Worth Waiting--Chapter 8
This one sucks majorly. I've like lost it :(
To remind yourself that it was worth waiting
And when I’m gone I will listen to this song
You love your job everything about it is perfect. The kids are angels who make you laugh each and everyday, your co-workers are amazing, and you’re learning something new every day. The first few months of school are hectic, learning the ins and outs of everything, but you’re happy where everything is going and you look forward to waking up and going to work each and everyday. It’s the middle of November now and you can’t believe how fast everything has gone by.
When you’re not at school or sleeping, you’ve been spending a lot of time with Lee. He’s been there for you through everything the last few months and as hard as it is to see him and not want to kiss him, it’s harder not being able to talk to or see him. You have the weekly ritual of a dinner/movie night every Friday, where you catch up, and relax after the long week. Tonight he’s brought over his favorite movie Shawshank Redemption, some beer, and a pizza from your favorite place in town. You’re sitting in front of the TV, eating pizza, and you’re both not really watching the movie, but talking instead.
You take a slice of pizza and bite into it, chewing slowly. “So I was thinking about having like a little winter wonderland party for my students’ families in a few weeks…maybe have some food, some games, and maybe even a little concert or something. Thought it’d be a nice present for parents and the kids…” You say quietly, not knowing what he’s going to say about it.
He shallows his food and a smile comes across his face. “That sounds like a great idea…I could help you out if you’d like…” He says looking into your eyes.
Before you know it your arms around him in an embrace, “For real? I was hoping you’d say that,” You explain to him the excitement coming out in your voice.
He laughs a low laugh, pulling away to look you in the eyes. “You didn’t think I wanted to help you?” He questions with a shrug.
You shake your head a little and try to explain yourself, “I just thought you’d be busy with recording and all that…you only have like a month and half left…I don’t know…” You finally say, letting it out.
“Well I’d like nothing more than to help you with everything. I love those kids!” He says with a smile. “We could do all those fun Christmas-y songs and maybe I can even write a few new ones or something…” He says drifting off, you can tell he’s already planning the whole thing in his head.
The following Monday he’s already in the classroom and you let him take lead with everything. He’s excited about it and you can tell by the way his eyes are sparkling and the way he’s moving throughout the room that he’s going to do a great job.
“So we’re going to surprise your parents with this party and I think it’s going to be a completely awesome present. I’m here to teach you some songs and get you ready…” He explains to the kids. You look around the room and see all 23 pairs of eyes watching Lee intently. It’s so cute, you can’t help but smile. A few hands shoot in the air and he answers their questions quickly and with a smile.
The way he is with the kids makes you want to take him in your arms and let him know how you truly feel. How you want to be with him forever and how he makes your stomach do that crazy butterfly thing whenever you’re around him. How you want to marry him and have kids with him. How you want to grow old with him and as much as you want him to do well on American Idol, you’re secretly wishing he doesn’t, so he can come back to you. But you can’t. He doesn’t feel the same way about you and you can’t lose him.
He’s in your classroom everyday after lunch to work with the kids up until the big day. He’s amazing with the kids and has so much patience with them. It’s cute when the kids ask if he’s coming everyday and you just smile and nod, knowing you’re as happy as they are that he’ll be showing up later.
The big day finally arrives and you’re so excited for the kids. You get to school early that morning to decorate the classroom in a winter wonderland theme. You’ve got snowflakes hanging from the ceiling and glitter snow covering all the tables, pictures of your kids doing various activities are scattered around the walls of the room, and a table in the corner of the room holds little presents for each of your kids. You smile at how well the whole thing is turning out and can’t wait for the parents to show up later in the afternoon. You’re busy hanging some snowman cutouts on the wall when you hear a knock at your door. It’s only a little past 7:30am, so you’re not expecting anyone to be here this early. You turn around to see him. He looks a little sleepy and his all bundled up in a down jacket. He’s got 2 coffees and a paper bag in his hands.
“Thought you could use some caffeine and some sugar,” He says motioning towards what’s in his hands. “Also figured I could help you with decorating and everything…” He explains as he sets down the coffee and begins to take off his coat.
You move towards him to grab a coffee and give him a smile. “Thanks,” You say simply as you take a swig of coffee. He hands you a blueberry muffin and you take it with a nod.
It’s quiet for a moment as you both drink your coffee and eat your muffins. He breaks the silence a little while later. “I just found out that they’re going to release my album in January before I’m on Idol live…” He says in between bites.
