Ellie follows Ana and Zadie up the stairs, clutching her coffee like it's a life raft. She's exhausted, overwhelmed, and trying very hard to look normal.
Zadie unlocks the door with a flourish.
"Welcome to Casa del Chaos!"
"Please don't call it that."
They step inside.
The apartment is exactly what you'd expect:
plants everywhere (Ana)105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrvvHUv51bv
mismatched throw pillows (Zadie)105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1TpWM2JETD
a candle burning that smells like "forest witch" (Ana)105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡII08RAeA7N
a half‑finished craft project on the table (Zadie)
Ellie drops onto the couch like her bones have given up.
Pluto immediately jumps up beside her — he knows this place like home.
"Okay! Story time. Why do you look like a Victorian orphan who's seen too much?"
"I'm just tired."
Ana gives her a look — the kind that says I know that's a lie but I'll let you have it.
Zadie plops down next to Ellie, way too close, legs criss‑crossed like a kid at story hour.
"Do you want tea? Snacks? A blanket? Emotional support? A sword?"
Ana looks annoyed and confused. "Why would she need a sword?"
"You never know."
Ellie laughs — a tiny, tired sound — and leans back into the couch.
Ruth isn't here, but her presence is felt; there's a Tupperware container on the counter labeled "For the girls — don't let Zadie eat all of it."
Ana heads to the kitchen.
"I'm making tea."
"You don't have to—"
"I'm making tea."
Zadie leans over, whispering loudly:
"That's her love language."
Ana shouts from the kitchen:
"I can hear you."
Zadie grins.
Ellie is sipping her tea, finally starting to relax, when Ana opens the fridge to grab something.
She freezes.
"...Zadie."
Zadie perks up from the couch.
"Yes, my love?"
"Why is there... a single slice of pizza... in a bowl... floating in water."
Ellie chokes on her tea.
Zadie shrugs like this is normal.
"I was defrosting it."
"It wasn't frozen."
"It felt frozen emotionally."
Ana closes her eyes like she's praying for strength.
"You cannot keep doing this. The fridge is not a science experiment."
"It's not an experiment if it works!"
"It does not work."
They start bickering — not mean, just classic sitcom roommate chaos.
Zadie defending her "methods."105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlo43fNERzq
Ana lecturing like she's on a cooking show.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTYgur4nwIh
Pluto watching like it's his favorite soap opera.
Ellie sits there, blinking, overwhelmed but also... weirdly at home.
Finally, she speaks up — quiet, tentative.
"...you could just put labels on the shelves?"
Ana and Zadie both stop.
They look at her.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSaGdkCKJ2S
Then at each other.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0vypd4ykg4
Then back at her.
"...that's actually a good idea."
"Yeah! Like 'Zadie Shelf' and 'Ana Shelf' and 'Do Not Put Pizza In Water Shelf'!"
Ana sighs, but she's smiling.
"Fine. We'll try it."
Ellie shrugs, suddenly shy.
"It was just a thought."
Zadie beams at her like she just solved world peace.
"Ellie, you're a genius. You should live here."
Ana shoots Zadie a look — not annoyed, just startled by how true that sounds.
Ellie laughs it off, but there's a flicker in her eyes —105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiru7nXPCP4
a tiny, aching wish she tries to swallow down.
The goose argument fizzles out.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlyeViZ32fb
The fridge‑label solution has been accepted like a peace treaty.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfi5qxBrbsR
Zadie is humming to herself, reorganizing the pillows in a way that makes no sense.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk7oawz9lPP
Ana is wiping down the counter even though it's already clean.
Ellie sinks deeper into the couch, Pluto curled in her lap like a warm loaf.
For a moment, everything is still.
"You want lunch? We have leftovers."
"We have mystery leftovers."
"We have perfectly normal leftovers. Zadie has mystery leftovers."
Zadie shrugs proudly.
"Chaos is a seasoning."
Ellie smiles, but it's tired — the kind of tired that sits behind the eyes.
Ana notices.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2CuIk0OJJa
Of course she does.
She sits on the arm of the couch, close but not crowding.
"You okay?"
Ellie nods too quickly.
"Yeah. Just... long day."
Ana doesn't push.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBCQOer77Zj
She just hums in that way she does when she knows someone is lying but loves them too much to call it out.
Zadie plops onto the rug, stretching like a cat.
"Let's do something fun! Movie? Board game? Summon a demon?"
"No demons."
"Fine. Uno."
Ellie laughs — a small, real sound — and that's enough for Zadie to beam like she caused world peace.
Zadie starts pulling out the Uno deck.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRuhA2Z77tM
Ana grabs snacks.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrR3gvdazL
Pluto hops off Ellie's lap to investigate the coffee table.
Ellie watches them move around the apartment — the easy rhythm, the familiar chaos, the way they fill the space without thinking.
