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Jane sipped on her margarita and stood, awkwardly, in the hallway of Rogelio's one-bedroom apartment, hidden from the living room, and, more importantly, hidden from Rafael and Michael. She peeked out from behind the wall and saw them glaring at each other before she sighed and took cover once again.
Rogelio had decided to throw a small party in celebration of the New Year, and surprisingly, it was actually a reasonably small party. Jane suspected that had more to do with a lack of space rather than Rogelio sizing down, but she would take what she could get.
Unfortunately, Rogelio's grasp on the socially correct was still rather mixed up. In light of Michael fixing their angel, Jane gave him her blessing to continue a friendship with him -- and in an act of solidarity in the wake of Jane and Rafael's split, Rogelio had been trying to reach out to Rafael as well.
Which led to the awkward situation Jane found herself in now: avoiding two men who seemed to want nothing more than to get her under the mistletoe and hold it over each other immediately afterward. Jane frankly didn't have the patience for their love triangle tonight.
"Having two men after you isn't as fun as movies make it seem," someone said suddenly. Jane startled and turned around.
Petra was standing deeper in the hallway, apparently having just exited the bathroom. Jane's reflex was to hear Petra's words as bitter and condescending, but Petra's voice sounded simultaneously sympathetic and amused, and a wry smile involuntarily curled Jane's lips.
"I thought so, too," Jane said, watching Michael finally engage Rogelio in conversation as Rafael focused on a now awake and fussy Mateo. Jane moved to help, but Petra caught her hand.
"Jane, do you think... we could talk?" Petra asked hesitantly, her grip slackening once she had Jane's attention. Jane looked back at Rafael, who was patting Mateo's back as he coaxed the baby back to sleep, completely in his element, then back at Petra.
Petra, who had spurned their friendship; Petra who had stood her up several times before then. Petra, who had initiated progress in their friendship; Petra, who had been blackmailed by her mother and forced to lie about it, according to Rafael. Petra, who probably had very good reasons why she had done what she had done. Petra, who was staring at her with wide, sincere blue eyes and whose hand was still loosely gripping her own.
Jane's heart tripped a beat, and she stepped back into the hallway.
"Sure, Petra," Jane agreed, and Petra smiled. It crinkled her eyes and her smile seemed to encompass her entire face, Jane noticed.
"I... wanted to apologize," Petra began, and Jane resisted the temptation to interrupt her gently, to tell her there was no need.
In the days after Christmas, Petra was accused of murdering a man named Ivan, who, through Michael and Rafael, Jane had discovered was working for Milos, Petra's abusive ex. It had, in fact, been Petra's mother who had killed Milos and then blackmailed Petra into helping her cover up the crime. Thankfully, through Michael's detective work and Rafael's testimony, they were able to get Petra off on bail and arrest Magda.
In that time, Jane had come to realize as well that Petra had had a lot to deal with in the days when they were trying to befriend each other.
So Petra explained and Jane listened and quite a bit of time ended up passing in that tiny hallway as Jane accepted Petra's apology and Petra began talking about life without her mother's or Milos' influence and Jane noted how much happier Petra seemed, until the countdown from sixty began on the TV and Rogelio rounded up everybody in the house to the living room to countdown together.
Fifty-two seconds, and Michael had slowly removed himself from his conversation with Rogelio, who patted him on the back encouragingly. Jane grimaced slightly that her dad might have been giving her ex a pep talk about trapping her under the mistletoe. Which, Jane realized abruptly, must have been exactly what he had done. Looking up in slow horror, there was forty-eight seconds left and a branch of mistletoe above her head.
Forty-four seconds and Jane realized the party was not as small as she had thought. The living room was packed and she couldn't move from where she was at, yet Rafael seemed to part the crowd easily enough to make his way over to her. Jane saw Mateo asleep in Xiomara's arms and Luisa's smiling face as she cooed at the resting baby.
Thirty-three seconds and Petra is standing on her tip-toes and trying to pull the mistletoe out from where it hangs from the ceiling, but all it's doing is dropping small leaves everywhere and she eventually gives it up, making a joke about "the smell of romance", and Jane can't help but laugh as she smells the strong scent of the mistletoe all around her.
Twenty-two seconds and everyone is shouting in earnest: several people, including Petra, are counting down, while other people, like Michael and Rafael are shouting at each other when they both reach Jane at the same time.
Ten seconds, and Jane is trapped. Between one man she loves and another, fighting over her like a prize to be won, she realizes she doesn't want to kiss either of them. The new year is going to bring the same thing, she realizes, the same fights, and suddenly it's overwhelming. The new year should bring something new and unexpected and with a slight jolt, Jane realizes that it already has.
Five seconds and Jane is pushing away from Michael and Rafael and stepping toward Petra with a determined look on her face. If she thinks too much about what she is doing, she might lose her nerve and think of all the ways that this is reckless, so she doesn't think as she pulls Petra toward her, closing her eyes as Petra's go wide, and kisses her, firmly and wetly and soundly. Petra makes a small sound of surprise that gets swallowed in the kiss and Jane only realizes how much time has passed when the room goes silent except for the cheering onscreen as people celebrate the new year.
Someone's throat clears awkwardly and she swears she hears her mom cheer from where she is holding Mateo, and Petra is looking at her with endless curiosity and shock in her eyes.
Later, Jane will wonder aloud to Xiomara how things with Petra are so different than what she had imagined they would be - from the beginning to months ago to now - and how the feel of her lips had been soft and unfamiliar and how the hurt on Rafael's and Michael's face had made her heart pang but Petra's hesitant reciprocation of the kiss had made her heart race and how the new year was certain to bring new beginnings.