Songs of the chapter:

- Magic by Coldplay

- On a Night Like This cover by Irena Lysiuk (sorry I could only put one Youtube video. Wish there was a completely acoustic version. Here's the link:)

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For as long as I could remember, I was never overly enthusiastic about New Years Eve. Whilst others would anticipate that specific night, making plans to celebrate it from a spot with a worthy view or with their closest companions, I chose to ignore it.

If one was to invite me along to their New Years Eve plans I would probably consider their offer, but I was never going to go out of my way to commemorate the event. I couldn't say why. There was no horrid memory traumatising me or preventing me from enjoying the event; I simply can't find the interest within myself.

Maybe it was because it always seemed to be a let down. You watch all the films and you see the way it is portrayed as some sort of magical evening, a night like no other. You see the way that the people supposedly celebrate with one another, the way seconds are counted down before midnight kisses are exchanged.

Well I've never had anything that lived up to all those expectations. It had always proven to be a disappointment.

Perhaps it was also the way that I couldn't find it in myself to commemorate yet another year passing so fleetingly like others could. Others would celebrate the fact that they had made it through another year. I would dread the fact that another year had come and gone before we all knew it.

Yet, despite my lack of interest in the celebrations, I found myself agreeing to Damon's offer to spend the night together. I apparently had this irritating inability to say no to people, especially when it came to Damon. I wasn't sure why I couldn't utter that one simple word to him each time he had asked me out despite being busy or tired.

I might not look forward to it all but I didn't want to ruin his personal anticipation in any way. It was not like I had any other plans either way.

When he had called me on Boxing Day to invite me to his friend's New Years Eve party I did warn him about the fact that I was not going to be the most thrilling company. He didn't seem to care much, so that was how I ended up roped into yet another attempt of trying to make this particular night successful for myself.

"Are you heading off?" Jess asks me, peeking her head out of the kitchen. She was currently organising things for the quaint barbecue she had going on with a few of her friends. The plans were only made after I had already agreed to my plans with Damon so I have to cut my presence here short.

"Yeah," I answer, grabbing my things to put into my clutch, "Sorry I'm ditching you."

She swats her hand at me with disagreement.

"Please, you've earned a night out on the town. It's time for me to set you free from the nest. Go and have an amazing night. Be free little birdie," she tells me.

"You sure?" I check.

"Certain."

"Do I look okay?" I ask her, spinning around in a circle for her to check over my appearance. I had resorted to one of my favourite wrap dresses, as I do so regularly. This particular wrap dress seemed to finely tread the line of casual and formal, with its navy colour and thick fabric, ideal for a party I had not the slightest clue about.

I had dressed the outfit up with a pair of black stockings, strappy heels, curled hair, silver studs, stockings, a coat, and my trusty black clutch that was definitely beginning to get a little worse for wear but I couldn't bear to part with.

"Perfect as always," she tells me, always a boost to my confidence, "If your aim is to impress Theo then you've done good."

I give her a look, judging her attempt to tease me and also encourage the idea of Theo.

"You're very well aware that my plans are with Damon, thank you very much. Plus, the Theo ship has well and truly come and gone. I've gotten over whatever infatuation I got swept up in. He dated my sister and we're going to try and be friends. That's all," I remind her.

"Sure, sure," she responds, a slight smirk appearing on the left corner of her mouth.

Satisfied that I've managed to bring her teasing to enough of a halt for now, I double check that I've got everything I need before I begin to make my way to the front door.

"Okay, I'm heading off! Have a good night! I'll talk to you later!" I shout from the doorway.

"Say hi to Theo for me!" she shouts back, peeking out of the kitchen to see me off.

I shake my head at her remark, turning away from her and her smug grin to raise my middle fingers up in the air at her as I walk away, her laughs being heard behind me as I do so.

Initially, Damon was supposed to pick me up and we would travel to his friend's party together. However, earlier today I received a text from him to say that he'd be coming back from a work trip later than he had planned so we had arranged to meet at his office where he would have to go straight to upon his arrival and which also happened to be closer to the party.

The chaos of New Years Eve in New York City of all places has most certainly arrived, the trip to Harrington, Albert & Co's office being disastrous for me. I had been run into and pushed far too many times for my liking, my arrival at the spacious and now empty office being a much needed escape from all the people.

The deserted state of the building doesn't frighten me, it's ideal. I revel in the silence and the calm, taking my time as I walk through the lobby and to the elevator. I'm almost tempted to dance through the lobby though I remind myself that I'm not in some musical right now. The empty elevator allows me to quickly scan my appearance in the mirror, checking if I had held myself together and look half decent.

When the doors open and I arrive at my desired floor, I allow myself to take a longer look at my surroundings than I had before, the office definitely being superior to that of the magazine's. Surely this was to be expected though from an office filled with the likes of some of the city's best architects and designers.

Glass and mahogany trims replace the usual walls of an office, creating an open and airy environment. Plants adorn each corner, injecting a touch of life to every space, softening the sharp cool tones of the marble accents.

