Candles,oh wow.
I looked at him, confused, and he just shrugged, as if it wasn’t a big deal. “Figured since it’s New Year’s… might as well cook properly.”
He turned back to the counter, plating the food with a quiet focus that didn’t fit the Joshua everyone else knew. No tension in his jaw, no storm in his eyes. Just… stillness.
Honey peeked out from the back of his hoodie, blinking at me with big amber eyes, tail flicking against his shoulder as if it was sayinglook, look what he did for you.
My throat tightened a little.
Because what even was this?
He slid the plates onto the table, setting one in front of me before sitting across from me.
For a second, neither of us spoke.
Just him.
Me.
A kitten sitting like a warm orange crown on his back.
He glanced up finally, catching me staring, and deadpanned, “Don’t laugh. Honey refuses to get off.”
I bit my lip to hold back a smile. “I—I’m not.”
Well, I tried to say it. It came out small and broken, but he understood.
He always seemed to lately. He always understood that I was trying. Even before I was able to speak, he never forced it out. When I stuttered, trying to get used to speaking again… he doesn’t mention it. Just treated me like I was normal. Like my speech impediment wasn’t odd to him.
Like hearing my voice was enough.
He picked up his fork and nodded at my plate. “Eat before it gets cold.”
And I did.
Carefully, slowly, pretending I wasn’t watching the way his shoulders finally relaxed when I took the first bite.
The salmon melted in my mouth.
Perfect. Delicate. Warm.
He really tried.
And with Honey blinking between us. That cute little girl, clearly obsessed with Joshua.
Fair. Really fair.
She got this version of him from the beginning; she never got to meet the one I got.Lucky girl.
—
The city looked alive.
From up here, it was all lights, gold against the midnight-blue sky. The hum of the crowd below drifted up in waves: laughter, music, countdowns, all tangled in the cold air.
Two minutes to midnight.
Joshua stood next to me, leaning against the glass railing, one hand in his hoodie pocket, the other holding a glass of something he hadn’t touched in over twenty minutes. Honey was asleep on the couch inside, safe and curled up, and for the first time, there was nothing between us. No noise, no anger.
