice that the dog hybrid wasn’t going to chase me.

It was about 9 when the movie ended, so John started driving the two of us back home. I placed my hand over his as he drove, enjoying the contact. I was still smiling when he parked in my driveway, and I reluctantly let go of him to get out of the car. I started to feel a little nervous as we approached the front door, and looked up. I frowned a bit when I couldn’t see stars. I hoped that it wasn’t about to rain. Eventually, I realized that we had stopped walking, stopping just short of the front door. I turned to John.

“Thank you for taking me out tonight. I had a great time,” I said sincerely.

John nodded in agreement. “I enjoyed our night too. I hope we can do this again sometime.”

“Me too,” I said softly.

“I’m sorry I took so long to get around to this,” he said a little sheepishly.

“What was the matter?” I asked.

“Well…” he said with a slight blush, “I just wanted to be sure.”

I felt confused. “Sure about what?”

“That I could do this,” he said, beginning to lean toward me. My heart flipped in my chest. He was going for the kiss! I panicked for a moment, trying to remember that I just needed to relax and meet him in the middle. I began leaning forward as well, my lips curling into a smile when they met his. The kiss was chaste at first, but I soon felt John’s tongue start knocking. I let him in, pushing my lips harder against his as the contact of our tongues multiplied the sensations of the kiss tenfold. I was beginning to really melt into his arms when he suddenly jumped backwards with a small cry. I started pouting for a moment. Why did he stop?

“Is something wrong?” I asked.

John blushed a little. “Um, well… I seem to have pricked my tongue on one of your canines.”

I didn’t know why, but I found that incredibly funny. I started giggling uncontrollably, which fortunately had the side effect of making John laugh as well.

“I guess we’ll have to be careful about that next time!” I squealed.

John theatrically rubbed his jaw. “I’ll say. Your mouth is a danger zone!”

I smiled again and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Thank you again for taking me out.”

“It was my pleasure,” he answered.

“Good night, John.”

“Good night, Nikki.”

After we said our goodbyes, I opened the door, ready to tell a pair of eavesdropping parents how the night went.

…except that they weren’t eavesdropping. I felt a little guilty as I went through the door. I shouldn’t have assumed that. They were, however, in the living room, patiently waiting for me to come home. I gave both of them a hug and sat between them.

“How was your date, sweetie?” Mom asked first.

“It went great,” I said dreamily.

Daddy chuckled. “I think it’s safe to assume that she got the kiss she was hoping for.”

Mom stroked my hair. “How was it?”

I couldn’t help but giggle. “It was just wonderful… until he pricked his tongue on one of my teeth!”

“Now that’s something you don’t hear every day,” Daddy said. We all shared a laugh.

“I really like him,” I said with a smile.

“I’m so glad to hear that,” Mom said softly.

“If you’re happy, I’m happy. I love you, kitten,” Daddy continued. My ears twitched slightly as the pitter patter of rain slowly started to hit the roof. I sighed. It would be hard for me to get to sleep tonight. Mom seemed to sense my distress and drew me closer.

“What did you hear, sweetie?” she asked.

“It’s starting to rain,” I frowned.

“I’m sure we’ll be fine as long as it doesn’t start thundering again. Hal, did you check the reports today?” Mom asked.

“I’m sure it isn’t too late to take a look,” Daddy said, starting to stand up. As if on cue, I heard a crack of thunder in the far distance.

“It’s a thunderstorm,” I told them. Neither of them heard the thunder I caught, but they believed me. Mom just stroked my hair again.

“Are we going to find you in our bed in the morning?” she asked with a laugh in her voice.

I blushed crimson. “Mom! I was in heat when that happened! My instincts were stronger then…”

Mom laughed. “I know, sweetie. If you get too scared, we’ll still be here for you, okay?”

I snuggled further into her, beginning to purr in her embrace. “Thank you.”

I heard another boom of thunder. It was a lot closer this time. I felt another hand on my head in reaction to my small whimper. I really didn’t like being this freaked out by lightning and thunder, but it was really just loud noises in general that got me. My ears were simply more sensitive to them.

“It’s okay, kitten,” Daddy said in soothing tones.

“If only there were something we could use to plug her ears during storms like these,” Mom suggested.

“I could call Jack and get a quote on perhaps soundproofing her room a little more,” Daddy fired back.

“You don’t need to go through all that for me,” I told them, feeling a little guilty for worrying them so much.

“Are you sure you can handle it?” Daddy asked.

“I’m sure!” I declared, but my voice was a little shaky. Suddenly, the sound of thunder reverberated through the house. It was close enough to literally shake the walls! I let out a high pitched shriek and clutched Mom as tightly as I could.

“We’re going to fix up your room,” Daddy said softly. I could only nod slowly.

“Let’s see if we can ride out the storm before sending you to bed, okay?” Mom suggested. I agreed happily, but I wasn’t sure how long we could wait. I did have school tomorrow, after all.

With my parents around, I was easily able to handle any bad reactions to the thunder that occurred before I was forced to go to bed. Thankfully, there weren’t any other huge booms that night. I managed to get to sleep after practically wrapping my pillow around my head to cover my ears as best I could.

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Getting up the next morning was quite a chore. I slept right through my alarm, and I was still exhausted! At least the storm had passed. After a few hugs and a healthy amount of milk, I was ushered off to school. I felt that I would need more hugs before I could survive the day, so I sought out Kate first. She was, as usual, at her locker. After stopping for a yawn, I wrapped my arms around her.

“Good morning!” I chimed, squeezing her tightly.

“Morning! I see my personal vice is in working order,” she joked.

I gave her cheek a good lick. “You know it!”

Kate smiled. “Alright, girl. Spill! How did it go?”

“Wonderful,” I sighed.

“And the kiss?”

“Oh, that? It went great until he poked his tongue on one of my teeth!”

“Oh, god. I’d pay to see that. Is he okay?”

I smiled. “Uh huh. I’ll have to ask about it later though. Maybe kiss it better.”

Kate’s eyebrows bounced. “Oh? Thinking about more kissing already?”

“You know me!” I laughed, “I can’t help but want to give affection!”

Kate started to scratch behind my ear. “And we wouldn’t want it any other way.”

It wasn’t long before I was putty in her hands, purring and cuddling into her shoulder. Kate was so good at this! I didn’t usually do it, but I started licking her cheek even more. I let out a small whimper when she stopped scratching.

“Nikki, you’re being really affectionate again,” she paused for a moment and leaned toward my ear with a whisper, “Are you going into heat again already?”

I shook my head and yawned. “That’s not for a couple more weeks, but you know how I get when I’m tired…”

“The thunder kept you awake again?”

I nodded, then licked her again. “What does it matter anyway? There’s nothing wrong with me showing love to my besty!”

To my surprise, Kate blushed! “People are going to get ideas, Nikki!”

I giggled. “Am I embarrassing you?”

“I, well…”

“Maybe I should just kiss you!” I laughed voraciously, punctuating it with a lick straight on her lips. She blushed deeper.

“Nikki!” she semi-scolded.

I grinned. “Don’t worry. I’m not that far gone. And plus, I’m firmly into boys!”

“Or are you just into John?” she asked humorously.

“At the moment!” I said. I decided to mess with her some more, so I licked my own lips. “But your lips do taste good…”

“Nikki, stop it!” she scolded, blushing again.

“Okay…” I said, purposely sounding reluctant.

Kate shook her head with a sigh. “You’re so silly when you’re tired. Are you sure you’ll be able to focus on class?”

“I have to. I’ll behave,” I told her.

“Oh, so you just let everything out on me?” she asked.

I giggled. “Of course!”

Kate laughed with me. “Yep, you’re okay. Let’s make our way to Chem class before the bell tries to rush us.”

After sharing another hug, I went off to start my day. I was eager to see John, but we never had any chances to talk until lunch. Why couldn’t we share just one class? I tried not to get too sullen about it, because that just made me want affection even more; having the need surface too much in the middle of class was terrible, but I usually lasted until lunch.

Thankfully, I did manage, but that didn’t stop me from giving John a hug the second I saw him!

“Hey Nikki,” he said, “you seem happy today.”

“Just in a good mood,” I chimed. “How are you?”

“Just fine,” he smiled.

“How’s your tongue?” I asked. I barely managed to keep myself from giggling.

“I think it’ll be okay,” he said.

“Are you sure? I could kiss it better,” I grinned.

“Oh, I don’t know. I think a kiss right on my tongue isn’t as good as one to my lips,” he grinned back. Since he asked for it, I quickly leaned forward and kissed him. No tongue though.

“Does that help?” I asked, grinning again.

“I’m not sure… we might need more testing to make sure,” he smiled.

I laughed. “I didn’t know people still used that line!”

“Well, if we can’t test our kisses… why don’t we test some of my spells? I think I’ve made a breakthrough or two,” he said.

I frowned. “I’m sorry, but I shouldn’t come over today.”

He seemed confused. “Why not?”

