My December Darling

25. Luke

25

LUKE

A fter brunch, Aiden heads back to our apartment to get ready for tonight’s New Year’s Eve party. I spend the next couple of hours helping him pack a few moving boxes while asking him questions about yesterday.

“Enough about me,” he says, and I sigh. “What about you and Catalina?” Aiden drops the packing tape on his bed.

“What about us?”

“Come on, man. I know she was here last night.”

My cheeks flush. “Then you know all there is to it.”

“Have you talked to her yet?”

“About what?”

“That you want to do long-distance?”

“Um, no.”

He stares at me with a gaping mouth.

“What?” I ask with a hint of agitation.

“Doesn’t she leave tomorrow?”

“Yes.” My teeth grind at the thought. I’ve tried my best to forget about Catalina’s impending departure but it’s impossible with the reality of our situation hanging over me and every decision I’ve made over the last twenty-four hours.

“And you haven’t gotten around to bringing it up yet?”

I take a seat on the edge of his bed. “I didn’t want to spook her.”

“Now’s not the time to worry about that.” He starts to pace the floor, being mindful of the half-full boxes.

“I plan on talking to her about it.”

“When?”

“Tonight.” I speak with more confidence than I feel. New Year’s Eve might not be the ideal setting for a serious conversation, but there is no way I can watch her leave tomorrow without her knowing where I stand.

He pinches the bridge of his nose with a sigh.

“I don’t have an option. Either I talk to her about it tonight or wait until she heads out to California, and the more I think about that happening, the less I like it.”

“You really like her.”

Fuck yeah, I do. Last night further solidified my growing feelings toward her, and today pretty much made them concrete. I knew from the moment I started missing her only thirty minutes after she left with her sister and the bridal party that I was screwed.

I don’t know how I’ll survive her being gone for three months, but I do know that I plan on using every tactic known to man to get Catalina to come back to Lake Wisteria, even if it means playing dirty to make it happen.

I’m instantly aware of Catalina’s presence the moment she walks into Last Call. Everything around me fades as she steps inside the bar, looking heaven-sent with her golden dress that complements her skin tone and brown eyes.

I’m caught staring, a fact I don’t try to hide as Catalina makes her way over to me and kisses my cheek.

“Miss me?” Her smile borders on timid, so I boost her confidence with a press of my lips against hers.

“From the moment you left.”

“Sure you did.” Her eyes roll, giving me a quick glimpse of her shimmery eye makeup.

“It’s true. I’m afraid I’ll struggle with a serious relapse episode when you move away.”

“Is this your ploy to have me stay in Lake Wisteria?”

“Depends. Is it working?”

She laughs. “No, but I do enjoy the effort.”

I loop my arm around her and signal for the bartender. Catalina orders a vodka tonic while I stick to the beer I was already drinking, resolute in my decision to not drink much tonight. If it’s our last one together for a while, I want to make the most of it, and I need a clear mind for all the things I have planned.

“I could take a few days off and visit you,” I stupidly say without any context.

Her brows pinch together. “What?”

“Sorry. I was thinking aloud.”

She smiles around her straw. “About coming to visit me?”

“Yes.”

“Can you take that many days off work?”

“Aiden owes me a few.”

She brushes a hand down my button-down shirt. “And you’d use the favor on me? Why?”

“If you’re still seriously asking me that, then we have an issue.”

Her eyes glimmer. “Is that right?”

“Yes, because that means I’ve done a terrible job making my intentions clear.”

Her smile expands. “The absolute worst.”

I shake my head while fighting a smile. “Obviously, I need to be clearer.”

“By all means, go ahead.”

I cradle her cheek, making her suck in a breath before leaning my head forward. “I want you any way I can have you.”

She tilts her head back to look me in the eyes. “Even if it means making long-distance work?”

“Don’t they say distance makes the heart grow fonder?”

“It also makes it sadder.” Her eyes soften at the corners.

“That’s true, but three months will be over with before you know it.”

“What about after?”

“No need to worry about that.” If things go my way, and I’m certain I won’t rest until they do, then Catalina will be coming straight home to me.

And I’ll be counting down the days until then.

The group surrounding us shouts as the projector screen shows Times Square and the countdown clock that is about to hit sixty seconds before midnight.

“Cata!” Gaby pushes through the crowd with Aiden on her heels.

“Over here!” Catalina waves at them.

Gaby pulls her sister into a quick hug before Aiden wraps his arms around his wife as the timer gets closer to midnight.

“Ten…nine…”

My heart pounds faster with each number that is being chanted throughout the room, and excitement courses through my body at the thought of celebrating the new year with the woman beside me.

I curl my arm around Catalina’s waist, and she looks up at me with a warm smile.

“Six…five…”

Her gaze drops to my mouth as she says, “Four…three…”

“Two…” I secure her in place by the back of her neck, and my thumb traces over her pulse point.

“Happy New Year!” The crowd goes wild, but I don’t pay them any attention as I kiss Catalina. I pour my everything into our kiss—every single ounce of yearning I’ve felt toward her, along with all the hopes I have about the following year.

A year I want to spend with her, so long as she wants the same.

The kiss morphs from sweet to desperate to lazy before we’re both forcing ourselves to pull away. I’m not sure I would’ve if it weren’t for Aiden clapping me on the back before dragging us out of the bar and onto Main Street, where he spent a pretty penny hiring some college kids to put on a fireworks show for Gaby.

Catalina and I both sip champagne while watching the sky light up with a thousand sparkling lights. Or more like she watches while I spend most of the show watching her.

I swear to myself in that moment that I’ll do everything in my power to keep that look of pure wonder on her face. That I’ll fight my hardest to show her that what we have can form into something great, even if it means overcoming every obstacle in our way.

There isn’t a single doubt in my mind that I could fall in love with this girl. In fact, I hope I do.

Just like I hope she can love me back.