You smile looking over at him, “Wow…that’s great news!” You bring him into a quick hug and hold on a little tighter than normal. Tears are starting to spring to your eyes now and you try to stop them before he can catch them. But he does and turns to look you in the eye.
His blue eyes are looking concerned and he takes your hands. “What’s going on?” He questions as he squeezes both your hands.
You shake your head, swearing at your tears to stop falling. “It’s nothing…” You say drifting off as a blush comes to your cheeks.
“I know there’s something up…you never cry,” He says nodding his head looking at you seriously. He knows you all to well. He’s probably seen you cry a total of once when you broke your arm when you were in 3rd grade.
You take a deep breath in and let it all out, “I just realized that we only have a few more weeks together and probably not even that. You’re going to be busy with your new CD, packing, and hanging out with your family…it’s just weird knowing you’re not going to be here with me on Friday nights. I’m just being a baby…I mean I went through middle school, high school, and a lot of college without you…I’m 22…this shouldn’t be bothering me…but it does.” It comes out as a long run on sentence without a breath, you needed to say it fast or else you’d regret it.
He bites his lip as he listens and you wonder what he’s thinking in that head of his. It takes him a moment to speak but when he does, what he says takes you by surprise. “I’ve regretted those years during middle school and high school when we weren’t friends. I felt like I was lost and trying to find my way pretty much the whole time. It wasn’t until we were done with high school that I really realized what I was looking for…it was you. I’m sorry for treating you shitty for all those years…if I could go back and change who I was then, without a doubt I would.” He takes a breath and squeezes your hands again. “And of course I’m going to have plenty of time for you in the next couple of weeks…I’ll put off everything to just spend my last nights in Chicago with you. And don’t think you’re going to be getting rid of me when I’m in LA…you’ll be receiving texts, emails, and calls all the time.”
You let out a sigh of relief and a big smile comes to your face. “You feeling better now?” He questions you as he pulls you back into a hug.
You nod with a smile. “Much better,” You say simply as the both of you pull away from one another.
The rest of the day is all a blur as both of you finish decorating the classroom and getting the kids ready for their big performance. He’s excited and is hyping the kids up by telling them they’re going to do awesome and that they’re real rockstars. He has them jamming out doing air guitar and the kids are jumping around like little Lee’s. You smile and take a seat, letting him take the lead as the parents start to come in. You introduce him to everyone and then let him do his thing.
The kids are amazing and everything turns out better than you could ever imagined. After the last of the parents are gone, you breathe a sigh of relief that it went so well. It’s now time for winter break and you’re glad you have a few weeks off to relax.
“Thanks so much…” You say to him as you leave the classroom for the day. “The kids love you…” And I do too, you say to yourself in your head.
“Anytime teach,” He says with a smile as he closes the door behind him.
The next few weeks go by quickly. Christmas comes and goes without much of a thought. You’re counting down the hours until Lee leaves on January 2nd for Hollywood with the hope of going all the way. You wake up at odd times of the night in a cold sweat dreaming about him never coming back and forgetting all about you. You’ve been getting 4 hours of sleep a night tops and it’s really beginning to affect you. You wake up with bags under your eyes and your whole body hurting. You shake if off as being a bug, but know that nobody is buying it.
He calls you up one night a few days before New Years Eve and invites you to a party a few of his friends are throwing. He says he would rather stay home with you, but his friends insist they have one last hurrah before he leaves for LA. You agree and decide to put on a happy face since it will be the last night you have with him.
The night of the party you’re looking and feeling like crap. You feel like you’re going to have an anxiety attack every time you think about him. You want to call him and cancel the whole evening all together, but you can picture him canceling his plans too and spending his last night hanging out with you and your “fake” sickness. Instead you suck it up and try to look pretty. You conceal your bags with ultra strength concealer, curl your hair so it looks less flat, and put on a sparkly black halter top that’s in the back of your closet that you’ve never had the chance to wear. You throw on your slim dark jeans and black heels and you’re ready. You look in the mirror and smile at your reflection because you look half way decent. The doorbell rings just as you’re finishing. You take in a large breath and open the door for him.
He’s smiling when he walks in and you try to smile back. “Hey, you ready?” He asks as he walks into your house. You nod with a smile as you grab your coat. “You look nice…” He says as he helps you with your coat.
