The last flight to Chicago was delayed again, and Sarah Matthews slumped against her carry-on luggage in Terminal B. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, she watched snow blanket the runways, transforming O'Hare International into a winter wonderland. Perfect for Christmas Eve, terrible for traveling.

She pulled out her phone to text her sister she wouldn't make it home for Christmas morning when someone stumbled into her, sending her phone skittering across the floor. "I'm so sorry!" a deep voice exclaimed. Sarah looked up into the warmest brown eyes she'd ever seen.

"Let me get that for you," the stranger said, retrieving her phone. His name was Daniel Parker, he explained with a sheepish smile, and he too was stranded en route to Chicago. As the hours ticked by, they found themselves sharing coffee from the only open cafe, swapping stories about their lives. Sarah told him about her work as a pediatric nurse in Boston, while Daniel spoke passionately about the architecture firm he'd started in San Francisco.

"It's funny," Daniel mused, watching the snow fall. "I've spent countless hours in airports, but this is the first time I'm grateful for a delay."

Sarah felt her cheeks flush. There was something about him - perhaps his gentle humor or the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled - that made her feel like she'd known him forever.

When their flight finally boarded at midnight, they discovered their seats were across the aisle from each other. Throughout the flight, they continued talking in whispers, not wanting their bubble of connection to burst. As the plane descended into Chicago, Sarah's heart sank. How could someone she'd just met feel so important?

"I know this sounds crazy," Daniel said as they waited for their bags, "but would you have dinner with me tomorrow? My family's Christmas dinner is at seven, but I'd love to see you before I fly back to San Francisco."

Sarah hesitated only a moment before nodding. "I'd like that."

That dinner turned into daily video calls, weekend visits, and eventually, a decision that would change both their lives. Six months later, Daniel transferred to his firm's Boston office, and two years after their chance encounter, they married in a small ceremony at O'Hare's Terminal B - the very spot where they first met.

"You know," Sarah whispered during their first dance, "I never thought I'd be grateful for flight delays and snowstorms."

Daniel pulled her closer, his brown eyes still as warm as that first night. "Sometimes the best things in life come from the most unexpected delays."

Above them, through the terminal's windows, snow began to fall, just as it had on that fateful Christmas Eve, as if the universe itself was celebrating their serendipitous love story.