In Love: Against All Odds

This Year, Love Was the Gift

Enchanted – Taylor Swift ✨🌙
"This night is sparkling, don't you let it go..."

----

The day felt unusually bright—almost suspiciously so. The kind of brightness that hinted the universe was up to something.

And when Adri burst into our apartment, practically vibrating with excitement, I knew my suspicions were correct.

"KAT! Happy Birthday, you gorgeous human!" she announced, dramatically tossing confetti into the air.

I blinked, still half-asleep. "Why do you have confetti in our apartment?"

"Because I plan ahead," she said proudly, then grabbed my arm. "Now, get up! We have somewhere special to be."

I groaned. "Can't we just order cake, watch a cringey rom-com, and call it a day?"

Adri gasped, placing a hand over her heart like I had just personally offended her entire existence. "EXCUSE ME? You think I'm letting you have a boring birthday? Nope. Not happening. Get dressed."

I eyed her suspiciously. "Dressed for what?"

"A surprise," she sang, practically shoving me toward my closet. "Wear something soft, flowy—oh! The lavender dress. The one that makes you look like an actual walking daydream."

I hesitated. "Adri, why do I feel like I'm walking into a trap?"

She flashed me a too-innocent smile. "Trap? Me? Never."

Uh-huh. Suspicious.

But I put on the dress anyway.

It was my favorite—not just because it was beautiful, but because it made me feel... different. Like someone out of a romance novel. Like a version of myself I hadn't felt in a long time.

When I stepped out, Adri audibly gasped.

"Damn, I should've made Patrick wait another month before asking you out. Poor guy doesn't stand a chance."

I froze.

"Wait—what?"

"Nothing! Let's go!" She grabbed my wrist and shoved me out the door before I could demand answers.

----

The car ride was filled with Adri's usual chaotic energy—her excited rambling jumping from topic to topic, most of it completely unrelated.

"You work too hard," she said at one point. "You need a break. A proper break, not the 'I'm fine' fake kind. Also, you should stop looking at life like it's a villain origin story."

I scoffed. "I do not look at life like—"

"Kat," she cut me off, giving me a pointed look. "You literally say 'plot twist' when something bad happens to you."

"...Fair point."

By the time we arrived, I was thoroughly convinced she was up to something.

"Adri, why are we at Central Park?" I asked, eyeing her like she was a criminal mastermind.

She grinned. "Because it's one of the most romantic places in New York! You deserve a dreamy, Hallmark-movie moment for your birthday."

Okay. Now I knew something was up.

"Why do I feel like this is a setup?"

She beamed. "Because it is."

Before I could react, she patted my cheek like a proud mom and took off.