“Thanks…I just threw something on,” You say with a shrug as you grab your purse from the table and pull your coat tighter around your body. You follow him out the door to his car. He opens the door for you and you smile as you get in. It’s already happening, that butterfly thing, it’s overtaking you with each second that goes by.
He turns on the car and backs out of the driveway. “We don’t have to stay long if you don’t want to. We can always have a few drinks, hang out for a few hours, and make it back home before the ball drops,” He suggests as he looks over at you.
You shake your head. “Whatever you want to do is fine with me. It’s one of your last nights here, you should do what you want, I’m just along for the ride,” You explain to him as you look away from him and out the window. It’s a cold night and some flakes of snow are just starting to fall to the ground.
He nods at you and goes quiet. The normal banter and discussion between the two of you is gone and replaced with the feeling of being on a first date and not knowing what to say to one another. It feels incredibly awkward and you can’t wait until the drive is over and the icy cold feeling you have running up and down your body is gone. He finally pulls onto a road which is filled with cars. He pulls into one of the only open spaces and turns the car off. You open the door quietly as he does the same. You walk slowly to a big house that has Christmas lights still strung from its roof. He rings the doorbell and you both stand silently waiting for an answer. Music is blasting throughout the house and it takes a few moments for him to realize that you should probably just go inside.
When you do go in, he’s instantly surrounded by friends and swept off to get a drink or something. You hang your coat in an open closet and shrug as you make your way to the kitchen. You look around and notice there’s probably a good 100 people at the party, many are just hanging out drinking, while others are dancing to some new Lady Gaga song that is blasting through the stereo. You look around for Lee, but he’s no where to be seen. You know it’s going to be a great night, hanging by yourself at party where you know nobody. You find the kitchen where the booze is kept. You pour yourself of strong vodka tonic and find a seat in the corner of the room.
You’ve been sitting there for what seems like an hour, 3 drinks down, and still no sign of Lee. You notice a guy that’s looking a little drunk is eying you from across the room. You take another swig from your drink and try to keep your eyes away from him. But before you can do so, he’s already on his way across the room. You pull your phone out from your pocket and pretend to be involved in a text message so he stays away, but of course it doesn’t work.
“How’s it going?” He questions over the loud music. You can smell the alcohol on his breath.
You shrug with a fake smile. “I’m pretty good…just enjoying the…music,” You say, still focusing on your phone instead of him.
“I’m Rich…” He says as he holds out his hand for you to shake. He holds it there for a few moments before he realizes that you’re not going to shake his hand. “So, do you know the guy that is throwing this party?” He questions, still not giving up.
“No…my best friend is friends with him though…” You say drifting off, trying to get him to leave you alone. All of the sudden you hear strumming of a guitar coming towards you. You look up to see Lee coming to your rescue.
“Hey…” You say up to him as he finally makes it to your side.
“Hey…” He says back in the same tone as you. He’s giving Rich a look, “Hey Rich…why don’t you go grab my girl another drink?” He questions him with a smile.
Rick nods, “What are you having?” He questions you.
“Vodka tonic,” You say as he scampers off to get you your drink. “Thanks!” You say as you turn to Lee. “I really didn’t know if I could fend that guy off…he was getting pretty persistent…and with the way I’m drinking…who knows,” You say with a laugh.
He gives you a lopsided grin and strums on his guitar. He starts playing the chords of Crash Into Me and you melt as he begins to sing it. The music from the stereo is suddenly turned off and a crowd grows around the living room where Lee is playing. It gets quiet and everyone is just staring at him mesmerized. When he’s done singing everyone is cheering and clapping.
“Hey! It’s almost midnight!” Someone yells from across the room. The crowd scatters, grabbing new drinks, or finding their significant others. You take a drink from your vodka tonic and look around with a laugh. You’ve never gotten the whole kiss someone at midnight thing. It’s probably because you’ve never had anyone to kiss at midnight.
“10…9…8...7…” People are beginning to count down. All of the sudden Lee has pulled you up from your chair and he’s standing directly in front of you. He’s close; you can feel his breath on your face.
“6...5…4…3…” The countdown continues. He’s pulling you closer and looking you in the eye. You want to burst into tears right then because you know he’s going to kiss you and how it’s just going to mean “Happy New Year” and nothing else.
“2…1!” Everyone cries as 2010 starts. He pulls you into a kiss. Your whole body tingles from his lips on yours. They taste sweet and feel soft against yours. It’s all over before you can even process it.
“Happy 2010!” He says softly into your ear as he pulls away. You paste a smile on your face knowing that 2010 is going to be a hard one.
