Wow, it's been so long! Last time we met here, it was 2020.  

That joke is not going to age well.  So for anyone reading in the future, it was 29 Dec when I posted the last chapter and now it's Jan...

Anyway, thank you @minakshivipin for the poster!

Chapter 64: Shakespeare

The salty air from the sea carried over the party. We were in an open space, under a night sky that was still smoky from a firework show.

To my right was a crowd partying the night away with flashing lights emitting from a giant stage. To my left was darkness. A quiet body of water.

I leaned on one leg and then the other. These high heels were not the wisest choice for a night out. I looked out at the water from our beach club party and wondered what would happen if I jumped into the sea. I'm not the best swimmer so maybe the currents would -

"What are you thinking?" Luke asked me softly, noticing my absentmindedness.

I'm thinking we should become pirates.

I said, "I'm thinking what a great year this will be."

That sounds normal.

Our heads were so close together. If we wanted to hear each other over the loud music, we needed to be this close. And I wasn't complaining. I loved the feeling of his soft hair on my skin.

Luke's arm was wrapped around me while he spoke to the others. I was physically present, but my imagination was on some pirate ship.

"Austin," Luke said, continuing the conversation he was having with them, "You don't need us for this plan. Millie and I weren't planning on staying here all night."

From what I understood, Austin wanted to break into the backstage area to rescue Lara from having fun. An unrequested rescue mission.

"Why don't you let her have fun?" Cearra asked, echoing my sentiment exactly.

"Because the DJ wants to get lucky tonight," Austin said, "And those were his pathetic words, not mine."

"She is underage," Chad pointed out in a surprisingly responsible move. "If that was my sister, I would get her out of there."

"But it's not your sister," Bianca told Austin.

"I've known her since she was born," Austin replied, "Our mothers have been friends for decades and, even if I didn't know her well, what kind of friend would just walk away? I want to make sure she's OK and then I'll leave."

The group sided with Austin. New year, new adventure.

Except for Chad, who was very reluctant to leave our table behind.

"We haven't finished all the alcohol," he complained, shaking a bottle as proof.

"Bring it with you," Austin yelled back, leading the way through the crowd.

I have never been backstage anywhere before, so I wondered what creative plan they had to get in. We walked through the party and the closer we got to the front, the more intense the party got.

The party had entered into its next phase: the post-midnight 'I don't care what I look like or who I'm talking to' phase. Temptation was no longer relevant. It was all about impulse.

It felt like a safari, wandering through the crowd and getting a glimpse of everyone's different new year experience. I saw a couple making out in goggles that I almost missed seeing a girl pull Luke's shirt.

I squeezed his hand. He squeezed my hand back, making sure I was ok.

We avoided the mosh pit at the front of the stage. Instead, Austin took us round back, where the sound became somewhat distorted. We could hear more of the bass than the melody. 

One or two trucks parked in a large, empty space. A drunk couple was getting frisky in the shadows, while a few venue employees walked by. They had ear sets and lanyards.

Sound equipment had been placed on the ground, connected to thick wires that snaked through the ground we walked on.

We watched our friends approach the bouncers backstage, while Luke stood behind me with his head on my shoulder. We were taking observer roles in this next act.

Austin noticed and came back to us, "Luke, can you support the cause?"

Luke exhaled a sigh. He raised his head from my shoulder.

Austin tried to convince him, "Come on, we used to be good at this."

"Good at what?" I asked them.

Oma answered on their behalf, "Their double act. Flirt with employees to get backstage or ho-"

"OK," Luke interrupted, "Thank you for the history lesson."

"The new year is about looking forward, not backwards," Austin agreed, steering Luke in the direction of the backstage, "Now let's move forwards."

**

It was entertaining for me to watch Luke resist the reminders of his past. Apparently, he used to flirt with girls. A lot. And that's not a surprise.

I've lived opposite the guy my whole life. Watching him pretend like he's never done this before was very entertaining.

"I have a girlfriend," Luke said for the tenth time.

It's been a whole minute since he said it last, so it's a relief to hear we haven't broken up during those sixty seconds. I'll check in again after another sixty.

This was not Fort Knox and the DJ was not our generation's response to Larry Levan, so I wasn't expecting it to be that difficult to get in. After a few minutes of Bianca lathering on her charm, she was allowed to enter.

The bouncer stood back and let her prance through. Chad then complained why he wasn't pretty enough, and the bouncer gruffly answered:

"If you want to follow her in, it'll cost you."

And zero surprise with what happened next...

