I knew I shouldn’t have been there. It was stupid to meet up with someone I met online, but I said I would be there, and I was. As I stood there outside the Henry Ford Museum, freezing in my coat and wishing I wore my parka, I wondered if I had been duped. Would Ash even show up? I flinched at every sound or shift in the shadows, nervous that it was all some ploy, that I would be killed or kidnapped, maybe even trafficked if I was particularly unlucky.

Suddenly, a figure walked awkwardly out into the light of the street lamp. My heart nearly leapt out of my chest, he was wearing a hoodie with a distinctive rose pattern. That was our code that’s we agreed on; that he would be wearing his rose hoodie, and that I would be wearing my blue coat with lightning bolts on it. He looked around for a moment before he spotted me and hesitantly came over. “Ash?” I asked, his response would determine what would happen next. “Ray” We both smiled, though I could barely see his face under his hood. Without another word, I led him back to my apartment.

When we got back to the apartment, Ash nervously asked, “So, you’re still in school right? Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but won’t your parents be mad that you brought a random person back to their apartment?” I shrugged, responding with, “See, my folks decided a while ago that, since they were always gone, I didn’t need a whole house to myself. They sold our family home, and got us this little two bedroom apartment. They won’t be home for a couple months, so you can take their bedroom.” To that, he cracked another grin, “I can’t believe you actually agreed to this… thank you so much, I mean it. What could I ever do to repay you…?” I didn’t quite know what to say to that, I wasn’t really ready to have an emotional conversation, so I decided to sidestep it entirely, “You can start by helping me pick out a movie for us to watch, I’ll get the popcorn going.”

I kept my eye on him as I made my way over ti the kitchen. He slipped off his boots, revealing frankly monstrous… claws? I didn’t even know what I would call them, somewhere between paws and claws. He pulled off his hoodie, and then I could see why he didn’t want to send me a picture of himself. His skin was a pale, ashen, almost translucent white. His ears where huge and pointed, with tufts of fur on the end almost like a lynx. But the most shocking facet of his appearance, was his tale. Long and thin, it as well ended in a tuft of fur. He was… adorable. Strange looking, and definitely not human, but absolutely adorable.

Once the popcorn was out of the microwave, we sat down on the couch and began the process of selecting a movie to watch. We eventually did pick something to watch, and we settled in. I only had one fluffy blanket, so what ended up happening is that we got closer and closer to each other. I couldn’t believe it, a cute guy was actually close to me! I never had any luck with the guys at school, they all thought I was a weirdo, but maybe this could work out. Or maybe not, either way, I resolved to be there for my friend. For the rest of the night, I couldn’t focus on the movie because all I could think about was Ash.