To remind yourself that it was worth waiting
And when I’m gone I will listen to this song
You love your job everything about it is perfect. The kids are angels who make you laugh each and everyday, your co-workers are amazing, and you’re learning something new every day. The first few months of school are hectic, learning the ins and outs of everything, but you’re happy where everything is going and you look forward to waking up and going to work each and everyday. It’s the middle of November now and you can’t believe how fast everything has gone by.
When you’re not at school or sleeping, you’ve been spending a lot of time with Lee. He’s been there for you through everything the last few months and as hard as it is to see him and not want to kiss him, it’s harder not being able to talk to or see him. You have the weekly ritual of a dinner/movie night every Friday, where you catch up, and relax after the long week. Tonight he’s brought over his favorite movie Shawshank Redemption, some beer, and a pizza from your favorite place in town. You’re sitting in front of the TV, eating pizza, and you’re both not really watching the movie, but talking instead.
You take a slice of pizza and bite into it, chewing slowly. “So I was thinking about having like a little winter wonderland party for my students’ families in a few weeks…maybe have some food, some games, and maybe even a little concert or something. Thought it’d be a nice present for parents and the kids…” You say quietly, not knowing what he’s going to say about it.
He shallows his food and a smile comes across his face. “That sounds like a great idea…I could help you out if you’d like…” He says looking into your eyes.
Before you know it your arms around him in an embrace, “For real? I was hoping you’d say that,” You explain to him the excitement coming out in your voice.
He laughs a low laugh, pulling away to look you in the eyes. “You didn’t think I wanted to help you?” He questions with a shrug.
You shake your head a little and try to explain yourself, “I just thought you’d be busy with recording and all that…you only have like a month and half left…I don’t know…” You finally say, letting it out.
“Well I’d like nothing more than to help you with everything. I love those kids!” He says with a smile. “We could do all those fun Christmas-y songs and maybe I can even write a few new ones or something…” He says drifting off, you can tell he’s already planning the whole thing in his head.
The following Monday he’s already in the classroom and you let him take lead with everything. He’s excited about it and you can tell by the way his eyes are sparkling and the way he’s moving throughout the room that he’s going to do a great job.
“So we’re going to surprise your parents with this party and I think it’s going to be a completely awesome present. I’m here to teach you some songs and get you ready…” He explains to the kids. You look around the room and see all 23 pairs of eyes watching Lee intently. It’s so cute, you can’t help but smile. A few hands shoot in the air and he answers their questions quickly and with a smile.
The way he is with the kids makes you want to take him in your arms and let him know how you truly feel. How you want to be with him forever and how he makes your stomach do that crazy butterfly thing whenever you’re around him. How you want to marry him and have kids with him. How you want to grow old with him and as much as you want him to do well on American Idol, you’re secretly wishing he doesn’t, so he can come back to you. But you can’t. He doesn’t feel the same way about you and you can’t lose him.
He’s in your classroom everyday after lunch to work with the kids up until the big day. He’s amazing with the kids and has so much patience with them. It’s cute when the kids ask if he’s coming everyday and you just smile and nod, knowing you’re as happy as they are that he’ll be showing up later.
The big day finally arrives and you’re so excited for the kids. You get to school early that morning to decorate the classroom in a winter wonderland theme. You’ve got snowflakes hanging from the ceiling and glitter snow covering all the tables, pictures of your kids doing various activities are scattered around the walls of the room, and a table in the corner of the room holds little presents for each of your kids. You smile at how well the whole thing is turning out and can’t wait for the parents to show up later in the afternoon. You’re busy hanging some snowman cutouts on the wall when you hear a knock at your door. It’s only a little past 7:30am, so you’re not expecting anyone to be here this early. You turn around to see him. He looks a little sleepy and his all bundled up in a down jacket. He’s got 2 coffees and a paper bag in his hands.
“Thought you could use some caffeine and some sugar,” He says motioning towards what’s in his hands. “Also figured I could help you with decorating and everything…” He explains as he sets down the coffee and begins to take off his coat.
You move towards him to grab a coffee and give him a smile. “Thanks,” You say simply as you take a swig of coffee. He hands you a blueberry muffin and you take it with a nod.
It’s quiet for a moment as you both drink your coffee and eat your muffins. He breaks the silence a little while later. “I just found out that they’re going to release my album in January before I’m on Idol live…” He says in between bites.
