Happy New Year
“Am I supposed to pick up our tuxedos or are you?” Reid asked, shuffling in a mouthful of cereal. “I can swing by after my shift at Memorial.”
“Great,” Luke said, smiling brightly. “Mom expects us there by nine.”
Reid put down his spoon slowly, finished chewing, and searched Luke’s eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Reid waited. Luke pouted slightly, twisting his napkin between his fingers.
“Is it me? Cause I already told you I’ll be on my best behavior for this Snyder shindig. I won’t insult anybody until after midnight.”
“It’s not you.”
“Then what?”
“It’s me,” Luke sighed. “The truth is…I hate New Year’s Eve. This holiday and I have a long history of misery. “
“It can’t be that bad. “
“It is.”
“You’re probably being too dramatic about it all.”
Luke stared at him. “One year I got wasted and then kissed my grandmother’s husband.” Luke snorted, “ You should see your face. See? It’s terrible. It’s a hard night to be an alcoholic, but I think for me it's more than just that. Besides the drinking temptation, I always feel so disappointed in myself New Year’s. I begin to look over my past mistakes and all the things I should have done. Or the things I’m unhappy about; I think about how I broke my resolutions from the year before.”
“What were your resolutions last year?”
“The usual ones. Fight with Noah less and have sex more. Make a difference in somebody’s life. Wax my chest hair. ”
“Hey! I love that hair. You better forget that resolution.”
“The point is that none of them came true. I failed at each one.”
“What are you talking about? Except for the waxing, they all came true.”
At Luke’s baffled face, Reid allowed a tiny smile to turn at the corners of his mouth. “Noah’s in L.A., and you never see him. So you don’t fight with him now. You have lots and lots of sex these days. If you want, I can take you into our bedroom and remind you with a rim job. “
Luke laughed. “You know I meant more with Noah, but you’re right. “ He tilted his head. “And the other one. Making a difference in somebody’s life?”
“Do I really have to say it?”
Luke shrugged, ducking his head a little. “It’d be nice to hear.”
“Alright, fine. You changed my life. By the time I met you, I was resigned to the fact that I’d be alone. You turned me inside out, Luke, and being with you is like nothing I’ve ever done before. I’m yours for the New Year, for every year…” Reid stared intently into Luke’s eyes. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” Luke’s face softened. They stood up at the same moment and reached out for each other. Their hands touched. “Now, Dr. Oliver. Why don’t you show me how much you like my chest hair?”
“As long as you promise a lifetime of it, Mr. Snyder.”
As Luke began to slowly unbutton his shirt, Reid held his breath, and he felt the knot of worry inside of him loosen. He always worried at Luke’s pain. Gently, Reid placed his palm over Luke’s warm skin. His thumb grazed a nipple, and Reid smiled at Luke’s low groan. “What do you think about staying in this year?”
“And miss the party?”
“We’ll make a party of our own.”
Luke laughed, swaying closer to Reid to nuzzle his neck. “Sounds good to me.”
Reid was overwhelmed by Luke, his feel,his scent. He could feel Luke’s heart beating right underneath his hand. It was like a countdown:
10, 9, 8,7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 ,1 -
They kissed softly.
Later, instead of going to the party, they stayed home, eating Chinese takeout and drinking apple cider. They listened to music and talked long into the night. Finally, with the ease of two people who know they belong together, they had sex. Or made love, as Luke would have rightly called it. Their skin was glowing, washed in firelight, and the only sounds were the crackle of the fire and their own desperate pants and gasps. Reid covered a blanket over their bodies and pulled Luke close. When they woke up, Reid was still inside of Luke, and it was a brand new year.