She feels it again:105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7V2o39i3A0
that ache in her chest, the one that says I wish I belonged somewhere like this.
She doesn't say it.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgneORAwSN2
She doesn't have to.
Ana sits beside her, handing her a handful of pretzels.
"You're sitting out?"
"No. I'll play."
Zadie gasps dramatically.
"Ellie joining a game voluntarily? Mark your calendars!"
Ellie rolls her eyes, but she's smiling.
They settle in.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7USzRuExJf
Cards shuffle.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8DgRUFIXHz
Zadie talks too much.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkgs7kFAY59
Ana shushes her.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNDdr0cBlFt
Pluto sits directly on the draw pile.
And Ellie...105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU3FWmHV8C4
Ellie feels something she hasn't felt all day.
Safe.
***
Ellie leaves Ana and Zadie's apartment with Pluto tucked under one arm and a leftover container Ana forced on her. The hallway feels colder than it did on the way in.
She walks home slowly, dragging her feet like she's trying to delay the inevitable.
The door creaks open.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG43qn0msSi
The apartment is dim, quiet, and too still — the opposite of the warm chaos she just left.
Ellie sets her keys down.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZQBg3C6PF3
Pluto trots inside like he owns the place.
She stands in the doorway for a moment, staring at the space that suddenly feels smaller than it did this morning.
The eviction notice is still on the counter.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxIDv4irJ3Z
She avoids looking at it.
She puts the leftovers in the fridge.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCdHR4xjD2p
The fridge hums loudly, like it's judging her.
She sits on the couch.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgyQ86CeOxq
Pluto jumps into her lap immediately.
Ellie exhales — long, shaky.
"I'm fine. I'm totally fine."
Pluto blinks at her like he knows she's lying.
Ellie pulls the eviction notice toward her, smoothing the creases.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ90ogg5U0j2
She reads it again even though she knows every word.
"I don't know what to do."
She folds it back up.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Y1Ig4pPaU
Puts it under a stack of mail.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJTLPnifWgw
As if hiding it makes it less real.
She curls up on the couch, hugging her knees.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk8qRJ2MO4p
The apartment feels too quiet.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWBM8cQsNFX
Too empty.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3k1eMwCF62
Too much like she's failing.
Her phone buzzes.
A text from Zadie:105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp7igIn9Rot
"UNO rematch tomorrow???"
Another from Ruth:105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSSNpO59QT6
"Eat something real tonight."
And then Ana:105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡecnSQfdVO4
"Let me know when you get home."
Ellie stares at that one the longest.
She types:105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNI3LGzhCxP
"Home. All good."
She deletes "all good."105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIL2nK4zyZt
Re‑types it.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoxMAAd6eHw
Sends it.
She puts the phone face‑down. Sighs.
***
A soft knock at the door.
Ellie freezes.
Another knock — gentle, familiar.
"Ellie? Can I come in?"
It's Ana.
Ellie's breath catches.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNXPixF5VTI
She wipes her face even though she isn't crying.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLc2tSh0O5a
She opens the door.
Ana stands there with a small bag of groceries — nothing dramatic, just essentials.
"You left your scarf."
Ellie looks down.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7V6G8yMlZS
She's not wearing a scarf.
Ana holds it up anyway.
Ellie knows what this is.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsB2rUS9XPF
Ana knows she knows.
"You didn't have to come all the way here."
"I know."
Ana steps inside.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX9ZhAL6fU1
She doesn't ask questions.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBIf8GXNFkk
She doesn't push.
She just sets the groceries on the counter and starts putting things away like it's the most normal thing in the world.
Ellie stands there, overwhelmed.
"Ana..."
Ana turns, soft and steady.
"You don't have to tell me anything. I just didn't want you to be alone tonight."
Ellie's throat tightens.
Pluto weaves between their legs like he approves.
Ellie nods — small, grateful, undone.
Ana gives her a tiny smile.
"Come sit. I brought tea."
Ellie sits beside her on the couch.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsaQ2Bf479G
Ana hands her a mug.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmtN7CAAUYQ
They sit in silence — warm, safe, enough.
Ellie and Ana sit on the couch, tea cooling in their hands.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfJelAKg5MB
The apartment is dim and too quiet — the kind of quiet that makes the walls feel closer.
Ellie is trying to look normal.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpcXyrlCYpD
Ana is trying not to stare at how not normal Ellie looks.
Then—
A sharp knock at the door.
Ellie goes rigid.
Ana looks over, confused.
Another knock.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡplkTS2iGdi
Harder.
"Are you expecting someone?"
Ellie shakes her head, panic rising in her throat.
The knock comes again.
"Miss Ellis? We need to discuss the notice."
Ellie's breath stutters.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv0yVjTHkqp
Her eyes go wide — terrified, caught.
and then Add to home screen.