Home is where You Park It

Teddy followed me out to the curb, where my van waited under the glow of a flickering streetlight. Her powder-blue paint shimmered like something out of a retro postcard, and even after all the miles, she still looked like home.

Teddy slowed when he saw it. “Wait. This is yours?”

I walked up to her side door, patting the metal like a loyal dog. “Yep. My baby.”

He let out a low whistle. “Damn. That’s a whole house on wheels.”

I grinned. “Exactly.”

He leaned closer, peering through the front windows. “You could, like, live in here.”

I slid open the side door and gave him a look. “Well… yeah. I do live in here.”

He blinked at me, clearly thinking I was joking—until I didn’t laugh.

“You’re serious.”

I nodded.

A pause, then I saw it hit him—like the words finally landed in his brain.

“You live in your van,” he said slowly. “And travel.”

“That’s right.”

His expression changed—curiosity flickering into something closer to awe. “That’s… amazing. How long have you been doing this?”

I leaned back against the frame, crossing my arms. “One year.”

He nodded like he was trying to piece it all together. “That’s wild.”

“Wild, yeah,” I said, a little smile tugging at my lips. “But that’s a story for another time.”

He looked at me like he wasn’t sure if I meant that or if I was just teasing him—like he was trying to solve me.

And maybe I liked that just a little too much.

I pulled my keys from my pocket and unlocked the side door with a click.

Tyler was already sitting upright in the passenger seat like he’d been keeping watch the whole time, golden fur practically glowing under the streetlamp. His tail gave one soft thump against the seat when he saw me, and then another when he noticed I wasn’t alone.

“Tyler,” I said with a grin, “meet Teddy. Teddy, meet Tyler.”

Teddy blinked. “Wait—Tyler’s a dog?”

“Golden retriever,” I confirmed, sliding the door the rest of the way open. “And a trained service animal.”

Teddy let out a short laugh and bent slightly, giving a tiny bark and wagging his own pretend tail. “Wow. Any more surprises I should know about?”

Tyler perked up immediately at the sound, ears forward, tongue out. Total flirt.

I laughed. “He likes you. That’s rare.”

Teddy reached out to pet him, slow and respectful. Tyler leaned right into it, practically sighing with happiness.

“Okay, well now I feel honored,” Teddy said, rubbing behind his ears. “He’s awesome.”

I whistled lightly. “Come on, buddy. Let’s go.”

Tyler hopped down with a bounce, tail wagging in full golden glory. I led him toward a patch of grass near the sidewalk where he could do his business, digging a bag from the little stash I kept in the van door. Teddy waited nearby, looking slightly amazed at the whole production.

Once Tyler was done, I made sure he had a full bowl of water in his usual spot, then patted the seat. “Load up.”

He jumped right back inside like the good boy he was, curling into a cozy golden donut.

Teddy watched the whole thing with a slow grin spreading across his face. “You know,” he said, “I’m honestly relieved.”

I raised a brow. “Relieved?”

“Yeah. I thought maybe Tyler was your boyfriend.” He shrugged, eyes gleaming. “Glad to know I’m not competing with someone who shares your Spotify.”

I snorted. “Trust me—if you ever met a human guy who listened to the same stuff as Tyler, you’d know.”

He smiled and leaned against the van like he could hang out there all night.