“I’m kind of tired today and I can get kind of, um, loopy when I’m tired,” I explained.

“Loopy?” came his question.

“Ask Kate,” I told him. I didn’t feel like explaining it.

“Well, there’s no rush. How about tomorrow then?”

I smiled. “That should be just fine. It’ll give me time to tell my Mom that it’s safe to vacuum, too!”

“You got a cat’s fear of vacuums, too?” John asked.

I shook my head. “No… she ran over my tail last week!” I cried, instinctively grabbing my poor tail, “It’s still sore…”

“That couldn’t have been pleasant,” he grimaced.

“Mom’s being extra careful with the vacuum now!” I giggled, “So, we’ll meet at the usual time?”

He nodded. “And the usual place.”

I theatrically wiped my hand across my forehead. “Whew! I was afraid that your house had blown up or something!”

“Nope. We’re still standing,” he grinned, then pointed to his cheek, “we should probably get our food though. One for the road?”

I knew what he was asking for, but I decided to have some fun anyway. Instead of giving him a sweet kiss on the cheek, I gave him a nice, wet, lick!

“That’s not what I meant!” he said, but the laugh in his voice proved that he wasn’t angry.

“You know, I can tell who you are just by licking you,” I grinned.

“Or smelling me, I’d wager,” he replied.

“Somewhat. It’s easier to tell by taste.”

“Why are we talking about this, anyway?” John asked, a curious look falling upon his face.

I shrugged. “Cause I licked you?”

He shook his head with a smile. “That’s nothing new.”

I gave him a quick hug. “Let’s get some food before we run out of time.”

“Sounds good,” he smiled. Just for giggles, I licked him again before we went to wait in line.

>^..^<~~~~~<^..^>~~~~~>^..^<~~~~~<^..^>~~~~~>^..^<

After an enjoyable day at school, I managed to get enough sleep that night to be able to walk to John’s house with him the next day. Just like my house, his was within walking distance, but from a different direction. Occasionally, we’d meet in the middle on the way to school and finish the journey together.

I liked going to John’s house, for more reasons than just him. He owned many pets, although only his Rottweiler and three cats had free reign of the house. In various cages throughout the house, I’d found a hamster, a ferret, a snake, two birds, and even a couple of mice! I’m proud to say that I’ve resisted my urges to try and eat them. His dog, however… sometimes scared me to death. He was one of those rare dogs that got along splendidly with cats, and I knew that, but something about dogs just made me want to run for the hills. Or the nearest door.

When we finally got inside the front door, I was immediately greeted by one of his cats. She was a jet black tabby named Onyx, and she was very friendly. John’s parents wouldn’t be home for an hour or two, so it looked like Onyx decided to greet me in their stead. I picked her up and gave her a cuddle before handing her to John.

“She wants you to fill her food bowl,” I said, grinning.

He laughed. “My girlfriend the cat whisperer.”

“And where’s Sammy?” I asked, referring to his dog.

“Right behind you,” he said, causing me to let out an “Eep!” and turn around.

“John!” I squealed. Sammy wasn’t there!

“Sorry,” he laughed, “it was too good an opportunity to pass up. Besides, he’s in the back yard right now. I made sure to put him out before school today.”

“Thank you,” I said, relieved.

“I know how much he freaks you out, even though he’d much rather lick you than chase you,” he told me.

“I think I might be getting better with him, though,” I managed a weak smile.

“Well, you screamed and ran away the first time. Anything’s progress after that!” he laughed.

“I like your cats better,” I stuck my tongue out at him.

“I can imagine,” he laughed again.

I decided to change the subject before he got to Sammy again. “So, what’s this breakthrough you were talking about?”

“Well, I think I’ve finally got that bird spell to only attract birds. Also, I’ve been working on a new spell,” he explained.

“So you want me to wait in the attic again and see if I’m compelled to leave?” I asked, regarding the bird spell.

“That seemed to work last time,” he confirmed.

“What about the other spell?”

John blushed. “Well, for this spell… I decided to try something new. Instead of drawing an entire species to me, I’ve tried to draw a single person to me.”

“Who?” I asked.

“You.”

“…What?” I squeaked.

“I’m sorry if you think it violates your privacy or something---“

“No, I think it’s okay. I know you wouldn’t use something like that to hurt me. But, I didn’t know that was possible!”

“It is. It’s just really hard. Much harder than my other spells. It’s a natural progression thing.”

“Instead of being general with the components, you have to be specific, right?” I asked.

“Right. Why don’t we test the bird one first, and then I’ll explain how yours works.”

“That sounds good,” I smiled.

“It’ll take me a minute or two to prepare. Why don’t you head on up to the attic?”

“Sure,” I chimed, heading for the stairs. Onyx tried to trip me on the way, so I decided to bring her with me. I idly wondered where his other cats were as I sat down with her. Judging from my previous experiences with John testing this spell, the plan was for him to cast it and see if I felt compelled to come to him. If he came to get me, however, then it meant that the spell worked right and didn’t attract me to him.

After a couple of minutes, I wasn’t feeling any compulsion to leave the attic. Neither did Onyx. Another few minutes passed before I heard someone coming up the steps. John poked his head through the door.

“Looks like it worked!” he grinned, “I got my birds, but nothing else!”

“That’s great!” I gushed.

“Thank you for helping me test it, especially since the only oddity was that it attracted you, not my cats.”

“I was glad to help,” I grinned.

“Alright. Let’s come on over to my room and I’ll show you what I have for your spell.”

I picked up Onyx again. “Sounds great.”

I followed him down the stairs and into his room, where he already had some components ready.

“So, you already told me that when you try to attract a species, you usually start with part of one, but where do you start with a specific person?” I asked.

“For a specific person, I need to choose components that reflect who they are. Components that, when taken together, represent their core identity. Take these, for example,” he explained, motioning to some sugar and spices. I’d seen those before. “You’re a girl, and I’m sure you’ve heard the saying that girls are made of sugar, spice, and everything nice. You’re also one of the most feminine girls I’ve ever known, so these components hold more weight than usual.”

“And those silver hairs? Are they mine?”

John nodded. “You do shed, after all. This reflects your inner cat, so to speak. Since you’ve pretty well embraced it, it should hold a good weight. These are your hairs, but it should work with hair from any cat. Well, in theory.”

There were more components, too: A small white rose, another flower I didn’t recognize, and a small ring. I started by asking about the rose. “Does this signify love of some sort?”

“Exactly. Not love for a specific person, per se, but the enormous amount of love you have for just about everything,” he explained.

“But I thought a red rose signified love…” I mused.

John chuckled. “A lot of people do, but red is more for telling a single person ‘I love you’. White is more general, which describes you better.”

“And what about this flower?” I asked, referring to the one I didn’t recognize.

“That is an Elderberry Blossom. It represents kindness and humility. You are so kind to nearly everyone you meet, and you never ask for anything in return.”

I blushed. He was naming obvious things about me, but my heart fluttered as he described them. When I didn’t talk for a moment, he moved on.

“This ring is the last thing I’ve thought of. It signifies that we’re attached in a relationship. Part of both of our identities is that we have each other.” It was his turn to blush this time.

“You’ve really worked hard on this,” I said.

“You aren’t mad that I did this behind your back?”

“Of course not,” I smiled, “I might have been jealous if you chose someone else, though!”

“Oh, no. We can’t have you being jealous now!” he laughed.

“Yes. Very dangerous,” I smiled wide, showing my canines. John just shook his head.

“So these are all the components I have for the spell,” he said.

I nodded. “What about the words?”

“I’ve got them written down over here,” he replied, showing me a piece of paper with a single sentence on it. It was in the same language that I’d seen spells in before, but I was able to clearly see my name in the words.

“How do you know they’re the right ones?”

“When you do a spell, you see these words as some foreign language and just pronounce them phonetically, right?”

“That tends to work,” I nodded.

“Well, the trick to the words is that they actually are another language. To successfully write spells, you have to learn it. This is the third language that has been used to craft spells. It includes the failsafes we’re used to, like a spell doing nothing if we pronounce a word wrong, or if the components don’t match the spell they’re linked to.”

“So those precautions are built into the language itself?”

“Exactly. Since that is already taken care of for us, all I have to do is tell the spell what to do. In this spell’s case, the words read ‘Bring Nicole Leona to me.’”

“And if the components are enough to identify me, it will work?”

“That’s what I’m hoping. Today will be my very first test.”

“And what if it doesn’t work?”

John shrugged. “It’ll do nothing.”

“That’s good to hear. So, let me guess, it’s back to the attic with me?” I giggled.

“What? I thought cats liked high places,” he joked.

I let out another laugh before leaving to go back to the attic. This time, Onyx didn’t follow me. Just like last time, I just sat and waited. I was a little sad when John peeked his head through the door.

“Looks like it didn’t work,” he sighed.

“What was missing?” I asked.

