He's a Famous Actor, But He's Still My Adorable Puppy

My next-door neighbor is Liam Reynolds, the national heartthrob. Thanks to his insane track record—six movies and two TV shows in just two years—his house is mostly empty. We're neighbors, right? So, letting my big orange tabby, Cheeto, hang out in his yard isn't that big a deal, is it? I swear to God, I didn't plan it initially! But the fence the builders put up is ridiculously low. Cheeto basically vaults over it like it's nothing. He can jump it, but can I? I tried, once. Got my butt stuck. It took several security guards to pry me down. Mortifying. After that, His Majesty Cheeto just sunbathed in Liam’s yard during the day and came back to torment me at night. Until one night, the little traitor didn't come home. Suddenly, I knew exactly how my parents felt when I snuck out to that party back in eighth grade. I can still hear my mom standing at the school gate, pointing right in my face and yelling, "Ava Fang, I don't know who on earth would ever marry you!" So there I was, standing at Liam’s massive front gate, yelling Cheeto’s name over and over. "Cheeto! Cheeto!" Probably kept it up for five or six minutes, my voice getting hoarse. Nothing. Dead silence. Desperate times. I tentatively gripped the iron bars, put my feet on the lowest rung, and was about to hoist myself up when the gate… just slid open. Slowly. So, technically, I didn't break in. The gate practically swung me inside! Totally invited. Yeah, let's go with that. It doesn't count as trespassing if the gate asks you in, right? I searched the whole yard. No Cheeto. The house lights were dim, like always. My stomach churned. Don't tell me the little furball actually got inside? The front door was definitely locked. Was I seriously going to have to climb a window? Using the stone fountain base in the yard as a step stool, I carefully reached up and pushed on a second-floor wooden window. Creak. It actually opened! What the heck was going on with this house today? Was it haunted? "Can I help you?" A cool male voice suddenly came from inside the window. I looked up, and there was Liam Reynolds, staring straight at me with an expression of utter disbelief. 2 I knew who he was, obviously. Not just because he was a superstar actor, but because my best friend, Maya, totally stans him. I'd always been a little skeptical when Mike from security claimed Liam lived next door; figured he was just bragging. "Uh... hi," I managed, feeling like an idiot. "I'm your neighbor." Liam looked me up and down, a mix of amusement and resignation in his voice. "Well, you have a... unique way of saying hello." Cheeto, nestled comfortably in his arms, let out a smug little meow, basically saying, The royal audience is over. You may leave. At Liam's suggestion, we moved our conversation somewhere slightly less precarious – namely, inside his living room instead of me dangling from his window. Liam sat on the couch, wearing a black silk robe that hung open slightly, still holding a now-sleeping Cheeto. Now I finally had a chance to really look at the guy. Deep-set eyes, flawless skin, features so perfect they looked like they were CGI-generated. He seemed entirely focused on petting the cat, so I had to break the awkward silence. "Sooo... selfie?" Liam glanced down at his revealing robe, then back at me with that same look of disbelief. Right. Okay. Maybe a bit forward. "You say this cat is yours, and you're my neighbor," Liam said, clearly not buying it yet. "Do you have any proof?" How was I supposed to prove I was me, and Cheeto was my Cheeto? "You can call security! Mike knows me!" "No way," he countered immediately. "It's the middle of the night, and you just climbed into my house. How would we explain that if it got out?" He wasn't trying to give me a hard time, though. After a simple confirmation that seemed to satisfy him, he handed Cheeto back. The cat’s fur is key for scent lock-in. I buried my nose in his orange fluff – classic sea salt and sage. Oh my god! His taste was impeccable. I loved it! As he walked me (and Cheeto) to the front door, he gave me a friendly warning, "Next time you want to drop by, maybe just ring the doorbell?" Next time? There was going to be a next time?! Okay, fine, his main point was probably "use the damn door like a normal person," but my brain was already buzzing. Who cared about details! 3 I barely slept that night. My mind raced, trying to come up with a plausible excuse to "drop by" again. Every idea felt either too formal or totally unrealistic. The only foolproof method seemed to be... tossing Cheeto back into his yard. So, I spent half the night mentally practicing the perfect, elegant cat-toss technique. The next morning, I was sleeping soundly, Cheeto curled up beside me, until about 9:30 when Maya’s frantic call jolted me awake. "Ava! Wake up! Wake UP! Oh my god, I'm literally going to die!" I couldn't figure out what crazy drama she was having this early. "What's wrong, Maya?" I mumbled, still half-asleep. "Liam Reynolds' house got broken into last night! Did you hear?" Maya sounded both panicked and outraged. Her words snapped me fully awake. Broken into? By... me? Maya didn't wait for a response. "His agency hasn't said anything yet, but there's this video online… you can see this girl sneaking around, climbing his window! It looks like your neighborhood, Ava! Be careful, okay? Lock your doors, don't let..." My brain went completely blank. Oh crap. They filmed me. Cut to: me sitting numbly on Liam Reynolds' expensive sofa. Across from me sat Liam himself, his agent, his personal assistant, a crisis PR person, and a few other serious-looking people. Everyone except Liam had their brows furrowed, either yelling into phones or frantically typing, doing damage control on social media. The atmosphere felt like a full-blown interrogation. My skin prickled. Liam must have sensed how freaked out I was. He tried to lighten the mood. "Do we really need to make this so complicated? Can't we just tell the truth?" His agent looked like she wanted to slam her hand on the table. "My dear boy, a young woman climbs into your window in the middle of the night to find her cat? Who on earth is going to believe that?" Liam leaned back, a sudden glint in his eye. "Then let's say she's my girlfriend. We were just... playing a little game. Our 'thing'."

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