I am amazed by the attention to detail that was put into an office, myself wondering what level of attention and finesse was put into the company's actual projects. This makes me realise that this was surely the intention; put their skills on display and draw the customers in through it.

I am so distracted by my analysis of my surroundings and my stream of thoughts that I hardly notice when I've reached the familiar sight of Damon's receptionist Emily.

I stand before her desk and she quickly notices me, lifting her head up and putting on a kind smile for me. Whilst I wasn't the biggest fan of New Years Eve I knew that I definitely wouldn't be smiling if I was still at work this late on a night like this.

"Hi, I'm Ella Adams here to meet with Mr. Morales," I inform her, providing her with my name in case she doesn't recognise me from last time.

"Oh, Ms. Adams. Good evening to you," she greets me, "Mr. Morales hasn't returned just yet. I'm just waiting to hear from him but feel free to make yourself comfortable," she notifies me, laying out her hand to direct me to the lounges across from her.

I nod, following her lead to go sit on one of the leather lounges. Before I can even pick up one of the magazines that lays on the table in front of me, I notice Emily picking up her work phone and presumably contacting Damon.

The sound of her answering with an inquisitive "Mr. Morales?" confirms my suspicious, my ears peaking to try and eavesdrop on the conversation for answers.

My attempts fail though, Damon's receptionist possessing a remarkable ability to hide what she is saying while somehow maintaining a conversation on the phone.

A few flicks later through the design magazine I had picked up, I hear the receptionist calling my name. I quickly return the magazine and make my way back to her desk to await any new information on Damon's location.

"Mr. Morales would like me to inform you that he'll be later than he expected. He's very sorry for the inconvenience. He was about to call you to notify you of his delay before I informed him that you were already here," she explains to me.

"Oh," I reply, not knowing what else to say.

What was I going to do? Do I return home and try to meet up with him again? Do I completely abandon our plans? Do I stay here and wait for him?

So much for giving this night a chance to live up to expectations.

"By any chance, do you know how long he'll be?" I ask her, hoping to gain some information to help answer my questions.

"He says that he hopes to be here within the hour but he is not certain. He wanted me to let you know that you may feel free to make yourself comfortable here or in his office. I can provide you with a drink or food if you would like and there are TVs to entertain you if you please," she answers me, not providing me with any more clarity regarding what I am supposed to do next.

"Um... okay," I mumble, taking a second to think over my options. Surely, he wouldn't be too long. An hour wasn't too long and it certainly wasn't worth the effort of going back and forth. "I'll just wait here then."

She nods with acknowledgment before I make my way back to where I had been seated previously.

"Would you like something to drink or eat, Ms. Adams?" she offers.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you though," I answer.

With that she returns to her work as I pick up that same design magazine once again, taking my time to skim through the pages and entertain myself.

When I've reached the page titled How to make your small space bigger I hear a familiar voice call out my name.

I look up from the pages of the magazine and turn to my side to find the sight of Theo standing before the receptionist's desk with a pile of papers in hand as he angles his neck to check if it is really me sitting here.

Of course he is here too.

He pushes his perfectly suited self up from where he was leaned against the desk to begin walking my way.

"Ella, what are you doing here?" he asks curiously once he reaches my side.

"Oh, I'm just waiting for Damon to arrive back from his work trip. We had plans for tonight but it appears he's going to be a bit later than expected," I answer, craning my neck up to look at him.

"Well I'm not going to let you sit here all alone on New Years Eve. Come, you can join me." he tells me, not quite offering his company but rather informing me of it.

"Oh, no. I wouldn't want to be a nuisance."

"Trust me, you won't be. I've been holed up in my office doing paperwork for hours. You'll be a welcome escape from it all," he assures me, making it even harder for me to deny him, "I might even have a spot for us to keep an eye out for fireworks from if you're up for it. You can leave a note for Damon or something to let him know."

Seeing no better option and not wanting to turn down a perfectly good offer, I lift myself up from my seat and nod in agreement to Theo's words.

"Okay, sounds good."

A boyish grin overcomes his features, Theo swiftly turning on his heels as he awaits my presence by his side. Once I get up on my feet and join him, we walk side by side through the office hallways as he leads us a familiar way. I recognise this particular route as the way to his office.

"I just need to grab a few things and then we can make our way to the lookout spot," he informs me, opening the doors to his office for the both of us. I remain by the doorway as he walks over to his desk and does a few things on his computer before he opens up his desk drawer and pulls some items out.

I recognise one of the items to be his phone which he quickly slips into his pocket but it is only upon closer inspection once he begins to walk back over to me that I recognise the other item to be what appears to be a key card or I.D card

We're just about to head back out the door when he stops in his track, a look of epiphany clearly coming across his features.

"Oh, I forgot a few more things we'll need," he says, turning back around and into the office. I think he's going back to his desk but he instead walks over to a side table which once opened reveals a mini fridge within in. He pulls out what appears to be a bottle of scotch and two glasses out of another cupboard door, and quickly grabs his jacket off of his chair, before he finally returns by my side.

We make our way back to where the receptionist's desk is located where Theo makes a short stop.

"Emily, I've got everything handled here," he says, "You go and enjoy your New Years Eve."

