That night, we stayed up late talking. We made plans for our future and talked about our pasts. We shared secrets that neither of us had ever told a soul. It was like we existed in our own little bubble that nothing and no one could penetrate.
“Where do you want to go?” Michael asked me.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“If you could go anywhere, see anything, what would it be?” he asked.
“The Eiffel Tower,” I said without thinking. “That’s easy. I’ve always dreamed of going to Paris.”
“You’ve never been?” Michael sounded surprised.
“I’ve never been outside the States,” I said with a shrug. “Paris has always been on my bucket list.”
“I can see us there,” Michael said. He smiled softly and closed his eyes. “Making out in front of the Eiffel Tower. Yeah, I can definitely see that.”
I slapped his arm playfully. He laughed his deep, belly laugh and then hugged me to him.
“I’m serious, though,” Michael said. “I have so many things I want to do with you. So many experiences I want us to share.”
“Like what?” I asked.
“Everything,” Michael said. “We’ll start with Paris. We’ll kiss in front of the Eiffel Tower. Then, we’ll go to Venice and ride in a gondola. Maybe swim off the coast of Australia. Go on a safari in Africa.”
“Wow,” I said. “You really mean everything.”
“Everything,” Michael said with a determined nod. “If you want to.”
I kissed him and grinned.
“There’s one thing I want to do first, though,” I said.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“New Year’s Eve is tomorrow,” I said. “A good midnight kiss is something I’ve never experienced. Not once.”
“Me neither,” Michael said.
“Really?”
“Really.”
We smiled and sank back into each other. We only left Michael’s bed to get food and use the bathroom. He and I both drifted in and out of sleep that night, holding each other tightly and kissing whenever we felt like it.
The next day, we went into town to get things for a celebration. New Year’s Eve was our way of making up for Christmas. We didn’t see each other then, so we wanted this holiday to be perfect, especially our midnight kiss.
We bought decorations and food, champagne and fancy glasses. It was a party just for us, but we didn’t care. We spent the entire day making preparations and getting everything ready.
“This is insane,” I said when everything was done. “I feel like we should invite the whole town over or something.”
I looked around the living room. It was covered in New Year’s decorations. The champagne bottle was chilling in a bucket of ice on the coffee table, two glasses placed on either side. Platters of food accompanied it, and we had a bowl of candy on every flat surface. It looked like the makings of a great night, but definitely not a quiet evening for two.
“We aren’t inviting anyone else,” Michael said firmly. “This is just for us. Just for you.”
He kissed me lightly and then twirled me around the living room. We danced for hours, laughing and letting the rest of the world slip away.
When it was almost midnight, we turned on the T.V. to watch the ball drop in New York City. It was also something neither of us had ever done.
“We’ll go one year,” Michael said. “We can watch it in person.”