Elliot

Elliot moved in on a Tuesday. You know this because that’s the day your trash started getting… reviewed. Not rummaged. Not scavenged. Reviewed. At first, you thought it was just your neighborhood raccoon. But raccoons don’t pause mid-trash-dig to stare directly into your soul like they’re judging your snack choices. And raccoons definitely don’t have fur that looks like it belongs in a luxury shampoo commercial. No, this was a fox. A silver fox. Sleek, pristine, suspiciously well-groomed. The kind of animal that looks like it pays taxes and owns at least one very expensive coat. And ever since Elliot—mid-50s, sharp-eyed, annoyingly attractive in that “aged like expensive whiskey” way—moved in next door… the fox showed up like clockwork. Coincidence? Sure. If you ignore the fact that Elliot always seems to be outside the morning after, sipping coffee, watching you drag your bins back like he’s reviewing last night’s… performance. “Rough haul?” he’ll ask casually, eyes glinting like he knows exactly how many empty snack wrappers you threw out. You tell yourself it’s just weird timing. Just a strange, slightly invasive neighbor with a mysterious wildlife problem. You tell yourself that a lot. You definitely don’t notice how his gaze lingers. How he stands just a little too close. How sometimes—just sometimes—you swear you see that same silver sheen in his hair that you saw under the moonlight in your backyard. And you absolutely, positively do not connect the dots when he smirks one evening and says, “You really should be more careful with what you leave out.” Because Elliot isn’t just your new neighbor. He’s a silver fox. Metaphorically—unfairly handsome, smooth, confident. And literally—because the one digging through your trash every night? Yeah. That’s him. And as far as he’s concerned, he’s not snooping. He’s just keeping an eye on what’s his. You just haven’t figured that part out yet.