"Step back, woman! My need is greater than yours!"
Still laughing, I gave him a playful push then turned to Evelyn, who grabbed my hands and started dancing with me.
"So, how does this compare to New Year's in England?" she asked me.
"It doesn't. I did New Year in London when I was nineteen and it was amazing, but it wasn't quite like this."
Evelyn pulled me into a hug. "I'm so glad we decided to come here! We'd have had fun in Chicago and all, but this is on another level. It's a once in a lifetime thing!"
"I agree! This is just incredible. I'll be sad to leave tomorrow."
"Me too, but we only have a few days before work starts again." She jutted her lower lip out into a pout. "Ah, well. We still have the drive home to look forward to!"
It sounded insane, but Evelyn and I shared a love of road trips, and all four of us had had a blast taking it in turns to drive and belting out songs at the top of our voices. We planned to stop off in some different places on the way back.
I felt a hand on my shoulder as Evelyn released me from our hug, and I turned to see Luca grinning at me. "Alright, woman, there are only fifteen minutes left until that ball drops! Dance with me!"
I nodded and allowed him to take me in his arms, the two of us dancing wildly to the raucous music. We hadn't danced since Halloween, but since then, Luca had become more and more a part of our group. He was good fun to be around, and having a gang of four was much less awkward than our previous party of three. It meant Evelyn and I could go off and do girly stuff sometimes, and on the nights Evelyn and Lewis wanted to hit a club, Luca and I would either go to my place or his and watch a movie together. All three of my friends had been wonderful since what happened with Brayden. Even though Evelyn and Lewis had good-naturedly mocked me when things were good between us, they had been nothing but supportive while I tried to get myself together. In some ways, they were more loyal than my friends back home. Becky didn't seem to comprehend the depth of my pain, and had told me more than once how sweet Rachel was. I'd made the right decision in choosing not to go back. I wasn't ready yet.
It was getting more and more difficult to move amongst the crowds, and Evelyn and Lewis had gotten separated from us. We could still see them, they just weren't as close as they had been. With the minutes ticking down to midnight, I felt a flutter of panic as the noise got louder and the crowds grew more excitable. Sensing my discomfort, Luca shuffled me sideways a little, so we weren't so close to the middle of the hordes.
"Hey," he said, pulling me in closer to him then using a finger to tilt my chin so my eyes were level with his. "I've got you, okay?"
His blue eyes calmed me and I nodded. "I'm okay. Just having a moment. This is so overwhelming."
"Can't argue with that. It's insane out here, but you're safe with me. You know that, right?"
I nodded.
"Listen, Charley. I know the last couple of months have been rough on you and, right now, I don't want to dwell on that because..." he paused, and I was sure if he could have, he would have thrown his arms wide open to make his point. Instead he looked up, his face alight with joy at our surroundings before turning his attention back to me. "Look where we are. So, I've made a decision. I'm going to kiss you at midnight. Not because I'm expecting anything more from you, or because I'm trying to take advantage of you, but because we are in New Year's heaven right now. This place is magical, and... what is New Year's without a kiss at midnight?"
He raised an eyebrow, a smile tilting the corners of his lips, and I couldn't help but smile back. I was far from over Brayden, and he knew that, but I understood what Luca was offering. A seasonal kiss... nothing more, nothing less.
"Okay," I said, smiling. "Let's do it!"
Noise began to rise around us as the final countdown began, and Luca grinned at me and held me closer as we got caught up in the buzz once again, joining in with the countdown and jumping up and down. The vibe in the city had ramped up another few notches, carrying me along with it.
"Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One!"
Cheers erupted, and cries of "Happy New Year!" could be heard as confetti fell from the sky, showering us all in an explosion of colour. Luca and I laughed loudly, totally caught up in the joy of the moment, and as his eyes met mine again, he said, "You ready?"
I nodded, and he grinned before gently pressing his lips to mine. "Happy New Year, Charley."
"Happy New Year, Luca."
He kissed me once more before pulling me into a hug, and I wrapped my arms tightly around him, unable to stop the smile on my face. It might have just been a kiss for the sake of tradition, but boy, it was the perfect way to round off the night.
"Okay, you guys, break it up. We need to get back to the hotel before I pee in my pants!"
Luca and I burst out laughing at the urgency in Lewis' voice, and we broke apart as Lewis and Evelyn shuffled closer to us, trying to slip through the gaps between people who were still hugging and jumping around.
Thankfully, our hotel was only a ten minute walk from where we'd been standing, but it took us half an hour to get back through the crowds and up to our room. Lewis practically knocked the door down in his rush to use the bathroom, and although the rest of us were equally as eager to use it, we fell into fits of laughter at Lewis' desperation.
Once we were all freshened up and changed into our PJs, Luca opened the bottle of champagne we'd had chilling in the mini fridge and poured us a glass each. We were all sprawled on our beds, high on the experience we'd just shared.
"Okay," Evelyn said, gaining our attention. "That was without a doubt the best New Year's ever, but we've forgotten the most important part."
"What's that?" Luca asked.