Ali released a small sigh as he heard Nora and Mrs Jones clamber up the stairs. Picking up the used dishes and cups, he moved them to the sink and opened the tap, washing away the grease as he searched for gloves.

As awful as it sounded, he had no qualms washing his own dishes, but touching anyone else's, forced his nose to wrinkle. It was not a thought he could compute, and so he searched until he found an unopened packet of elbow length pink gloves...with baby-pink fur. The fuzzy material immediately caused his skin to tingle, but he swallowed away the negativity and forced himself to wash up, just as he'd promised.
From Nora's annoyed tone that he could hear echoing from above him, however, he was certain that he would not want to trade tasks.

"I haven't unpacked my pyjamas yet" Mrs Jones yelled in return, as Nora groaned, her voice surly as if her inner-child was having a tantrum. Somehow, it brought a smile to his face and he shook his head, focussing on the dishes; a task that was far simpler.

Harriet Jones was certainly an interesting woman. When Nora had moved to the kitchen, Ali had asked if she had a space for him to pray and somehow that had warmed the ice in her eyes. By the time he had returned to the room, she had unlocked Mr Mitten's cage, and Billy had entered from behind the bookcase. Apparently that's where he preferred to hide most days, and to his surprise, the miserable cat actually prowled towards him.

It took a few moments, and Ali had been petrified when Billy had chosen to sit before his knees, but his own slight movement had encouraged the feline to join him on the moth-eaten sofa and place his head on his knee.

It was the most affection Billy had ever shown his cat sitter, and all Mrs Jones had done was huff in response. "Well, he certainly knows you," She had said, "he's barely come out of his hidey hole, since we moved." Meanwhile, Mr Mittens had headed straight for her, flopping beside her knee with a soft meow, which encouraged her to scratch the space between his ears.
"And how do you find it here?" The sound of clanging momentarily interrupted their conversation and the pair glanced towards the white panelled door.

"Are you sure she can cook?" Mrs Jones asked, and out of pure honesty, he could only shrug. Nora had never mentioned cooking before, or even an interest outside of the food that she ate. He could only assume she was telling the truth.

"We erm, don't know each other well," He explained, gaining her attention as she tilted her chin. He sighed, moving his focus to Billy as he finally took the opportunity to share his story. "Billy...Bertha is my daughter's cat, but I took him to a pet shop hotel because when she leaves him at home for work, he gets depressed. Nora works at the pet shop and agreed to drive me..."

"She drove you all the way here...to Inverness?" He nodded, and the woman murmured, though the surprise was evident in her tone. "It's nice here..." She added, finally answering his question. "Quiet, but after a life of busyness, it's definitely a feeling I could get used to, and Bertha, she's great company."
Ali smiled at that. It was clear that Mrs Jones felt content, and Billy was potentially a catalyst for these emotions, but the feline currently purring on his lap was not his to give, and he was stubborn. He would not be leaving until Billy was safely back in his home.

"What do you think of Mr Mittens?" He asked, and she glanced down at the cat who was currently sleeping on her lap.

"He's adorable, a true gent," She grinned. "Is he yours?"

And so Ali told her the second part to his truth.

***

"Nice gloves," Nora's familiar voice teased as he flinched from her unexpected arrival, turning from the sink to see her covered in a white powder.

"What happened to you?" He asked and she shrugged, running a hand through her hair, leaving a trace of the powder that was stark against her unnatural red hair.

"Mrs Jones and I got into a powder fight," She grinned, moving towards him to fill a glass from the drainer. "I know you're a neat freak and all, but you are taking far too long with the dishes." Nora complained gaining an eye roll, but he chose not to press further.

"Is she asleep?" Ali asked, and she half shrugged in response, taking the sponge by the sink to wipe the table as he finished the last plate. He'd probably wasted more water than he usually did but the plates needed to be clean.

"She said she'd rather eat donkeys than fall asleep while we're still in her home,"
The expression was entirely unusual but it was a fair point to be made.

"Well, we are still very much strangers," he conceded with a small smile.

"And here I thought we had made a connection," the mock serious tone was enough to encourage Ali to look at the girl behind him,  but she grinned wildly instead. Despite the unexpectedness of the trip, Nora hadn't lost her spirit at all, but now Ali felt slightly comforted by her bizarreness. She still frightened him to wits end- purely on the basis that she was mad and he couldn't predict what she, and as a result he would be actioning next. But after two days of travel, Ali had learned it was simply her character and there was nothing he could say, or very much do about it.

"Alright" Ali broke the silence as he returned his focus to the task at hand,  "can you dry these- I don't know where they'll go and I can get the cat, it's late,"

Once more, Nora nodded again with a salute, and he smiled, returning to the lounge to see the two ragdolls curled up against one another. Billy absolutely despised being awoken, and Ali had the scars to prove it, causing new found dread to coat his stomach as he committed to the job but thankfully the feline entered his carrier cage with little resolve.

By then, Nora had entered the lounge, and he raised a finger to his lips, silencing the boisterous voice she would have likely used, awaking the entire household.
They stepped out in the cool air, the azure sky bright as twilight approached and the stars winked to life. He closed the door quietly and the shadow stood at the window retreated into her bedroom, displaying Mrs Jones readiness to fall asleep after such a chaotic day.

Barbie, an awful name the owner had labelled the car with, unlocked with a press of Nora's key, and they entered comfortably, settling themselves as he relayed the address. After they had spent the night at the Travelodge the night before, Ali had requested that the hotel they now approached would move their reservation. Though it had cost him his previous deposit, the yawn that spread his lips was a silent comfort that he'd made the right choice.

After the long day they'd had, and the travel they'd encountered, thankfully, at least Ali knew that they had a peaceful night, up ahead.

