Knowing You're There

Chapter 26

Right when I finished eating, I grabbed my coat and put it on.  Kurt called the waiter over and got the check, then called Melissa, who was there in a matter of minutes.  When we got into the backseat of the car, I felt him tense up.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. 

“It’s just a lot of people. I get really, really Aspergerey in large crowds,” he said. 

I bit my lip.  With him a nervous wreck, and myself being terrified because I’d be in a large crowd and without Star, this was probably going to turn out being a horrible night.  I held his hand and leaned in closer. 

“Look at it this way, we can just be nervous and adorable together,” I said. 

He kissed the top of my head.  “I love you so much Lia.” 

“Love you too.” 

When Melissa let us out of the car, I assumed we were in the heart of First Street by the amount of noise and the heat of spotlights hitting my face.  One of the reason’s it was called “Light Night” was because the whole street was so lit up.  I clutched my coat with one hand and Kurt with the other. 

After taking about five steps away from the car, we were being knocked into by civilians.  I could smell the funnel cake.  It was far off and to my right.  I tugged on the sleeve of Kurt’s jacket. 

“What time is it?” I asked. 

"About nine-thirty,” he said over the noise.

“You’re kidding.  We’re going to stand out here until the end?” 

"Until the end, because I will be kissing you at midnight,” he said.  “It’s been my dream for years to have a girlfriend to kiss the moment a new year hits.” 

I locked my arm around his, carefully moving to the right.  “If this is the case, then you’re getting me a warm plate of funnel cake.” 

He kissed my cheek, and we navigated through the sardined street.  I didn’t use my cane or hold my free arm out.  Kurt was my eyes.  He stopped me when we got near the funnel cake cart, or should I say, the line to the funnel cake cart. 

“It looks like we’re going to be waiting a while,” he said.  “There’s probably fifty people ahead of us.” 

I didn’t make a fuss, instead, leaned into his coat and stood there with his arms around me.  I pulled the collar of my jacket up every time my face started to burn.  Why did Light Night have to happen on the most brutally freezing day of the year? 

After what felt like forever, I had the plate of powdered funnel cake in my hands, which was extremely difficult to eat while wearing gloves.  Kurt and I walked around for a bit.  He described to me the ice sculptures that were on display: a swan, a palm tree, a whale, and a small castle.

We listened to a few of the bands playing on one of the nearby stages, and Kurt told me that he would see if we could try and perform next year.  I smiled and agreed, even though there was a slim chance that I was going to play in this kind of weather.

Huddled together, we stayed by the stage since that was where the countdown was set up.  As the clock ticked on, more and more people crowded into the area.  I got as close as possible to Kurt in order to escape the manmade box surrounding me. 

“Do you have any resolutions?” Kurt asked me.  The clock was on two minutes. 

“Every year since I was little, my resolution was to become famous by the end of the year,” I said.  “As you can see that’s never happened.” 

He leaned over and kissed my forehead.  “But you never know that it won’t someday.” 

I rolled my eyes.  “Okay Mr. Optimist, what resolutions do you have?” 

There was a long pause before he said, “To be in the same spot this time next year: right here with you.” 

I hugged him even harder.  The clock was ticking down to a minute.  Suddenly I found myself thinking of the previous New Year’s Eve, sitting in the house with Star and playing my drums while my family watched another televised holiday special on TV.  I started shaking my head, thinking that would make the thoughts go away. 

“I hate New Year’s,” I said. 

“What?  Why?” Kurt asked.  “It’s this whole great time where you can start new, be happy for the things you have and the things that you’re going to do.” 

The crowd was starting to count down around us.  Ten.  Nine.

"Happy?  How am I supposed to be happy?” I said.  “My dog is dead, my best friend is dating an—”

Right as the crowd counted to zero, Kurt’s lips cut me off.  Everyone cheered around us.  I felt confetti raining down on me.  I cupped Kurt’s face in my hands.  On that freezing night, I started sweating beneath my coat, and it was all because of him.