You smile looking over at him, “Wow…that’s great news!” You bring him into a quick hug and hold on a little tighter than normal. Tears are starting to spring to your eyes now and you try to stop them before he can catch them. But he does and turns to look you in the eye.
His blue eyes are looking concerned and he takes your hands. “What’s going on?” He questions as he squeezes both your hands.
You shake your head, swearing at your tears to stop falling. “It’s nothing…” You say drifting off as a blush comes to your cheeks.
“I know there’s something up…you never cry,” He says nodding his head looking at you seriously. He knows you all to well. He’s probably seen you cry a total of once when you broke your arm when you were in 3rd grade.
You take a deep breath in and let it all out, “I just realized that we only have a few more weeks together and probably not even that. You’re going to be busy with your new CD, packing, and hanging out with your family…it’s just weird knowing you’re not going to be here with me on Friday nights. I’m just being a baby…I mean I went through middle school, high school, and a lot of college without you…I’m 22…this shouldn’t be bothering me…but it does.” It comes out as a long run on sentence without a breath, you needed to say it fast or else you’d regret it.
He bites his lip as he listens and you wonder what he’s thinking in that head of his. It takes him a moment to speak but when he does, what he says takes you by surprise. “I’ve regretted those years during middle school and high school when we weren’t friends. I felt like I was lost and trying to find my way pretty much the whole time. It wasn’t until we were done with high school that I really realized what I was looking for…it was you. I’m sorry for treating you shitty for all those years…if I could go back and change who I was then, without a doubt I would.” He takes a breath and squeezes your hands again. “And of course I’m going to have plenty of time for you in the next couple of weeks…I’ll put off everything to just spend my last nights in Chicago with you. And don’t think you’re going to be getting rid of me when I’m in LA…you’ll be receiving texts, emails, and calls all the time.”
You let out a sigh of relief and a big smile comes to your face. “You feeling better now?” He questions you as he pulls you back into a hug.
You nod with a smile. “Much better,” You say simply as the both of you pull away from one another.
The rest of the day is all a blur as both of you finish decorating the classroom and getting the kids ready for their big performance. He’s excited and is hyping the kids up by telling them they’re going to do awesome and that they’re real rockstars. He has them jamming out doing air guitar and the kids are jumping around like little Lee’s. You smile and take a seat, letting him take the lead as the parents start to come in. You introduce him to everyone and then let him do his thing.
The kids are amazing and everything turns out better than you could ever imagined. After the last of the parents are gone, you breathe a sigh of relief that it went so well. It’s now time for winter break and you’re glad you have a few weeks off to relax.
“Thanks so much…” You say to him as you leave the classroom for the day. “The kids love you…” And I do too, you say to yourself in your head.
“Anytime teach,” He says with a smile as he closes the door behind him.
The next few weeks go by quickly. Christmas comes and goes without much of a thought. You’re counting down the hours until Lee leaves on January 2nd for Hollywood with the hope of going all the way. You wake up at odd times of the night in a cold sweat dreaming about him never coming back and forgetting all about you. You’ve been getting 4 hours of sleep a night tops and it’s really beginning to affect you. You wake up with bags under your eyes and your whole body hurting. You shake if off as being a bug, but know that nobody is buying it.
He calls you up one night a few days before New Years Eve and invites you to a party a few of his friends are throwing. He says he would rather stay home with you, but his friends insist they have one last hurrah before he leaves for LA. You agree and decide to put on a happy face since it will be the last night you have with him.
The night of the party you’re looking and feeling like crap. You feel like you’re going to have an anxiety attack every time you think about him. You want to call him and cancel the whole evening all together, but you can picture him canceling his plans too and spending his last night hanging out with you and your “fake” sickness. Instead you suck it up and try to look pretty. You conceal your bags with ultra strength concealer, curl your hair so it looks less flat, and put on a sparkly black halter top that’s in the back of your closet that you’ve never had the chance to wear. You throw on your slim dark jeans and black heels and you’re ready. You look in the mirror and smile at your reflection because you look half way decent. The doorbell rings just as you’re finishing. You take in a large breath and open the door for him.
He’s smiling when he walks in and you try to smile back. “Hey, you ready?” He asks as he walks into your house. You nod with a smile as you grab your coat. “You look nice…” He says as he helps you with your coat.
“Thanks…I just threw something on,” You say with a shrug as you grab your purse from the table and pull your coat tighter around your body. You follow him out the door to his car. He opens the door for you and you smile as you get in. It’s already happening, that butterfly thing, it’s overtaking you with each second that goes by.
