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Service

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Chapter 5: Service (Vanessa's POV)

"You get your weekends off, don't you?" Priya asked, handing me the towel. 

"Yes," I answered, walking with her from the counter to the cat-room in the back left. 

"Then why do you spend your weekends working, Van?" 

"I'm not working, I'm volunteering. I like animals and it's a good cause." 

"You like animals but do you like bathing, cleaning, injecting them, and cleaning animal poop too?" 

I smiled, stopping at the crate. "I like animals, if I'm taking care of them, the least I could do is all those things." 

"That one's fragile." 

I stopped before I opened the crate and took some cat-nip, placing it in the crate through the metal, luring the kitten forward. "What does this one need?" I asked, barely putting a finger through to scratch it. The black kitten froze and moved back instantly. It made me sad. "What's the story?" 

"Someone found him abandoned near a grocery store and brought him in." 

It hesitantly moved forward and ate what I gave him, accepting a few scratches. 

"We'll be sending him to the shelter on Monday." 

I clicked my tongue, slowly opening the crate and carefully picking him up in the towel despite the shrieks and struggle. "It's okay, it's okay," I whispered, scratching the top of his head. 

"We are taking him for a bath," Priya explained, leading the way. We headed outback. I was finding the right water temperature when the door chimed with the bell, signaling we had a customer. Priya huffed, "Nobody's even here yet. Dr. Sylvia's on the way though. Do you mind getting that?" 

"Sure." I handed over the kitten and then dusted my apron of cat hair. I walked out to the front while sanitizing my hands and dusting them off. "Welcome to Companion Care Vets, how can I help..." I stopped at the counter, tilting my head to one side. "You're kidding me," we mumbled in sync. I sighed, "Aaron." 

"Vanessa," he mumbled. 

I glanced down at the table where he placed a tiny ginger kitten, scratching its head. I blinked in utter confusion multiple times, checking if I was seeing things right. 

Aaron Sinclair has... a kitten? 

"What are you doing here?" he asked. 

I held out a hand while the ginger moved around, exploring the metal table before eventually reaching me. "Volunteering," I answered. "What can I do for you and...?" 

"Blue." 

"Blue," I echoed, scratching under its chin. "I had no idea you had a cat." 

"I didn't until yesterday. He's a stray but I'm taking him in. I'm here for the vaccinations and... stuff," he shrugged. 

I met his gaze. "You don't know a thing about pets, do you?" 

"No," he answered shamelessly. "Never had one." 

I always thought if anything, if he was even human enough to like animals, he'd have a dog. He seemed like a dog person. I grabbed a new folder and a form, handing it to him. "Fill this up for me first." 

He grabbed the pen from my hands and started filling it up while I busied myself with Blue. 

I checked ears, skin, and paws. I hummed mostly to myself. "You've got some big claws on you, huh. We'll take care of those." 

"Here." 

I took the form back and filed it. "The doctor isn't in yet, so you have to wait a little longer. He'll get the first shot and then you can be on your way." I grabbed a chair and nail clippers, mumbling a prayer. Cats are not easy when it comes to this kinda stuff, I'll probably be scratched in another minute. 

"Since when do you volunteer here?" he questioned. 

"Since the beginning," I mumbled, clipping the first nail carefully, pleasantly surprised when I realized that Blue was friendly and didn't care what I was doing as long as I kept scratching him. 

"You service animals now?" 

I shrugged, "It's better than servicing humans." I glanced at him. "I can't believe you have a kitten." 

"Why?" 

"I never imagined you'd have a kitten." 

"Why are you imagining me?" 

I stopped, glaring up at him. "Right now, I'm imagining strangling you." 

He didn't respond and took a look around. 

I was done by the time Dr. Sylvia walked in. "Hi, what do we have here?" 

I handed Blue over to her and sanitized my hands again. "I'm going out back to help Priya. We're taking care of that black kitten, the stray from the grocery store," I informed her. 

"You should take that one home," Dr. Sylvia sighed, glancing at me. "He likes you." 

"He does?" 

She nodded, preparing a needle. "He warmed up to you faster, he still hisses at Priya. Take him in." 

