Page 88 of That One Moment

“If you’ll excuse us for a moment,” Darius takes Oliver’s hand then looks around before continuing. “We need to um..talk about…something,” he flails, the flush spreading to his neck.

Caiden pats his friend on the back and we watch as the two of them disappear through the crowd, Oliver’s hand on Darius’s lower back.

“Are you okay with this?” I ask Caiden, tipping my head in the couple’s direction.

He turns and slides his hands onto my waist. “Surprisingly, yeah. It’s weird in some ways, but Darius deserves to be happy and who am I to judge?”

Wrapping my arms around his back, I nudge Caiden closer and sway us towards the dancefloor.

“So, karaoke?” I raise an eyebrow.

“No.”

Our hold on each other tightens as we move through the crowd of dancing bodies.

“We could do a duet.”

“Definitely not,” he grumbles, giving me a glimpse of the grumpy man I fell in love with.

“But you’ll dance with me?”

“If I have to.” Caiden’s lips settle into a smile when I kiss his forehead then spin him around in time with the music.

We spend the next few hours dancing, drinking and having a really good time while simultaneously hanging out with Darius and Oliver. Caiden and I avoid Oliver as best as we can, but it’s hard to completely ignore him when he’s following Darius around like a lost puppy.

I’m sweaty and exhausted, and ready to find somewhere to sit, when Darius climbs onto the stage. We sing happy birthday - everyone in the crowd getting involved and cheering once the song is over. Darius takes a bow like he's royalty before taking the mic and thanking everyone for spending their New Year’s Eve celebrating with him.

He leaves the stage and someone starts the karaoke. The crowd gets involved - I’m thrilled by the enthusiasm - and even Darius takes a turn, belting out two songs, reading from the large screen set to one side. He disappears after that and a group of girls about our age get on stage, laughing more than singing.

It’s the most fun I’ve had out in a long time, and while I listen and sing along, I keep my arms wrapped around Caiden. It feels right. Perfect.

“I want to hold you for the rest of my life,” I say into his ear. I want to touch him and kiss him, to cook for him and laugh with him and tell him bad jokes for as long as I can. His head whips around, his eyes wide and sparkling thanks to the disco ball.

Caiden’s mouth opens but he doesn’t get anything out before Darius is back with us, his cheeks flushed and a hickey blossoming in a dark shade of purple on his neck. Caiden’s eyes don’t look away from me and I feel it - this is the moment.

I drop my hold on him and address Darius. “Watch my boyfriend for me.” Then dash off before either of them can say anything.

There’s only a few people ahead of me in the line, but by the time I take my turn on stage, my body is humming with nerves. It’s been years since I stood in front of a crowd and never one this big, but that’s not why.

With mic in hand, I find Caiden in the crowd. When he notices me, he pushes forward, dragging Darius behind him, until he’s right at the foot of it. I focus only on him as the background music forCrack The Shuttersby Snow Patrol starts. I don’t need the lyrics - I know them off by heart because it’s one of Caiden’s favourites. Each word I sing is just for him, the crowd completely forgotten. It’s too dark to read the expression on his face, but I get a glimpse of a smile when the disco ball casts a light across it. We don’t take our eyes off each other for the entirety of the song.

As the words pour out of me, I see it in bright, beautiful technicolour. Our future. The one we’ve both been too afraid to speak about out loud. The one we deserve because love isn’t finite and we both have so much of it to give each other. This is us living, this is us taking back what fate stole. This is us. Jamie and Caiden.

Before the song is even finished, I jump off the stage and find him, taking his cheeks in my hands, my thumbs gently caressing his jaw.

“I love you.”

Caiden’s eyes go glossy and he blinks rapidly. Resting one hand on the back of his neck, my fingers threading in his curls, I pull him forward so our foreheads are touching.

“I love you. I can’t promise you forever, because we both know that’s not a promise anyone can make. But I can promise you every breath and every beat of my heart.” My free hand finds his and lifts it, coming to rest over my heart. “It beats for you, Caiden.” Then I move our hands to my ribcage so he can feel the rise and fall of my chest. “For you.”

His hand comes up to my neck, and rests on the back of it, mirroring my hold on him.

“I love you, too. More than I think I could ever express, but I’m going to show you. Every day.”

I didn’t realise it was so close to midnight until the crowd starts counting down.

Ten. Nine. Eight.

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