The house is asleep and he's the only thing awake, sitting in the blue dark like a small moon that stayed behind. His eyes catch whatever light is left, green turning gold, gold going dark again. The window behind him is just a soft gray square, the sky on the other side doing its slow spin. I sit on the floor in my socks and watch him breathe. In. Out. Nothing else moves. The whole universe is mostly empty, mostly quiet, and tonight it feels like all of it is right here in this room with us. No stars needed. No telescope. Just a cat, holding still, and the hush that comes at two in the morning when nothing is asked of you. He looks up once. Checks the dark. Decides it's fine. I trust his judgment. He's seen more nights than I have. Somewhere out there the sky is turning, slow as a hand on a clock, and nobody is watching. We're watching the smaller sky, the one in this room. It's enough. It's always been enough. He blinks. The night goes on. #nightcat #quietnight #starlight
