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“Mmmmm! There’s coffee in this.” Orlando always knew how to pander to me.
Rosey smacked his lips. “Mhm, mhm, cinnamon as well.”
After smacking our lips, we each pulled our straws apart for another mouthful at the same time. “Why is it so… heavy though?”
“I saw him putting granola and bananas and a whole bunch of other stuff in.”
“Oh I see. It’s all blended together so small and softened up. Wonder where he comes up with this stuff.”
I swapped the huge cup over to the arm further from Roswell as we reached level ground again. It was only a short walk around to this area overlooking the park but my arm was already tired of holding this cup as we made it to the bench.
I took a smaller gulp that time.“This feels like it’ll fill me up all on its own.”
“It could use some more sugar though.”
“No, it couldn’t.” Me and Sal had really dug into his sugar intake but like any addict, his cravings never went away.
“It’s a special occasion! One more spoonful wouldn’t kill me.”
“Well you’re free to trek back down the hill and fight Orlando for it.”
“Maybe in 10 or so minutes. I don’t want to miss this.”
“Aww, you’re actually choosing me over your addiction? I’m about to tear up.”
“Since when did you get so sarcastic?”
“Have you thought that Ty isn’t the only negative influence in my life?” I stuck my tongue out at him. He rolled his eyes back.
"May I have more of my diabetic-safe drink, dear?"
I brought it back within reach of him, throwing my leg onto the seat and settled down for a gulp then another. Though we were far enough away from the major gathering, the lights from there still choked the stars out of the sky. I perched my head on my palm, elbow on the back of the bench, just looking at Rosebud with a light smile. He swirled a mouthful around while staring off to the side and I couldn’t help but think back again. At how much things changed this year alone. At how many other ways things could have gone. Although, I shouldn’t let my mind stray to topics like that for long even if they widen my smile like now.
“Nutmeg. That aftertaste is nutmeg.”
I couldn’t help snort in a quiet laugh.
“Hey, what's so funny?”
Among the many faint sounds of nature and the distant sounds of snapping and popping, We heard some loud crackles nearby followed by some startled swearing. It was no surprise who it came from. I rose off the bench and peered over the railing to see Tyson baring fangs and pointing at Dean with Hoss, palm on his chest, trying to keep the wolf at bay, his orange tie dyed tee with matching fluffy ear muffs around his neck twinning Hoss’s purple ones.
“I told you to warn me before you set that shit off!”
Dean wore an awkward smile under his cheap plastic "2019" glasses. Hands full of fireworks on sticks held up in guilt.
“Sorry sorry! We didn’t think it’d be that loud. Not to mention you’re all the way over there.”
Tyson was about to spit something else out when the red panda stepped out from behind the bear..
“I promise I won’t let Dean try to impress me with fireworks again for at least 5 minutes, okay?.”
Dean turned to him, a sour pout met with a knowing look. Hoss whispered something to Tyson which was enough to get him to chuckle away that last bit of anger.
“You should just put those on now, People usually throw out their own fireworks near the hour even this far out.” Came from Sal sitting on the nearby picnic blanket, sliced tuna sandwich in hand.
Orlando was beside him, not at all interested in that little commotion as pointed at something else on Sal's new smartphone, aiming the screen so they both could see as he continued explaining something.
Everyone together to see the new year in and having relatively good times each. Another reason that smile won’t leave my face.
“Hey, Dave?”
He was gazing past what was happening right down below.
“Do you ever think we’re the first ones to do this?”
“This is a pretty common tradition, I think.”
“No. The first me and you. That this is the first us to see 2019 together.”
“Hey You were the one that told me not to think about past iterations too much.”
“I know, I know. Maybe that makes me a hypocrite. I’ve been getting this feeling intermittently over the past few months. That something is just off. To the point that I start feeling suspicious about the universe.”
I quirked my brow, grabbing the straw with my lips, only then realizing I wasn’t really keeping track of whose was who’s.
“I’ve been wondering if that’s because we really are the first. That I don’t have any instinct to go on and that’s why it feels so weird. That this is just that special of an iteration and I’m just lucky to be the one in it.”
“Remembering everything that night felt so… huge. Like it was planned or something. I don’t know why but I’m sure it’ll keep happening and that means all the Roswells that come after you will be able to see this too right? And they might not have that weird feeling so in a way, you aren’t that lucky after all.”
He looked over at me finally just in time to catch my tongue sticking out at him. He just gave me a light smile before reaching out for the cup of peanutty liquid again.
A loud yet distant whistle sounded, pulling both our attention. An unseeable rocket ascending into the sky with a bright trail of yellow following. The whistling stopped for one moment and then a “Boom!” brilliant gold particles explode out from the unseen center, lighting up the featureless sky with a man made star brighter than any other.
As fast as the grin appeared on my face, it left. I looked down again expecting more swears only to see Tyson and Hoss now comfortably sat on a bench. Their fancy noise canceling earmuffs on as they were seemingly just texting each other.
