Winter Solstice

Reuben darted around the house like a man possessed, wiping surfaces, adjusting throw pillows, lighting candles—then blowing them out because they were the wrong scent, and lighting new ones instead. The Winter Solstice gathering was tonight, and it had to be perfect.

They were finally meeting Calista’s new boyfriend, Darian, and Reuben wanted everything to go off without a hitch. The wine was chilling, the hors d’oeuvres were plated like a magazine spread, and the music was cued to something festive but not too festive.

But underneath it all, something else had him nervous. Evan was coming.

After months of awkward silences and strained smiles, Reuben and Evan had only recently started reconnecting. Weekend hangouts, long talks over coffee, quiet moments where things almost felt like they used to—except now, Reuben couldn’t ignore the butterflies. They said they were just “buddies,” but Reuben felt it might be something more. Or maybe he just wanted it to be.

A sharp knock at the door jolted him from his thoughts.

He rushed over, smoothing his shirt and running a hand through his hair before opening it.

“Hey guys! Welcome!” Reuben beamed.

Calista grinned, already holding out a bottle of wine. “Hey boo!” she said, leaning in to kiss his cheek as she swept into the house like a warm breeze.

Trailing just behind her was Darian—a tall, confident man with sharp features softened by a genuine smile.

Reuben extended a hand. “It’s really nice to meet you. I’m Reuben.”

“Likewise, man,” Darian replied, gripping Reuben’s hand with a firm shake. “Thanks for having me. I’ve heard a lot about this place.”

“All good things, I hope,” Reuben laughed.

“Depends who you ask,” Calista said with a wink, already heading toward the kitchen. “We brought wine!” she sang, lifting the bottle slightly in the air.

“Oooh, perfect! Let’s get some glasses going,” Reuben said, motioning her along.

Darian lingered a moment before following. “Place smells amazing, by the way. Did you cook?”

Reuben chuckled. “I did. Spent all day pretending I was on a cooking competition show.”

Darian gave a good-natured laugh. “Well, I hope you win.”

Before Reuben could respond, the doorbell chimed again.

Meanwhile, Ryder stayed put in his room sprawled across his bed, notebook open, pen tapping rhythmically against the page. He’d learned long ago not to get in Reuben’s way during these manic cleaning episodes—he’d either get roped into chores or steamrolled by stress.

He was deep into his latest chapter of Aetherealm, sketching the outlines of elemental dragons, each tied to a specific force—embers, frost, shadow, bloom. Just as he began to design the dragon of light, a soft knock came at his door, followed by it swinging open.

“Hey,” Reuben said, leaning into the room. “Company’s here. You coming out?”

Ryder let out a slow breath. “Yeah… I’ll be out in a sec.”

He closed his notebook and gave a final glance to the half-formed dragon, then pushed himself off the bed. Evan would be there. He hadn’t seen him since the Halloween party at the Silver Fox—and the thought of seeing him again stirred something tight and unspoken in his chest, especially after how he knew Reuben felt and what this meant to him.

The evening carried on with laughter and chatter, warm lights flickering off the walls of the Rothmore Estate. Ryder sat tucked into the corner of the living room, nursing a cider and doing his best to smile when spoken to.

Socializing always felt like wearing clothes that didn’t quite fit. He said the right things, nodded in the right places, even managed a few laughs—but his mind was elsewhere. Reading. Daydreaming. Magic. Anything but this.

At least Evan was there.

He had joined late, coat dusted with snow, eyes lighting up when he saw Reuben. The two exchanged an awkward hug before falling into easy banter near the fireplace. At one point, Evan made his way to Ryder’s side.

“Hey, long time,” Evan said, gently bumping Ryder’s shoulder with his own.

“Yeah,” Ryder replied with a small smile. “You still working at the Silver Fox?”

Evan laughed. “Yeah, every day actually. Adrian’s been amazing. You still world-building like it’s a full-time job?”

“Pretty much,” Ryder said, eyes flicking toward the notebook he’d left in his room. “Elemental dragons now.”

Evan’s brow raised. “Sounds epic. I want the one that breathes shadow.”

“Of course you do,” Ryder smirked.

Their conversation was short-lived, but warm. Enough to ease Ryder’s nerves, even if just a little.

Across the room, Darian was charming everyone with stories about hiking trips and “accidentally” summoning a ghost with a cursed deck of tarot cards, much to Calista’s exasperated delight.

“You didn’t accidentally summon anything,” she said, rolling her eyes. “You literally chanted in Latin.”

“It was fake Latin!” Darian laughed. “I thought it was for a YouTube bit!”

Laughter filled the room, soft and golden in the firelight.

And so the Winter Solstice passed—quietly, gently.

Outside, the frost clung to the windows. Inside, the hearth crackled, and around it, for a little while, the cold was forgotten.