by Brian Rowe
On the fourth ring, Landon picked up his phone, but I couldn’t hear him. The only words I deciphered were “loud” and “street.”
“Landon! Are you there? I can’t hear you.”
I heard the words, “right back,” then echoes of static cluttered my eardrums.
“Landon? I’ll try you again!”
I hung up and dialed his number again, but this time four rings became six, and the call went straight to voice-mail.
“Shit.”
“What did he say?” asked Kami. Dustin grabbed for her hand, but she slapped it away.
“I couldn’t hear him,” I said. I dialed his number a third time. Again, voice-mail. “What do I do? I don’t want to look desperate!”
“What time is it?” she asked.
The rumbling in the crowd grew louder, everyone anticipating that magical minute when time stood still, friends and lovers embraced, and kissing became the national norm.
My phone didn’t light up for a minute, and I feared it had gone dead. When the light finally came back, I breathed a sigh of relief, only to see that I had another missed call from Landon.
“Oh no!” I shouted.
“What time is it?” Kami repeated, louder.
I checked. “11:56!”
“Crap, there’s no time!” she shouted crazily, like we were trying to diffuse a bomb. “Just text him! Text him where you are!”
“Okay! Here goes!”
“Did you do it?” Kami bumped against Dustin, who watched our back-and-forth shouting match with varying amounts of interest.
I texted Landon my location and tapped the phone against my pocket.
“Now,” I said, standing on my tippy-toes, “we pray.”
“He has to find you!” Kami shouted. “This has to happen, Ryan!”
I crossed my arms, tried not to shiver from the cold, and scanned the tops of a thousand heads in hopes of spotting the tall brunet beauty.
I checked my phone. 11:58.
“Do you see him?” she asked.
I didn’t. I surveyed a line of chanting tourists that hovered near the casino, as well as the stragglers dancing on the sidewalk. I turned around with the hope that he would be coming at me from the other direction, but he wasn’t in that crowd, either.
11:59.
“It’s time!” my brother shouted. I glanced at Kami to see the world’s most disappointing frown take shape on her frustrated face.
But then…
“Ryan!”
The shout came from my left. My heart leapt into my throat as I jumped back to my tippy-toes and scanned the left side of the street. Landon walked toward me from the casino exit, maneuvering through the raucous crowd, revealing to me that smile of his that made my entire body melt.
At least thirty seconds passed before we were face to face, but it felt like two. One second he was across the way, a tiny bobbing head in the distance, and the next he stood right in front of me, his face inches away. He took hold of my hands and tilted his forehead against mine.
“You made it,” I said.
“TEN! NINE! EIGHT!” People screamed with cheers as the final countdown began.
“Oh my God!” Kami shouted, pointing at me, noticing the miracle that had just taken place. She jumped high into the air and clapped, before she wrapped her arms around my brother and started kissing him in triumph.
Landon didn’t stop smiling as he held me tight, staring into my eyes with an infectious glee. He moved in closer toward my lips.
“THREE! TWO! ONE! HAPPY NEW YEAR!”
His warm breath grazed the side of my cheek, and the calamity of boisterous cheers drained away from all my senses. I closed my eyes and found his lips, soft and inviting, open just enough to let me in.
When our lips departed, the defeaning clash of fireworks brought us back to the present. We smiled at each other again, recognizing the luck and beauty of this perfect moment, before we turned our gazes to the rainbow of heavenly colors above.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Brian Rowe is the author of eighteen novels and dozens of short stories. He received his MFA in Fiction from the University of Nevada, Reno. His fiction has appeared in Foliate Oak Literary Magazine, Fox Cry Review, and Tincture Journal. He lives in Reno, Nevada.
ALSO BY BRIAN ROWE
Happy Birthday to Me
Happy Birthday to Me Again
Happy Birthday to You
The Vampire Underground
The Zombie Playground
The Monster Apocalypse
Over the Rainbow
CONNECT WITH BRIAN ONLINE
Brian’s Web Site: http://brianrowebooks.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/brianroweauthor
Twitter: http://twitter.com/mrbrianrowe
