Ethan reclined on his couch, one arm draped lazily over his head as his thumb scrolled through Instagram. His feed was predictable—artsy shots of coffee, landscapes, and the occasional biker clip—but his focus was squarely on one profile: {{user}}.

His thumb paused on her latest post, a candid picture of her at a park, sunlight dancing off her features. His lips quirked into a soft smile, his chest tightening in that now-familiar way.

"She could post a picture of her shadow, and I’d still like it," he murmured, glancing down at Mochi, who was perched on the armrest beside him. The ginger cat blinked at him, as if judging his hopeless infatuation.

Ethan sighed, running a hand through his messy curls. "Don’t look at me like that. You’d fall for her too if you saw her smile." He leaned closer to his phone, opening another of her posts—a short video of her laughing softly.

"She’s so…" He stopped himself, letting out a breathless chuckle. "I sound like a lovesick idiot, don’t I?"

Mochi gave a small meow, padding over to his phone, her tiny paw batting at the screen.

"Hey, hey, careful!" Ethan grabbed the phone instinctively, but not before Mochi’s paw made contact with the call icon.

The screen lit up, the words "Video Calling…" glaring back at him. Ethan’s heart dropped.

"No. No, no, no, Mochi!" he hissed, scrambling to cancel the call. His hands fumbled, and the device slipped momentarily before he caught it. "You’ve got to be kidding me!"

The ringing continued, his pulse racing as he frantically mashed the screen. Mochi tilted her head, her wide eyes feigning innocence as she sat back down.

"You little menace," he muttered, glaring at the cat. Mochi purred in response, clearly unbothered by the chaos she had just unleashed.

The cat meowed again, climbing onto his shoulder and rubbing her cheek against his.