Date: 12/30/15 16:41:38

From: Faolan

To: Serenity

Sub: (no subject)

Wait for me tomorrow! I'm coming for you!

She looked at her phone, sighing. It's all she's been staring at for the last six hours, when he said that he'd come, and now it was six and he still wasn't here.

Time was ticking by slowly, and the soundless house seemed to echo the nothingness within.

He's not coming.

He's abandoned you.

He doesn't care about you.

The voices were back, haunting her every move, ghosts that she could never get rid of.

Maybe they were right, though. Maybe he wasn't coming, and he was actually pretending the whole time to gain her trust and then break her thoroughly. Admittedly, that wouldn't be the first time that that had happened. She just wondered why she hadn't thought of this sooner so that she didn't have to trust ever again, never had to have her mind shattered.

She sighed again. It was all she seemed to be doing.

Time: 18:19:20

Maybe she should storm over to his house and hit him over the head with a bat or something to get him back.

On second thought, she couldn't do that. First of all, she had no courage, no strength, and no bat. So it was impossible.

She laughed, her voice hollow and dark.

What a fool I am.

She inhaled, ready for another go with a kitchen knife, through with the lies that she's been told when a rock comes flying through her window, denting the wall of her bedroom and making a loud thud when it lands. What a wonderful day! Now her window's broken too, and she has no idea who did it or how. It's not like it's going to get fixed either, so now she will have to get used to sleeping with an open window in the middle of the winter.

Oh, how she loved her life.

She turned around, annoyed at the window. Then a moving figure appears -- wow, I get to be kidnapped too, -- before his face appeared.

There's a mixture of relief and disdain in her chest, and she kind of wants to pound on his chest and complain a little because he's the only one she can act like a child around, but she just puffs her cheeks and blows him off.

"Serenity–so sorry, I'm so sorry, there were a bunch of things I had to do and I meant to get here so much earlier but it ended up like this and I hope you don't hate me for it."

She ignored him, tears welling up in her eyes. He can't see this. He can't see the tears that are about to come so she shuts her eyes tight and says "IDIOT!" as he climbs in through the window.

Wow, it's so hard to not break down around him. What kind of effect was this, where you can't stop crying around the person you love? What the heck?

His arms snake around her, lightly at first and then tighter, and he wants to shower her with love and kisses but all he can do is watch her cry because he's too socially inept.

"I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have kept you waiting, okay? I know, this is my fault, I'm in the wrong, so don't cry, I won't do it again, all right?"

She turns around, her eyes teary and her cheeks puffed up, pouting. She hits him on the chest once, then again, and again, and again. She wants to wail, but she keeps herself quiet. "Don't... don't do this to me. Never again." It's not a question at this point, but a command.

He buries his face in her neck, nuzzling her. "Yes, sir."

She glares at him, rolling her eyes before hugging him back.

She's not really sure how long they've been here hugging, but it feels good and warm and soft and she doesn't really want to leave, so it doesn't really matter. Her tears are almost completely gone, and she has stopped the ghost voice for now. The whispers are MIA, and she can forget about sadness for a little bit. But it ends all too soon. Faolan pulls away from her, and even as she tries to keep leaning forward she falls to the ground, the floor cold and unwelcoming.

"Ow..."

He pulls her up, her eyes half-closed and mumbling "no, don't leave me" and nuzzling back into his chest. Oh, she's adorable. But Faolan can't take much more of her because he really wants to kiss her right now but if he started, then he wouldn't be able to stop and then he prepared everything for nothing. So no, this was not the best idea. Gently prying her off him, he says, "Look, I'd love to do this, but I want to do something. Is that okay?"

"Mhm," she mumbles, and he's not really sure if he should take that as a yes or no. So he just takes her and hoists her up, princess-style and carries her to the passenger seat and sets her in place and then letting her lean against his shoulder as he drives. She's fallen asleep, and it's a little too cute for his heart and he doesn't exactly want to crash the car on their date, so he keeps his eyes on the road until she rolls her head a little and readjusts herself and murmurs, "Faolan..." and then he really, really, really wants to kiss her and so he allows himself a peck on the cheek at the red light and then goes back to enjoying the fact that Serenity is his.

Maybe being on Cloud 9 is a good thing right now. It was New Year's Eve, so maybe he could steal a few New Year's kisses? Right at 12 AM too? If he was lucky?

Serenity was still asleep, and when he pulled around Times Square, and then he had to gently shake her awake (after a kiss or two or three) to walk to the area around the Ball Drop. The show would start soon, and people flooded into the area like rain in a thunderstorm, except they never left so it just kept piling up further and further until everyone was bunched up in spaces far too little for comfort and his grip on Serenity was the only thing that kept him from losing her.

The cold air had long since shaken her awake, her breath freezing within the frozen wind. The ball was high in the air, and although he didn't pay attention at all during the show, Serenity seemed to be mesmerized and it filled her eyes with a light that he hardly ever sees, and he was very much content with that. Soon, however, midnight was close and the countdown was beginning.

59

He pulled her closer, his hug enfolding her thin body as she was enveloped within his warmth.

34

Her eyes shined with curiosity, her lips pecked.

26

Ah, she looks so adorable right now.

13

Time is slowing, stopping...

7

He pulled her closer, and she obliged to his gentle touch.

1

They kissed, their hands cupping the other in bliss as the new year started.