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“I’ve always made it clear how I feel about you. For crying out loud, for over ten years I’ve been in love with you! Now it’s your turn to tell me. How do you feel?”

“You know how I feel,” I say, looking down at my feet, my voice cracking.

“No, I don’t. Because you’ve never actually said it. I’ve expressed my feelings for you since day one. Everything I’ve felt has been intense—I’ve adored you.” He lets out a loud breath, pausing for a moment. He’s exhausted.

I can’t even look at him. A tear falls down the side of my cheek.

In the corner of my eyes, he’s nodding his head as he’s left with disappointment.

I hear his feet hitting the gravel as he walks away, swiftly moving past me.

“Sean,” I cry, my voice barely audible. I throw my body around to face him, grabbing his hand before he gets too far.

With his back to me, his broad shoulders slump in defeat.

I pull his hand, forcing him to face me. He blinks rapidly, staring down at our hands.

Both of our breaths interlace through the condensation in the cold air.

“I want you,” I let out in a soft cry. “I’ve always wanted you.”

Still holding his hand, I move closer to him. I place my hand on his cheek, pulling his face to look at me. Leaning in on my toes, I watch his mouth move onto mine.

His tongue connects to mine, his hand on the small of my back. Our breathing hitched, a reassured kiss, delicate and familiar.

As our lips part, Sean brushes the hair out of my face.

“This is it for me,” he says, sweeping his lips against mine.

After all these years, I finally let the words slip out of my mouth.

“I love you, Sean.”

His eyes bounce up, and his pulse quickens under my fingertips.

For once, the words feel nothing but true.

“Thank you,” he says, clutching my head, placing our foreheads together. Again, he leans in for a soft, tender kiss.

“Let’s get you inside. You’re shaking,” he mumbles between kisses.

I tangle my hands in his hair, pulling him even closer. “It’s not because I’m cold,” I tease, sinking into him.

From afar, I can hear people chanting loudly. I take in one last kiss before pushing him away from me with a smile.

“It’s almost midnight!” I say as I dart back to the house.

I hear him scrambling close behind. When we get to the door, the TV screen shows the countdown as the ball begins to drop down slowly.

It’s funny how big it looks on television, but the first thing I noticed when I moved to New York was how small it actually is from the ground in Times Square. It’s barely noticeable.

We made it with eight seconds to go.

I turn to Sean, his cheeks rosy. I begin counting down.

Sean doesn’t count with me but smiles, watching the numbers leave my lips.

“Five…four…three…two…”