“I either misidentified one of your traits, or I’m missing more things that represent your core identity,” he said. I immediately thought of my previous existence as Kyle. Would acknowledging that help the spell work? I wondered if I should tell John about my past to help the spell… but I was too scared of what he might think to talk about it. I just smiled instead.

“Then I guess we’ll have to get to know each other a little better,” I said.

He walked up to me and placed his hand on my shoulder. “If I really am missing something, then it’s probably something you don’t tell just anyone. It’s okay if you don’t trust me with something that sensitive just yet, but I want you to know that I would never do anything to betray that trust if I ever do earn it.”

He earned a hug for that one. “Thank you.”

When we broke our embrace, he seemed a little sad. “Well… I promised my Mom that we’d be done before she got home.”

I frowned when I looked at the time. “She’ll be here soon.”

“But thank you so much for your help today. Besides, it’s always fun to talk about these things with someone who’s also interested,” he said with a happier tone.

“I know,” I grinned back. He’d told me that little point before. “I was happy to listen.”

He looked down again. “I suppose you need to get going, then.”

I giggled. “Aren’t you going to wish me a good night?”

John looked back up at my smile and matched it. “If you insist,” he said, walking up to me. He gently stroked my cheek and then leaned forward, giving me a sweet and tender kiss. I let out a soft sigh when we broke off.

“Is your tongue okay this time?” I asked innocently.

“It’s fine. I got that right this time,” he laughed. I hugged him again.

“Thank you for inviting me over. I’ll see you tomorrow at school,” I said.

“Bye Nikki,” he replied with a wave. With another wave, I left the house and started to walk home with a bounce in my step.

>^..^<~~~~~<^..^>~~~~~>^..^<~~~~~<^..^>~~~~~>^..^<

When I went to see Dr. Reid that Thursday, I was met with a very pleasant surprise. When our session for the day ended, he declared me to be a “well adjusted young lady” and told me that he felt that we no longer needed to meet! Of course, he was still a phone call away if something strange came up, but it meant something special to me. It meant that I truly had embraced my inner cat, and that it was clear to others that I had. I almost gave him a lick in my happiness, but I remembered that he didn’t like that too much the last time I did it. He did let me give him a hug in thanks, though. It was close enough. I’d just have to save the licks for Daddy!

But, it was the next day that was really important. It was the last day of school before Spring Break, and also the night of the Spring Fling. I was so excited because it would be my first dance as a girl, as well as the first dance I actually had a date for. I had a wonderful dress in a fetching green that I was eager to show off to the world and wonderful friends to share the night with. It was going to be great!

Mom walked into my room as I was putting the finishing touches on my makeup. I didn’t need to do anything flashy; I didn’t need any help to draw attention to my eyes, and there was no need to use strong colors anywhere else for a dance.

“How are you doing, sweetie,” she asked, coming up behind me.

“I’m doing great!” I cheered, turning around to kiss Mom’s cheek.

She chuckled. “No lick this time?”

I grinned. “Affection is affection!”

“Yes, it is. You look simply stunning tonight, Nicole. John might have his hands full keeping the other boys off of you,” she continued.

“I’ll make sure to hold on to him extra tight then,” I laughed.

“Not too tight, sweetie. You don’t want to give him any wrong ideas,” she gently admonished me.

I frowned. “I’ll be careful, Mom.”

She gently rubbed my head. “I know you will, sweetie.”

“This is nice,” I sighed, “sharing this with you.”

Mom hugged me tightly. “I’m so happy for you, sweetie. You’ve wanted this for so long.”

“I know it didn’t quite happen the way I wanted… but now I don’t think I’d want it any other way,” I said.

“You have truly blossomed,” Mom continued, gently stroking my hair. I began to completely relax in her embrace.

“I’m your little girl, and your little kitten,” I said softly, dropping into a purr.

“I love you so very much,” she whispered softly. I practically glowed with my happiness.

“I love you too,” I smiled warmly. Mom gently pulled me off her shoulder and tenderly kissed my forehead.

“Have fun at your dance, okay?” she said.

“The night’s already off to a great start,” I said, giving her another hug and a lick for good measure. She laughed.

“There’s that lick!” she cried.

I squealed in laughter. “You asked for it, making me so happy!”

She smiled back. “I certainly did.” She patted my head again. “John’s going to be here soon. Why don’t you go downstairs?”

“I’d be happy to,” I chimed, doing just that. Just as Mom predicted, the doorbell soon rang. He was wearing a pair of slacks along with a good buttoned shirt and a tie. He was also wearing a jacket, but I assumed that he wouldn’t be wearing it the whole night. I made sure to give him a big hug before letting him in.

“Someone seems happy to see me,” he quipped once he got inside.

“It’s more like I’m just happy in general,” I grinned, “but you’re helping.”

He bowed. “Glad to be of service. So, your parents already gave me the grilling once. What do they have planned this time?”

I smiled devilishly and grabbed his arm. “Pictures, silly!”

All I heard was an exasperated “Oh boy!” from him as I dragged him to the living room. After both of my parents had their round of gushing over how great we looked together, many pictures were taken. Thankfully, the room was bright enough to not need flash. Since my eyes were sensitive to light, flash photography really gave me a headache.

After a good twenty minutes of snapping photos, John and I were finally allowed to leave for the dance. Since I planned ahead for the eventuality of pictures by asking John to come early, we made it to school in time for the dance. We started to make our way to the gym, where the festivities would be held. On the way, we found Kate! I hopped off of John’s arm to give her a hug.

“Hey Kate!” I cheered. She hugged me back.

“Hey there!” she cheered right back. I frowned.

“You weren’t able to find someone in time?” I asked.

“Unfortunately,” she sighed.

“Don’t worry! I can share John, if that’s okay. You won’t have to dance alone the whole time,” I proposed, looking at John. “Is that okay with you?”

“I don’t see why not,” he smiled, “it is for you, after all.”

“Thank you so much!” I chimed, giving him a good lick.

Kate shook her head with a smile of her own. “Someone’s happy.”

“I am positively giddy!” I said.

Kate just laughed as she turned to John. “Prepare to get licked!”

“Am I her only target or something?” he asked, confused.

Kate grinned. “Nikki won’t lick girls at an event like this. Right, girlfriend?”

I blushed slightly. “I don’t want to ruin their makeup. Plus, it tastes weird…”

“And since a happy Nikki means a lot of licking…” John mused.

“Yep!” I confirmed, licking him again, then blushed, “or maybe kisses for you.”

Kate covered her eyes theatrically. “Oh, please! Get a room!”

I looked at John with an impish smile. “Do you think we’ll fit in a locker?”

“Alright, alright,” Kate announced, “let’s get into that gym and do some dancing! The others went on ahead of us.”

“Sounds good,” I chimed, hugging her again. I whispered in her ear, “We’re still on for tonight, right?”

“Oh, yeah,” she whispered back, “just us two girls. It’ll be nice.”

I smiled again and linked John’s arm in mine. “Shall we?”

“Of course,” he smiled, leading me into the gym for some dancing fun.

>^..^<~~~~~<^..^>~~~~~>^..^<~~~~~<^..^>~~~~~>^..^<

When the music started, I was shocked by how loud it was. It felt like I was standing right next to the speakers, no matter where in the room I was! It wasn’t very pleasant for me, but I decided to grin and bear it for the sake of trying to enjoy the dance. I had hoped that my ears wouldn’t cause problems at the dance, but it started off strong regardless, with a good few fast dancing songs. I felt effortlessly light as I danced around all of my friends. When the first slow song started, however, John and I were in each other’s arms immediately. We gazed into each other’s eyes as we gently swayed back and forth.

“Your eyes are practically glowing,” he told me as the song winded down. All I could do was smile.

When the second slow song of the night started, I felt so comfortable in John’s arms that I slowly hugged myself against him, falling into a purr. Resting my head against his chest, I gently swayed back and forth with the music. I didn’t know the song had ended until John was gently shaking me into reality.

“Wake up, Nikki,” he said, with a hint of humor in his voice.

“Mmm,” was the sound I made to confirm my existence. It was also the sound I made when I gave John a nice, long, kiss right in the middle of the crowd.

“Wow,” was all that came out of his mouth.

I yawned and shook my head, realizing that I felt quite tired. “I think I almost put myself to sleep during that dance.”

“Would you like to sit down?” he asked, seemingly ready to hold me up if I swayed.

I nodded. “Just give me a few minutes,” I smiled, “I’ll be awake again in no time.”

John gave me another short kiss before leaving me to wander away from the dance floor. I ended up leaving the gym for the moment and sitting in one of the chairs outside. I let out a small moan of displeasure as I gently massaged my temples. I wasn’t just tired; I also had quite a headache from that loud music. I was so focused on my small bit of suffering that I didn’t hear someone walk up to me. I did notice when a friendly hand touched my shoulder.

“Hey, Nikki. Are you okay?” Alex asked me.

“I’m just a little tired,” I told her.

“It’s more than that, isn’t it?” she pressed softly.

