Thursday morning felt like waking up in a different world—not because anything had fundamentally changed, but because the calendar said it had.
2026.
A new year. The first day of it.
Luca opened his eyes to find pale winter sunlight streaming through the curtains and Noel already awake beside him, scrolling through his phone.
"Morning," Luca mumbled. "Happy New Year. Again."
"Happy New Year. Again." Noel set his phone down. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired. We stayed up too late."
"We stayed up until one-thirty."
"Exactly. Too late."
"You're the one who wanted to watch the countdown."
"Worth it though." Luca shifted closer, pressing a kiss to Noel's shoulder. "Good way to start the year."
"Yeah. It was."
They lay there for a moment longer, both reluctant to leave the warmth of bed, before reality asserted itself.
Work. Even on New Year's Day.
But only until three. Then freedom.
