And honestly? I love it.
The excessive holiday cheer, the twinkling lights that stay up year-round on Maple Street, the way everyone goes absolutely feral for seasonal lattes and themed events. This town embraced me when I arrived broken and scared, gives me a place to heal and grow and become someone I actually like.
I'm going to pay that forward.
I take one last sip of coffee—now lukewarm but still delicious—and smile at the sunrise.
A real smile, not the performance smile I give my phone camera. This one is just for me.
Okay, universe. Let's do this. Let's make today good. Let's spread some joy and pretend I have my life together and maybe—just maybe—actually start believing it.
Because that's what I do.
That's who I am.
Reverie Bell: Sunshine Omega, chaos creator, professional optimist, survivor of toxic packs and bad decisions, spreader of holiday cheer and aggressive positivity.
I stand up from my table, energized by caffeine and determination and the kind of manic morning energy that either leads to great things or spectacular disasters.
Either way, it'll be entertaining.
Today is going to be a good day.
I have a shift at The Book Nook, some content to film, and a whole town full of people who appreciate my particular brand of enthusiastic chaos. Plus, it's November, which means the countdown to Christmas officially begins, and if there's one thing I excel at, it's spreading holiday cheer with the intensity of someone who's been personally victimized by the Grinch and takes it as a challenge.
I grab my phone, my journal, and my tote bag covered in book-related puns, "I like big books and I cannot lie" written in glittery pink letters, and take one last look at the sunrise painting my small apartment in shades of gold.
You've got this, Rev. Just keep swimming. Just keep spreading the joy. Just keep being you, even when it's hard. Especially when it's hard.
I pull on my coat—a cream-colored puffer that makes me look like a marshmallow but keeps me warm—and head for the door, ready to tackle the day.
Ready to tackle the day by spreading the Christmas spirit.
Because that's what heroes do, right?
They show up.
They try.
They make the world a little brighter, one ridiculous video and genuine smile at a time.
And if along the way I happen to catch the eye of some Alphas down the road…
Well.
That would just be a very festive bonus.
CHAPTER 2
Bookish Disasters & Maple-Sweet Alphas
~REVERIE~
"Andthis, my beautiful book goblins, is the one that broke the internet last week!"
I hold upKnot Baked Out For Thisto my phone camera, angling it so the cover catches the warm overhead lights of The Book Nook. The book's cover art is gorgeous—a cozy bakery storefront dusted with snow, string lights twinkling in the windows, and the silhouette of an Omega and two Alphas in the doorway. Chef's kiss. Absolutely perfect.
The comments on my TikTok Live explode.