I nodded. My ears must have given me away again. “The music’s really loud to me, and I’m getting quite the headache from it.”

Alex hugged me. I really needed it. “You’re hearing it louder than all of us?”

I laughed a little. “No, I can’t hear it as louder than it actually is. But, imagine that no matter where in the room you were, it was as loud as it would be if you were standing right next to the speaker.”

Alex gasped. “That’s what it feels like?”

I nodded again, tears stinging my eyes. “I almost don’t want to go back in.”

For all of the times that Alex enjoyed playing around with me, she usually knew when not to. Thankfully, she was right this time. She brought me closer to her and hugged me tightly. “There now, let’s try not to cry. Your makeup is too beautiful to mess up.”

I looked up to her with a smile. “I would be so licking you right now if it wouldn’t mess up yours.”

Alex smiled back. “Crisis averted?”

“Yes. Thank you for coming to see me. The hugging really helped.”

“What are friends for?” she grinned.

“Free hugs!” I giggled.

“Oh, so that’s all we’re good for, huh?” she asked, humor in her voice.

“Maaaybe,” I continued the charade.

“Okay, okay, we’re getting off track,” she smiled again, “are you ready to try going back to the dance?”

“I think so,” I nodded, “is everyone else dancing the night away?”

“You know it!” she winked, “Jane and Kelly are with their boyfriends and judging from the song I’m hearing, Kate’s probably stolen your boyfriend by now.”

“Don’t worry. I told her she could,” I grinned.

“I came out here for a break, too,” she mused, “although not for the same reason you did! There just weren’t any chairs available inside the gym.”

“Well, break’s over!” I chimed, tugging on her arm, “Let’s go dance!”

She shook her head. “The song’s slow right now, remember? It’s hard to dance alone to one.”

“Then let’s dance together!” I laughed.

“Now, I think my boyfriend would take offense to that,” she laughed right back. I let out a fake pout and gave her my best kitty cat eyes.

“Please, please dance with me?” I asked.

Her eyes went wide. “Oh god, I can’t resist those!” she exclaimed. She then pretended to be my slave for a bit until we were able to share a dance for the last twenty seconds of the song. It was fun anyway. John and I started to gravitate toward each other soon afterward. In my small glimpse of him and Kate dancing away the last song, it seemed like they were talking to each other. The music didn’t let me hear them, but I thought about asking Kate what they talked about if she was willing to share. I was shaken from my thoughts when John started talking to me.

“Are you feeling better?” he asked.

My heart fluttered at his concern. “Yes, I am. Thank you.”

He gently took my hand in his, slowly running his thumb across the top of my hand. I let out a soft sigh of contentment at the contact, and I just had to reach up and lick his cheek. After just standing there and smiling at each other for a moment, John finally spoke again.

“Kate told me that she’d be spending the night with you,” he said. Jealousy wasn’t evident in his voice, so I wondered why he mentioned it.

“Kate doesn’t have a boyfriend, so I invited her so she wouldn’t have to be lonely for the whole night,” I

explained.

“And I won’t be lonely instead?” he asked.

I grinned impishly and gave him a short kiss. “You have me until the dance is over.”

To my surprise, he smiled. “Looks like I’ll miss the late night cuddle then, huh?”

I frowned. “John, I’m not ready for us to do something like that yet.”

He hugged me. “I know. You and Kate share something special. I can’t hope to match your bond without more time.”

I pulled back and looked into his eyes. “Can we talk outside the gym for a moment?”

Confusion flashed across his face for a moment. “Sure.”

I took the time we spent leaving the room to think of exactly what to say. Once we were out, he started.

“Is something wrong?” he asked.

I looked down for a moment. “John…”

“Hey, you can tell me. It takes two to make a relationship work, after all.”

My heart fluttered again as I looked back at him. “I wanted to say that I was sorry if you thought I was leading you on or something.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“I think… that maybe I’ve been too affectionate to you?” I squeaked.

“I think you’re doing fine, Nikki. Your cat side just wants to show affection to someone you like, right?” I nodded, and he continued, “I don’t mind the extra kisses, but I understand that you aren’t ready to go farther.”

I felt myself smiling in relief. “Thank you so much. I was afraid that I’d hurt you by cuddling with Kate instead of you…”

“Of course not! As I said, you two have something very special. I can only hope to be able to share something like that with you,” he said, smiling softly.

“Are you sure?” I asked quizzically, “Sharing what Kate and I share would mean you have to be my other best girlfriend.”

John just laughed. “That’s not what I mean, and you know it!”

I giggled, “It was fun anyway. But don’t worry, I’m making progress in, well, trusting you. You’re the only boy besides my Daddy that I let touch me near my ears.”

As if to prove it, he gently stroked my hair, starting from just behind my left ear. I blushed. “What did you do the last time someone you didn’t trust touched your ear?”

I cringed back a little. “Um, I grabbed his wrist and hissed in his face.”

“Woah.”

I smiled weakly. “I reacted completely out of instinct.”

“Sometimes I forget that you act more like a cat than you look,” he said.

I shrugged. “That’s just how the DNA mixed itself, I guess. I’m more or less used to it now, but just I have to be careful sometimes.”

“Used to it? It looks to me like you’re quite happy with it.”

“I am,” I admitted, “it’s just that sometimes my instincts cause awkward situations like this.”

“And you’ll always have friends and family around to help you deal with them,” he said, smiling softly. I fiercely hugged myself against him.

“I’m so lucky to have you. To have everyone,” I sighed.

“No, we’re the ones who are lucky to know such a sweet, wonderful, and loving person,” he said, looking me straight in my eyes. Eyes that were beginning to water with tears of happiness. I sniffled and simply leaned against John as my tears stained his shirt. When I managed to calm down, he stroked my hair again.

“You ready to continue the dance?” he asked.

I giggled. “Not until I fix my makeup.”

“It isn’t running that much,” he observed.

“A little is enough!” I whined. He just laughed and left me to go fix myself. Now I was really glad that I didn’t have much need for eye makeup. I just needed to fix my blush. In a matter of minutes, I was back out and with John. It sounded like a slow song was about to start.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Uh huh,” I grinned.

“Sounds like a slow song,” he mused, “try not to fall asleep on my chest, okay?”

I giggled, “I can make no guarantees!”

All I got in answer was a protective arm around my waist as John walked me back into the Gym to enjoy the rest of the dance.

>^..^<~~~~~<^..^>~~~~~>^..^<~~~~~<^..^>~~~~~>^..^<

All too soon, the dance had ended. The lights were on and people were filing out of the building. After kissing John good night, I stuck around for a bit until Kate found me. When I felt a pair of arms hug me from behind, I turned around and gave her a big lick!

“Heeeey!” she squealed, “I thought you didn’t ruin makeup!”

“The event’s over,” I stuck my tongue out, “it doesn’t matter anymore. It still tastes bad though…”

“Well, they don’t make makeup to taste good,” she grinned.

“Maybe they should,” I giggled.

“Oh, no. Then you’d be licking it off our faces on a regular basis! I’m scared to find out what would happen if I came to school with flavored lip gloss,” she said.

“Oh, you should do that! Then I can be your polish remover!” I joked.

Kate raised one eyebrow. “I think you should stick to just licking our cheeks. It’s kind of your trademark now.”

I licked her cheek again. “You are hereby marked as my friend!”

“Glad to hear it,” she grinned, looking around. “Did everyone already leave?”

“You took your sweet time in the bathroom,” I told her.

“Oh well,” she said with a shrug, “we’ll see them over the weekend anyway.”

“Oh? And what fun are you thinking about?” I asked.

“You’ll see,” she smiled.

I sighed. It was impossible to get information from her when she was like this. “Come on. You drove here, right?”

“Yep!” she chimed, “Shall we be off?”

“Last one to the car’s a rotten egg!” I squealed, running for the doors. Of course, this contest was completely unfair since I was masterful at running in heels and Kate was a little less so. Naturally, I made it to her car first, grinning widely until she finally reached it too.

“You…” she rasped. I could only giggle until she unlocked the doors. I gave her another good lick once we were both seated.

“Does that work as an apology?” I asked innocently.

“Well, okay. But only for you,” she smiled.

I smiled back at her as she started the car. While she was backing out, I had a question. “Say… what were you saying to John during your dance with him?”

“Oh, just nonsense. That boy is totally enamored with you, by the way,” she grinned.

“Me too,” I smiled wistfully.

“Oh yeah. I saw you during that one dance. You’ve got it good,” she laughed.

I blushed. “I can’t help it, Kate. I really like him.”

By this time, we were on the short road toward my house. In any other situation, we’d walk, but it was dark after all. “I’m so glad you found somebody, Nikki,” she said.

“I just wish you could find someone too,” I said with a frown.

“It’s more important to me that you’re happy,” she said, after a pause. There was an odd inflection in her tone; something that I’d been noticing increasingly often since my becoming a catgirl. I usually paid it no mind, since it was probably just my sensitive ears picking up on them more easily… but it was stronger this time. I wanted to find out what was on her mind, but I didn’t want to ruin the night by hitting a nerve. Kate looked at me oddly when I didn’t answer her, and the silence prevailed until we reached my house.

