But there it was, that glimmer of belonging. For the past couple of hours the bookstore had belonged to these people as well. It had been their space, the way it had been Daniella’s space and Rinn’s space and Imogen’s space. Even Eli’s and AJ’s.

It had been theirs, and they had shared that with the world. And somehow, they all had a slice of it. In the end, they had been too late to save the old girl in her present form, but they had done something big and beautiful, and Daniella wasn’t crying, honestly, she just had a sniffle or something from all the dust in the air.

“I know,” said Jo, coming up from behind Daniella. “It’s kind of magical, isn’t it?”

Daniella rolled her eyes, and Jo smiled, like she’d been saying the irritating thing to help keep Daniella from getting too misty-eyed.

“Dance party on the roof?” asked Daniella.

Jo nodded. “Dance party on the roof.”

Daniella followed Rinn’s instructions and went into the break room and found the PA mic. “Greetings, Wild Nights Bookstore and Emporium—we are now closed. If you could make your way to the exits, that would be a beautiful thing. You’re all aces in our book. We couldn’t have done what we did today without you. I hate to say that it wasn’t enough, because it wasn’t. But also, it was everything. So thank you, and maybe don’t watch this space in the future, but watch this space, for spaces like this.”

Daniella laughed and then said, “Oh, and employees, there’s a mandatory meeting of the musical society on the super-terrarium garden annex. I suggest you get there.”

That’s when Eli poked his head up, out from behind some boxes.

Daniella jumped. “Jesus, you scared the hell out of me, Eli.”

“Sorry,” he said. And he did look genuinely sorry.

“It’s fine,” she said. “What’s up?”

“I have something to show you.”

“Eli,” said Daniella. “Can we not do this now? It’s cool. I get you’re not into me, and that’s fine. It’s just super weird, and I don’t really want to live through this weirdness tonight. Can we save it for tomorrow? Or, like, maybe never. I think never might also be great.”

But Eli smirked that goddamned crinkly smile that he had. And then he walked over and turned out the lights so that all across the ceiling were glow stars, as far as the eye could see.

“When did you do this?” Daniella stared at the fake sky in wonder.

“When I was waiting to talk to Jo in the office. Before you came in and got in a fight with the coffee machine.”