"But I was told to stay here until Mr. Morales returns," she objects.

"Emily, if anyone has a problem with you not being here they can come and talk to me. Go and enjoy yourself."

A grin instantly grows on her face, Emily jumping up onto her feet as soon as he utters the words.

"Thank you Mr. Harrington. I hope you have a lovely evening and happy new year," she tells him, rushing to collect all of her belongings.

"Happy new year to you too Emily," he says back to her before he begins to lead us on our way again.

He leads us to the elevator doors where, once we walk into it, he presses the highest number and swipes his keycard. When the elevator reaches the intended level and the doors open I find us in a hallway, a door awaiting us at the end of it. Once we reach it he swipes his key card again and opens it.

As we turn a corner around a wall of plants, the spot that Theo had spoken of is revealed to me and my breath is taken away.

"Wow" is all I can manage to say as I take in the magnificent site before me.

In this moment, I almost want to grab onto Theo's side to hold myself upright from the rush of vertigo and awe which is hitting me. I have never been particularly fond of heights but the utter beauty which can be seen from the rooftop I stand upon makes any fear I've had disappear as I become enveloped within the view.

Whilst the clouds had cleared enough on this winter night to reveal the array of stars in the sky, New York City had put on its finest display of its own which overwhelmingly triumphed that of nature's. With each movement of liveliness in the city the allusion of the lights twinkling was created, enveloping me within the motions.

"You like the view?" Theo asks from beside me, watching as I react to the sight he had gifted me.

"That's an understatement."

Out of the corner of my eye I notice as he smiles, pleased by the reaction.

"Come, we can have a seat over there," he tells me, directing us to an area of elevated decking a bit further onto the rooftop, "Sorry, there are no actual seats up here just yet. Not many people actually come up here."

"That's okay," I reply, taking a seat on the edge of the decking so that my legs are dangling off of the edge of it.

Theo joins me, allowing himself a moment to take in the view himself once he does so. He opens the bottle of scotch and pours us both a glass, handing me my own.

"So you've got plans with Damon, huh?" he says, breaking the silence with an interesting remark.

"Yeah. He called me a couple of days ago. I didn't have any other plans so I figured why not. New Years Eve isn't really my thing but I thought I'd give it a go," I answer him, experiencing an odd sensation of feeling like a little child being caught in my mischief for some strange reason.

"Fair enough," he responds with a blank expression, in a way almost like that of a parent who claims they are not angry but simply disappointment.

It is clear to me that he's holding back on whatever it was that he really wanted to say but I don't think I want to know what it actually is that he is keeping in; his words would only confuse me most likely regarding Damon.

"What about you? It's a short time away from midnight and you're still at the office working," I say, taking the attention off of me, "Not a big fan of New Years Eve either?"

"Uh.. no... I'm not," he bashfully replies.

"Bad experience?" I ask.

I should've stopped once the usually charismatic and open Theo had seemed to have retreated within himself but for some reason I just continued to push; eager to get behind the front he puts on.

"Uh.. my mother actually passed away on New Years Eve," he reveals, making the blood drain from my face with embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry," I apologise instantly.

"That's okay. It happened fifteen years ago," he attempts to assure me, shaking his head as he stares intently down at his lap and lays his hands out on either side to lean back.

"It doesn't make it any less harder."

He looks up from his lap, turning to look at me as I find myself contemplating whether to cover his hand which is waiting right next to me with my own. He looks at me so intensely, it feels as though he is staring right into my soul.

"No, it doesn't," he responds, the pain still so clearly written behind his features no matter how much time has passed.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you lose her?" I ask, hoping that my efforts to open him up don't backfire. I just felt that there was something telling me that he needed someone to talk to, that he didn't get the chance to open up very often.

"She had breast cancer," he reveals, his nails beginning to scratch at the surface of the timber below us, "They first discovered it when I was maybe six years old. It was found early enough that they could still do something about it. So she had a mastectomy and she managed to go into remission."

"For a couple of years everything seemed to be back to normal. She seemed happy and healthy and I was just so happy to have my mother back with me that I didn't notice even the slightest bit when things started to get worse again. Halfway through the year the doctor's told us that the cancer was back and by New Years Eve she was gone. Just like that, she was singing to me one second and then she was just gone."

As he recounts those last few words in a whispered volume, I stare at him, speechless regarding just how much he had been through and the fact that he was actually opening up to me. The raw pain could still be felt with every word he uttered.

"Are you close with your mother?" he asks me, quickly diverting the attention away from himself to me as I notice how he is blinking repeatedly to remove the glossiness from his eyes.

"Uh, not really. We were once but not anymore," I answer, mentally preparing myself to elaborate like Theo had done just a short moment ago. It was only fair. "My parents split up when I was only young and she moved back to Australia where she was born and raised as soon as they did. At first I would only go visit her for a bit each school break but she never really fought to have more time with us and I was holding in a lot of resentment about the whole thing. So I actually stopped visiting her and she never responded in any way to it. It wasn't until I was sixteen and my grandmother came to me asking for me to join her in staying in