New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Eve
Rollerz is bustling with partygoers ready to greet the new year.
I’m working behind the bar, which would usually suck on such an occasion, but Rhys is here with me, zipping up and down the bar as he attempts to keep up with demand, smoothly sidestepping the other bar staff like a dancer, and Thea has bagged a stool so she can chat to us whenever there’s the tiniest of lulls, so it doesn’t feel so much like work when I’m hanging out with my friends at the same time.
Thea was with Asher and Frankie-Rose for Christmas, so she’s free to let herself go and celebrate the New Year while they’re with her ex, and she’s certainly doing that as she sinks shots and sings along to the George Michael tribute act as he belts out ‘I’m Your Man’.
The place is crammed with regulars and newcomers, including Audrey and Olive who have joined us for the festivities.
We kept in contact after the art class, but this is the first time we’ve got together, and the ladies are proud to show off their new tattoo (Audrey) and belly button ring (Olive).
They’ve regaled us with the tales of their adventures over the past few months but mostly they’ve danced the night away.
And then there’s Jonah, who makes my heart leap every time I glance over and see him watching me, just because.
‘It’s nearly midnight.’ Jonah shows me the time on his phone as I hold out the card terminal to the guy standing next to him. ‘So you better stay close so you can kiss me.’
‘I wouldn’t be anywhere else.’
On the other side of Jonah, Thea fake-gags but I know she’s over-the-moon happy for us. She told us that on the day we announced we were no longer simply flatmates/best friends, and she reminds us regularly (usually when she’s had a drink).
‘Can I get another?’ Thea lifts her shot glass and I’m about to fulfil her request, but Rhys gets in there first. He hands her the shot as the countdown to midnight begins and everyone stops what they’re doing to join in.
I step out from behind the bar, nudging my way through the revellers until I reach Jonah, and when it gets to one, I reach up on my tiptoes to kiss him, feeling the now-familiar fireworks in my belly as real ones hiss and boom and light up the night sky.
‘Happy New Year.’ I’m about to rest my forehead against Jonah’s but something catches my eye, and I can tell by the way Jonah’s gaping that he’s spotted it too.
Beside us, one of them perched on a stool, the other leaning over the bar, are Thea and Rhys, snogging like a couple of teenagers long after everyone else has resumed their partying as Brian sings about free drinks and fun in the sunshine up on the stage.
‘Is this… a thing?’ Jonah looks on, face pulled in mild distaste as his sister continues to snog the face off our friend.
I shrug. ‘Who knows? He hasn’t been on any dates for ages though.’
‘Really?’ Jonah tilts his head. ‘Thea hasn’t either. She said she’d had enough of the apps and their bullshit. Which is a fair point.’
We continue to watch as the pair snog like it’s their last minute on Earth, but it starts to feel a bit pervy and we drag our gaze away.
‘Can you squeeze in one little dance?’ Jonah nods at the area that’s been taken over as the dance floor.
The music changes to something slower and I feel content as I rest my head on Jonah’s chest, feeling the rhythm of his heart through his shirt.
Who knew a year ago that I could be this happy?
Who knew six months ago I’d be dancing with the man I loved on New Year’s Eve?
Because I do love Jonah. With all my heart.
It’s undeniable; not only do I feel it, every single day, every time I look at his face, every time I kiss or touch him, but the meet-cutes completely stopped the day we admitted how we felt.
There was a moment of panic on Boxing Day when I bumped into a guy carrying a couple of pints away from the bar, but I put that down to sheer clumsiness on my part, especially when he growled about me being a daft bitch and complained about his wet shoes. Definitely not a meet-cute.
It turns out the wish was a two-parter: I wish I could meet-cute and find The One. Which I did.
Reaching up on tiptoe, I kiss Jonah, setting off those fireworks again. I hope they never go away.