"TEN, NINE, EIGHT—" We all yell the numbers at the top of our lungs, counting down the seconds until the New Year.

This is the most alive I think I've ever felt and my cheeks hurt from smiling so much.

And now, as we count down the last few seconds... "—THREE, TWO, ONE! HAPPY NEW Y—" The last word is interrupted by Emerald's lips crashing into mine.

The perfect ending to a pretty perfect year.

I'm taken aback at first. We've been officially together for about a year and a half, and by now it's no secret, but we're never usually very affectionate around other people. I couldn't care less right now, though, as I lean into the kiss. Time seems to have stopped completely.

When we pull away, my arms still around her neck, my eyes stay on her. Everyone else in the room has vanished as far as I'm concerned. A long night full of laughter, dancing, and singing along to music has made for her hair to be disheveled, the dyed black strands sticking up in every which way. Her eye makeup is smudged, and half of the red that was on her lips is probably now on mine.

And I think she's beautiful.

"Okay, you two, it's been 2009 for a full minute now and you're still just staring at each other." And there goes Frank, ruining the moment.

I jump away from my girlfriend, feeling my face flush red when everyone laughs. This is one of those times that I really wish I was any good at coming up with comebacks on the spot. I'll probably be in bed later when the perfect one comes to me, but for now I just smile awkwardly. Em, on the other hand, just laughs along.

"Yeah, Eve, that was pretty gay of you."

"Dammit, stop being so funny," I mumble.

"I don't think I will." Emerald pats me on the shoulder. When everyone's gone back to paying attention to anything that isn't us two "lovebirds" (for example, Mikey is fervently objecting to being pulled on to the dance floor by his own girlfriend), she turns to me again with a more serious look in her eye. "Can we talk somewhere that's not here? Just for a minute?"

"Oh, um, yeah. Let's just..." I trail off as I take her hand in mine, weaving through the crowded living room. As I do, I make eye contact with Gerard. He's got that Concerned Dad look on his face, so I flash him a quick smile, even though as far I know his concern might well be justified.

We enter the kitchen to find it empty other than Lindsey, who's busying herself by refilling a snack bowl.

"Good thing it's the end of the night. We're out of pretty much everything," she says, tipping the remaining potato chips into a bowl. Then, she stares dismally into the empty bag. "But I was really craving sour cream and onion."

"Yeah, that's unfortunate." I laugh nervously. "Maybe people should start leaving soon?"

It doesn't even take the light tilt of my head toward the doorway for her to get the hint, and she goes back into the living room.

Leaning as casually as possible against the kitchen counter, I ask, "So, what's up, Em?" I cross my arms over my chest.

"I just wanted to say, um, thank you?" Em looks down at the floor, but I still catch a glimpse of the light blush growing on her cheeks.

"For- for what?"

"Well, you know, the beginning of this year— I mean, last year was really rough. And even though you have your own stuff to deal with, you didn't leave me, or anything. You really got me through it."

As I've said, a lot can happen in two years. Another one of those things being the fact that Emerald's father up and left his family. He was an asshole, we all know that, but that didn't make the whole ordeal any less traumatizing.

It was about 1AM on February 15th when she called me in tears. We'd been out together on Valentine's Day.

"Eve?" she'd choked out when I picked up the phone.

"Yeah?" I asked groggily, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"She- she found out, Eve. M-Mom found out." That's when I realized she was crying. Em never cries.

"Hey, tell me what happened. Did- did you tell her? Did your dad—"

"I- I thought they were at w-work, remember? When you walked me home? I thought... I thought we were s-safe."

Her dad forbade us from being together in any capacity a long time ago, never telling her mom about anything that happened. So, naturally, we kept seeing each other in secret. Only Gerard and Lindsey, Mikey, Frank, and Ray knew about us at that point. When I told Frank he said, "Finally! Ray now owes me 10 bucks. He said neither of you were ever gonna get the guts to ask the other one out."

I guess I proved Ray wrong.

Em had proceeded to tell me through her tears how her parents had both happened to get off work early. They saw us walk up to the house together, hand in hand. Her father wasn't able to contain his anger when her mom didn't have any problem with it.

It ended in a huge fight that last lasted a few hours, only ending when he finally stormed out of the house.

"I would never leave you," I say gently. She looks up from the floor. "And, trust me, you've helped me just as much."

She sighs, covering her face in her hands and I worry that she's about to start crying. If she does, I probably will too. "Eve," she says slowly.

"You okay, Em?"

"Yeah, yeah, I just caught a glimpse of my reflection in the window behind you." She groans. "I look like fucking Robert Smith from The Cure."

I crack up laughing. "No, no, Em. You look hot."

"Are you saying that Robert Smith isn't hot?" This time, we both end up in peals of laughter. I have to steady myself against the counter top to keep myself from falling.

After a few seconds of us not being able to calm ourselves down, Ray walks in. He stops in his tracks upon seeing us. "I was just gonna get myself some water, but I can come back later?"

"R-Robert Smith is my girlfriend!" I choke out, which sends the both of us back into hysterics, and Ray back into the living room.

He didn't even get himself any water.

Once we've calmed down, and I can stand without the help of the counter, I approach Emerald and wrap her in a hug. She's shorter than me by a couple inches and nuzzles her head in the crook of my neck. "Real talk, thanks for not breaking up with me."

This causes Em to bolt her head up. "What?"

"When you said you wanted to talk, I was scared—"

"Eve I just kissed you in front of a bunch of people and you thought my next move would be to break up with you?"

"Well, when you put it like that..."

She rolls her eyes. "Come on, you dork, let's go dance around like idiots some more before my sister picks me up." And with that, she drags me back out to the living room by my arm.

• • •

Everyone was gone by the time 1AM hit, my grandparents being the first to leave, and Em being the last. The exhilaration I once felt is now replaced by plain tiredness as I pick up paper plates from the coffee table.

Now that it's quiet I really have time to reflect on the past night. The past year, even. This time last year I still wasn't well enough to really participate in the celebration, and the year before that was the worst time of my life, so this was really the first time I've ever properly celebrated the New Year.

My life has been full of great times recently and I feel like I'll forever be in debt. It's all hitting me at once right now. I'm definitely overtired and overemotional and I should just go to bed, but I'm almost done cleaning up the living room.

"Well, I'm going to bed." Lindsey enters through the kitchen.

"Okay, goodnight," I say, my voice wavering just enough that only the person in the next room could notice. And then I'm alone again in the living room.

"Eve?"

Never mind.

"Yeah, Dad?" I ask shakily.

"You okay?" he asks gently. I can tell I'm not the only one feeling exhausted from the way I look up to see him leaning against the doorway, his black hair drooping in his eyes slightly.

"Yeah." I nod, but when I blink a few stray tears run down my face.

Gee crosses the room in a few strides and engulfs me in a hug. "What is it, darling? Did something happen earlier with Emerald?"

"No." I speak into his shirt. "These are happy tears, I think."

"You think?"

"They are. The last year was the best year of my life and it wouldn't have ever been if it wasn't for you."

"I had a pretty good year myself, Eve. Let's hope that this one is even better."

We don't let go of the hug for a long time.

• • •

I know nothing about Mikey's love life before Kristin so just imagine whoever you want his girlfriend at this point to be