Supine 'til Aurora • Dan Howell

• Chapter 14 •

With an hour left until the New Year, and everyone still drinking and yelling, Dan, Phil, Oliver and I made our way up to the third floor, where we sat up on one of the many huge balconies in the darkness.

"Honestly, I'm glad to be away from all the noise and people." Phil admitted, taking a seat on one of the wrought iron benches lining the fences of the balcony. The sky was beautifully clear, the stars flecked across the dark skin of the universe, like freckles across its cheeks, the moon heavy in the draughting sky, bright and glossy.

"Same." Oliver agreed, "it gets a bit noisy in that room after a while."

"This is so pretty- I wish I bought my camera."

Dan smiled at me, fidgeting slightly in his chair.

"I can't believe we only have an hour left until the New Year." Oliver said, staring at the full night sky. "Do you guys have resolutions?"

Pulling on the coat I had bought with me, I sat in thought for a moment, before Dan piped up.

"Yeah. My New Years resolution is for Phil to stop eating my cereal."

"You can't do that!" Phil yelled, his ears turning red.

Chuckling, I admitted I didn't have a resolution.

"You should drink more water." Oliver hummed at me. That was true. I did have a problem with drinking as much water as I should.

"That's a boring one." I replied, though I made a note to myself that I would do it anyway. "I want something exciting."

I thought for a moment, filtering through the many years of bucket lists in my mind, "I'd love to learn to ballroom dance."
Dan looked over at me with his eyebrows raised.
"It's just so beautiful," I explained, "I've always loved the way their feet move... but I suppose it also isn't very interesting." I paused again, rattling my brain. Nothing seemed very interesting; not enough to be my official resolution, anyway.

"Get a boyfriend."

"W- Oliver!" I spat, heat prickling my cheeks.

"What? You haven't properly dated a boy since Tommy Fratchet in 10th grade. Only one after that was Lis."

"Oh my god, Oliver." Dan bent over double laughing.

"That is the opposite of true!" I screeched, "what about Nick Greener?"

"Please. You slept with the guy once. Though, to be fair, all I heard was good things afterward. Wasn't he the one with the really big-"

"Shut up."

"Shutting up." Oliver pressed his lips together as I buried my face in my hands, mortified at what he'd just said.

Why do all my friends insist on embarrassing me infront of these 2 people.

"Sorry, Ava. I got carried away." Oliver admitted, "but I do think you should find someone."

I knew he was right. I really hadn't been in a proper relationship in a long while.

The conversation soon shifted onto newer and better topics, much to my relief, but I still felt that embarrassment knocking around in my chest.

I was so going to properly tell Oliver off later.

○○○

At ten to midnight, we headed back inside to watch the fire works in the living room, Phil and Oliver walking ahead, talking about how gross cheese is, me and Dan trailing behind together.