I shifted closer, our shoulders brushing beneath the sheet. “That one’s even better.”
Silence settled again, but this time it was softer. Safer.
After a moment, she glanced at me. “Your turn.”
I smiled faintly. “This year, I will stay. No matter how messy things get.” Even with Alex. But for now, I knew we had to stay away from each other in order to keep what we have a secret.
Her eyes searched my face, as if testing whether I meant it. Then she exhaled, something easing out of her shoulders.
“Deal,” she whispered.
Outside the room, I knew Alex was still waiting, probably worried sick. But for now, this was where I needed to be, right here, lying beside my best friend as the new year quietly began.
By evening, the light outside Mads’ window had shifted from dull gray to a soft ambe
