It was already snowing outside - not the kind that bothers you, but the kind that seems to slow down time. She stood by the window and caught herself thinking that for the first time in a long time, she wasn't sad to be alone. Not lonely - just alone.

At some point, she decided to go on a dating site. Not out of boredom. More out of curiosity. As if New Year's were the right time to ask the world a simple question: what next?

She wasn't looking for the perfect man.
She wasn't looking for promises.
She wasn't looking for a fairy tale.

She was looking for that feeling - the one you get when you read a message and suddenly smile.

At 11:48 PM, a short message arrived. No bombast. No cliches. Just a few lines - calm, warm, and alive. And that was enough to change the course of New Year's Eve.

They didn't meet at midnight.
They didn't call each other at the stroke of midnight.
But somewhere between the congratulations and the silence, a feeling arose that this year could be different.

Sometimes New Year's doesn't begin with champagne.
But with dialogue.
With interest.
With the right person on the other side of the screen.

Do you believe that new stories can begin just like that?