Aaron was having a wonderful Saturday. The sun was shining, the air smelled sweet, and most importantly, he had Keeley's undivided attention. Well, sort of. It was the most attentive she had been since his rebirth.

She asked him questions, went off on tangents as she used to, and even laughed! It was her first laugh in his presence since the Millennium Falcon sonnet. Aiden deserved a bonus for this idea; it was working splendidly.

One thing dampened his spirits: the twinge of regret he felt noticing her colorful outfit. Never in either of his lives had he seen her dress so casually, and their conversation revealed this was likely his fault.

When they were dating, she dressed up to impress him. Later, as Mrs. Hale in high society, he constantly pressured her to look the part. He didn't mean to be malicious; he simply wanted her to fit in with those potentially vicious socialites, to avoid bullying. He wanted her to stand tall and proud. Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect. Keeley suppressed herself around him. Seeing the changes she'd made since he'd been absent proved this.

Aaron had plenty of time to reflect during their five years apart. He concluded they didn't need high society to be together. This time, he'd meet her halfway, letting her live life as she wished—pigtails, cheap jewelry, and all.

Arriving at the animal shelter, he almost pictured her pulling him by the hand, grinning, pointing out animals, as she used to. Instead, she waited expectantly twenty feet ahead, because he wasn't moving. He hurried to catch up. A wave of smells—mostly urine and cleaning products—assaulted his nostrils as they entered. He knew this place would be dirty.

"Come on, cats are this way," Keeley said, having read a sign.

The cats were housed in small rooms, five to ten per room. Visitors could move between rooms, sanitizing their hands between each.

The first room held kittens, and Keeley's eyes lit up. Without consulting him, she eagerly opened the door and sat cross-legged, instantly surrounded by four kittens.

"Who's the cute kitty? You're the cute kitty!" she cooed.

Aaron was taken aback; he'd never seen her interact with a baby animal before. She clearly enjoyed herself, fawning over each kitten.

"Aaron, try petting one!"

Her tone and expression reminded him of their college days. Her eyes weren't filled with adoration, but she was encouraging him, just as she always had.

"…I don't know how."

She snorted, covering her mouth. "Sorry. Start at the top of their heads and stroke down their backs, with the fur. They won't like it the other way."

She demonstrated with a tiny gray kitten. Aaron hesitantly joined her and copied her, petting a white kitten with gray patches. It began to shake.

"What's it doing? Did I hurt it?" he asked nervously.

"It's purring, you idiot! It means it likes it."

"So it's the feline equivalent of a dog wagging its tail," he surmised.

"How do you know about tail wagging but not purring? Did you live under a rock?" she asked incredulously.

He shrugged. "I don't have much experience with animals. I've heard of purring in theory…"

The white and gray kitten fell asleep on his leg, its weight making his leg numb, but he couldn't move it with Keeley watching. The gray kitten she'd been petting climbed onto her arm, then her shoulder, perching like a falcon.

She smiled brightly. "Hey Aaron, take a picture of this!"

She reached for her phone, but he said, "My phone has a better camera. I'll send it to you." He really wanted a picture of her beaming; it would make a better phone background than the default nature photo.

Keeley gave a dazzling smile as the kitten remained perched, and he snapped the photo. Beautiful.

"So, do you want a kitten?" she asked as the kitten on her arm moved towards her head.

He wanted to laugh. She seemed perfectly comfortable, but he couldn't handle that.

"They seem a bit energetic for me."

"Ah, that makes sense. Kittens do best with a buddy. You're at work most of the day, so an older cat that enjoys solitude might be better…"

She discussed suitable cat traits for the next five minutes. He simply gazed at her, enjoying listening.

Eventually, they moved on to other cats. She asked about his preferences: color, coat pattern, gender, personality (cuddler or independent, playful or sleepy).

Aaron had no preferences regarding appearance or gender, but an independent, peaceful cat would be best given his work schedule. He told her this, and she went to find a shelter employee to ask about cats matching that description.

(The repeated advertisement has been removed.)