Elizabeth kept dismissing the call, but Nicholas kept ringing again and again.
“Elizabeth, answer me. How long is this going to go on?” Marina peeked into the room. “Either pick up or turn the phone off if you don’t want to talk.” She slammed the door shut.
Elizabeth switched off her phone and tossed it to the other end of the sofa. She would’ve done it sooner, but she was waiting for Andrew’s call. He’d promised to ring, but two days had passed, and still nothing. As for Nicholas? She had no desire to speak to him—let alone see him. She’d left her shell for him, the one she’d hidden in after losing her parents. And he’d betrayed her so callously.
***
The roads had been slick with black ice. Her parents had been driving back from her grandmother’s when a drunk driver in a four-by-four skidded out of a side street. The car spun out, crashing straight into them. Her mother died instantly; her father held on just long enough to reach the hospital.
A year had passed since that night. Elizabeth used to love New Year’s, counting down the days. Now, the thought of it made her shudder. It only reminded her of their deaths, of the grief that never dulled.
She barely remembered finishing her first year at university, barely registered how she’d survived the loss at all. Her aunt Marina, her father’s sister, moved in. She’d divorced her husband years ago—a failed abortion in her teens had left her unable to have children.
“Just call me Marina,” she’d insisted. “Otherwise, I’ll feel like some old spinster.”
But Marina could never replace her parents, and they never became close. Marina was too busy searching for her own happiness—dating, meeting men, trying to start anew.
Elizabeth had no intention of celebrating New Year’s. She’d simply go to bed early and avoid it altogether. But Nicholas had persuaded her to attend his friend’s birthday party two nights before.
“I’ve got a girlfriend, but I never take her anywhere,” he’d said. “Everyone’s coming as couples, and I’ll just stick out. It’s not New Year’s—just a birthday. Come on. You need to live again. Your mum wouldn’t want you locked away like this.”
That last argument had broken her resolve. She slipped into the dress she and her mother had bought last year—the one she’d never had the chance to wear.
“You’ll be the most beautiful girl there,” her mother had said.
And it did suit her perfectly.
Marina gave her a scrutinizing look.
“As long as you’re here, no one will look twice at me. Who’d want a middle-aged woman when there’s a pretty young thing beside her?” She sighed. “Isn’t it a bit revealing? Wait here.” She disappeared into her room and returned with a delicate scarf, just a shade darker than the dress.
*Mum would’ve liked this,* Elizabeth thought.
“Better,” Marina said, satisfied. “You can drape it over your shoulders if it gets chilly.”
The taxi ride to the party was long. By the time they arrived, the festivities were well underway. The birthday boy whistled when he saw Elizabeth.
“Now I see why you’ve been hiding her,” he teased, wagging a finger at Nicholas. “Watch yourself, mate—I might just steal her.”
Apart from Nicholas, she knew no one. While he was beside her, she felt safe. But then the dancing started. A stranger pulled her into a song, and when the music faded, Nicholas was gone.
Suddenly surrounded by unfamiliar faces, she searched for him. The front door was slightly ajar. Stepping outside, she found Nicholas on the stairwell below, lost in a kiss with another girl as if they’d been apart for years. They didn’t even notice her.
The sight made her sick. What now? She couldn’t stay. She rushed back inside, grabbed her coat and boots, and stepped out again.
The couple’s embrace was unbearable. She couldn’t walk past them. Her only choice was to go up, to wait until they left or someone called them back inside. She climbed the stairs, but even here, she could hear whispers and stifled laughter.
One more flight. The landing had an open balcony. Elizabeth stopped, letting the cold air brush her flushed cheeks. The cars below looked like snowdrifts.
*Would jumping hurt?* The thought flickered before she could stop it. *Don’t even think about it!* She jerked back—whether by her own will or some unseen force, she didn’t know. But then she leaned forward again, peering down.
“Don’t you dare!” A sharp voice cut through the silence. Strong hands yanked her back.
Her scarf snagged on something, slipping loose. It fluttered over the railing. “Wait!” She lunged, but the wind caught it, sending it spiraling down.
“Let go!” She glared at the stranger still holding her. “That was Marina’s scarf! She’ll kill me!”
“Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “I thought you were going to jump.”
“Why would I do that? I was just looking!” She scowled.
“Come on, we’ll find it.” He led her back downstairs. Nicholas and the girl were gone—he hadn’t even come looking for her.
The scarf dangled from a tree branch. The boy grabbed the lowest limb and hoisted himself up, but the wood cracked. Just before falling, he snatched the fabric—only for most of it to tear away.
“Sorry,” he said, handing her the tattered remains. “Will you be in trouble? Was it expensive?”
“No. Marina gave it to me. What do I do with this now?” She stuffed it into her coat pocket.
“Leaving the party already?” he asked.
“Why do you care?” she snapped.
“Let me walk you home.”
“I don’t need help.”
“It’s dark. This isn’t the safest area.”
Reluctantly, she followed. He hailed a cab and slid in beside her.
“I could’ve taken one myself,” she muttered.
“Where to, love?” the driver asked cheerfully.
She gave her address.
Silence stretched between them. Finally, the boy asked, “You really weren’t going to jump?”
“What if I was? Who even are you?”
“Andrew.”
“Wait—*Angel*?”
“If you like. Just Andrew. Mum named me after that old folk-rock band—*Andrew and Eliza*. Big in the eighties.”
She studied him. “I’m Elizabeth.”
“Brilliant! Mum always said I’d meet my Eliza one day. Fate, don’t you think?”
She thought he was mocking her, but his expression was sincere.
“You talk about your mum in the past tense,” she said quietly. “Is she… gone?”
“What? No, she’s fine. Married again, lives abroad now. I stayed here with Dad—he’s the one who loved that band.”
Before she knew it, they’d reached her flat.
“Give me your number,” he said. “It’d be a shame to find you just to lose you.”
She recited it, and he promised to call tomorrow.
***
Two days passed. No call. Elizabeth couldn’t stop thinking about the boy with the strange name. How had he even appeared on that balcony? She hadn’t heard footsteps. *Maybe he really is an angel.*
A knock interrupted her thoughts.
“Elizabeth, answer that—my hands are covered in flour!” Marina called from the kitchen.
Another of her suitors was coming over, and she was determined to impress him with her cooking—especially on New Year’s Eve. Elizabeth had no plans to interfere. She’d stay in her room or sleep early.
She opened the door, expecting an older man, but Andrew stood there.
“Why’d you ignore my calls? Why turn off your phone?” he asked, sounding mildly offended.
“I thought—” She’d been dismissing calls without checking the screen.
“Was it that boyfriend of yours? The one who made you want to jump?” Now he was teasing. “I decided to come myself. Besides, I had an excuse.” He held out a small bag. “You left your shoes in the cab.”
“How did you even find me?”
“I waited that night. Watched which window lit up. The rest was easy.”
“Elizabeth, who’s there?” Marina called.
“It’s for me!” she shouted back.
“Your mum?” Andrew asked.
“No. Marina.”
“Get your coat. I’ll wait outside. We’ve got no time to waste,” he said suddenly.
“I’m not going anywhere. You don’t understand. I can’t celebrate New Year’s because—” The words caught in her throat. She was happy to see him, but the grief was still there, fresh as ever.
“Just meeting some friends at a club. Live music. Small crowd.” His gaze held hers, and she felt—just for a moment—that he understood everything.
“What should I wear?”
“Whatever’s comfortable.”
She changed into jeans and a peach sweater. Nothing fancy, but she knew she lookedAs she stepped into the new year with Andrew’s hand in hers, Elizabeth realized that even the deepest wounds could heal when love found its way in.
