December, 2018
"Hey Avery! I just wanted to call and check up on you. I'm so sorry I had to cancel on our plans this year." Olivia's tone seemed sincere as she spoke, but I could see right through it.
It was likely that Olivia did feel piteous towards me, however, she was probably enjoying expensive martini's on the beach as we spoke, and had no desire to be on our couch watching New Years Rockin' Eve.
"Hey Liv! I'm doing great, don't worry. It's weird not being with you today, but New York isn't a bad alternative." I laughed, excusing myself from the couch and walking towards the kitchen.
Kaden and I had just returned from ice skating, and I was fairly certain he decided to take a nap. Meanwhile, I had been sitting in the living room watching Property Brothers.
"Right! You're in New York! God, I'm almost jealous. I've never seen it during Christmas time, does it look like it does in the movies?"
I decided to ignore the "almost jealous" comment. "For sure, it's better than I could've even imagined. Our hotel is beautiful too. Also, Kaden and I may or may not have crashed Lauren Pierce's wedding."
Olivia didn't even try to hide her gasp. If there was on thing that we had in common, it was our love for film. "Oh my god. Oh my god! Are you kidding me? How did you get in? Did you get caught? Was it beautiful?"
I smiled, reminiscing in the memory. "Kaden bribed a guard, and we just got into the reception. But yes! It was seriously stunning, my jaw dropped as I walked in. The pictures didn't do its justice. On the matter of getting caught, we kinda did. On our first day, Kaden and I ran into Mason Pierce and a girl named Scarlett, who's family owns the hotel."
I continued. "Long story short, we talked to them for a little and ran into them one more time, but we figured there was no way they'd recognize us. Yeah... they did. For a moment I thought Mason was mad, but they were both pretty entertained by it."
"Why didn't you tell me this sooner!" Olivia gushed, seeming slightly offended yet excited at the same time.
"You seemed busy." I replied, sounding a little petty.
Olivia sighed. "Okay, I deserved that. I really am glad that you're having an exciting time in New York, you've definitely one-uped my trip."
"I miss you, Olivia." I smiled a little when I spoke.
"I miss you too, Avery. I'll come visit during mid-winter break, I promise."
"I'm looking forward to it." My reply was truly sincere.
"Okay, I'll let you go, I'm sure you have a lot of plans for tonight and I don't want to keep you. I love you!"
I smiled slightly. "I love you too."
When I hung up, I noticed Kaden walk out from his room. His brown hair was messy, but he still wore the same clothes he had on earlier.
"You okay, Ave?" He questioned, as if he heard Olivia and I's conversation get cut short.
I nodded. "Yeah, I'm great."
The time was 6:00pm, Originally, I had predicted Kaden to be worn out and wanting to stay in, which I genuinely wouldn't have minded, as we have been on our feet since the day we arrived. Therefore, his next words came as a surprise.
"Do you wanna go to Times Square tonight?" Kaden's voice was genuine, and showed that he was indifferent. He knew that one of my favorite holiday traditions was watching New Year's Rockin' Eve with Olivia, and to see it live sounded amazing.
Up until now, she had always cancelled her plans to honor our habit, but this year was different. Though spending my first New Years without Olivia hurt, I couldn't think of a better alternative.
"Are you serious?" I questioned.
"Do I look like I'm kidding? I can tell you wanna go, so let's go." He shrugged, walking in the kitchen to grab a glass of water.
"But I don't wanna go if you don't wanna go."
Kaden laughed, and rolled his eyes. "Then it's settled, we're going. No arguments allowed."
"But-"
"Ave. We're going, end of discussion."
⦠psychotic â¦
It was around 8pm. The streets had been dark for a while, although the city was much alive. Kaden and I decided we wanted to arrive around 8:45, as his father arranged a place for us to stand and we didn't need to worry about being reasonably close to everything.
After watching Home Alone, Kade and I split to get ready and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thrilled.
I decided that I didn't want to stand out, nor blend in completely. Therefore, I slid on baggy, leather pants Olivia had given me a year prior. At the time she insisted I was one of the few people who could pull them off, so I decided to trust her judgment. With that, I threw on a white sweater and a Burberry jacket.
After applying mascara and eyeliner, then brushing out the curls in my hair, I was ready to be out of the door.
"You ready to go, Ave?" Kaden called. I adjusted my coat and gave myself one last glance in the mirror.
"Ready." I smiled, walking out of the bathroom. Kaden wore black jeans and a white button down. Atop of that, he wore a black overcoat. Nothing unusual.
Kaden nodded and we headed out the door.
When we exited the building, Manhattan was lively. The city lights clashed with the herd of people swarming the streets, making it a sight to see.
As Kaden called a cab to bring us as close the event as possible, I stood in a daze.
"Avery, are you okay?" He asked, and I nodded. As a yellow vehicle pulled up besides us, we both sat in the backseat.
"Where too?" The driver questioned nobody in particular.
"Times Square." Kaden and I answered at the same time.
It took roughly five minutes to arrive near the event, however, a majority of that was just us sitting in traffic. When we exited the cab, Kaden grabbed my hand for the second time this trip.
However, this was with reason. Surrounding us were hundred of people, smiling and laughing with their friends. Without this precaution, we likely would have been separated. The shining lights of the city left me breathless, as neon illuminated my surroundings.
Seeing those around me enjoying themselves immediately made me bubbly inside. Kaden and I laughed as we made our way through the crowd, towards the section Glaze had bought out for customers.
The corners of my mouth pulled up more as I scanned the audience, seeing the various types of people. Some wore wigs, bright face paint and extravagant clothing, some were dressed in maxi dresses and tuxes, others wore causal clothes, the same attire you'd wear to a restaurant or bar.
