Chapter Forty-Five – Alex
I believe, I believe that we’re just one dream
Away from who we’re meant to be that we’re standing on the edge of
Something big, something crazy our best days are yet unknown
That this moment is ours to own 'Cause we’re standing on the edge of great!
Edge Of Great - Julie And The Phantoms
With his hand on my waist, A.J. guides me out of the elevator.
I try to hold back the smile that insists on spreading across my face, but every step crackles with wonder and nerves.
The city shimmers like a living jewel, and if it’s already breathtaking from down here, I can only imagine what it looks like from the sky.
Thank goodness the helicopter is still off.
I spent hours deep conditioning and diffusing my hair; it’d be a total waste for it to arrive a mess at the restaurant.
“Ready?” A.J. asks as we pause at the helicopter door. A tender smile steals across my face.
“With you, always,” I wink, and he helps me climb in, sealing my lips with a kiss the moment we sit.
Joseph, the pilot, introduces himself, and we do the same. A.J. tells him to fire it up, and that giant spinning bowl we’re in hums to life as Anthony settles the headsets on my ears.
“I hope you love these final hours of the year,” A.J. says through the mic.
“With you, it’ll be impossible not to,” I reply, and I catch his eyes lighting up—exactly like whenever I’m not being a total ogre.
“What?”
“I’m never gonna get used to you being this sweet.”
“Good,” I say with a grin. “I mean, imagine me spending the rest of my life getting that look…” I trail off, tilting his chin up and pulling him closer.
“Every time I tell you how happy you make me and how grateful I am to have found you.” I shrug like it’s nothing, and A.J.
kisses me—kind of awkwardly, thanks to the headphones.
We pull apart smiling, and he points to the window, eager to show me something I almost miss—because even on New Year’s Eve, nothing could compare to him. But I was wrong.
The helicopter cuts through the sky like it’s part of it.
The vibration under my body, the constant whoosh of the blades muffled by my headset, and the city slipping farther below…
it all feels surreal. But it’s real, and New York at night is as stunning as it is by day.
If at sunset it looks like a perfectly painted watercolor, at night it becomes the most beautiful constellation on Earth.
Lights pulse in their own rhythm, breathing life into the darkness
“You okay?” A.J. asks over the radio, his voice soft in my ear.
“I’m great. It’s just… when you said you didn’t want to spend New Year’s with everyone and might’ve even agreed to dinner with your parents if you hadn’t planned something special for us, I thought you meant there was another reason this night was special,” I confess, a shy grin on my lips. “Like… that special ...”
He laughs loud enough I’d hear it even without the headset, and I frown, confused.
“You know he hears everything we say on the radio, right?” he says, nodding at the pilot as he teases me.
My eyes are huge and my mouth is hanging open!
“You’re kidding!” I accuse, and he shakes his head.
“He’s working New Year’s Eve, and he still has to hear me talking about… A.J., why didn’t you warn me?”
“I had no idea you were going to… bring that up.” He stifles a laugh, and I turn to the window, sheepish. A.J. moves closer, wrapping me in his arms, and I rest against his chest, gazing out.
The dark sky stretches infinite, sprinkled with lazy stars.
City lights fade behind us, and below, the world takes the shape of trees, rolling hills, and silence.
We pass over a hilly expanse, then a river gleaming like a silver ribbon.
A shiver runs through me—not from cold, but from awe.
I’ve never spent New Year’s Eve like this—never felt… so whole.
Suddenly, the pilot speaks into the mic:
“Preparing countdown. Coordinate point reached. Three rotations as agreed.”
“A countdown for what?”
I look at A.J., puzzled why we’re “stopping” mid-air. The helicopter begins to slowly rotate, dancing above the treetops.
“We’re flying in circles?”
“Yes,” he replies, smiling calmly.
I turn back to the window, scanning for clues.
“And you asked him to do this because…”
He loosens his harness, leans toward me, and cups my face with both hands
“I wanted to ask you to make one of my impossible dreams come true.”
“And what is that?” I ask over the mic, heart racing at the thought of granting him a wish, like he always does for me.
“I wanted to kiss you in two places at once.”
“How’s that work?”
“To your right is New York. To your left is Pennsylvania. We’re exactly over the line dividing them.”
My heart lurches and then stops. This isn’t his dream— it’s mine , and we’re living it in the most incredible way. I feel tears prick my eyes, but I make myself be sure one last time.
“So… we’re in two places at once?”
