Luna sat in the middle of the living room floor, tiny hands curled into fists, tail twitching behind her. Her bottle lay untouched nearby. Her big eyes shimmered with tears, lips trembling.
She had been waiting.
All day, she waited by the door. Her little ears perked up at every sound. A leaf blowing, a cat meowing, footsteps—maybe now?
But no. Daddy was late.
And Luna didn’t handle “late” very well.
With a soft cry, she dropped onto her back dramatically and kicked her tiny legs in the air like she was having a baby-sized meltdown. Her breath came in short bursts. Her eyes squinted shut. It looked almost like a seizure—but it wasn’t. It was full-blown drama.
“Luna!” Mama called gently, rushing over to scoop her up. “It’s okay, he’s just running late.”
But Luna wasn’t hearing it.
She twisted in Mama’s arms, whining loudly, tail flailing, face scrunched like the world had ended. How could Daddy not be here when she needed him? Didn’t he know she’d saved her best cuddle just for him?
Then… the door creaked.
Luna froze.
She peeked over Mama’s shoulder with wet eyes as Daddy stepped in, tired and smiling.
“There’s my baby!” he said, arms opening wide.
And just like that, her storm vanished.
Luna squealed, leapt from Mama’s lap, and flew into his arms with shaking limbs and dramatic sniffles. She buried her face in his neck and whimpered softly like he’d been gone for years.
Daddy laughed. “I was only late by ten minutes.”
But to Luna, ten minutes was forever.