...

"I'M IN!" Chad yelled out at the rest of us, waving his hands in the air. He was still carrying the bottle he'd lifted from our table, which the bouncer was trying to take from him.

While their antics moved on to the next step of the plan, I found a laminated note taped to the back of one of the sound equipment pieces. I knelt down to read it and realized it was the WiFi password, so I tapped that into my phone. I might as well keep myself entertained while this was happening.

Surprisingly, my phone buzzed as one text rolled in. My family were not the type to send out seasonal greetings and everyone I knew was here...

Happy new year! – Jake

I smiled and texted him back: Thank you! Happy new year to you too, when the time zone gets there!

I then reflected on another friend and sent out another text:

Happy new year Joe!

I tried to call my mother, but no one picked up. I did the same for Flora, but no response there either.

"No answer?" Luke's voice sounded from behind me.

I closed my phone and turned to him, surprised he had gotten away from the others.

I shook my head but couldn't find the words to answer. 

It never ceased to hurt me when my family ignored me. Even on a day like today, they preferred to pretend like I didn't exist. I haven't been able to speak to them on this entire trip. No text, no call. And as much as I should come to expect it, it still hurts.

I miss my mom.

Luke stepped closer towards me. "Sometimes, your eyes speak more than words."

He extended his strong arms around my body and pulled me towards him. His head on mine. 

His hands rose up and rubbed my back. He didn't say anything but the comforting way he held me made it clear I didn't need to say anything either.

I raised my head and he glanced down at me, slightly surprised by my movement. I stepped on my tip toes to kiss him. 

My lips landed on his cold lips and I pressed gently against him.

He responded, tilting his head downwards so I didn't need to be on my toes anymore. His gentle rubbing on my back stopped as he held onto me tightly. I could taste the passion.

I rested my hands on his arms, feeling his muscles flex under me when he moved his hands to rest on my waist. We deepened our kiss and he tilted me backwards. One hand came round the back of my head and he dipped me further.

"Don't worry," he murmured, feeling how tense I was in his arms, "If you fall, I fall."

"So we both fall?" I rephrased it, "Shouldn't you say you got me?"

"I'm trying to be romantic here," Luke said, his fingers curling into my hair, "But OK. I got you."

I smiled, trusting that he wouldn't let me go. His lips kissed my smile. It felt like I was being lowered into a dream, a phenomenal dream.

"I'm so about you," I whispered, half in a daze.

There was little chance I would've admitted that, if this wasn't an incredibly romantic moment.

"I'm crazy about you," Luke answered.

I didn't expect him to say that. I stared into his blue eyes; so much fire in such a cold color. My hand fit in the palm of his hand and warmed it.

"You drive me crazy," he added, "But I don't want to drive any other way."

Or in any other car - because my driving is better than his. 

He led me to one of the giant sound equipment boxes. We sat on it, not thinking for a second if we were disrupting the music at the concert.

While we sat side by side on this sound box, Luke played with my hands in his. "We have so much more in common than I expected."

"Like what?" I asked, wondering how he thought of us.

"We both want to leave this town as quickly as we can," he answered.

By this town, I knew he meant back home. It's true. I want to get off Dupont Avenue as fast as I can. I want to be working in a big city somewhere, able to pay my bills and not worry about the electricity going out on my kids. I don't want social services to be hovering around the corner.

I want a better life than the one I grew up in.

"You're ambitious Luke," I said, "I feel like your ambitions are on another level to mine."

He wants to be in the NBA. He's aiming to be the top 0.03% of basketball players. At least, I think that's the NBA drafting rate. I've been googling it ever since he told me his dream.

"Why put yourself down, Minnie?" he asked, raising my hand to his lips and kissing it, "You do it subconsciously sometimes. You're going to smash your goals and aim high. I know you. One day in the future, you'll tell me I was right."

Ten years from now, how will I remember this night? Would Luke and I still be together, or would this be an old memory? I hoped it was the former. I want us to be together through it all.

Suddenly, we heard shouting behind us.

"What happened?" I asked, twisting round on the box to see what was happening.

Luke did the same. We looked to see two bouncers carrying Austin out of the backstage area.

This escalated fast.

A/N: Hope you had a wonderfully safe new year's.  What madness is in store for us in 2021?! 

Can you tap the little star button to vote on this chapter before you leave? Thanks!

I'll post the next chapter on Thursday!  You can see a preview / other shenanigans on my Instagram @NatalieInACorner. New year, old me.

<3 Natalie