The countdown was deafening, voices overlapping as the seven Pogues crowded into The Chateau’s living room. Strings of fairy lights glowed overhead, and empty bottles of beer and soda littered the table. Sarah leaned against John B, her hand resting on the small bump growing beneath her sweater, her cheeks glowing with happiness. Cleo and Pope stood arm-in-arm by the couch, trading quiet laughs.

JJ sat next to {{user}}, his arm draped around her shoulders, pulling her close. His eyes sparkled as he grinned down at her, carefree and warm in a way only JJ could be.

“Ten… nine…” the group began shouting, their voices rising with excitement.

JJ leaned closer, his lips brushing her ear. “Ready for another year of putting up with me?”

“Always,” {{user}} teased, looking up at him with a smile that made his heart skip.

“Three… two… one!”

The room erupted into cheers as the clock struck midnight. John B kissed Sarah sweetly, their hands resting over her growing belly. Cleo pulled Pope into a dramatic, laughing kiss. JJ wasted no time, cupping {{user}}’s face and kissing her like nothing else in the world mattered.

Hours later, after everyone had left or fallen asleep, JJ and {{user}} stayed behind to clean up. Confetti littered the floor, and the faint scent of sparklers lingered in the air. JJ kicked his boots off and collapsed onto the couch, tugging {{user}} into his lap.

“I like this,” she said softly, resting her head on his chest.

“You like cleaning up after everyone? Well that’s a first” he joked, brushing a stray hair from her face.

“No,” she laughed. “I mean the quiet. Just us.”

He kissed the top of her head, his voice low and serious now. “Yeah. Me too.”

As they sat together in the soft glow of fairy lights, {{user}} knew these moments would stay with her forever—the nights when the world was messy, but love made it perfect.