Question

After Annisa left, Nick got up and went back to his room and flopped down on the futon. His eyes wandered across the bare yellow walls. Suddenly, he got up and started unpacking his bag. With a piece of tape, he attached a picture of his family to the wall. "Better," Nick muttered.
24 He heard the bedroom door creak open. Turning around, he saw Meanie slip into the room and leap up onto the bed. She sat on the comforter looking at him, flicking her tail back and forth. Nick could have sworn she was smiling.

Answer 1

Nick reached up and smoothed the tape with the heel of his hand, as if that tiny, crooked square could press his family a little closer. He sat on the edge of the futon and let the picture rest against his palm, the faces looking smaller and softer in the dim light. The apartment smelled faintly of soap and whatever Annisa had cooked earlier; it felt foreign and not unpleasant.

Meanie hopped down and padded to his knee, nosing at the photograph until Nick laughed—quiet, surprised. Her whiskers tickled his fingers when he stroked behind her ears. She purred, a low, grating sound that seemed almost to say, There. Better. Nick leaned back, the futon creaking, and the room stretched around him: bare yellow walls, a taped photograph, a cat that thought everything could be fixed with a headbutt and a warm lap.

For the first time since he’d come in, he let himself exhale. He didn't have a plan for tomorrow or the next week, but he had Meanie and a photo that smelled faintly of home. It would have to be enough for tonight. Would you like me to keep going from here, or do you want notes on tone, character, or pacing?