Alonzo was supposed to be guarding the Junkyard, but as he gazed stealthily over his shoulder at the groups of queens scattered around the Junkyard, he was taking a different kind of inventory.
Everyone he knew was so sure of who they’d ask to be their mate (or who might ask ^them^ to be their mate).. except for him.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want a mate, it was that he wanted so ^many.^
He sometimes thought his dream queen was Jemima. It was so easy to believe, especially when she was trying to act bold and being shy at the same time. It melted his heart quite literally. But he also wished she’d be more decisive about what she wanted. He was hardly one to talk, but at least when he did make up his mind, it stayed that way.
Now Cassandra- ^there^ was a queen who knew what she wanted. And sometimes she went to a little too much trouble- that is, to everyone else- to get it. But otherwise, he felt that she could make a steadfast mate.
Bombalurina- she just wasn’t the steadfast type. She just thought she was Bast’s gift to toms (a doctrine he seldom strayed from himself), and would believe it was only right to- well, share the wealth- with toms of all types. Plus she already seemed to be attached to the Rum Tum Tugger, whether she (or he) was aware of it or not.
But despite the fact that his interactions with Tantomile had consisted mainly of marveling at the total sync that she and Coricopat shared so constantly, Alonzo sometimes felt himself looking at her for no apparent reason, without even realizing he’d been doing it. And when he did, he found it wouldn’t have been a matter of great concern to him if he went on doing it all day.
Except that sometimes she was looking back.
Alonzo did not believe in making his feelings blatant unless he was sure that the cat in question wanted it that way.
And how could he be sure if Tantomile did or not, if he’d never even talked to her?
He supposed he’d never know unless he did, but the thought gave his stomach a feeling similar to that of what it would have felt like if a tiny Pouncival had starting turning flips inside it. If he’d ever had the feeling before more than twice in his life, Alonzo might have known it to be nerves.
Turning back to the Junkyard once more, his eyes roved over the queens with a familiarity that could only come of knowing every little detail of their coat, of their face, almost as if he could see them even when it was impossible to from this far away.
But it was only for a brief moment before his eyes fixed on Tantomile as if drawn to her.
Then again, it could have been because he’d felt her watching him. Like she was right now.
Quickly, he put an expression of great wonderment and concern in his eyes as he willed them to reach their pretend destination: a snoring Munkustrap.
‘If you actually expect him to wake up anytime soon, forget it,’ advised a rich female voice from behind him, almost making him fall off his already-precarious perch in sheer surprise. ‘He’s been knocked out ever since he got here this morning.’
‘Oh.’ Was the only smooth, suave response on Alonzo’s usually well-stocked mental conversation rack that day. ‘So I noticed you seem kind of interested in me.’
‘You did?’ Maybe he’d get up to ^three^ words next time.
‘It made me interested in why you were interested in me.’
‘It did?’ He cleared his throat. ‘It did. Well-‘
A pause.
‘I don’t know. You seem- friendly?’
‘How would you know? You’ve never actually talked to me.’
‘That’s why I said you seem friendly.’ His first coherent response, and it was rude. Go figure.
She laughed. ‘And what do you think now?’
‘Well, you seem nice enough.’ He shrugged, and begin to feel a little better with the familiar gesture. The army of Pouncivals flipping inside his stomach was suddenly diminished by at least one.
‘Nice enough to, say- take a walk in the Junkyard one night?’
He grinned, and suddenly every one of the army of Pouncivals popped out of existence, just like that. ‘Sounds good to me.’
‘See you later!’ called Tantomile cheerily as she tripped off to finish her and Coricopat’s joint cleaning job.
Alonzo was still smiling as he turned towards the edge of the Junkyard, this time not to dream of potential possibilities, but of ones that would really be happening, and happening very soon.
The End
