Casey was often the one to cook at home; he was always quick on his feet. Before Izabella could even tell him what to do, he already had everything washed and chopped; all Izabella had to do was toss them into the pot.
Considering it was just the two of them, there was no need for anything fancy—a dish of meat, a dish of veggies, and a soup—that's it.
However, as it was getting late, Izabella just casually cooked up a soup and a dish, and lunch was ready.
"Could you set the table? I'll be done in no time."
The kitchen was small; if both of them moved around, it would be a bit crowded. Izabella turned on the range hood.
"Where's the cutlery?"
"Here."
Izabella pointed to a cabinet under the counter, which was filled with clean cutlery.
Izabella's cutlery cabinet was quite empty; she didn't seem to plan on having guests over for meals.
Casey took out two spoons, two forks, and two bowls. He gave them a rinse in the sink, then laid them out on the table.
He pulled out a small box from his pocket; inside was a custom-made cat collar with a tag.
The collar had a tracking feature, just in case the cat got lost.
Casey took out the collar and found Nikki, who was staring blankly at him.
He slowly approached Nikki. Some cats didn't like having things around their neck, and he wasn't sure if Nikki would like the collar. He bought the collar because it was practical, he thought it looked nice, and the wording on the tag seemed perfect for the little guy.
But if Nikki didn't like it, he could change it.
Casey sat down next to Nikki, meeting the feline's gaze. He saw Nikki's ears twitched, and he handed over the collar for Nikki to sniff.
"This is for you; want to give it a try?"
He wasn't sure if cats could understand humans, but he felt Nikki could understand his intentions.
Nikki looked at the collar in his hand and sniffed it curiously without showing any signs of dislike. Seeing this, Casey was relieved; he undid the collar and cooed, "Nikki, lean in; let me put this on for you."
Nikki didn't move.
Casey didn't want to force Nikki to wear the collar, so he continued coaxing, "If you wear this, I'll give you a treat."
Nikki still didn't move.
Scratching his head, Casey looked toward the kitchen. The kitchen door was made of glass, and he could vaguely see Izabella moving around inside.
"This collar has a tracker on it; if you ever get lost, Bella could find you with it. You'll feel safe, and she'll feel reassured. Plus, doesn't this collar look great?"
The collar was designed like a bow tie, and the tag was shaped like a fish. Apart from the engraved words, there was also contact information.
Every time Izabella's name was mentioned, Nikki's eyes would involuntarily widen, her moist eyes looking like two blue glass balls.
Casey gestured at the cat collar in his hand. This time, Nikki obediently leaned in.
Carefully, Casey put on the collar, adjusted the size, and fastened it.
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