And then he’s there. Sumner.
My legs propel me forward as his name rips from my throat. He’s okay. He’s here, and he’s okay, and maybe, somehow, we managed the impossible.
He reaches the top of the incline, boots tearing through the snow to reach me. I come untethered from the earth as I leap into his arms, my legs wrapping around his hips, snow and wind ripping through our hair as his hands anchor me to him. I lace my arms around his neck and pull myself into his orbit. His expression breaks with relief, his chest rising and falling in tandem with mine. Visible exhales disappear in the cold. Proof we’re alive, we’re here.
“Delaney.”
His gaze sends a fevered heat down my skin. He is soft and urgent and warmth and light all at once. My hands tangle through his hair as I draw us closer, closer, and he kisses me with starved intention. Hands grasp the back of my thighs, as if I’m his own cosmic anchoring point. And when his touch moves to linger on the small of my back, it sends skittering stardust careening through my veins. I am pure electricity, loud and awake and bright.
When we break away, a line worries between his brows. “I was so scared you were gone.”
I bring my hand between us, revealing my dad’s ring. “It worked.”
His forehead connects with mine.“It worked.”
And then he spins me around, a centripetal force, laughter spilling from my chest as I tighten my hold. When he brings us to astop, I kiss him, deep and slow, loosening my legs until I slide down his body. My feet sink into the snow as he pulls me closer.
We release each other, the cold seeping into the space between us. I start to step away, but he grasps onto my hand, fingers entangled with mine.
“There is so much about life that doesn’t make sense,” he says. “Logic and reason have been this reliable comfort when everything else around me felt out of control, butso littleis in our control. Even this—I thought I could solve it. I wanted to solve it for you.”
“I know,” I say thickly.
“You’re it for me, Carmichael.” A hint of a smile appears, slanted and perfect. “We might only be a large collection of atoms and unexplainable phenomena in a world where, most of the time, we don’t get the answers we want. But I’ve never been so certain about someone the way I am about you. You’re my logic and my reason.”
Emotion chokes my next words. “Say it in skywriting.”
He stumbles over a laugh. “I’d rearrange the constellations to say it if I could.” His fingers brush strands of hair behind my ear. “Sometimes it’s infuriatingly difficult to exist on this planet in this strange, wide universe. But we do it, we go on despite the pain and discomfort and all the unknowns. And I wouldn’t want to be here, doing this, with anyone else but you. I wouldn’t trade this for a thousand lifetimes unless each of them had you in it.”
It feels as though gravity has been pulled from beneath me. Imay be his logic and reason, but he is my time and my place. The one I want to share my hours with, whose presence feels like home in my heart. Who makes me feel as though I’m not only a bright star, but his entire galaxy. And I am in love with him. I want his sacred promises and slanted smiles, his tender declarations and soft intellect. Our story doesn’t end here. Not when we have so much more to write.
A sudden voice shouts from behind us.“Did you freaking see that?”Lionel jogs our way, eyes wide. “That wasunreal.”
I laugh as Sumner slides an arm around my shoulders. “Oh, that? It was nothing.”
Lionel grins. Sumner gives him an encouraging slap on the back, but I envelop him in a hug. “We couldn’t have done it without you.”
The three of us stare across the clearing. There’s a palpable emptiness without William’s presence. I’m not the only one who feels it.
“He was meant to be here,” Sumner says, voice low. “It wasn’t for nothing.”
I lean into his chest. “No,” I agree. “It wasn’t.”
Snow drifts down around us, quiet. And time pushes on.
“Well,” Lionel says, adjusting his coat as he looks between us. “What now?”
42
Hundreds of white and silverballoons hover across the ceiling, strings like the tail ends of comets shimmering overhead. Champagne-colored tablecloths are draped over circular tables, and taper candles in delicate silver candelabras cast a warm glow from the center of each. A sparkling silver curtain is the backdrop of the evening, tiny fractures of glitter catching the light as velvet letters spell outClass of 2026 Presentation Ball. A string quartet plays a gentle melody near the stage, and through the side door participating seniors link onto the arms of their chosen escorts as they step directly into the spotlight.
The gala was delayed an hour, first due to a false fire alarm, then due to a temporary power outage caused by an unusual aurora borealis display. It was a record-breaking phenomenon. Most attendees would say it was a sign from the universe. If this setback hadn’t occurred, nobody would have been outside to witness the rich pageantry: a sky painted in light and resplendence.
A long, slow breath releases through my lips as I wait in the wings beyond the stage. And when my name is finally called, I move carefully into the bright spotlight, head held high. Because I know he’s there, just beyond the descending steps, waiting. Sumner Winchel, dressed in a black suit and tie, eyes only for me.
Madelene’s inescapable wolf whistle sounds from somewhere to my left. I spot her next to our mother, whose eyes are brimming with tears as she applauds. But to my utter shock, it’s Jared who hollers the loudest. A knowing smirk plays across his lips as he observes the two of us, as though we’re as obvious as the moon.
“I’m proud to present the hardworking students who’ve put in the work toward benefiting the future not only of Ivernia through this gala, but of themselves and this community,” Mrs.Vidar-Tett says. “We celebrate these seniors as they soon take brave steps toward their next great adventure.”
