By midnight, they were inseparable, weaving through the city streets, debating everything from existentialism to the best way to season roasted vegetables. Alex’s apartment became their shelter for the night, a space where laughter and quiet companionship filled the hours.

Their differences—nocturnal vs. dawn, chaos vs. order—became their comedy. A morning would begin with Jamie’s eyes fluttering open at 9 a.m., finding Alex halfway through his fifth cup of coffee and a Sartre novel. Another morning would start with Alex lying awake at 6 a.m., trying—and failing—to sneak out so Jamie could sleep. But instead of clashing, they learned to collide, as Jamie often put it.

She held up the pregnancy test.

She knocked on the bathroom door.

Chapter 1: The Morning After the Night Before