“I dared you to eat a bug that one time,” I say.
“And I dared Olivia to go to that church picnic,” Harper adds.
We stare at each other for a beat before dissolving into laughter.
“Okay,” I say, wiping a tear from my eye, “I guess we can’t remember. So...let’s just all dare each other something this time.”
They both nod.
I go first. “I dare us to never lose faith. Even when it’s easier to run.”
Harper lifts her cider. “I dare us to love without pretending. No masks. No performance.”
Olivia swallows, eyes glossy. “I dare us to be brave—even when it’s scary.”
We clink our mugs together like a promise.
And in that moment, I feel it—the warmth of friendship, the steady beat of healing, and the quiet, wild hope of a brand new year waiting to begin.
From the kitchen, someone starts the countdown.
Ten.
Nine.
Eight...
I jump to my feet before I can even think. Harper blinks up at me. “Where are you going?”
I grin, heart racing. “To find my man.”
Olivia waves her hands dramatically. “Go! Run! Live your New Year’s Eve movie moment!”
Seven.
Six.
Five...
I dart out of the living room, weaving through clusters of people and balloons and voices yelling over one another. My pulse thrums in my ears as I round the corner toward the hallway.
Four.
Three...
And then I see him.
Gray, standing at the other end of the crowd, head turning side to side like he’s searching for someone.
For me.
Two...
His eyes lock on mine.
One.
We both move at once—shoulders brushing past friends and furniture, feet stumbling in our rush. Then suddenly, I’m in his arms, and the whole room erupts in cheers and countdown noise and confetti, but all I hear is the way he exhales when he pulls away from our kiss.
