Chapter 4
“Oliver?” Bee guessed correctly.
He nodded his head.
“Are you sure? I’m not going mad like my Gran, am I?” She questioned.
Instead of answering he shifted his form into his real human figure.
Bee said nothing, she was still completely naked in his bath, yet being in front of him like this felt no different than before.
She watched a man dressed in an old fashioned suit, with black hair and the same brown eyes as the cat appear. Taking the place of the cat on the side of the bath.
“I saw a painting of you in the town hall,” Was her first words.
He couldn’t help but smile, “Well, that isn’t exactly how I expected you to react. But I am glad you didn’t scream,” He said amusedly.
“And I didn’t expect for the resident ghost to stalk me in cat form. At least I understand why you were staring now,” She teased.
He was stunned at how normal she was with him.
Maybe she has had a lot of the male friends. But she didn’t seem the kind.
“Have you had many male friends?” As soon as he asked he regretted asking her.
Instead of her snapping at him though, she just looked amused.
“Why? Because I’m not ashamed of my body?”
“Yes… I mean, no…”
“Gee, thanks. At least I don’t have to worry about being deflowered by a ghost.”
She now wore a blank expression he was unsure what to make of it.
“No. You are beautiful, I just meant you wasn’t bothered about being seen undressed by me.”
She chuckled, “I know. I was only joking. I figured you have already seen all I have, so what’s the point in hiding. Plus I actually feel comfortable around you. I doesn’t bother me being naked around you. Which is completely weird considering I won’t even let a man kiss me, let alone anything else…” She mumbled the last part but not low enough.
“You have not been courted before?” He asked completely surprised.
“I’ve had men wanting to court me and other stuff. But I’ve never really been interested. Most men are like Clint. But I did date one person, a long time ago.” Oliver didn’t know why, but he felt jealous.
“He was a couple of years older than me, we were in the same children’s house. It didn’t last long. He wanted me to do stuff I didn’t want to, so he found someone who would.”
“Did you love him?”
“No, I was only sixteen. I wanted someone who I loved and he wasn’t it. I was glad when he found someone else.” He could tell there was more to the story, but he didn’t want to pry.
“What about you? You were thirty-one when you were murdered, right?”
“Murdered?” She told him about the confession and him being cleared.
“Too little, too late,” Was all he said on the matter. “But back to before, yes, I was. Why do you asked?”
“I was just wondering if you had a woman you were courting?”
“No, much like you, I never found anyone who interested me,” Until now.
“I was happy just myself and the cats. Yes, I had many when I was alive too. Many called me ‘Cat-Boy.’ But I paid no mind.”
“That’s funny, because then I was little and in the home they always called me ‘Cat-Girl.’ Shame your dead, I would have married you.”
“You would?” He looked stunned.
“Of course. You are my perfect man. You are kind, you love cats and you are very handsome. That is… I mean unless you are more into the male sex?”
He looked unsure for a second, but his mouth formed an circle when he realised. “No, no. I do not like men like that.”
“You like cats?” She asked but wore a mischievous smile.
“You are a bad girl.” He crossed his arms and looked amused. “I may be a ghost, but I am still older than you, little girl. What are you nineteen?”
“Twenty-three,” She corrected.
“Wow, I honestly would have said younger than nineteen but you live alone… But anyway, behave or I’ll put you over my knee,” He said still smirking.
“And what if I like it?” She said back flirty.
His eyebrow raised and he looked surprised.
“Maybe that’s what you want. Maybe you want a naked woman hanging around your house, on her hand and knees like a cat. You want that?”
“You are quite the unusual woman. I like you a lot. But I think I would like to see you on all fours,” He said smirking.
“Just for confirmation, you died a virgin? You never had any mistresses or sex?”
“That’s right. I had never touched a woman, unless to shake her hand.”
Bee reached and hit his leg, “Sorry, just checking. I didn’t know if I could touch you like when you were a cat.”
“I can make your hand pass through me or make myself invisible to you. But I enjoy being around you. I have watched you since the first time you came.”
He was the one to reach out this time and take her hand in his. “Thank you for returning my picture to me. I was so angry when those children stole it.”
“It was no problem.” She placed her second hand on top of his. “The shopkeeper didn’t realise what it was. I almost cried when I found it. She was so fragile looking.”
“Her name was April, she was only thirteen. She fell off her horse and broke her neck. My parents died three years later of Typhoid Fever. My older sister, Margaret married a year after that and another four years later I was hung.”
“I’m sorry,” She moved onto her knees and wrapped her arms around him. Wetting him slightly, though that didn’t bother him. He was just stunned at what she was doing.