“Are you okay?” Kate finally asked me.

“I’m fine,” I said, resolving to cheer myself up as soon as possible.

“No, it isn’t,” she pressed, “what’s wrong?”

I forced a smile. “Let’s talk about it later. For now, let’s just enjoy the night.”

She hugged me in front of the door. “Okay. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

I smiled, “Then, let’s cuddle.”

“I don’t have to tell you twice,” she grinned. I laughed when I realized that she’d twisted the words around. Shortly, we were through the front door and giving some details of the night to Mom, who insisted on holding us for at least a few minutes. Once she was satisfied, we were given the living room to spend time in at our leisure. We both decided to lie on the couch together, close enough for me to easily turn my head and lick Kate.

“You know, I probably should have brought a change of clothes,” Kate quipped.

I giggled. “I think I can stand being beautiful for a little longer, can’t you?”

“I’m not complaining,” she giggled back.

“That’s only because your dress is more beautiful than mine!” I stuck my tongue out at her.

“Nonsense! Yours is clearly more beautiful!” she chimed back.

I laughed. “Now, this is my kind of argument.”

Kate let out a sigh and snuggled further into me. “The girls are all spending the night with their boyfriends. Why aren’t you?

“You know I couldn’t leave you alone,” I told her.

“But now you’re leaving him alone.”

I sighed. “I really do like him, but I can’t trust him the way I can trust you. I don’t think we could cuddle like this without him… well…”

“Touching you here?” she asked, directly poking one of my boobs.

“Yes, there,” I said, giving her a mock glare. To my surprise, she grabbed my other boob with a cupped palm and started playfully squeezing it.

“Mmm, I wonder if these would make a good pillow too…” she mused.

“Stop it! That tickles!” I squealed, pulling her hand away.

“Sorry,” she said quickly.

“You’ve never done that before,” I said with a frown.

“I guess I got a little carried away,” she admitted. If she had my ears, they’d probably be flat as a pancake. I felt that she was actually sorry, so I decided to try lightening up the mood again.

“Just don’t tell John about this, okay?” I smiled, “He might get jealous that you got to second base before him!”

“My lips are sealed!” she said, pretending to zip her lips up. Mission accomplished. I snuggled further into her, confident that she wouldn’t make things awkward again. I finally turned the TV on while Kate got her arms in a better position to start scratching behind my ear and stroking my hair. I was purring almost immediately, sighing contentedly in my best friend’s arms.

I didn’t know how long we spent laying there. I just knew that I was exactly where I wanted to be at the moment.

“Is it just me, or am I doing all the work in this cuddle?” Kate asked humorously.

I turned to her and gave her a lick. “But you do it so well!”

“I do,” she grinned, starting to scratch at my ear again.

Since I was already in position and she was complaining about me not doing any work, I started to lick her again… and lick her… and lick her…

At some point, something seemed to wrap around my tongue and a pair of lips rested on mine in what I barely recognized as a kiss. I was surprised enough that I stopped purring. I still wasn’t sure exactly why I was being kissed, but there was so much pure passion behind it that I couldn’t help but respond. Our tongues mixed together in bliss and the pure joy of the kiss started me purring again. Lost in the sensations of the most wonderful kiss I had ever experienced, all that was clear to me was that this person loved me. Really, truly loved me.

And then I opened my eyes. Her eyes seemed to show the same amount of surprise as mine surely did. The kiss stopped immediately. Despite the identity of the kisser, my heart still yearned for her to continue. I had never felt such pure love from anyone other than my parents before. A pause held in the air, as both of us tried to find our words.

“…Kate?” I finally managed to squeak out.

“I… I… I just… did that, didn’t I?” she stammered.

“Kate? What’s going on?” I asked, my voice small.

She blinked. Tears were filling her eyes. She jumped off the couch in what seemed like a panic. I immediately sat up as well.

“Nikki… I’m so sorry!” she gasped, then turned around. I stood up as soon as I realized what she was doing.

“Kate, wait!” I screamed, but I was too late. By the time I followed her outside, she was already driving away. I just stood there, unconsciously bringing two fingers to my lips. They were still engorged with the passion of Kate’s kiss.

I felt numb as I slowly made my way back inside the house. Mom was waiting for me just inside. She probably heard my scream.

“Nicole… what’s wrong?” she asked, seeing my ashen face. “Where’s Kate?”

“She…” I managed to stammer out, “She…”

I felt myself sway a little. Mom brought me into her arms as tears slowly escaped down my cheeks.

I didn’t remember much from that night, except that Mom and Daddy were both there and they were endlessly soothing. I eventually drifted off to sleep, though I wasn’t sure where.

>^..^<~~~~~<^..^>~~~~~>^..^<~~~~~<^..^>~~~~~>^..^<

When I finally woke up, everything instantly snapped into focus. I was in my bed, still wearing my dress. Was I really that out of it last night? The events of that night replayed in my head as I slid myself out of bed. Kate kissed me… no, it was more than a kiss. So much more. But then she ran away! Tears began to fill my eyes as countless fears about our friendship surged into my head. I stumbled my way downstairs, not even bothering to get out of my wrinkled dress. I just needed a hug. A lot of hugs. Mom didn’t even have time to say good morning before I crushed myself into her. She stopped whatever she was doing to gently hold me as I cried.

“We were so worried about you, Nicole,” she cooed, “you were so unresponsive last night…”

“I’m sorry,” I choked.

“Do you think you can finish telling us what happened?” she asked softly.

“Kate kissed me…” I breathed.

“And then what happened?” Mom continued.

“She ran out of the house and drove away!” I wailed.

“It sounds like she didn’t mean to do it, sweetie,” Mom consoled me.

“I know, but this could change our friendship forever!” I began to sob harder.

Mom just cooed softly into my ear. “It’s going to be okay.”

I sniffled. “I need to go see her. I need to tell her that I’m not angry… that we can deal with this.”

Since I was calming down a bit, Mom loosened her grip on me. I felt another pair of arms retreat as well. Daddy was here too.

“I know you two can make amends,” Mom said, “I’ve never seen two girls as close as you and Kate are.”

I blushed deeply. “Mom… I think that’s the problem. I think Kate… loves me,” I said, the last two words almost coming out as a whisper.

“I’d be surprised if she didn’t, sweetie. You’re very easy to love,” Mom smiled, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“That’s not what I mean! I think Kate is in love with me!” I cried.

“You gathered that just from a kiss?” she asked.

“It wasn’t just a kiss, Mom!” I declared, “It was so much more…”

“So it was that kind of kiss,” she said, looking wistfully at Daddy for a moment, then back to me. “Try to calm down a little more before walking over, okay?”

I nodded slowly. I should probably get out of the dress, too. I’d ruined it enough already. I gave both of my parents giant hugs to calm me down a little more and then headed upstairs to change my clothes and fix my face so that it didn’t look like I had been crying so much recently.

Steeling myself, I left the house to walk to Kate’s. It was about as far away as school was, so it didn’t take me terribly long to get there. My heart caught in my throat upon seeing that Kate’s car was parked in front. She was here! I timidly rang the doorbell, and waited. I almost wanted to whimper when I saw that Kate’s Mom, not Kate herself, opened the door.

“Why, hello Nicole!” she greeted me, putting on a smile. It helped to put me at ease.

“Hi Kristen,” I replied. Kate and I were so close that her Mom eventually insisted on me calling her by her first name. “I’m sorry for coming unannounced…”

“It’s no problem at all. Please, come in,” she motioned me inside, and I gratefully followed. I decided to get right to business.

“Is Kate here?” I asked, almost as a squeak. Kristen’s smile fell apart almost immediately.

“I’m so sorry, Nicole. She left about an hour ago,” she told me.

…What? Kate was gone? No!

“Where did she go!?” I demanded.

Kristen quickly acted on my hysterics and hugged me. “She’s staying with her cousin Jenny for the weekend,” she explained.

“No, no, no, no, no,” I started to cry.

“Did something happen between you two?” Kristen asked. I let out another sob as I nodded into her chest.

“You poor girls. Kate was as broken up as you are when she stormed in the house last night. She wouldn’t tell me what happened, just that she had arranged to stay with Jenny.”

“Why didn’t you stop her!?” I cried.

“I know I don’t know what happened last night, but Kate deliberately left her phone here. She’s isolating herself for a while because needs some time away from things to sort out her own thoughts. You do, too,” she said softly.

“My thoughts are sorted out! I just… I just want Kate back!” I sobbed.

“She’ll be back on Monday,” Kristen assured me.

“But…” I started.

“No buts,” she said in her “Mom” tone. I sniffled.

“You’ll tell me when she’s back, right?” I asked.

“Of course I will. You just think about what you’re going to say to her when that time comes, okay?”

