“I’m literally dying.”

“You literally aren’t.”

I pulled up my shirt, exposing my sunken-in stomach. “Look. I’m starving to death.”

Larissa ran her hand over my belly. “I think you’ll survive. One more hour until we break the fast. You can do it.”

My head hurt, my mouth was dry, and I was getting hangry. One more hour sounded like a lifetime. “I can’t make it. Go on without me.”

She curled up next to me on our bed. “Never.”

In the last nine months, we’d had highs and lows—though the former far outnumbered the latter—celebrated Passover, birthdays, and took a trip to the beach, met families and friends, and fell in love. Yes, I’d loved her back in December, but that was only the beginning. And Larissa was slower and more deliberate in her falling, but that’s who she was. It took another month for her to say the words after I did, but I never worried.

Technically, we still had our own places. But Larissa had spent almost every single night in my bed since that last night of Hanukkah. Some days our schedules were so hectic the only time we saw each other was that last few minutes before we fell asleep. But we’d fit in library days and bike rides, and plenty of ogling.

All of that was over though, since I was on the verge of death. We were fasting for Yom Kippur and had spent the first half of the day at temple. I was supposed to be reflecting on the past year, atoning for my wrongs, and wiping the slate clean. And yeah, I’d done that. But now I needed a fucking bagel.

See? Hangry.

“I have to get everything ready before everyone comes over,” Larissa said.

“You’re leaving me here to die alone?”

She laughed. “I’ve never seen this whiny side of you. Not too sure I enjoy it.”

“Still love me even though I’m a giant baby?”

“There’s no chance I’ll stop.”

Exactly an hour later, our apartment was crowded with my family and hers. Vivi and Logan were in the corner, plotting our demise in toddler language, while Delilah and Hudson were mesmerized by Laurel and Avi’s baby girl, Grey. (Yes, they’d named her after Jean Grey from X-Men. They were people who chose a theme and committed.)

I tried to be a good host, but all I could see were the platters of bagels and lox and fruit.

Larissa squeezed my arm. “You can eat. Go for it.”

I tore my eyes from the food. “You’ve never been more beautiful to me.”

She stood with my mother and her sister, laughing at me. I didn’t even pause for anyone else to get their food first. I just stuffed cantaloupe in my mouth before I loaded a plate with more food.

“He’s always been like this. Can’t go more than two hours without food,” my mom said.

“I think it’s cute,” said Larissa.

“You’re so in love. It’s fucking adorable,” said Helena.

I took a bite of my cream cheese and lox laden bagel, and slumped back in my chair, chewing with relief and pure bliss.

Larissa smiled at me. “How could anyone resist that face?”

I took another bite of my bagel and winked at her, making her laugh, something I’d managed to do a whole hell of a lot since I met her.

“Are we eating?” Avi asked.

“Yo is,” my mom said.

Avi laughed. “Why am I not surprised?” And then, because he was a far better man than me when it came to food, he made plates for Laurel and Logan before he made one for himself.

After a while, everyone was gathered around, filling up on bagels and family. Even Logan and Vivi had stopped their plotting to join us. When Larissa met my eyes from across the table, her arms full with baby Grey, she mouthed “I love you” and I mouthed it back. Her eyes stayed locked on mine, letting me see all of the emotion behind them.

This was our life. These crazy, wonderful people were now both of our families. These were the people who’d be at our holidays and birthdays and every happy and sad moment. We’d add more, and eventually, we’d lose some too. But I saw it in her eyes and felt it in my heart that this was the real we’d been talking about all those months ago.

And soon, when we finally found a house to move into together, I would ask her to be my wife. I still carried that flame of hope that meeting Larissa had ignited, but I didn’t need it this time. Because together, we had enough warmth and light to fill one hundred menorahs, defeat an army, and defy every single insurmountable odd there was.