The noisiest person down there was actually Dean, excitedly urging his boyfriend to stand back from the freshly lit 6 little noise makers. Their fuses finished one after the other and as each rocketed upward, they held each other far tighter than they’d ever need to. Dean, more interested in looking at his little red panda than his own fireworks as they exploded one by one. A red then an orange followed by yellow, green, indigo, and violet and as each sounded, I happened to pick up Dean saying something in time with each. As the light of the explosions faded, the red panda turned with a roll of his eyes. I could make out the mouth movements “you fuckin dork” just before they kissed.
Between Dean and our position, Sal was on one knee, taking photo after photo of the two lovebirds.
My phone vibrated, snapping me out of my warm fuzzy appreciation. I checked it to find a message from Ty.
“2 min left u dork stop daydreamin.” Followed up by “sit on the bench or smth I can see u from here >:(“
I chuckled and rolled my eyes, stepping away from the railing as another firework went off from the far end of the park.
"Jellyboar, it’s getting close. Do you want to si-"
I'd barely turned before I could tell something was off. Roswell clutching the bridge of his nose and letting his weight down on the railing.
"Roswell! What's wrong?"
He chuckled, letting out one of those snorts that were a telltale for crying. I put a hand on his shoulder, he wiped his eyes and composed himself, his mouth agape as he collected the words.
"When you were in that hospital bed? After the day we went to the mansion. I just. I couldn't stop worrying that you'd wake up and hate me or something."
"I don't think I can ever hate you Roswell.”
He looked over and tried to flash me a smile but whatever he was going through made it impossible to hold for even a second.
“It’s just… I’d been thinking about that month for so long, so many times. I had so much trouble even going to sleep the night before too only for you to call me all panicky. I thought the worst was about to happen. Then so much happened so quickly. Thanatos was gone, The vacation was off, My mom had a new name and then you were telling me there was a way for me to live now.”
He was breathing heavily, working himself up to who knows what. I closed the gap and wrapped him in a hug. Dropping the drink on the banister as he dropped his chin on my shoulder and weight into me. I’d figured this would provoke some emotion out of him though I wasn’t sure what but with how close we’d gotten with him acting just as usual, I’d almost forgotten again how much goes on only in that head of his.
He took a deep breath. “Dave…” His hands slid up my sides and grabbed me tight. ”Thanks, for.. For going to the movies with me back then and helping me move into my dorm and helping plan my birthday party and… and… Dave, just, thank you for staying with me.”
I pulled away from him, cupping both cheeks and looking at his big teary blue eyes staring right back expectantly.
“You don’t need to thank me for spending time with you. Helping each other is just what friends are for right?”
I flashed an awkward smile with it. He chuckled ,deflating and letting his head sink into my left hand. I could think up a follow-up I’d rather have said and regret this later but right now I was just happy to wipe away his tears with a thumb.
Barely a moment like that and shouting came from down below “10… 9…”
“Oh, right!”
He looked at me, startled. He cleared his throat, quickly readying himself.
“7… 6…”
“Roswell, Can I help you out next year too.”
“4… 3…”
Loud whistles came from across the park, his face was illuminated more by the streaks of light ascending into the sky.
“Please.”
I closed my eyes and leaned in, my hands just along for the ride as we played out a far too practiced motion. My lips met his just as explosions rang out one after the other and bathed us in colored lights. Some fire between us flared just as bright this time. We slid deeper and deeper into each other’s lips. Closing any gaps and melting together as the new year began, the huge show of lights and explosions only a backdrop to us feeling each other.
After what felt like hours, we finally exhausted, pulling away and opening our eyes only after the frequency of the explosions had died down.
Seeing myself in his eyes, I started a split second after him. “I love you.” We caught on to cutting the other off before we finished the one short line. But at least we got a giggle out of each other from it.
“Oh my god that was so romantic!!”
Behind the bench, at the top of the path up here, Orlando was almost bouncing up and down with his oversized phone in his hands and a huge smile plastered on.
“Orlando!” we both shouted in equal annoyance.
“I know I know you wanted to be alone but you’ll be thanking me one day!” he crested the bench and slid up before us, twisting his phone to show us the shot of us just now. The mass of lights decorating the sky behind us with the biggest and most central being a massive yellow star. “When you hang this one in your house one day, I better have signed it.”
As much as I’d like to keep up the indignance, seeing us in that moment made me blush. Another wave like what I'd felt just now washing over me. Roswell must have been much the same as Orlando just laughed again wrapped us up in a bigger hug. Nearly lifting us off our feet as he mashed us together, shaking us a bit side to side as he spoke.
“Aaaaaa I’m so happy for you two lover boysssss! I hope you two have the Happiest New Years ever!”
We protested with groans yet while looking back at each other's oversized smiles before giving in, sliding our hands around and hugging back just as hard. Soft laughs thrown around over the rumble of fire work after fire work still going off in celebration of the next year of our lives.