Vitamin D(eception)

Maya's golden retriever, Buster, was the worst spy ever. He barked at squirrels, chased his own tail, and had about as much stealth as a bear in a ballet studio. But he was perfect for cover.

"Just walking the dog!" she'd shout, waving as she "accidentally" passed Jordan's house for the third time that week. Classic stalking protocol.

Jordan. The new kid with the dimple in his left cheek and the way his hoodies always looked perfectly worn-in. Maya had been spying on his Instagram stories at 2 AM, analyzing his spotify wrapped, and now conducting literal reconnaissance missions. She was down bad.

The problem: she still hadn't actually talked to him.

"You're being creepy," her best friend Priya had said. "Just say hi."

"I can't just SAY HI, Priya. I need tactical advantage."

So she'd started leaving gifts. Not like, romantic gifts. Weird gifts. The kind that said "I notice small details about you" without screaming "I've been watching you sleep."

That's where the vitamins came in.

Jordan's instagram story had complained about being "low key exhausted" and "needing more energy." Maya, overthinking everything, decided the solution was gummy vitamins. She left them on his porch with a note: "Saw these at Trader Joe's and thought of your story. No pressure lol - just trying to be neighborly :)"

She signed it "Your neighbor (I have the golden retriever)"

Subtle. Smooth. Perfect.

Until Jordan posted a story that afternoon: "Someone left me vitamin gummies?? Is this a threat?? Like 'take your vitamins or else'??"

Maya almost died. But then—DM request.

"wait was this u??" it read. "bc my dog keeps barking at urs through the fence and i feel like that's a sign"

Maya stared at her phone. Was this flirting? Was he being sarcastic? Was he going to call the police?

"maybe," she typed. "or maybe it's the universe saying we should stop spying on each other through fences and actually hang"

She pressed send before she could overthink it.

Three seconds later: "bet. saturday? my treat. also ur dog is a bear (compliment)"

Maya fell back onto her bed, heart pounding. Buster trotted in, tail wagging, looking remarkably like a genius operative who'd just completed his most successful mission yet.

"Good boy," she whispered. "But next time, we're doing the vitamins differently."