The night passed quickly, and I was really ready to get out of there. Tommy’s cell phone rang at eleven- thirty, and he told us he had to go. Carl had gotten off work, and they wanted to see the new year in together.
I walked him to the door, glad to meet up with him again. I think I had found a friend.
'Listen, Andi,' he said, turning to me at the door. 'You need to stop thinking with this,' he tapped my forehead with his finger. 'And start using this.' He tapped where my heart would be. Surprising me with a kiss to the forehead, he left. I turned, nearly running smack into Haley.
'Want to get out of here, too?' she asked.
'Please?'
'Let’s go. John decided he wanted to stay and talk to that woman he’s been chatting it up with all night.' We both chuckled. 'Saves me the time of dropping his ass.'
We grabbed our coats and headed out.
'Man, you think Craig was a narcissist? This guy puts him to sad shame. I feel sorry for her.' Haley indicated the ballroom with her thumb.
'Maybe she’s into that sort of thing.' She grinned.
The drive home took about twenty minutes, but finally we reached Haley’s house. I parked in the driveway, turning the car off. We sat in silence for a moment, then she turned to me.
'Tired?' she asked. I shook my head.
'Not really.'
'Me, neither.' She glanced down at the small, white gold watch she wore, her eyes getting huge. 'Oh, Andi! The ball’s going to drop in less than a minute!'
We threw the doors of the Jeep open, and ran toward the house, Haley finally getting the lock undone, and we ran to the living room, flicking the TV on to NBC. Dick Clark was on the screen, talking about the massive crowds behind him in New York, a clock at the bottom right corner of the screen ticking away the seconds.
We stood there in front of the TV, watching.
'I wonder if Holden is there,' she said.
'Maybe.'
'I think it would be kind of fun.' She glanced at me.
'Me, too.'
We were standing shoulder to shoulder, watching as the year slipped away.
10...
I became very aware of Haley bare skin next to me...
9...
The body heat, matching my own...
8...
I could smell her perfume, the smell of her shampoo, and the spray she’d used to keep her hair in place...
7...
I squeezed my eyes shut, my body reacting to the closeness, the smell, the sensations running through me...
6...
God, did she feel it to?...
5...
My stomach was filled with butterflies, each one beating its wings in a different path, trying to get out...
4...
I could feel my body temperature rise, my palms getting sweaty. God, could she smell my nervousness? What was I so nervous about? It was only Haley. God, it was Haley...
3...
I felt, more than saw, Haley turn toward me, and I felt my body betray me, and turn, too. She was looking into my face...
2...
Her hand raised, coming up to my forehead, using the softest of touches to brush a stray piece of hair off my forehead. My hand came up to rest on her arm.
Time stopped, my breath stopped, my heart stopped. Slowly she came toward me, and I felt myself falling toward her, my eyes closing of their own accord as I felt the softness against my lips, could taste the lipstick she wore, our lips parting just enough so that our lips fit perfectly together.
Somewhere in my mind I heard Dick Clark yell 'Happy New Year!', but it didn’t matter. The world could end right now, and it wouldn’t matter.
We stayed as we were, locked for what felt like all time, frozen.
Finally I could hear the blood pounding in my head as I came alive again, my heart pounding, my breathing slow but sure. I slowly pulled away from her, my eyes opening to see that hers were still closed, her lips still slightly parted, her lipstick smudged just the tiniest bit near the corner.
Blue eyes opened, and met mine.
'Happy New Year,' I whispered. She stared at me for a moment, as if the words hadn’t quiet penetrated.
'Happy New Year, Andi,' she said, her voice low, breathy. She dropped her hand from my face, but didn’t take a step back. 'I don’t understand,' she finally said. I said nothing, letting her talk, though I think I knew what she meant. 'It’s never been like that for me. I,' she took a breath, and it quickly became apparent she would say no more.
'I think we need to talk,' I said. She nodded. 'But, not in a gown.' She gave me a weak smile.
'I’ll get you something to wear.' She took a shaky breath, and stepped back, closing her eyes for a moment, then headed up the stairs. I watched her for a moment, then turned away. I heard the squeaking of the stairs stop, and felt eyes on me. I turned, looked up to see her halfway up, looking at me. We just looked for a moment, trying to read the other’s mind. She gave me the sweetest smile, and smiled back. Quickly, she hurried up the rest of the stairs.
Within moments, a changed Haley came back downstairs, tossing a pair of sweats and a sweat shirt my way. Happily I ran to the bathroom on the main level, and changed, washing my face free of the small bit of makeup I had worn, and removing my jewelry.
When I came out, Haley sat on the couch, feet tucked under her, with a glass of orange juice in her hand, and a can of Dr Pepper on the table waiting for me. I smiled, and joined her.
She looked at me when I sat on the couch, a cushion away.
'Come here.' She patted the cushion that was between us, so I scooted over, grateful for the invitation. She took a deep breath, setting her juice on the table. 'I guess we have a lot to talk about. Past and present.'
'I guess we do.' I smiled, grabbing the can of soda, and popping the top, taking a nervous drink, then setting the can next to her glass.
'Where do we start?'
'How about thirteen years ago,' I offered. She nodded agreement. 'What happened to us, Haley?' She took a deep breath, shaking her head.
'I don’t know.'
'What did you think of that weekend?' She looked down at her hands the were fidgeting in her lap, then finally looked up at me.
'Well, to be honest, at the time I thought I was seeing it as some sort of an experiment. It wasn’t until later that I realized it was more than that. Why didn’t you talk to me after, Andi?' I could see the pain from so long ago in her eyes.
'I thought you’d reject me, Haley. I guess I still didn’t trust you completely. You were one of them, still. The enemy. I really thought, hell, I don’t know. I guess I thought that you had had your time of slumming, for lack of a better term, and was done with it. With me.'
'How can you say that? Never did I once give you that vibe. At least I never meant to. I never thought that,
