Chapter 23
AND THEN—BOOM
AMIRA
Soon, people will be clinking glasses, kissing their partners, making resolutions that they’ll break by February.
And I’m sitting on the edge of my bed in a crumpled gown, crying off what’s left of my mascara while trying not to choke on my own heartbreak.
This is not how I pictured my New Year’s Eve going. Not even close.
I press a tissue to my face and glance at the clock again.
11:43.
Seventeen minutes until the countdown, and I’m still stuck in the wreckage of something that never got the chance to fully bloom.
I want to stop crying, but it’s like my body hasn’t caught up with my brain.
A few minutes later, a hard knock breaks through the silence.
I sit up straighter, heart lodging in my throat.
One more knock.
I stand slowly, moving toward the door as if approaching a ghost. And, somehow, I don’t expect to find Henson standing on the other side, slightly breathless, jacket unbuttoned, like he ran the entire way. His hair is wind-tousled. His eyes desperate.
When he sees me, his expression cracks. “Amira.”
My chest tightens.
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to explain. Please. Let me explain.”
I hesitate. My fingers tighten on the edge of the door. Part of me wants to slam it. The other wants to throw myself into his arms and sob against his chest until I forget tonight ever happened.
But I just stand there in the doorway, watching him breathe heavily.
His eyes roam over my face, taking in the smudged makeup, the red-rimmed eyes, the disappointment I haven’t even tried to hide.
He opens his mouth again, but I beat him to it.
“No,” I whisper, my voice shaking. “Whatever it is you came here to say—I don’t want to hear it.”
“Amira—”
“I mean it.”
I start to close the door but Henson steps forward, palm flat against the wood. He doesn’t push, doesn’t force it. Just holds it open.
“Please don’t shut me out.”
“I saw what I saw, Henson,” I snap, the anger finally breaking through the heartbreak. “She kissed you. She had a ring on her finger. What the hell am I supposed to think?”
“I know how it looked. And I swear to you, it’s not what you think.”
“Oh, so your ex decided to show up to your family’s New Year’s Eve party with an engagement ring and kissed you out of nowhere just for the fun of it?
Henson’s jaw flexes. “I didn’t even know she was coming. My mom invited her, Amira. She had no idea we broke up months ago. And Celia used it to her advantage.”
I fold my arms, trying to stay upright when all I want to do is collapse. “Then why didn’t you stop her?”
“I was in shock. I couldn’t process what was happening.” He swallows hard. “But I’m here now, and I’m telling you the truth.”
I look at him, eyes burning.
“Why?”
“Because I can’t lose you,” he says, his voice cracking. “Because I’ve never felt anything like this before. And I know it’s fast, and I know it’s messy, but I’d be a goddamn idiot if I let you walk away without trying to fix it.”
The air crackles between us.
Then a distant cheer rises in the background—the countdown to midnight starting.
Ten.
Nine.
Eight.
I blink, breath caught in my throat.
Henson holds my gaze.
Seven.
Six.
“Don’t let this be our ending,” he pleads. “Not like this.”
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
And then—
Boom.
The sky outside explodes in color.