Snow danced lightly over rooftops. The air was cold, crisp, and alive with the hush of one year ending and another beginning.
All across the country, countdown parties buzzed in every town, but for Ash and Celeste—separated by miles—this New Year's Eve wasn't about noise. It was about something quieter, deeper.
It was about them.
________
Celeste stepped out onto the porch, hugging a thick jacket around her as her breath clouded in the cool air. Above her, the night sky was already flickering with scattered fireworks.
Her dad was by the grill again, warming his hands. Rowan was standing beside him, smiling at something on his phone—again. Her mom was in the living room rearranging plates of lumpia and pancit like she was auditioning for a food magazine.
*Buzz.
Ash:
[photo] May's kids with sparklers. Lana's husband trying not to get set on fire. Send help.
Celeste:
HAHHAAHA help is NOT coming. Embrace the chaos.
Ash:
Rina said if I don't bring home a girlfriend next year she's signing me up for a blind date.
Celeste:
Too bad. You're already mine. <3
I'll fight your sister if I have to.
Ash just stared at her message, hiding his grin behind a cup of warm cocoa.
May was seated nearby with her husband, both watching the kids run around the snowy yard. Lana was leaning into her husband, cheeks pink from the cold. Rina? She was snapping selfies and threatening to make Ash wear glitter horns again.
Ash slipped away quietly, stepping out onto the porch. Phone in hand, eyes on the sky—yet only thinking of one person.
He opened her contact.
No hesitation.
He pressed call.
*Ring.
*Ring.
"Hey," Celeste whispered first.
Ash's heart fluttered just hearing it.
"Hello," Ash answered, voice soft in the night.
For a moment, neither of them spoke—just breathing, just listening to the faint echoes of laughter and fireworks from their families.
"I almost didn't expect you to call."
"I had to. I didn't want to end this year or start a new one—without hearing your voice."
Celeste felt her chest warm. She sank her head a little deeper into her jacket.
"I was actually waiting. But I didn't want to look desperate."
Ash smiled.
"You're always desperate. For me."
Her cheeks flared, but she rolled her eyes and smirked.
"Oh? You're starting to flirt with me now, huh?"
Ash chuckled on the other end. Soft. Warm.
"Maybe."
Her grin widened.
Let's see if you can handle this level of flirt.
Then—sweetly, smoothly—
"…If you were here right now, I'd pull you into my lap and kiss you so slowly, you'd forget the fireworks even exist."
Ash's breath caught.
She could practically hear the way he froze.
Ash flustered.
"…You're unbelievable."
Celeste smirked.
"You like it."
Ash covered his face with his free hand, trying not to let the heat in his cheeks spread to his whole body.
"…Too much." Ash said it quietly, honestly.
Celeste giggled.
_________
Back in Ash's house, the whole family was in the backyard, wrapped in coats and scarves. The kids ran around with sparklers, drawing shapes into the air. His mom was seated on a bench, watching her grandchildren with a soft, teary smile.
Lana was pouring tea into mugs. Her husband stood behind her, arms wrapped around her waist as he rested his chin lightly on her shoulder, swaying them gently to the faint music playing from the open kitchen window. She leaned into him, murmuring something that made them both smile.
Rina had a party popper in one hand and a camera in the other. May's husband was holding their son, the littlest one, who was half-asleep but still insisting they stay up for fireworks.
Ash stood just outside the back door, one foot on the snow-dusted porch, hand to his ear, and a red tint to his cheeks that had nothing to do with the cold.
They stayed on the line like that—just listening.
Fireworks lit the sky now in golds and silvers, bursting silently in the background of their phone call like the universe had scheduled them just for this moment.
Celeste whispered,
"Thirty seconds," as she checked the time on her wrist.
"To what?"
"To a new year… with you." She said softly.
Ash's heart raced faster
"Mm"
.
.
.
.
.
The countdowns began in every home, in every voice, across every rooftop.
Ten… Nine… Eight…
"Still with me?" she whispered.
"Always."
Six…Five…
Ash closed his eyes.
"I wish I could hold your hand."
Celeste smiled.
"You already are."
Three… Two… One…
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
Cheers exploded across neighborhoods.
Sparklers lit up. Families clinked glasses. Kids screamed.
And in two different places, two people said it to each other
at the same time—
"Happy New Year."
Then Celeste added, softer now, almost shyly:
"Next year...I want to kiss you when the clock hits twelve next year."
Ash's cheeks went red immediately, but his heart raced too fast to hide anything.
"I'm… looking forward to it," he said quietly, the smile pulling across his lips before he could stop it.
On the other end, Celeste's smile softened into something more tender. "New year, same us, huh?"
"Hopefully more of us next year," Ash replied.
"Yeah," she whispered. "More of us."
__________
Meanwhile, Rowan was back inside, trying to look casual as he leaned against the kitchen counter… while secretly checking his phone again.
*Buzz.
He typed quickly, grinning as he got a reply. He tucked the phone away when he heard footsteps, but his smile didn't fade.
His mom narrowed her eyes from the sink.
"You're smiling like you're in love."
Rowan blinked.
"I'm not."
"Mm-hmm," she hummed, clearly not buying it.
_________
While Ash's voice filled one side of her ear, Celeste glanced at her screen and began typing—half-listening to him talk about the neighbor's fireworks setup.
[Group Chat: ✨ Broken But Make It Fabulous ✨]
Liam:
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Resolution #1: be less single maybe? TTTT
Lyka:
HAPPY NEW YEARRRRR YOU GOBLINS!! 🎇🎉💅
I survived another year of bad decisions and worse men 💀✨
Celeste:
Happy New Year losers 😘
Resolution #1: Money more
Resolution #2: Stay hotter
Lyka:
🙄🙄
Liam:
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA 🎆🎆🎆
MY UNCLE JUST BLEW UP A FIRECRACKER WITH A FRYING PAN I AM NOT OKAY
Celeste:
HAHAHAHA what 💀💀💀💀
Lyka:
GUYS
my cousin kissed someone at midnight then immediately threw up
is that romance or regret???
Liam:
Tell her to put that on a t-shirt
"kiss first, vomit later" 🤮💋
Back on the quiet porch, Ash and Celeste stayed on the call, even as the fireworks began to fade.
They didn't need to say much.
Their smiles carried everything.
Even apart, they were together—under the same stars, under the same sky.
And when the call finally ended, both of them lay in bed smiling at the screen until their eyes closed.
Because no matter where the year led…
They already had their favorite person waiting.
__________