Chapter 1

On Christmas Eve, I ordered a Lyft, and the driver turned out to be my crush, Jason Quinn.

He took a shortcut down a side street, and we drove straight into a drone light show.

My name blazed across the night. [Elena, will you be my girlfriend?]

He dropped to one knee, his eyes shining. Through my tears, I managed to say yes.

Everyone said it was straight out of a fairy tale. But it wasn't. It was the prelude to a very long, very lonely wait.

One night during our third year of marriage, I waited up until 2 a.m. He stumbled in, reeking of whiskey, and called me by another woman's name.

The day we signed the divorce papers at the county clerk's office, he glanced at his watch and said, "Hurry up. It's almost closing time."

I didn't cry. I just kept replaying that night under the Christmas Eve lights, when he swore he'd love me forever.

The truth was, the lights always went out eventually. And people changed.

Months later, he pulled up in a luxury sedan, begging for a second chance. He said his startup had gone public, and he could finally give me a better life.

I gave him a small smile. "I didn't look down on the guy driving a Lyft. I'm certainly not going to be dazzled by the CEO."

His eyes rimmed with red. "Is there really no chance left for us?"

I didn't answer.

Outside, another light show was starting.

Some people spent a lifetime chasing the memory of one bright night. Others chose to keep a small light burning, steady and true, for all the ordinary nights to come.

This time, I didn't look back.

I finally understood. A steady light beside you is worth more than the brightest spectacle in the sky.

*****

It was 11:47 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

The rendering bar on my screen inched to ninety-nine percent. I did a silent countdown: ten, nine, eight, seven... The moment it hit one hundred, I saved the file, powered down, snatched my bag, and ran.

I was alone in the elevator, watching the numbers tick down from the seventeenth floor.

My phone buzzed. It was my mom messaging me on WhatsApp. [Any hope of you showing up with a boyfriend next year?]

I shoved the phone back into my coat pocket and left the message unanswered.

I walked out of the building. The sidewalks were already swarming with people celebrating, their voices rising and falling in the cold air. I pulled out my phone to call a Lyft, only to find I was 178th in line.

I resigned myself to a long wait. Leaning against the cold glass of the building, I stared at the huge screen on the mall across the street.

A biting wind snaked down my collar, so I tugged my scarf up higher. Just then, my phone buzzed in my hand. [Your Lyft has arrived.]

I froze for a couple of seconds, then scanned the street. A white sedan idled by the curb, its hazard lights blinking.

I pulled the door open and heard a voice from inside. "Merry Christmas."

I ducked my head to look inside. It was Jason Quinn, my high school crush.

I hadn't seen him once since senior year, and now here he was, sitting in the driver's seat in a gray sweater, his smile warm and familiar.

"You... drive a Lyft?" I blurted out.

"Just a side gig," he said, turning up the heat. "Get in, it's freezing out there."

I slid into the passenger seat, my cold fingers fumbling uselessly with the buckle.

He noticed, leaned across without saying anything, and pulled the strap down for me.

"Thanks."

"You know, you had the exact same problem with your backpack zipper in tenth grade. Glad to see your coordination hasn't improved."

I didn't say a word, but I couldn't stop the smile from creeping across my face.

The engine turned over, and the navigation system came on, informing us that the trip was 7.9 miles and would take about 45 minutes.

"Traffic's a nightmare," he said, cranking the wheel. "Mind if I take a shortcut? It'll be faster."

"Sure," I said. I didn't question why this "shortcut" seemed to be taking us in the opposite direction, or how he even knew where I lived now. I just sat there, watching the streetlights move across his face.

"Elena," he suddenly said.

"Yeah?"

"Do you believe in fate?"

I studied his profile. His eyes stayed fixed on the road ahead, but I caught the hint of a smile at the corner of his lips.

"Not really," I admitted.

"Then believe it tonight," he said, slowing the car to a stop.

I looked around and realized we had stopped at a completely empty intersection. There was no one anywhere. It was way too quiet for Christmas Eve.

"What are you—" I started to say when the sky above us suddenly lit up.

I froze, then slowly lifted my gaze. The sky was glowing. Thousands of drones hovered above us, their golden lights cascading down in slow, silent curtains, like petals caught in a gentle rain.

I reached for the door handle.

"Wait," Jason said, his warm hand closing gently over mine. "There's more."

Then the drones shifted formation. They weren't random lights anymore. They spelled out words. Huge, golden letters suspended in the night sky: [ELENA NOLAN.] My heart seized. Then the letters rearranged: [WILL YOU BE MY GIRLFRIEND?]

The drones pulsed and shimmered, each word pressing into my heart like a brand. When the final question mark faded, the drones dimmed and scattered. The sky was empty again, save for a few lingering trails of light.

My mouth hung open, but I couldn't make a sound.

Jason got out of the car, popped open the trunk, and came around to my side with an armful of red roses. He pulled open my door and got down on one knee.

"Elena," he said, looking up at me. The lights from above were reflected in his eyes. "I've been in love with you for ten years. Ever since high school."

At those words, a sharp sting rose behind my eyes.

"I know I'm not exactly what most people would call a great catch right now. I drive a Lyft. I rent a tiny apartment. This car isn't even mine." He gave a small, embarrassed laugh.

"But I promise you, Elena. I'll be good to you. I'll give you everything I have."

The cold wind whipped around us, ruffling his hair. "So... would you say yes?"