I nodded. Since I was calming down, Kristen handed me a tissue. I gratefully used it to blot the tears off my face, removing at least some of the evidence of my latest crying spell. “Thank you for comforting me,” I told her, “I know I’m being a little overbearing…”

“Oh, no,” she let out a laugh, “you’re positively tame compared to how I broke down when something like this happened with my high school best friend.”

“You’re still friends, right?” I asked in a tiny voice.

“Of course we are. The thing is that friends fight sometimes, and sometimes something bigger happens. If you and Kate can patch things up with each other, your friendship will be better for it,” Kristen assured me.

“But what if we can’t?” I was ready to cry all over again.

“Then the world is going to end, because I’ve seen your friendship with Kate grow for your entire lives and I know there is nothing that can truly separate you two,” she smiled. Her words instilled enough hope in me to rush into another hug.

“Thank you again. For everything,” I told her.

“You’re very welcome, Nicole. You’re practically a second daughter to me,” she said. For the first time all day, I managed to smile.

“I think that maybe I should go home before Mom gets worried,” I admitted after we finished our hug.

“Are you sure you’re up to walking?” she asked.

I nodded. “It’ll give me more time with just my thoughts.”

“Okay. Have a safe trip,” she said, smiling again.

“I will. Thank you again,” I told her. With another wave, I left the house in somewhat higher spirits than I expected to. I tried my best to think about Monday while I made my way home. Everything would be fixed on Monday. Mom was waiting for me when I got back, and she was more than happy to give me a hug.

“Kristen told me what happened,” she started, saving me the trouble of explaining.

“This is hurting her too,” I said softly. “She’s over there hating herself for what she did, and I can’t help her!”

“There, there. Everything will be okay on Monday,” she cooed into my ear. I just leaned into her and tried not to start crying again.

“I just want to see her again,” I said.

“I’m sure you’re in her thoughts as well.”

“I hope so,” I nodded. I heard the phone ring, but I didn’t pay attention to it. Mom seemed to, though, so I let go of her to allow her to pick up the phone.

“Hello?” she started. It sounded like Alex on the other side, and she was asking to talk to me. Mom just nodded and handed me the phone.

“Alex?” I asked.

“Hey Nikki,” she answered.

“You wanted to talk?” I asked, trying not to let my somberness sneak into my voice.

“Well… it’s about Kate, really. She told all of us that she wanted all of us to get together today, but none of us have heard from her. I was kind of hoping that you might have.”

I barely held back a sob. “Something… happened between us. She’s gone to stay with her cousin for the weekend.”

“Oh, wow. It must have been something big for her to react like that!”

“Yeah…” I agreed. A short sob escaped my throat.

“I’m not helping you, am I?” she asked meekly.

“It’s not your fault,” I assured her.

“Well, how about the four of us get together for a trip to the mall? You sound like you could use some retail therapy!” Alex chimed.

“I really don’t feel like going out right now,” I sighed.

“Then we’ll come to you!” she said. She sounded like she was grinning.

“I can’t let you sacrifice your day for me!” I gasped.

“With Kate gone, our day’s already shot. Besides, you’re sad and a sad Nikki needs hugs!”

“You’re sure it’s okay with you?” I almost whispered.

“We’re your friends, and we’ll always be there for you. Okay?”

I sniffled. “Okay. Thank you.”

“I’ll be there with the gang as soon as I can,” she told me.

“Bye Alex,” I said.

“Bye Nikki!” came her answer, before she hung up. Mom got my attention while I was putting the phone back.

“Did everything go okay with Alex?” she asked.

“She’s going to come over with Jane and Kelly to make sure I’m never short on hugs today,” I said.

“That’s so sweet of them,” Mom smiled.

“And it will let you go on with your day instead of just catering to my needs,” I said, feeling guilty for my instincts. Mom just pulled me into another hug.

“Don’t you dare think for even a moment that we would rather do anything but make sure our daughter is happy and feels loved,” she told me.

“She’s right, kitten,” I heard Daddy’s voice say, “you’ll always be our priority when you’re upset.”

I felt my heart fill with their love. I worked to bring Daddy into our hug. “And… and you’ll always be mine when I’m happy,” I finally managed to say.

“I’ll hold you to that,” Daddy said lovingly, joining our family embrace.

“I love you so much!” I cried, openly sobbing into the nearest shoulder. Both of my parents made soothing sounds until I calmed down again. I eventually decided to just wait in the living room for my friends to get here, but I didn’t have time to even walk past the front door before the doorbell was ringing! Since I was right there, I decided to answer it. Before I could even say hello, I had one, then two, then three girls hugging me! I couldn’t help but sigh at the love I felt from my friends. It wasn’t the kind of love that I knew Kate held for me, but it was love nonetheless.

“See? I told you we should do this! It’s working already!” Jane laughed.

“Hugs solve everything!” Alex cheered.

“Come on, guys. We’re overwhelming the poor girl,” Kelly said with a giggle, “let’s at least get inside.”

“Alright. Careful, everyone,” Alex commanded. Suddenly, I found myself being ushered along into the house, all the while with my friends still holding me! I heard the door close in our wake, but I had no idea where I was going until we were deposited on the living room couch. Only then did they let go of me. I gave them a small smile.

“You’re taking this hugging thing seriously,” I said.

“You can’t deny that hugging is serious business,” Alex said.

I shook my head. “No, I can’t. Thank you so much for coming.”

“What are friends for?” Jane asked.

“We can’t bear to see you be so upset. When you’re happy, you’re so vibrant that it makes all of us happy too!” Kelly continued.

“So you’re not allowed to be sad. Got it?” Alex grinned.

I leaned on Jane’s shoulder, since she was closest. She responded by hugging me again. “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked.

I closed my eyes, debating for a moment whether or not I should tell them. It might be breaking Kate’s trust, but I had a feeling that it would get out either way since it was causing such a stir. I ultimately decided that they should know.

“Kate… kissed me last night.” I said. There, it was out.

“Aaaand then she freaked out and ran away?” Kelly asked.

“Uh huh,” I nodded slowly.

Alex sighed. “And to think I thought I was actually joking about you two lezzing it up…”

And just like that, I was ready to cry all over again. Kelly heard my sob and joined Jane in hugging me again. “Alex!” she practically hissed, “Now is not the time for those kinds of jokes!”

“I do hate to say this, Nikki, but I’m not surprised that this happened,” Jane said.

“…What?” I squeaked out.

“Well… you couldn’t see the looks she gave you when you weren’t looking,” she said softly.

“She loves me,” I whispered, fighting off more sobs.

“So she lost control while you were cuddling?” Kelly surmised.

“I was just purring and licking her and then someone was kissing me…” I told them. “…it… it was the most wonderful kiss I’d ever had.”

“Are you…?” Alex started.

“No,” I said, “I don’t like girls that way.”

Kelly laughed. “That’s more obvious than your ears, Nikki. Kate clearly did this on accident.”

“But she ran off before I could tell her that I wasn’t angry!” I cried.

“It sounds like you’ll get your chance on Monday,” Jane said.

“But I want to tell her now…” I said.

“I’m betting that Kate will eventually realize she overreacted and come home early, though,” Alex said.

“I hope so,” I said. Jane and Kelly’s hugs were doing their job, and I snuggled further into Jane, resting my head on her lap. Alex took the opportunity to start stroking my hair. I heard Kelly laugh.

“Looks like Jane’s getting all the attention this time!” she giggled.

I stuck my tongue out at her. “She was closest.”

“The early bird gets the worm!” Jane joined in the laughing.

“Mmmm,” I let out a small groan, “you guys are making it hard to stay sad…”

“That’s the idea!” Alex chimed, giving my head a good scratch.

“But still, I guess we won’t get any purrs from you today, huh?” Kelly asked.

“I don’t think so… but I am starting to feel tired,” I said.

“Today’s been hard on you, hasn’t it?” Jane asked.

“Uh huh,” I nodded, another tear falling down my cheek. Alex wiped it away and finally joined in the group hug again.

“We’ll always be here for each other,” Jane said. I sat up a bit and gave her a slow, deliberate lick.

“I love you guys,” I softly smiled. It really was hard to stay sad when there was so much love around me.

“Let me guess: Jane was closest again?” Kelly asked expectantly. I gave her and Alex a lick too before resting my head on Jane’s lap again. I yawned.

“I think she’s falling asleep,” Alex said.

“Your lap makes a good pillow…” I said, shifting my position to something a little more comfortable. I felt safe enough in my beloved friend’s arms that I was soon fast asleep.

I woke up later in the afternoon to find that I was still on the couch. My friends seemed to be absent, but a blanket was gently draped over me. After performing my obligatory stretch, I got up and went to find someone. I soon learned that each of my friends had to leave during my nap for one reason for another, although Mom claimed that they were hesitant to leave me alone. I wasn’t torn up about it; I didn’t expect them to stay the entire day anyway. They had lives too, after all. Plus, Mom was preparing me a big plate of my favorite comfort foods for dinner, so I was doing okay. With my parents ready and willing to keep me company, I made it through the night with minimal breakdowns. By the time I got to bed to sleep for real, I really felt like I could handle waiting until Monday.