He nods, flashing that dimpled grin.
“Yes. But I wanted to be kissing you in two sta…”
He trails off, and I throw myself into him—actually, we meet halfway. The rotor noise vanishes, my heart bursts, and time stops—as if the world knows the only thing that matters now is this kiss
A.J. cradles my face and strokes it gently while our lips melt together. It’s simple, calm, and full of love and gratitude. Here, in the middle of the sky, between two states, between two pasts… we kiss like happiness lives in each other.
***
The helicopter slows and sets down softly in a clearing ringed by tall trees, lit by shy cluster lights. Outside, the whisper of wind through leaves welcomes us. When the door opens, a man steps forward—white, slightly taller than me, with a kind smile and a flashlight.
“Good evening, Ms. Saldanha,” he says, offering his hand to help me down. “I’m Mark. I’ll guide you to the sanctuary.
“Good evening, Mark. Thank you,” I reply as I touch the ground.
Knowing nothing of what this New Year’s Eve holds—because it’s not a dinner—A.J.
climbs out and takes my hand, firm and warm, as the helicopter powers down and the forest’s silence envelops us.
Before I can wonder why he’s brought me into the woods for New Year’s, he strokes my hand and kisses the side of my head.
“May we proceed, Mr. Fortin?” Mark asks politely. A.J. nods.
“You’re not going to tell me where we are?” I ask as we follow Mark along a discreet path through the trees.
“Patience is a virtue,” Mark calls over his shoulder, and A.J. glances at me with raised eyebrows.
We walk a few more meters on the stone trail, and I’m grateful for chunky heels. The night is cool, and in the soft breeze, I feel completely safe in A.J.’s arms.
Mark stops before a massive wooden door set in a stone archway—it looks like the entrance to a cave.
“I’ll stay here outside—if you need anything, just knock twice,” he says, kindness in his honey-colored eyes.
“Thank you, but your perfect planning so far tells me I won’t be disappointed in there,” A.J. winks at him as Mark unlocks the door.
“And you, miss, come here for a moment.”
With his hands over my eyes, A.J. builds the suspense. The massive door creaks open, and after a moment, he guides me forward.
“I’m lifting my hands—mind the light,” he warns, and when I open my eyes, it’s far brighter inside than out.
I’m standing on a natural stone floor, surrounded by glass walls revealing the forest beyond, and dozens of green lights flood my vision. It’s like an underground aquarium, but instead of water and fish, there’s verdant life everywhere. The walls pulse in emerald, moss, and translucent green hues.
“Wow, what is this place?” I ask, turning to A.J., who gently guides my face back to the glass walls—then I see the green lights flickering.
My heart stops, and a huge smile spreads across my face—those lights aren’t lights, they’re fireflies. Hundreds… maybe thousands.
They glow in their own rhythms, an organic, hypnotic show floating around us and above us.
“A firefly sanctuary,” I whisper, tears welling as my feet refuse to move.
I look back at Anthony, who’s watching me with the sweetest, goofiest smile.
“It’s beautiful…” he murmurs, stepping closer. “Just like you.”
“It’s perfect. Like you.” I wink at him, then take in the scene more calmly.
I wander around, noticing moss-clad stone walls and a floor blanketed in low vegetation and exposed roots weaving through the earth. Fireflies drift everywhere—above us, beside us—in a number I’d never imagined possible.
I let out a quiet sob and, before I can say another word, I run to A.J., who opens his arms and scoops me into his lap.
“This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, A.J. I can’t believe you planned all this for me.” I smile up at the flickering lights.
“You better believe it—and this time I had no help. I organized the flight, discovered this place, convinced Mark to leave us alone here…” He smiles, sheepish, and gently sets me down like I’m made of porcelain.
“I don’t deserve all this,” I whisper. “I don’t deserve so much care, tenderness, love. I’m not putting myself down, it’s just… it’s hard knowing someone cares this much and treats the little details like they matter.”
A.J. moves closer, cradles my face in his hands.
“I like you, Alex. A lot. And whenever I can do something to make you happier, I will. Whenever I can love you better, I will love you. Because… even before everything, it’s always been you.
” I stay silent for a few seconds, chest tight, throat closing, my heart needing a beat to catch up.
“We used to call it friendship,” A.J. swallows, nervous, and I force my eyes to stay on his face.
“And it was—still is—but pretending it was just that after we became something more was crazy…” His voice trails off.
I want him to know he’s not alone in this, so I say,