When she doesn’t open the door right away, I knock continuously until a meow sounds from the other side, then I’m hit with a pall of warm air. There, standing in front of me, is a sight that I’ll never tire of seeing. Aeris, at that five-foot-one height of hers, looking up at me like I hold all the answers to the world. This time, though, she has her hair in a messy bun and a tiny, cotton pajama set on.