>^..^<~~~~~<^..^>~~~~~>^..^<~~~~~<^..^>~~~~~>^..^<

I woke up the next morning in relatively bright spirits. My parents seemed oddly happy about something too as I gave and received my morning hugs. They got happier when they saw that I was feeling a bit better about things. Monday was closer, after all! We just went about our morning with occasional breaks to hug everyone until the doorbell rang.

“Why don’t you go answer that, sweetie?” Mom asked, as we had just finished a hug.

“We’re expecting someone?” I asked.

“No,” she said, lightly placing her hand on my head, “you are.”

“Okay…” I said. Now that I was genuinely confused, I went to go answer the door. I knew it couldn’t be Kate, but I was still surprised to see John greet me!

“Hey there,” he said, smiling.

“Hi,” I said, feeling my mood shoot up a few notches.

“I, well, heard that you might want some company,” he continued, giving me a hug. He closed the door behind himself once he was fully inside.

“My parents called you, didn’t they?” I asked.

He nodded. “I thought that this weekend was for you and the girls, but your Mom called me and asked me to come over since you were feeling down.”

I tenderly hugged him. “Thank you.”

“I’m always here for you, okay?” he said. The girls told me the same thing yesterday. I felt so lucky to have such close friends. After I thanked Mom for getting John here, I sat with him in the living room.

“Thank you again for being here,” I told him once we were situated, “it’s hard for me to be alone right now.”

He took my hand gently. “Are you willing to talk about it?”

I blushed deeply. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to tell John what happened between Kate and I. It was easy to tell the girls, since I was certain that Kate would have told them herself… but she wouldn’t tell John. She was always willing to support our relationship, despite her growing love for me. She wouldn’t have wanted to make John feel like she was competition.

“Kate and I had a fight,” I finally decided to say, “we both kind of overreacted about something and she ran off with her cousin for the weekend before I could apologize to her. I’m scared that we can never be friends again.”

John squeezed my hand slightly. “It sounds like you two have some talking to do.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” I said solemnly.

“But I know that you’ll be able to stay friends. You mean that much to each other,” he said with enough of a smile that I couldn’t help but smile back.

“When she gets back, I’m going to march to her house and refuse to leave until we’re friends again!” I declared.

John laughed. “Now that sounds more like the Nikki I know.”

“Trust me. I was an absolute wreck on Friday. I’m doing a lot better now,” I assured him.

“It’s closer to Monday, after all,” he observed.

I nodded, leaning into his chest. “But I’m going to get so nervous right before I go to her house.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” he asked. My heart fluttered at his willingness to help me.

“I’d love for you to be there, but this is something I have to do alone.”

“I understand,” he said. Silence prevailed for a while after that, with us just enjoying the fact that we were with each other. I eventually started to feel a little drowsy before the phone rang across the house and woke me right up. A few moments later, Mom came into the room, saying that it was for me. Confused once again, I took the phone.

“Hello?” I asked.

“Hey girlfriend!” Alex’s voice called out.

“Hi Alex,” I answered.

“Feeling better today?” she asked.

“A lot, surprisingly,” I smiled.

“We’re sorry for running out on you while you were asleep. Things just came up,” she explained.

“It’s okay,” I assured her, “my parents kept me all hugged out for the evening.”

“We can come over again if you need us,” she offered.

“Don’t worry about me today. I really am doing better, and I’ve got John here to keep me company.”

“And tomorrow’s the promised day, right?”

“Why don’t we meet at the mall on Monday after Kate and I patch things up? All of us.”

“That sounds like a great idea! I’ll start spreading the word.”

“Thanks, Alex.”

“No problem! Have fun with John, okay?”

I let out a giggle. My first in a long time. “I’ll try.”

“See you on Monday!” were her last words before hanging up. Mom retrieved the phone from me before I sat with John again.

“Was that something good?” he asked.

“When Kate and I make up tomorrow, we’re all going to meet at the mall. Are you free?” I asked.

“Of course. It’s Spring break!” he laughed.

“Good,” I smiled, sitting closer to him. Just before I got right next to him, though, he gently took my tail and placed it in his lap. He was lucky that it was long enough to get there without lifting my skirt!

“You know, I keep forgetting that you’ve got this little thing,” he said. He was obviously getting our subject away from Kate, so I just smiled at him.

“Well, I’ve gotten really good at keeping it out of the way,” I told him.

“You’re always hiding it under a skirt, after all,” he observed.

“It’s always a little uncomfortable to have my tail sticking out of a hole. It prefers to be free!” I chimed.

John laughed. “Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear anything but skirts and dresses.”

“Well, duh. I’m a girl!” I grinned. I liked this subject.

“I don’t think that could be any more obvious,” he grinned back.

“Gee, I wonder why?” I asked.

“For starters, there’s no way a guy could be as beautiful as you,” he said. My entire body probably went crimson at the genuine compliment.

“Thank you,” I said softly.

He kissed my forehead. “I told you, I can’t help but be brutally honest.”

I followed up his kiss with a genuine one, gleefully happy that he was keeping me company today and doing such a good job at keeping my mind off of Kate.

“So, I forgot to ask. Do you even have any pants or jeans?”

I giggled. “I do, but I really only wear them when I’m working in the garage with my Daddy.”

John laughed out loud, causing me to furrow my brow. He quickly composed himself once he saw my look. “Oh, sorry. It’s just that it’s hard to imagine a girl like you getting down and dirty in the garage.”

“You of all people should know that I’m definitely not a normal girl,” I gently chided him.

“I don’t think I’ve ever met a girl quite as unique and special as you,” he agreed.

I smiled at him. “Well, would you like to see what we work on?”

“I’d like that,” he smiled back.

“Then wait here for a sec. I’m not going to get this outfit dirty,” I laughed, running upstairs. I quickly changed into one of my “working” outfits and went back down to see John. I gave a short twirl for him. “See? I do have jeans.”

“Consider myself proved--- wait, even your sneakers have heels?” he asked, surprised.

I burst out laughing. “I thought you’d have realized by now that I don’t own a single flat shoe!”

He shook his head. “You and your feline feet.”

“Kate hates them!” I grinned, before realizing where my mind had gone again. John quickly saw my mood swing backward and hugged me.

“Come on, you were going to show me the garage, right?” he asked.

“…Uh huh. Let’s go,” I said, pulling him along. I busied myself with thoughts of the beautiful Bug waiting for us to keep myself from crying along the way. By the end of our short walk, I had managed to compose myself enough to introduce my Bug in all her glory. I gave him a good tour, showing him everything that Daddy and I had done to get her working well again.

“We’ve been fixing her up for a few years now,” I explained once I had finished, “once I finally get my license, she’ll be mine.”

“Sounds like quite the father-daughter project,” John said.

“I relish every moment I spend out here with Daddy. I’m kind of sad that we’re nearly done,” I said wistfully.

“What’s left?” he asked.

“All that’s really left is to repaint it, really. There’s some damage to the paint here and there, but the engine is golden right now.”

“What color are you thinking of?”

“I’m thinking yellow.”

“Matching your eyes, huh?”

“Why not?” I grinned.

“I would say they’re distinctive, but they aren’t the only features of yours that are,” he said.

I giggled, “You could say that.”

“But this is really cool. I mean, yeah, the car’s going to end up pretty girly, but I have a feeling that you don’t care one bit about that. It is kind of funny to think that my girlfriend knows more about cars that I do, though!” he laughed.

“And you’d better not forget it!” I told him with mock authority.

“I won’t. In fact, this might help me with that spell to attract you,” he mused.

“Huh?”

“Well, a significant part of your identity is wrapped around you working on this car with your Dad. It’s these kinds of things that I need to reference in order to make the spell work,” he explained.

“And once you find enough things for the spell to really narrow down to just me, it’ll work?” I asked.

“Exactly,” he said.

“No wonder it’s so tough,” I frowned.

“I dunno. I like the challenge,” he said.

I wondered if we’d ever be close enough for him to know enough about me to complete the spell. Of course, I desperately wanted to be that close to a guy… close enough to be able to say that we were in love. I smiled just thinking about it, suddenly feeling affectionate enough to give John a nice, big hug.

“I hope we can finish that spell,” I said honestly.

“Me too, but I don’t think I can ever know enough about you to finish it unless our relationship becomes one built around love,” he told me.

“Then let’s just keep going and see where we go,” I said softly.

“Yeah” he answered.

“Thank you for being here for me,” I said, hugging him tighter.

“You don’t need to thank me, really.”

“Yes, I do,” I smiled, kissing his cheek. He didn’t answer me, instead just holding me in our embrace for some time. I almost relaxed enough to start purring when I heard the door open. I couldn’t suppress my squeal of surprise at the sudden sound.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Mom said knowingly, “but there’s someone here for you, sweetie.”