The King's Inn, was a quaint hotel based in a cottage. It operated more like an Airbnb, but he was greeted at the door by Dylan and his wife Claire, both pleased that this time, Ali had kept his promise for arrival. He'd ended up paying for an extra night, as they stopped elsewhere the night before, but stopping had been the best decision. It was reckless of him to have expected Nora would have been able to drive all the way to Scotland in one go. And though he was yet to admit it,  he had grown to appreciate the gesture she had made. Not many would have even offered, and so though Nora acted upon her self-interests, and she was vain, there was a kindness in her heart that he had discovered. And Ali was curious to know why she had locked it away.

Nora had chosen to stay outside for a final look at the stars, and so Ali had agreed to check in their bags. Thankfully, the hotel was also animal friendly, the determiner that had encouraged him to book this place in the first place. He inhaled the scents of rich fir and pine, and though winter had passed, along with the hearty, roaring fire and the cosiness the quiet hotel conveyed, it almost felt as if he was waiting for the cold season to return.

"Shall we take you to your room?" Claire asked as she extracted the key. Ali nodded, and Dylan picked up Nora's belongings, following the pair along the hallway to a room on the ground floor.

The bedroom itself was simple. Exposed, red-brick walls lined the right side wall, where moonlight beamed through the single window and a large comfy double bed stood in the middle. A small chest of drawers, chair and and wardrobe were arranged in the three corners opposite the entrance, and forest green carpet warmed the ground. Christmas themed indeed. A single door linked to the bathroom, and to his surprise, there was another door inside, embedded in the white tile.

"What's that door?" He asked, as he walked out to where Dylan was placing down Nora's belongings, including her snack bag. He'd been utterly shocked when he realised the rucksack she carried was filled to the brim of just food. For a moment he'd considered it clever and assumed that it would be their sustenance, only when Nora had emptied it out at their first rest stop, Ali knew he wouldn't touch it.

It was just junk food. And in retrospect, he doubted Nora would have shared anyway.

"It's the second bedroom," Claire explained, "For the second guest,"

"So we share the bathroom?" Ali asked and when she nodded, he paled at the thought. There were locks on both doors that would retain his privacy, so that was not his concern. It was the fact that Nora was messy...and messy could mean water on the tile, and that could be a slip hazard-.

"We'll leave you to settle," Dylan grinned, "And tell your friend where you are," The couple didn't wait for him to ask any further questions and with a small sigh, he picked up his own bag and began to unpack, beginning with his feline friend.

As soon as the Ragdoll was released from his threshold, he stepped out tentatively, and sniffed the air. It was clear he liked the room the moment he identified the over-sized arm chair, and all thoughts of Ali sitting there with his sketch book was instantly removed. In the haste of packing, he had forgotten his lint roller and he wasn't about to risk cat hairs clinging onto his clothes. Ali liked to be clean.

The trip was only supposed to be one night, but Ali was always prepared, and had packed an extra pair of fresh pyjamas, just in case. He was in the middle of placing his sketch books on the table when Nora arrived, bringing in strong fumes of that ashy scent.

"Did you know they have a hot tub?" Nora asked, her eyes bright with excitement, as she entered the room. She headed straight for the bed, realising that the seat was occupied and he held back his wince when she leaned back with her shoes on.

Nora could have this room.

"No, I didn't know," He expressed truthfully, placing his folded clothes back into the bag. "I didn't bring a swimming costume,"

"Neither did I, but spare leggings and a t-shirt work just as well. It'll be great, I'll just change-"She searched the room, and finally acknowledged the lone bed, and gaped, "This isn't a share-the-bed situation is it?" She asked, raising slightly so that she was leaning on her elbows.

"A share bed what?" Ali asked, placing the media back into the bag, before perching on the edge.

"You know, like in movies and books where two strangers have to share a bed because there isn't any other option,"

"Oh," Ali nodded, "Oh, oh no, my room is through the bathroom. It's communal so we'll have to share it, but that's it,"

"Well thank goodness for that," She grinned, "So, shall we order food and check out the pool?"

For a moment he hesitated but the determination in her brown eyes told him he had little opportunity to reject the idea. "Alright, I'll knock on the bathroom door when I'm ready?"

"Sounds great," He picked up his belongings, ignoring the slumbering cat as he crossed the bathroom and into the second room. It was smaller but the window was north facing which meant that he wouldn't be blasted with light from the sun, when he awoke.

It didn't take him long to sort his things out for a second time, and to his surprise the door knocked, suggesting that Nora was ready before him. It was likely that she hadn't unpacked; he'd seen the state of her room in the Travelodge when he knocked on her door in the morning. It was horrendous, and he was grateful that he didn't need to see the sight, longer than he had.
"Come on slow poke!" She called, "I want Chinese!"

Ali had no plans to go swimming, and so slipped on a jacket with a pair of thin trousers that eased the chill of the spring air, before making the last minute decision to bring his sketch book. Nora was waiting in her room, also dressed in similar clothes, but her eyes widened upon his arrival.

"What?" He asked, feeling slightly self conscious beneath her gaze.

"You look normal," She simply stated, slipping her feet into her purple shoes. It was evident she had attempted to scrub way the ketchup stain he'd noticed earlier in the week, and the thought brought a smile to his face. "Like a regular person...not someone so...formal," Nora added and he pursed his lips at the thought.

It was true. Ali never strayed from wearing his casual clothes anywhere outside of the home and he'd only brought these clothes with him to don in the hotel. Still, Nora didn't give him a chance to press further, and instead opened the door, allowing bright yellow light in the hallway to stream in.
"Come on," She grinned, "Let's go swimming,"