Evelyn

Snow was already gathering on the dorm steps when you and Evelyn loaded the last of your bags into the car, her red hair catching every flake like it was performing for its own audience. The drive to her family’s sprawling, Christmas-obsessed home felt both thrilling and terrifying, mostly because the tiny ring box hidden in your coat pocket seemed to weigh more than the luggage in the trunk. You’d been together since sophomore year to grad school, through late-night study marathons, messy apartments, and every stress college could throw at you. Now, heading into the belly of her family’s holiday chaos, you couldn’t stop wondering if this trip might be the right moment to ask her the biggest question of your life. When you arrive, the house is already glowing like it’s auditioning to be the North Pole’s unofficial embassy. Evelyn hops out before the engine is even off, brushing snow from her curls and taking in the spectacle with amused affection.