'52 Stories in 52 Weeks' Challenge 2015

1 - A Kiss at Midnight

Writing prompt - Write a story about a New Year's party that causes time to stop.

Dedicated to Dragon Gal and Stephanie
who stayed with me to the end

The champagne glass wobbled as Cher plonked it on the bar. It stood empty beside four others just like it. Sweeping the empty glasses up with one hand, the bartender placed a full glass in front of Cher before she even asked. She lifted her hand in acknowledgement.

'Thanks Tony. You're a doll." The tiny spot of dribble that formed at the side of her mouth as she spoke told Cher she was beginning to slur. She wiped it away with the back of her hand.

'That's your last one babe. I'm cutting you off." Lifting her head in his direction Cher squinted. She could say it was the low light that caused his face to remain out of focus but her alcohol consumption was a more realistic explanation.

‘Party pooper.” He smiled at her and Cher’s stomach fluttered. What the-? She’d clearly had one too many glasses of champagne if Tony was giving her the flutters.

Okay so the black tee that stretch tightly across his chest outlined a physique that would make any man weep. Sure the denim jeans that sat low on his hips and wrapped around his buns showed they had in no way begun to fade. And just because his silvery grey hair combined deliciously with his olive complexion and pale blue eyes… well it didn’t mean anything. Okay alright, Tony was totally hot, for his age. Which was about twice that of Cher’s and on top of all that, the man was totally in love with his wife. He’d told her so. She was so not going there. End of discussion.

The champagne barely registered as it slid down the back of her throat. She had reached her limit. Anything more would just be – sad.

Cheers erupted outside the bar and Cher turned unwillingly in their direction.

“You should be out there. You came all this way. It would be a shame if you missed it.” Tony was right. She should be out there. She’d flown half way around the world to celebrate New Year in Times Square and in less than a minute it would all be over and she would have missed it.

She turned away and tossed back the last of her champagne. This was all Chris’ fault. She wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him. He was supposed to be the one to break her six year ‘midnight kiss’ drought on New Year. But then he had called on Christmas Eve to tell her he had been invited to this ‘totally mind-blowing’ party in Bali for New Year and she didn’t mind if he went, right? Mind? Why would she mind?

He had totally missed the sarcasm in her response and thanked her. Praised her even for being the most awesome girlfriend ever.  He had blown her a kiss down the phone and said he would see her in the morning at her family’s traditional Christmas brunch. Cher never made it.

Without giving herself a chance to change her mind, she had hung up the phone and booked a flight online leaving for New York at 3am. Her visa was still current from her 40th birthday trip to Hawaii so all she had to do was pack a bag and call her family. They were disappointed but didn’t try and stop her. Six hours later she was sitting on a plane winging her way to New York telling herself ‘Chris who?’

Now a week later she found herself alone in a bar while the rest of the city stood in the street counting down as one voice to midnight. Why did I bother? Coming here changed nothing. New Year still sucks. The only difference is now it sucks on two continents.

The countdown reached ten. Cher bent over and touched her forehead to the bar. She pressed her hands over her ears but it wasn’t enough to shut it out.

 TEN.

 NINE.

EIGHT.

 SEVEN.