Thursday Nights | ✓

TWENTY-ONE | 12/31/15

TWENTY-ONE | 12/31/15

HARRISON RESTS HIS head on my lap and plays with the hem of my shirt, lightly skimming his fingers over any exposed skin. There's a comfortable silence between us as he touches my skin, and I run my fingers through his full hair. Ever since last Thursday, I've been hovering around my boyfriend, praying that he doesn't break down from all the emotional weight hanging over his shoulders. I wish I didn't have to do that, but I'm legitimately scared for him.

I mean, last week, we stayed in the police station well into Christmas morning. We stayed there until my dad finally convinced Mr. and Mrs. Gage to bail their 'disgrace of a child' out, as they so nicely put it. The moment those words escaped their lips, it took everything in me not to yell at them about how terrible they are. Instead, I had glared at them and told them that I'll be taking Harrison to a real home.

As we walked out of the station, Harrison had quietly told me, "You know, the saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies."

A week later, those words still swirl in my mind.

"Hey," Harrison grabs my attention with that one word, voice low and husky and tired, "Wanna go to a party later tonight?"

"Why?" I ask, scrunching up my eyebrows.

He lets out a laugh, "It's the last day of the year, babe. 'Course there'll be parties raging."

"Mm," I hum before licking my lips and slightly shrugging, "I'm not really feeling it, Harrison. If you wanna go, we can, but I don't know."

"I don't really wanna go, either," Harrison says, capturing a piece of my brown hair and twirling it between his fingers, "Let's just hang out, you and me."

I move to lie down, and Harrison buries his head in the crook of my neck, his breaths tickling my skin, "I assume we're just gonna sleep?"

Harrison lifts his head enough so I can see his watered-down blue eyes and waggles his eyebrows, "Unless you wanna do more, if you know what I mean."

I laugh and place my lips on the top of his head, feeling a deep appreciation for my boyfriend and his ability to lighten the mood, "Later."

"Yes," he almost cheers, "I'm gonna get some later."

"Maybe," I scoff, "Just go to sleep right now."

"Fine, Arden," Harrison mumbles into my neck, "Sleep well, baby. Love you."

"I love you, too."

•••

WE BOTH WAKE up around the same time, but we still remain entangled with each other in a sleepy and comfortable haze. I manage to fish out my phone from beneath me and check the time. There's still two more hours until midnight, until the New Year approaches us. It's almost surreal to me, especially since it doesn't feel like so much time passed from the time I met Harrison to now with all the major and minor events in between.

"Let's go somewhere," I suggest, "Not to a party or anything. Just out."

"Where to?"

"The forest," I smile, "where the view is great enough for fireworks."

And so we go on our twenty minute trip to the forest, where Harrison brought me a little while back. A time when we had no idea what to do with our lives, and when we were just going with flow of life.

Again, there isn't much to see, but the darkness makes the place seem a lot more ominous than it really is. That, however, doesn't stop the exudative energy that Harrison always has when going on adventures.

"Arden," he almost whines, and I smile at his familiar restlessness, "Let's go. I've never seen fireworks from our spot."

Our spot.

I walk with him, remembering how the dancing shadows would intimidate me by creating a dark feel to it. Now, it's just dark, but my boyfriend's guiding hand reassures me.

The view overlooking Cherryhill doesn't fail to render me speechless, especially because everything seems to look more beautiful in the dark. Something so stunning as this view look even better, and I don't understand how that's even possible. Harrison, who's been here more than I have, is also awestruck from his expression.

"We have an hour to kill," I say, leaning my head against his shoulder, "and then 2016."

"At least it isn't the end of the world, yeah?"

"That was so 2012, babe," I sarcastically say, "Get with the program."

We both burst into laughter, leaning against each other to support our weight. It takes a few minutes before we calm down and stare at the buzzing town, everyone waiting for the clock to strike midnight. It's not hard to miss.

Eventually, the time ticks closer and closer to the point where Harrison and I mention -- in an excited tone -- how much time is left almost every minute.

"Three minutes," Harrison whispers to me after checking his phone. For some reason, it feels mandatory to whisper to each other in such a quiet place.

"What are your resolutions?" I curiously ask, pressing my arm against his to share his warmth.

"I don't really know," he replies, "I guess to mend relationships, build relationships, and keep relationships. What about you?"

I check my phone, hearing premature fireworks, "Two minutes left. I guess I wanna stay strong, be happy, accomplish something with my life. The stereotypical ones."

"That's a good one, in my opinion. It can be reached, especially by you," my boyfriend comments, "One minute, Ard."

"Did you like this year?"

"There are some aspects which I regret," Harrison solemnly says, looking away for a second, "but overall, it wasn't bad. I mean, I met you, didn't I? You're the highlight of my year."

"Oh, I know," I jokingly say, "but you were pretty great, too."

Before he can say anything, the first firework of the New Year goes up, and it's gorgeous and representing. Finally, it figuratively feels like all the baggage from our lives disintegrated. It's like the stories of our past no longer need to be there anymore, which is the greatest feeling ever.

"Have a good year, Arden Banks."

"You, too, Harrison Gage."

______________________

They totally banged afterwards. Back at home, not in the forest, lol. Just saying. I mean, they already did the do.

also, i'm on the edge rn because there was an amber alert in my area.

sorry for late update.

love you all :)

--thyselves

previously known as: islandarc