Chapter 5
Recall
Later, the house grew quiet and the lights dimmed.
Fatigue had settled into Jane’s bones instead of merely resting on her shoulders.
She moved through her nightly routine on autopilot, switching things off and straightening objects that didn’t matter.
Then she remembered.
“…Oh. Tomorrow.”
Check-in day.
With CBIE.
Jane sighed.
Not loudly, but loudly enough.
Cam turned his head toward her. “You are fatigued?”
She released a soft laugh. “Yeah… a little.”
Jane rubbed one temple. “We have your check-in tomorrow.”
Cam didn’t immediately respond. He simply watched her.
“Is that… inconvenient?”
Jane glanced at him.
Something about the word felt wrong.
“No,” she said quickly. “It’s just… one more thing.”
She turned and headed down the hallway.
Behind her, Cam remained exactly where he was.
Still.
“Understood.”
The following morning, Jane padded into the kitchen and stopped.
Cam was sitting on the couch.
Perfectly still.
Seymour was curled up in his lap.
Jane blinked, then covered her mouth as she laughed. “Um… Cam? What’s happening here?”
Cam didn’t turn his head or shift his body. When he answered, his voice was quiet and careful.
“He attempted to climb onto me multiple times. I adjusted my position to assist him. He then chose to remain.”
Jane moved closer, instinctively lowering her voice. “So… you’re just stuck?”
“Correct.”
After a brief pause, Cam added, “My internal systems generate heat. He appears to find this… agreeable.”
Seymour lifted his head and blinked at Jane, completely unimpressed.
He stretched, adjusted his position, and gave one paw a slow, deliberate lick before settling back into Cam’s lap.
Cam didn’t move.
Jane shook her head, smiling. “Well… congratulations. You’ve been claimed.”
“Understood.”
She turned toward the coffee maker, still smiling to herself.
Behind her, Cam remained motionless.
Waiting.
Eventually, he joined Jane in the kitchen.
“Seymour has determined that I am no longer an acceptable surface,” he announced.
Jane snorted. “Yeah, that sounds about right. He didn’t reject you. He just got bored.”
She glanced at the clock. “Okay. It’s check-in time.”
Jane paused and looked him over. “Let’s keep the dent between us, same as before. You arrived with it, so whatever happened wasn’t your fault.”
Cam raised one hand and lightly touched the indentation above his right eye. “The damage remains relevant to my operational condition.”
“I know,” Jane said, already moving toward the laptop. “But let’s not give them a reason to care.”
She placed the computer on the counter and pulled the cable forward.
“Come here.”
Cam stepped closer without hesitation.