I felt bad walking through people, however I was too engulfed in my surroundings to really focus on it. As we reached our destination, I was relieved to see that all the Glaze area did was lead us to groups of random people towards the front. I was grateful for the position, don't get me wrong, but I'll admit that the idea of spending New Years with adult Glaze employees and customers wasn't exactly appealing.
"This is incredible!" I exclaimed, turning in Kaden's direction.
He laughed, leading to a piece of hair falling down onto his face. "I haven't been in forever, I almost forgot what it was like."
"I don't know how that's possible, I'm in awe."
Kaden looked towards me, his green eyes stood out especially in the neon lighting. "Yeah, definitely different than live than it is on T.V."
"I think Olivia is coming home sometime in February. I can't wait to tell her about this." Even if I tried, I couldn't suppress the smile on my face.
An hour passed, Kaden and I certainly weren't wasting any of our time here. We've talked to those around us, which consists of an elderly couple who came to New York to renew their vows, and a group of friends who were currently sophomores at NYU.
The air was cold, but my excitement and happiness was enough to keep me warm. I didn't want the night to end, if only Cole and Kendall were here with us.
There's always next year.
However, next year there's a good chance we'll all got to different cities, meet new people. Suddenly, I found myself praying that Kaden wouldn't forget me at an Ivy League, or that Cole wouldn't give up on Kendall. I prayed that Molly would remain at Mugs even after we were gone, I prayed that we'd all stay friends.
"Thirty minutes until twenty-nineteen, how are you feeling?" Kaden asked.
I looked up at him. "Weird, like really weird. I keep thinking of the future, and drawing a blank."
Kaden took a breath. "Where do you see yourself in a year from now?"
"Hopefully in college..." I tried to grasp the rest of my answer, but I couldn't find the words.
"That's it?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I guess so." I admit in defeat. The lack of time I've spent considering the future was beginning to concern me.
Kaden nodded, leaving our conversation at that. "What about you, Kade? Where do you see yourself in a year?"
His body noticeably tensed, but he quickly erased the action. "I don't know."
I didn't question his quick response, as I understood what he was getting at. However, without realizing it, my gaze set on him a little longer. Random frustration mildly irked me, as I realized Kaden's body language was unreadable.
It always was.
Suddenly, I couldn't think of a moment where I could tell exactly what Kaden was thinking. Out of all places to come to this realization, Times Square on New Years wasn't what I was expecting.
I knew I was being to obvious, but I couldn't tear my eyes away. His expression was still, his eyes were calculating and curious, as if he could figure me out like third grade math.
"What are you thinking about?" He finally spoke, breaking the unnecessary tension between us two.
I jumped slightly at his words. Although our surroundings were booming with white noise and pop music, I could only seem to focus on the sound of Kaden's voice.
"I can never tell what's going on inside your head, but you know that, don't you?" My words seemed to catch him by surprise, only slightly though.
"I'll admit, I wasn't expecting you to say that." He replied in ease. We stood engulfed in crowds of people, but it felt like I could just see him.
"Answer my question." My words weren't rude or harsh, however they made it known that I wanted a clear answer.
"Does anyone ever intentionally let people see right through them?" He replied, his tone slightly defensive.
"No, but most people slip up eventually."
"I don't known what you want from me right now, Ave. Where is this even coming from?" Kaden was good at dodging questions he didn't want to answer and it bothered me.
However, he did have a point.
I shook my head apologetically. "You're right. I'm being crazy. Lack of sleep, probably."
Kaden smiled a little. "You're not crazy, Ave."
"Well you're also biased." I joked, hoping to lift the mood.
"And why is that?" He challenged.
"Obviously because I'm so fun to be around." I laughed. Although, as much as I wanted too, I couldn't shake my previous realization.
My timing was terrible, and the location was all wrong. Of all places, this isn't where I should start questioning my best friends actions.
Kaden and I returned back to our regular dynamic in less than five minutes. We were laughing and socializing, I had almost forgotten our previous conversation.
Almost.
"One more minute until 2019!" I shouted, a large smile plastering my face.
Kaden lifted his eyebrows, then laughed slightly. "Actually, now its about forty seconds."
"Know it all." I mumbled, earning an eye roll from Kaden.
Suddenly, the crowd started to yell.
"Ten!"
"Nine!"
"Eight!"
"Seven!"
"Six!"
"Five!"
"Four!"
"Three..."
"Two..."
I anticipated a "one," as the next thing I heard, instead, it was Kaden.
"Hey, Ave?" He questioned, turning my attention towards him.
"One!" The crowd shouted.
"Yeah?" I replied over our surroundings.
"Happy New Years!" Those around us erupted in screams, fireworks displayed over our heads, noise makers were sounded all around us.
But that seemed to blur when Kaden kissed me.
In all honesty, it was the last thing I had expected him to do.
Friend's don't kiss. That's a given. An unspoken rule amongst pretty much everyone.
We were in dangerous territory.
Part of me wanted to pull away, for the sake of Kaden and I's friendship. I was worried how my next action would affect the future, Kaden and I's future.
However, another, thoughtless part of me didn't care about the consequences of my actions, or how this would affect things in the long run.
At this point, it was a matter of listening to my head, or my heart.
I kissed him back.
Authors Note
hi guys!
wowowow it's been forever since i've updated, i know. this chapter is important, yet it still was not my best and i apologize.
the new york chapters have been difficult for me to write, but kaden and avery are officially back in runswick after this! i miss writing my side characters as well :(
anyways! i think i'll be updating a lot more, i finally have my inspiration back.
sorry for the short chapter and the long authors note, have a great rest of your day!! <3