"I can't," I mumbled, "my apartment building doesn't allow pets." 

"Pity," she mumbled. 

I glanced up at Aaron and found him already staring at me. I raised my brows and he blinked, turning his attention to Blue. "Bye, Blue," I sang, giving him one last scratch and then heading back. 

»»————　➴　————««

I got out of the cab and entered my apartment building, stepping into the elevator and heading up to my floor. On the weekends, I'm at the vet's clinic from eleven o'clock in the mornings to five in the evenings, so now I have the rest of the night to myself, which means I'll be spending half of it wasting time and the other half working. 

I was fishing my keys out of my purse as I walked to my door but I froze, recognizing him from a distance. I walked ahead, stopping at my door which he leaned against. "What the hell are you doing here?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest. 

"Since you stormed out yesterday, I thought I'd come talk to you myself." 

I nodded, "Oh, okay. Was the wine being thrown at your face not clear enough for you? I want nothing to do with you, Chase." 

"Van, hear me out." 

"Why? I don't owe it to you. I don't want to hear it." 

"I didn't do anything, baby." 

"I am not your baby," I gritted out. "Don't call me baby again." 

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, don't be so dramatic. You said you weren't going to see me." 

"That night, Chase. That wasn't a sign for you to go and sleep with your co-worker. You wanted to meet me and I said I wasn't going to come see you that night." 

"Exactly!" 

"I was working! Do you expect me to drop everything and come running when you ask?" 

"You were my girlfriend," he scoffed. 

"Really? When? Because you never asked me to be, remember? Isn't that what you said? That was your justification. 'I never asked you to be my girlfriend, we're not exclusive yet, Van.' So what's the problem now? Just stay away from me, leave me alone." 

"Oh, please, don't act so innocent. I saw you." 

"What?" 

"With that guy at your office." 

"What guy?" 

"That tall one." 

I stared at him, dumbfounded. 

"The one you know from college," he spat. 

Aaron? 

"What the hell are you talking about?" 

"Please, Vanessa. I've dropped by your office enough times to see you two always together, always talking and flirting." 

"We fight, Chase. I hate him." 

"Do you? Because it sure as hell never looked like it." 

"Get out," I demanded. "Get away from me and my apartment. Get out of here now." 

"Don't tell me what to do." 

"Fuck you, Chase. If you think you can just stroll back into my life like it's nothing, you're wrong. You slept with another girl." 

"I hadn't even slept with you, you can't be that mad about it, come on. Van, don't be a bitch." 

My hand was itching, literally itching, to slap him. "Take a hint. I'll spell it out for you. N. O. No." I unlocked my door and slammed it in his face before he could block it. I locked it, dropping my keys in the bowl and heading straight to my room. First, I'd shower, then I'd relax, and then I'd work.

I couldn't believe that I was dumb enough to waste my time on someone like Chase. I met Chase around eight months ago at a bar when our team was out celebrating like we went yesterday. We exchanged numbers, he seemed nice, decent enough. And he was that way while we talked and met a few times. But I just couldn't bring myself to sleep with him and it honestly relieved me that he wasn't asking me to be his girlfriend. 

Two months into it, he was getting frustrated that I wasn't having sex with him. He even asked me bluntly and I refused and said I didn't want to. He asked me if I wasn't ready and I said I was, I just didn't want to. And that seemed to hurt his ego. Not even three days later, he called me to his apartment to hang out, but when I got there, he was nowhere to be found and all I could hear from his bedroom were moans and grunts and everything that made me want to throw up. 

I left, obviously. I didn't care. 

He showed up at my apartment the next day, asking if I caught him and putting on an act, begging for forgiveness and saying he really wanted to be with me. 

'It was a mistake, she means nothing to me' blah, blah, blah. Whatever. He could fuck whoever he wants, I just never wanted to be with him in that way. And now, he's still not over it. 

Very conveniently, he's always near my office building, either at my favorite café nearby or at the grocery store near my apartment or at restaurants where I am with my team. 

I was genuinely sick of it and I wanted to do something to get rid of him for good. I just don't know how.

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Chapter 5

If I was her, I'd have murdered Chase already ffs he's so annoying lmao

next chapter: coffee