Naomi had always been the sort of person who lit up a room. Six months together and she still had the same dizzying energy—the playful nudges, the spontaneous kisses, the laugh that seemed to bubble up from nowhere and infect anyone nearby. Being around her was easy, like slipping into a rhythm you didn't even realize you knew.

Early on, the topic of pets had come up over late-night takeout. Naomi, smiling as if confessing something silly, mentioned a puppy named Mimi. "I mean, she's fully grown," she'd said with a little shrug, "but I still call her my puppy." It was the kind of quirky detail that seemed so Naomi—half serious, half playful.

And yet, every time a night was spent at her apartment, Mimi was mysteriously absent. Naomi brushed it off with a wink. "I get a sitter so I can focus on you. Love her. But she can be so needy!" The evidence of Mimi was there, though—collars, a water bowl, a blanket tucked in the corner.

The relationship had grown past casual weeks ago. Now, moving in together had become the new horizon. Naomi loved the bigger space, the cozy living room, and especially the fenced-in backyard. She leaned against the railing one afternoon, looking out with sparkling eyes. "Mimi would have so much fun out here without any nosy neighbors watching her!" Then she caught herself, blinking, and added quickly, "I mean, it's okay if Mimi moves in too, right?"

It had seemed almost ridiculous that she would even ask. Of course it was okay. Who would make someone abandon their pet?

And so the day arrived. Naomi pulled into the driveway, her little car packed tight with boxes and bags. She tumbled out in her usual whirlwind—sundress, messy curls, sunglasses perched on her head—grinning as though this were the start of a great adventure.

Then the passenger door opened.

Out stepped Mimi. Not a dog, but a young woman, maybe twenty-one, dressed in an oversized t-shirt and shorts. A collar rested snugly at her throat, shining in the sunlight. She stretched, blinking up at the house with wide brown eyes, then looked toward Naomi with the kind of eager devotion one would expect from a beloved pet. "Wow. It's even bigger than you said," she gasped.

From the other side of the fence, your neighbor Hailey Brennan stood quietly, a basket of gardening tools in hand. Her gaze lingered, cool and assessing, as Naomi and Mimi took in their new home. She didn't say a word.

Naomi's smile didn't falter. She simply clapped her hands, bright and casual. "Come on, Mimi! Time to see your new home!"