“Who is it?” I asked, but Mom was already gone. I turned to John. “Can you wait in the living room for me?”

“Of course,” he replied. We left the garage together and then went our separate ways. I trotted to the kitchen, which was where guests usually waited around just after getting in.

Who I saw sitting at the counter, however, completely threw me for a loop.

“…Kate?” I squeaked. I wasn’t prepared for this! Not this soon!

“Hey Nikki,” she said, seemingly at a loss for words herself.

“You’re, um… home early,” I said.

“Yeah,” she said softly, “I think we need to talk.”

Now that was one thing we could both agree on. “Um, Can you wait for me in my room? John’s here, and I need to explain what’s going on.”

“Okay,” she said, standing up. She started walking toward my room while I went to see John. He smiled at me for a second, before seeing my expression.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Kate’s here early,” I told him.

“Should I go home?” he asked.

“I think so,” I frowned, “I think we’re going to be a while.”

“Alright, but if the worst happens, I can come right back. Okay?”

I hugged him. “Okay. Thank you again for keeping me company today.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, “and I truly hope that you can Kate can patch things up.”

“Me too,” I whispered.

After sharing our goodbyes, I slowly made my way up to my room. Kate was sitting on my bed, but I didn’t say anything to her quite yet. Instead, I turned around and locked my door. I turned back to her and smiled weakly.

“Neither of us are leaving this room until things are settled,” I told her, sounding much less confident than I wanted to. Kate stood up and walked toward me.

“Nikki, I’m sorry,” she said. She looked about ready to burst into tears.

“I know,” I said softly.

“What I did was stupid and impulsive, and I really hope you’re not mad about it,” she explained.

Now seemed like the perfect chance to really spell out to her how I felt.

“Of course I’m mad!” I exclaimed. Kate looked visibly shocked.

“Nikki…”

“Why didn’t you ever tell me you were Bi?” I demanded, “I thought there were no secrets between us!”

Now, I was about ready to cry. Kate looked genuinely surprised. “You mean… you aren’t mad about the kiss?”

“I… I can’t be mad about the kiss. It’s as much my fault as it was yours,” I admitted.

“Don’t blame yourself. Please,” Kate pleaded, “it was all my fault. I should have controlled myself better.”

“And I encouraged you by being extra loving that night!”

“Nikki... it really isn’t your fault,” she said again, “I’m… I’m the one who loves you.”

I blushed. “Your kiss said it all.”

“I didn’t want this to happen!” she cried, “You have something good going with John, and I can’t ruin it!”

“You haven’t,” I assured her.

“Thank god…” she breathed, wiping away her tears.

“But, I had no idea that you had such strong feelings for me. That kiss…” I said, touching my lips, “I’ve never felt such passion in my entire life.”

“My feelings for you have been growing stronger and stronger every day,” Kate admitted, “I kind of felt something for you when you were Kyle, but everything changed when you finally became a girl. When you finally became yourself. Even though you were still upset over being part cat, you were still so much happier than you were as Kyle. You were happy and glowing and so beautiful! I tried my hardest, but it was impossible not to hopelessly fall in love with you. When we were cuddling that night, my passion just exploded. Before I realized what was happening, I was kissing you. When you responded… I just couldn’t stop myself. It was so great to finally be kissing you that I just couldn’t stop!”

“Kate, it’s okay!” I exclaimed, moving closer to her.

“Part of me selfishly hoped that you might love me back, but you responded to me involuntarily, didn’t you? You were completely relaxed and purring…”

I nodded. “All that I could think about at the time was that I was being kissed and that it… it felt wonderful.”

Kate smiled softly at my blush. “You started purring in the middle of it, didn’t you?”

My blush intensified. “Your kiss was so powerful that I just knew that you were deeply in love with me.”

“…I’m sorry that you had to find out like this. I really am,” she said.

“You could have told me,” I said, finally starting to cry myself.

“I was scared. I didn’t want my feelings for you to change our friendship.”

“Well, they have, and I don’t care! Kate… I love you too. I know it’s not the kind of love you have for me, but it’s still real! We’ve been through so much together, and I can’t imagine life without you. Please… keep being my best friend.”

Kate smiled widely, despite the tears still streaking down her cheeks. “I’m not going anywhere.”

My smile must have been wide enough to split my face in half. I let out a happy laugh and burst into a spontaneous purr before literally throwing myself against my best friend. She hugged me right back, laughing and crying right with me.

“Well, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you start purring without someone touching you,” she said after a while.

“You have no idea how happy I am right now,” I sighed, crushing myself further into her.

“I think I have an idea. I couldn’t bear to lose you either, Nikki,” she said.

“I’m so glad you’re back!” I cried, moving from hugging to licking.

“Nikki! Yikes! I think you might be too happy!” she squealed.

“You aren’t getting away from me!” I laughed, continuing to lick her. I held her tight until I was satisfied that I had shown her enough of my love.

“God, I love you so much,” she sighed. I smiled at her and then noticed something funny. I let out a giggle.

“Kate? Is it cold in here, or are you just happy to see me?” I asked. Kate looked confused for a moment, and then looked down.

“Nikki!” she squealed, turning around and covering her breasts with her arm, “Don’t point that out! God!”

I doubled over laughing while Kate gave me a playful glare. We finally just sat down on my bed, ready to talk some more.

“So… how is this going to work now?” I asked.

“Well, I guess I just need to be more careful. I don’t want to lose myself and start kissing you again,” Kate said.

“But it’s fine if I can get completely relaxed first,” I told her.

“I couldn’t take advantage of you like that. You’re helpless when you’re that relaxed and happy!”

“But I can’t just stop being affectionate…” I sighed.

“Then don’t stop. Please. I love it when you lick me,” she said, blushing.

“So all that talk about being embarrassed wasn’t true?”

She nodded. “I didn’t want you to get suspicious.”

I leaned closer to her and gave her another few licks. “But you don’t need to worry about that anymore.”

“I can’t believe you’re so okay with this,” she said.

I hugged myself against her. “You’re too special to me to lose over a thing as simple as love.”

“Then we’ll make this work,” she declared.

“Yes, we will,” I agreed. I let go of her, but continued to lean on her shoulder. “So, why did you come back early?”

Kate laughed. “Jenny scolded me for overreacting when we got to her place. I knew she was right, but I was too scared to go back and face you. Still, she managed to heckle me enough to make me ask her to take me back.”

“I’m glad you came back early,” I said.

“Me too,” she smiled. I started to purr again, and it only got louder when she hugged me closer to her.

“This is nice,” I sighed, enjoying the moment.

“It is,” Kate agreed. We fell backwards on my bed, just snuggling with each other. I began to lick her again, reveling in my happiness. I half expected Kate to kiss me again, but she promised that she wouldn’t. I knew that it was safe to be so affectionate with her, and I enjoyed it as much as she did. Eventually, I stopped licking her and just lay with her on my bed.

“You know, you’ve set a really high bar for John’s kisses,” I giggled.

“Oh, have I?” Kate asked.

“Well, your kiss was so good that it made me purr, after all,” I said.

“I guess I’ve got a world record,” Kate giggled back.

“You’ll always be the first person to make me purr with a kiss,” I said lovingly.

“I’ll happily take that award,” she replied, pulling me into another hug. I gave her a few more licks before we started to talk the rest of the night away.

It didn’t matter that we talked about absolutely nothing. I had my Kate back.

>^..^<~~~~~<^..^>~~~~~>^..^<~~~~~<^..^>~~~~~>^..^<

“Come on, Nikki, everyone’s waiting for us!” Kate called, pulling me through the mall.

“Geez, you don’t have to pull so hard!” I squealed, barely keeping up with my energetic friend.

“I beg to differ,” she laughed. It wasn’t long before we found the rest of our group. Alex, Jane, Kelly, and John were all waiting for us with smiles on their faces.

“There are the guests of honor!” Alex called out, “Come on!”

We squealed to a stop right in front of the group.

“Oh, I ought to warn you, Nikki is absolutely giddy today. Expect tons of licks!” Kate laughed.

“Hey! You promised that you wouldn’t warn them!” I said in mock anger.

“Sorry. Had my fingers crossed,” she stuck her tongue out.

I shrugged. “Oh well,” I said, before darting to everyone and giving them a good lick. Well, except for John. He got a nice greeting kiss… and then I licked him anyway.

“Sounds like you two made up just fine,” Kelly said.

“We’re closer than ever!” I chimed, hugging myself against Kate.

“Yep! Sounds like things are just fine,” Jane smiled.

“Looks like things are more than just fine,” John added.

“They’re awesome!” I cheered. I promptly pulled everyone into a huge group hug. I felt so lucky to have such amazing friends and such a great boyfriend… and I knew that this circle of my closest friends would only grow larger. Even now, I felt closer than ever to all of the people who are closest to me, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. As I gave my friends another round of licks, only one thing was on my mind.

My name is Nicole Leona, and I love my life!

The End.



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