Just like a shark’s dorsal fin slicing silently through the ocean’s surface announces its presence, so too does the erect tip of a fluffy Persian cat’s tail.  Um, announcing her presence in a confined, erm, warm apartment’s living room.  Kitty got some attitude, hence the erect tail.  A prone Anton on the couch saw the “impending doom” on approach (cue soundtrack), already prepared for her arrival.<br/><br/>Seven pounds of fur and flesh (mostly fur, let’s face it) now added to the couch, Anton held his copy of the current issue of<i>The Hockey News </i>directly in front of his face.  At this distance, reading it was not the objective.  Kitty Deterrent was.  A heavy purring soon kicked in, while four paws traipsed over his body, his head their agreed upon destination.<br/><br/>The blocking magazine received a Persian head nudge.  But it refused to yield.  A flick of her tail was her next aggressive attempt at magazine disposal.  FAIL!  Who did she think she was, the Alien Queen?!  Anton was nearing internal combustion at having to stifle his laughter when a pair of black paws appeared at the top of his magazine, and it toppled onto his face like the paper kingdom it truly was.<br/><br/>Laughing, he held her aloft with one hand while tossing the magazine to the floor with the other.  “And where you been, Missy?”  Her purring never ceased as she once again landed softly on his chest.  Upon landing, her head flicked to the left, always attentive to movement.  “And what are you looking at?  Huh?  What are you looking at?” Anton asked (not bothering to look where she looked) while scritching her head, ears, and chin, almost at the same time.  Now assaulted and distracted all at once, she focused on him with a right furry paw to his chin.  And the purrs.  The always-increasing-in-volume purrs.<br/><br/>Chloe knelt in the darkened hallway, thankful for the shadow it provided.  She dabbed at her eyes as she watched the entire exchange between Licorice and Anton unfold.  Now that the radar cat was no longer looking her way, she retreated into her room.<br/><br/>Unaware that they’d just been spied on (although Licorice knew), Anton informed his feline sweetie, “We have company tonight.  So be nice, and be sure to say hi.”  By now, she was no longer standing, having reclined into a stretched-out position on him.  A few blinks later, and she was out like a light.  How does she continue purring and sleep at the same time? he puzzlingly wondered.<br/><br/>With her in dreamland, he eyed his discarded magazine on the floor.  Naturally, it was out of reach.  He entertained thoughts of surfing the ‘net on his phone, but really, he was just about ready for bed.  Thinking of his phone reminded him of Stella’s brief reply.  He took no offense by this, as his initial text to her was just as brief.  She was probably exhausted due to the day’s and evening’s events anyway.<br/><br/>Once Stella had entered his thoughts, she stayed there.  Only now did he question his reaction to Chloe’s unforeseen dilemma.  Had he been too hasty in his decision?  Should he have taken her to a hotel as she requested?  Was Stella resentful of Chloe spending the night?  Might there have been a missed, golden opportunity to somehow celebrate with Stella following her awesome performance?  Would he do exactly the same thing if similar circumstances presented itself?<br/><br/>And now the answers, before the questions got way too outta hand:  No.  No.  No way to know without directly asking her, which he’d never do.  Sadly, yes, he had to admit.  In less than a heartbeat, a friend in need and all that.<br/><br/>Anton sighed while Licorice purred.  His gaze drifted toward the ceiling, wondering what she was doing right now.