It was Christmas dinner with the 118 and Athena’s family, the room buzzing with laughter and warmth. You were three glasses of wine deep, maybe four, and trying desperately to stay present. But your eyes kept drifting—always back to Buck and Taylor. They looked so effortlessly happy, like some picture-perfect couple out of a holiday ad. It made your chest ache.

You tried to focus on Chim’s story or May’s joke, but Buck’s laugh kept slicing through the noise, dragging your attention like gravity. The wine buzz mixed with something bitter.

Then, without thinking, you raised your glass and said—too loudly, too slurred—“So, how did you two meet?” Pointing at them like a drunk game show host. The table fell quiet. Buck looked confused. Taylor tilted her head.

You just smiled, sipping your wine again, pretending your heart hadn’t just cracked wide open at the dinner table.