"Alright, we need to hurry up before everybody gets here!" Genevieve starts placing the chip bowls all over the table.

I strap off the uncomfortable high heels, setting them by the couch. I start helping her by ripping open the chip bags, then dumping them in the bowls.

"What time do you plan on ending the party?" I start taking the plastic cups out of their package.

"Three in the morning? I dunno. I've always spent New Years' with you and for once, my parents trusted me with the house. I don't know why if they knew I'd through a party, but I'm not complaining." She shrugs.

"Where's your brother?" I put one of the cheap crowns that say "happy new year" on my head, feeling the cheap plastic dig into my hair.

"Paid him twenty bucks to sleep over at his friends. My parents aren't coming back until," she looks up a the clock and pauses for a second, "-noon maybe? They go to their rich friends' party a few hours away from here. They're in their mid-forties yet act like teenagers when it comes to New Years."

She bites one of the tortilla chips and says, "Now that I think about it, I don't think I've spent a new year with my parents. They always called our babysitter, Graciela, and called it a night. Then Graciela moved away and we started spending New Years' with you and your family."

Genevieve has never really had the best relationship with her parents. They buy her anything she wants and act as money is their way of showing love towards her. I remember the night they forgot her sixteenth birthday and made it up by buying her an expensive purse. I think her babysitters raised her more than her parents.

Genevieve walks wipes a tear from her eye with her index finger, taking a deep breath. "God, I am ready to just drink this night away."

Genevieve told people to start showing up an hour before midnight so we wouldn't be anticipating it the whole time. It's thirty minutes before and she's starting to set everything up last minute.

She flutters her eyelashes, fanning herself with her hand. "I'm going to call Everett."

She storms off into the hallway, and I take my cellphone out of my bag. I press Grayson's contact and wait as the line rings.

"Hey," I can already picture the smile on his face.

"Hi," I feel my lips start to turn upwards. "What time are you coming? The party's almost starting."

I lean my free hand against the table, biting my tongue.

"I think I'm pulling into her neighborhood. I don't know. All these houses look huge and the same."

"It's 1568."

He clicks his tongue and says, "Alright I'm here."

I feel the butterflies in my stomach again as I watch Genevieve walk down the stairs. I hang up the phone and rush to the mirror near the entrance. I fluff up my hair and double-check my outfit. "Is loverboy here already?"

I chuckle, heading towards the door. "Oh shut up."

I quickly turn the doorknob, almost feeling like my hand was about to slip off. I look through the clear door and see Grayson making his way up the steps. He looks up at me and we make eye contact. We both smile and I push the door open as he gets closer.

We exchange a quick kiss as I let him inside.

"Hey." He waves at Genevieve. She waves back, then goes back to looking down at her phone.

I look up at him and feel my mouth drop. "Your glasses," I gulp. "You're not wearing them."

He grins and I can see how white his teeth are. "I'm trying out contacts but I don't know if I like them yet."

His eyes are greener today- -or should I say tonight?

"I like looking into your eyes without your glasses being in the way." I smile.

☆

"Alright Alright Alright!" Genevieve stands up on the coffee table, screaming so everyone can hear her. "Five minutes till the new year bitches!"

Everyone erupts in cheers. I laugh and feel Grayson's grip tighten around my waist as all these drunk guys walked by. I take a drink from my cup, feeling the burn at the back of my throat as I gulped it down.

Grayson and I walk towards the couch. Grayson sits down on the small space left and he pulls me to sit on his lap. I wrap my arm around his neck and kiss his cheek.

He grabs his cup and holds it out. "To the crazy year, we've both had."

I chuckle, clinking our plastic cups together. We both take a fast drink and scrunch our noses at the sour taste. "This year has been crazy, huh?"

He nods. "Last New Years' eve I spent it alone at home, catching up on fucking homework. My mom was working another late shift and I had no clue where my dad was. I was nearly in tears realizing how shit my life was. I sure would've never expected all of this to happen when I was sitting in my room wondering what the upcoming year was going to be like."

I run my fingers through his hair as he tells me about his year.

"And now I'm ending my year at a party with my beautiful girlfriend by my side." He kisses my cheek. I felt electricity run through my body as he kisses me. I pull away, trying not to giggle too much.

"You have to save it for the New Years' kiss!"

We look at the tv and see all the crowds in New York. Maybe one day Grayson and I will be part of those crowds.

Genevieve makes her way to the tv and stands next to it with Everett by her side. He rests her hand on her waist and she holds a party horn in her hand.

We make our way towards them as the countdown begins. I watch as the many celebrities stand in front of the camera, shivering yet holding their mics.

"Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Happy new year!"

Everyone erupts in cheers. Grayson pulls me closer by the waist and we kiss as the cheering fades in my head. I can feel our cool breathes collide together, with hints of lime. I rest my hands on his neck and pull away, still being close to him.

"May our new year be filled with many milestones in our relationship." I can't help but grin widely.

He pecks my lip and nods. "Cheers to that."

I take his hand in mine and lean into his ear. "Let's go outside. Genevieve has a gazebo in the backyard and it's so cozy in there."

I lead him to the empty backyard. We lean on the railing and look out at the small pond in her backyard.

"We both had completely different New Years' last year." I huff. "I spent mine at home. I had my small friend group over and we all huddled around the tv as the ball dropped. My relationship with- you know- was still a secret so I never got a New Years' kiss."

I rest my head against his shoulder and smile. "I guess we were each other's first New Years' kiss."

"I wouldn't want to have it with anyone else." He kisses the top of my head. I feel the butterflies in my stomach and my heart beat faster.

It only took me thirty-two chapters to make an author's note. So I'm still deciding whether or not I should end this story around forty or fifty chapters;) I'm trying to incorporate old chapters and new chapters together so that's why some days take longer to update than others.

Remember to vote and add to your library for more updates!!

Stay safe out there and I love you guys! Sincerely, A.