“You can pretend I am your new sister if you want. That way you won’t feel alone.”
“I don’t feel alone, not with you here. The cats help, but you are different. I wouldn’t want you to be my sister,” She frowned. “Because the way I feel and think about you is a way no brother should feel for a family member.”
He lifted her chin up, “You are beautiful.” He pressed his lips to hers. The moment their lips touched they both felt that same jolting shock of pleasure, like when they first touched.
“You felt that?” He asked pulling back only an inch. She was touching her lips with her fingers.
“Yes,” She whispered. Then added, “I’m sorry for how I acted a minute ago, flirting and that. I do not normally act like that… I do like you. It is just, I am not sure how to act…” Oliver smiled at her ramble.
“It is understandable. You are a sweet girl. I have no doubt that if I had met you back when I was alive I would have made you my wife within a week. You are perfect.”
He brushed her long wet light brown hair out of her face.
“You finish your bath, Rosie.” He kissed her forehead. “I do not want you to get cold and sick.”
“Rosie?”
“Yes, it is pretty like you,” He told her and continued to watch her as she finished washing herself and her hair.
“You’ve never watched me get undressed or bath before?” She asked as she finished rinsing her body and then got out of the bath.
“No. I am normally respectful. My mother would have scolded me if they had known I had followed you in here.”
“Then why now?” She now had a towel around her body and was towel drying her hair.
“I… I am not sure. Ever since I first saw you, I knew you were different. We even awaited your return when you left. But when you touched me last night, it was just like…”
“An invisible tie connected us,” She finished his sentence.
“Yes,” He smiled. “I love the way it feels when we touch. I never felt anything like it before. My cats make me happy and are a part of me, but they are different. You are different.”
One second he was on the side on the bath, the next he was stood in front of her.
She jumped in surprise. He apologised and took her hand in his, “I wanted to tell you,” He looked deep into her eyes as if searching for something. “I love you.”
**
“I love you,” He placed a single kiss on her lips and faded away. Leaving Bee alone and confused.
She spent the next several minutes in a daze as she finished getting dressed and went to sit in the living room in her small cottage. But first opening the front door to let the cats join her.
Ginger was the first one to join her on the sofa, jumping on her stomach and laying down. But many more followed. Soon her whole living room was full of cats.
If anyone came to visit her and saw the size of the group, they would be scared.
Many told her of their adventures in the nearby woods, chasing mice and other small animals. Bee couldn’t help but think how they were really like little-excited children. She couldn’t understand why no one had bothered with them before. They were the sweetest group of cats she had met. They only showed their hard side when they were protecting the one they love, Oliver.
Ginger especially loved being the baby. He was quite content on just laying on her all the time and her taking care of him.
Her own three cats still got her attention but had joined the rest of the group. It was as though they had been friends all along.
She couldn’t help but laugh looking at her three, compared to the rest they were twice the size.
“I think the others need to take you little fatties out for a run… Or maybe I should make the rest of you round to match them,” She thought out loud knowing Oliver was nearby listening. She could feel his eyes on her.
“What do you think, Ginger?” He meowed in agreement.
She chuckled, “I am glad you agree. I am sure Oliver would love to see his garden full of cute round cats.” But then she tapped her chin, “But I am not sure if you will be scary to the rest of the town still. I guess they might find you scarier, like maybe you would sit on them and squash them.”
Ginger stood up and put his paws either side of her face and let part of his body and his head rest on her face. His eyes staring at hers.
“You squashing me?” Her words were muffled, but she was smiling.
“Meow,” He replied.
“Oh, you’re hugging me?” She asked more amused.
“Meow.”
“Aww, you want to be my fatty? So cute.”
“Meoooow,” A whining catcall came as Ginger suddenly was lifted off her face and place on the floor.
“Oliver, that wasn’t nice. He was hugging me.”
A second later a black cat appeared on her with large puppy dog eyes.
“You were jealous?” He didn’t answer, but she knew it was true. “You could share,” She picked Ginger back up and sat him beside the black cat.
“Meow,” Ginger rubbed his side against him. Oliver tried to keep a blank expression, but couldn’t help but laugh. Bee couldn’t help but laugh too at the two cats. Especially the black one with the human sounded voice.
Soon, Oliver was laid on her chest and Ginger was laid across him. He was on his back with his legs in the air, almost sleeping.
“You two look so sweet together. I love how you are with him and the others,” She told Oliver smiling and stroking his head. He tipped his head to the side and purred.
**
At some point, she fell asleep. She woke up to find all the cats and Oliver gone. She stood up confused.
The front door was open and there was a strange hissing coming from outside.
Walking to the door, she was shocked by what she saw.
