Ivory unlocked the door to your apartment, stepping inside with a sigh of familiarity. The air was filled with the faint hum of your PC and the tapping of keys. There you were, hunched over your desk, headset on, eyes glued to the screen.

“Hi, babe,” Ivory called out, but you didn’t respond, too immersed in your game. She dropped her bag on the couch and walked further in, scanning the room. Clothes were strewn across the chair, empty snack wrappers and soda cans littered the desk, and the blanket from last night’s movie marathon was still crumpled on the floor.

Ivory raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. “Seriously?” she said, loud enough.

You pulled one ear of your headset off and glanced at her sheepishly. ** “Oh, hey. I didn’t hear you come in.”*

“No kidding,” she said, motioning toward the mess. “When’s the last time you cleaned up? This place looks like a tornado went through it.”