He turns on the car and backs out of the driveway. “We don’t have to stay long if you don’t want to. We can always have a few drinks, hang out for a few hours, and make it back home before the ball drops,” He suggests as he looks over at you.
You shake your head. “Whatever you want to do is fine with me. It’s one of your last nights here, you should do what you want, I’m just along for the ride,” You explain to him as you look away from him and out the window. It’s a cold night and some flakes of snow are just starting to fall to the ground.
He nods at you and goes quiet. The normal banter and discussion between the two of you is gone and replaced with the feeling of being on a first date and not knowing what to say to one another. It feels incredibly awkward and you can’t wait until the drive is over and the icy cold feeling you have running up and down your body is gone. He finally pulls onto a road which is filled with cars. He pulls into one of the only open spaces and turns the car off. You open the door quietly as he does the same. You walk slowly to a big house that has Christmas lights still strung from its roof. He rings the doorbell and you both stand silently waiting for an answer. Music is blasting throughout the house and it takes a few moments for him to realize that you should probably just go inside.
When you do go in, he’s instantly surrounded by friends and swept off to get a drink or something. You hang your coat in an open closet and shrug as you make your way to the kitchen. You look around and notice there’s probably a good 100 people at the party, many are just hanging out drinking, while others are dancing to some new Lady Gaga song that is blasting through the stereo. You look around for Lee, but he’s no where to be seen. You know it’s going to be a great night, hanging by yourself at party where you know nobody. You find the kitchen where the booze is kept. You pour yourself of strong vodka tonic and find a seat in the corner of the room.
You’ve been sitting there for what seems like an hour, 3 drinks down, and still no sign of Lee. You notice a guy that’s looking a little drunk is eying you from across the room. You take another swig from your drink and try to keep your eyes away from him. But before you can do so, he’s already on his way across the room. You pull your phone out from your pocket and pretend to be involved in a text message so he stays away, but of course it doesn’t work.
“How’s it going?” He questions over the loud music. You can smell the alcohol on his breath.
You shrug with a fake smile. “I’m pretty good…just enjoying the…music,” You say, still focusing on your phone instead of him.
“I’m Rich…” He says as he holds out his hand for you to shake. He holds it there for a few moments before he realizes that you’re not going to shake his hand. “So, do you know the guy that is throwing this party?” He questions, still not giving up.
“No…my best friend is friends with him though…” You say drifting off, trying to get him to leave you alone. All of the sudden you hear strumming of a guitar coming towards you. You look up to see Lee coming to your rescue.
“Hey…” You say up to him as he finally makes it to your side.
“Hey…” He says back in the same tone as you. He’s giving Rich a look, “Hey Rich…why don’t you go grab my girl another drink?” He questions him with a smile.
Rick nods, “What are you having?” He questions you.
“Vodka tonic,” You say as he scampers off to get you your drink. “Thanks!” You say as you turn to Lee. “I really didn’t know if I could fend that guy off…he was getting pretty persistent…and with the way I’m drinking…who knows,” You say with a laugh.
He gives you a lopsided grin and strums on his guitar. He starts playing the chords of Crash Into Me and you melt as he begins to sing it. The music from the stereo is suddenly turned off and a crowd grows around the living room where Lee is playing. It gets quiet and everyone is just staring at him mesmerized. When he’s done singing everyone is cheering and clapping.
“Hey! It’s almost midnight!” Someone yells from across the room. The crowd scatters, grabbing new drinks, or finding their significant others. You take a drink from your vodka tonic and look around with a laugh. You’ve never gotten the whole kiss someone at midnight thing. It’s probably because you’ve never had anyone to kiss at midnight.
“10…9…8...7…” People are beginning to count down. All of the sudden Lee has pulled you up from your chair and he’s standing directly in front of you. He’s close; you can feel his breath on your face.
“6...5…4…3…” The countdown continues. He’s pulling you closer and looking you in the eye. You want to burst into tears right then because you know he’s going to kiss you and how it’s just going to mean “Happy New Year” and nothing else.
“2…1!” Everyone cries as 2010 starts. He pulls you into a kiss. Your whole body tingles from his lips on yours. They taste sweet and feel soft against yours. It’s all over before you can even process it.
“Happy 2010!” He says softly into your ear as he pulls away. You paste a smile on your face knowing that 2010 is going to be a hard one.