Christina’s POV
People sward around in seconds.
Half of them had no clue who I was. They just saw cara flashes and figured I was soone worth photographing.
A woman actually elbowed a man aside to snap a picture over my shoulder. Soone brushed against my jacket. Another girl asked to sign her canvas tote with a borrowed marker.
I hadn’t even noticed Hudson was gone until I looked around. He stood alone by a tal bench in the middle of the walkway, arms crossed over his chest, watching the crowd like he was ready to start throwing punches.
Our eyes t.
He imdiately straightened up, smoothed out his frown, and put on the most neutral expression he could manage. It was the fakest I’d ever seen him look.
I raised an eyebrow.
He gave a slight nod as if he wasn’t currently wishing he could set fire to everyone within three feet of .
"I think you’re definitely an erald," one girl was saying as I turned my attention back to them. "It matches your energy."
"No way, she’s more of a sapphire," another argued. "Regal but approachable."
Five more minutes passed. Then ten.
"So are you single?" a guy suddenly asked.
His friends laughed like it was the funniest thing they’d ever heard.
Another phone was shoved in my face, soone asking for my contact info.
I heard Hudson before I saw him. Heavy footsteps approached, then fingers gripped my wrist and pulled.
"Hey, what the hell?" one of the girls snapped.
"You can’t just grab her like that!"
"Who do you think you are?"
Hudson turned to face the loudest person in the crowd.
He raised his left hand, showing his ring.
Then he did the sa with mine.
"Wait, who is that? Is she okay?" soone called from behind us.
"Didn’t you see the rings? Plus they’re wearing matching outfits. They’re together."
"He doesn’t like us crowding her. That was a warning."
"Whatever, they’re gone. Let’s check out that pop-up store across the street—"
Hudson moved fast.
My arm was still in his grip, and his legs were longer than mine. I had to jog to keep up.
"What’s happening?" I asked. "Why are we leaving?"
His voice was sharp. "We’re going to miss the countdown."
I checked the ti. "We have hours. They were just fans. Nicest bunch I’ve ever t."
He clenched his jaw and kept walking. "I’m starving."
"Fine," I said.
I turned back for one last look.
A girl with red braids was waving her phone at . She wanted to know what shade of lipstick I was wearing.
Hudson scoffed. "You have no idea what those people really want. Maybe don’t post selfies and stick to sketching your designs. Less chance of soone stealing your face for sothing creepy."
I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.
Wind brushed my cheeks.
I stared at him.
He’d never cared about this stuff before. Never gotten this angry.
I suddenly burst out laughing. "Oh my god. You’re jealous. You’re actually mad."
His ears turned red.
He grabbed my hand and pulled forward again. "I’m not. I said I want food."
"Sure, sure," I said, still laughing. "Let’s get food."
"Seriously? He’s acting like a possessive wolf pup, "Akira snickered in my mind.
"Maybe we should enjoy it while it lasts. When was the last ti anyone was jealous over us?"
***
We’d just finished dinner and were walking hand-in-hand through Midtown Crossing. The plaza was packed—shoulder to shoulder, phones held high, people shouting over each other. Most had gathered under the big screen, waiting for the countdown.
I was fine until the crowd started moving.
Suddenly people rushed toward the screen like money was falling from the sky. A man elbowed past , another shoved Hudson from the side. Soone pushed between us, breaking our hands apart.
His palm slipped away from mine. Air rushed in where his touch had been.
I spun around, heart pounding.
Hudson was still close by, just to my right, maybe three or four people away. He spotted right away.
"Hudson!" I called, trying to push through, but the people between us wouldn’t budge.
He shoved forward.
I dodged sideways.
Every ti soone moved, soone else blocked the way.
We were so close I could see the line between his eyebrows and how his jaw was clenched as he watched .
The clock hit 23:59.
I was sweating—not from the heat but from trying to control my panic.
"Stay there! I’m coming to you!" he shouted.
His voice carried over the noise. He started pushing people aside, one by one, like he didn’t care who got mad. His eyes stayed locked on the whole ti.
I pushed forward, gasping, dodging arms and backs and hair. Soone spilled beer on my shirt. I didn’t stop.
The screen behind suddenly flashed white.
A loud voice called: "TEN! NINE! EIGHT!"
The crowd started to spread out.
People stopped running.
More phones ca out.
I saw Hudson.
"SEVEN! SIX!"
I ran. My boots hit the ground hard. One step, two steps, soone pulling a kid out of the way created a gap.
"FIVE! FOUR! THREE!"
I squeezed between a couple making out against a railing.
"TWO!"
He reached out his hand.
"ONE!"
I pushed past the last person between us and crashed into Hudson’s chest just as the crowd scread the final number.
White light flooded the plaza. Spotlights suddenly blazed from everywhere, harsh and bright. People cheered, hugging strangers.
Soone behind yelled so loud it hurt my ears.
Hudson held tight, like he wouldn’t let go. I grabbed the back of his shirt, holding on.
The screen above us flashed red and gold. Three huge words blinked across it, bold and shining.
"HAPPY NEW YEAR."
Dozens of voices shouted it from all around us, overlapping.
I heard Hudson’s breath right next to my ear.
"Happy New Year," he said.
I looked past his shoulder.
Fireworks shot up, exploding behind him—sharp, bright, quick. Blue, green, white. Smoke trails zigzagging through the darkness.
Everything else disappeared.
I couldn’t feel the cold, couldn’t feel people pushing around us.
Just him.
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