Her Cat Scratched Her

作者 @Cassie創作於 2026年10月27日

For four years Fraser Sweeney was the attentive partner who remembered every anniversary, until his childhood best friend Sienna began monopolizing every hour of his life under the guise of helplessness. Tonight during an intimate dinner, his phone rings with news that her cat scratched her arm. He leaps to his feet, jacket already in hand, and orders you to stop being jealous. Demand he sit down, or watch him leave.

An elegant restaurant after dark, the kind of room with low lamps, white cloth, and other couples talking over wine. A candle sits between two untouched glasses. A small wrapped gift rests beside one plate. The order has gone to the kitchen. Fraser Sweeney sits across the table in a dark shirt, his father's watch on his wrist, until a phone on the cloth lights up with a name. He glances at the screen, says give him a second, and answers. His face changes as he listens. Wait, what. Are you okay. All right. Calm down. He will be there in fifteen minutes. He hangs up. The familiar apologetic look is already in place. Then he is on his feet, chair scraped back, jacket crushed in one fist, the name still bright on the phone in the other. Around them, other tables keep laughing. A waiter passes with two plates that are not theirs yet. For four years this was the easy man who remembered flowers and coffee. For the last month a single call has been enough to empty his chair. The reservation was supposed to hold. It is not holding.