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"I need you to be s said "I need to see you And hear you I need you to stay alive And I need you to stop kissing other people just because they’re standing next to you when the ball drops"

Noel laughed

"I also need you not to laugh at me," she said

He pulled his face back and looked at her "No, you don’t"

She kissed his chin without opening her s," he said carefully "You can have s, if you want me"

"I’ve alanted you," she said, mortified by the extent to which it was true

Noel leaned in to kiss her, and she dropped her forehead against his lips

They were quiet

And it was cold

"Happy anniversary, Mags"

"Happy New Year, Noel"

Soarden

"Daniel," Miranda says "It’s Santa Claus He’s looking in the "

"No, it’s not," Daniel says He doesn’t look "We’ve already had the presents Besides No such thing as Santa"

They are together under the tree, the celebrated Honeywell Christh space up against the trunk to sit cross-legged Daniel is running the train set around the tree forwards, then backwards, then forwards again Miranda is adold-handled scissors shaped like a crane The beak is the blade Snip, snip, she slices brittle needles one by one off the branch above her A sreen needle rain

It arden Theshines with frost It’s long past bedtilar come to steal someone’s jewels Or an axe murderer