happy new year, 2083!

Happy New Year, 2083.

*** kind of long for a new year's post ;) ***

"Jodie's cute," Drew says. "Do you think she'd date me?"

"Jodie?"

"Sure," he says, with a silly smile. "You know, since you won't."

She kicks his leg lightly with her outstretched foot. He's joking, she's pretty sure, but it worries her still. From what Amelia knows, love can be so changeable, that she could be so adored for a time, and then forgotten like last week's favorite song.

"Go on, ask her out, I don't care." Amelia says.

Drew sighs at her "I don't care."

"And good luck with that," she continues. "Jodie would eat you alive!"

She gets up abruptly, and he feels a sudden chill from her. The closer he seems to get to her, the more confusing she becomes.

"We have to make the punch," she says. "Did you bring champagne? My dad's bringing the keg, and I bought the crackers and spinach dip. I have to make the salad still, and are we going to have this party or what?"

Amelia is hosting a New Year's Eve party tonight, and she's enlisted the help of her favorite little buddy. Drew suspects she might be mad, though he doesn't understand why - it's their usual game, he's madly in love with her, she doesn't want to date him - but maybe he shouldn't have mentioned her friends? Women, with their rules, and their touchy sensitivities. He makes a mental note - don't joke about dating her friends.

And he offers to clean the counter so she can make that salad.

"You're a sweetheart," she says. "Did I ever tell you that?"

"Maybe once or twice," he says.

He doesn't want to date Jodie. He meant it when he said she was cute, but he'd marry Amelia right now, or three weeks ago, or three months ago, or the first day they met. He cares too much, and that freaks her out. He doesn't know how to feel any other way.

She notices him there in her peripheral vision, grinning at her. "What, are you waiting for me to give you a job or something?"

"No," he says. "Do you need something else done though? I can do it."

"No." She laughs. "I think we've got it covered."

"You've got to be the only guy I know who carries a mirror in his back pocket."

"I want to look good," he says.

"You look fine," she says.

"Just fine?"

"Good," she says. "Handsome?"

"And Jodie's cute."

"So you keep saying."

"But you're beautiful," he says.

She feels a flutter in her heart. She blushes and breaks out into a stupid grin. "You don't ever stop, do you?"

"I try not to," he says.

She hugs him, and she doesn't want to let go, not right away. "Thanks for helping me with the party," she says.

"Yeah, sure," he says. "No problem."

***

Amelia's New Year's Eve party gets off to a wonderful start.

Amelia and Jodie have been spending a lot of time together lately. Jodie never imagined she'd become so fond of Amelia when her brother started dating her so many years ago. Jodie's roommates have suddenly taken their leaps towards coupledom, in solid ways, which leaves only two bitter old slags left. Jodie doesn't figure Amelia will be left on the market very long though.

"I'm glad you didn't bring a date," Amelia says.

"Why, so you can laugh at my misfortune?"

"No," Amelia says. "Because I don't have one either."

"You could have five dates if you wanted."

"They're dropping like flies" Amelia says. "I never thought I'd be the last of my cousins to get married. Even Bella, can you believe it?"

"Ugh," Jodie says.

Jodie contemplates whether she wants to spend the entire night grimacing at every act of affection...

She's thinking there's a good chance she might.

"You," Jodie says to Piper. "You got engaged, you moved out! You don't count anymore! Now I have to find new roommates!"

"Awww, silly Jodie," Piper says. "Maybe you should get a cat."

It's not even close to midnight yet, and Bella is already exhausted. "Cam, baby," she says. "We need to go home! I'm so pregnant! I'm way too pregnant to exist!"

Cameron says, "Yeah, we better get you home and into the hot tub." They've got a babysitter, and he's thinking unclothed.

"Hey Jodie," Amelia says. "I've got something to brighten your night!"

She has a joy-buzzer in her hand and she shoots 120 volts up Jodie's arm.

And it does brighten her mood. That was refreshing, she thinks.

Jodie says, "I think you have a fan."

Amelia says, "What?"

"You know, the quiet monolithic one."

Amelia can't say she's exactly angry with Corbin. This just isn't something she's familiar with, it isn't something she's ever been able to understand. She reserves her feelings very heavily. But he says he cares about her, and then goes into this metaphysical bullshit about how his life is his own and his feelings for her are separate and undefined.

He had said, "I'll always be honest with you, Amelia, but I don't want to possess you. And I don't mind if you want to keep seeing your little poet friend." To which she found the sudden need to spring to Drew's defense. Drew is perfectly average-sized for a man, and while he might not be a rock-hard yoga master, he does keep himself healthy. He plays golf.

But whatever, to each his own. She can't be angry with Corbin, she never said she cared about him, and she isn't even sure what she feels for him to be honest, except taken aback most of the time, and overwhelmed. She didn't actually invite him to this party, in a definite way. She told him about it a few weeks ago, when they were still "sort of seeing each other." She never mentioned it again since they stopped "sort of seeing each other."

"I'm sorry," he says. "Your dad said I should come. I didn't really know how to explain why maybe I shouldn't. I'll go if you want."

"You don't have to go," she says. "But this is my party and we're not having any of that minimalist garbage around here. You're not going to say anything about my job. You're going to sit on my inhumane leather couch, and watch my overpriced television that was likely made in China, and drink my beer. I think I need a beer."

"I can do that," he says.

Now that Drew has mentioned Jodie, Amelia can't help but notice every time they're even in proximity to each other.

Amelia says, "Lord, why is nobody drinking the beer?"

"'Atta-girl, Charlotte!" Amelia says. "Somebody's got to get this party started!"

Both Corbin and Drew follow Amelia around for most of the night. Corbin is discovering his love for cheap keg beer after all, and is getting quite cross-eyed.

Drew embraces his inner-frat-boy, and says, "Hey Melie, watch this!" as he crushes a plastic keg cup into his forehead.

Andy thinks Amelia's friends are just charming.

Jodie's mood was indeed lightened, and she decides to ask Charlotte to marry her. Charlotte is pretty cute, and maybe Jodie might have better luck with women. But really, everybody knows Jodie doesn't want to get married. And Charlotte doesn't seem to be able to take a joke!

Midnight draws near, and the house heats up with the warmth of so many bodies, laughing and dancing. Some of them head outside to cool off. There is no snow on the ground, but the air is perfectly frigid. Voices from inside the house begin to count down, "10... 9... 8..."

She doesn't want to give anybody the wrong idea. She just wants to spend the evening with her friends. A new year's kiss - that's such a big deal. It's such an obvious and definite declaration to all of her closest friends, and to both of them. And she isn't ready for that bold a declaration yet.

"7... 6... 5..."

Even if she thinks she feels more inclined towards one of them.

"4... 3..."

Now isn't the time, not here. But here they both are, and both within arm's reach.

"2... 1..."

She turns sharply around to where her father is standing. "Happy New Year, Daddy!" she says.

And she continues to hang on her father's arm for the rest of the night, where she's sure neither of them would attempt to kiss her.

By the time most of the guests have gone, Jodie finds herself finishing off what's left of the beer keg, happy enough alone until Drew joins her. She doesn't know why people say you shouldn't drink alone. She was doing just fine at it.

He pours himself a glass, and she just stares. There's something about him, something different, but better, maybe. He doesn't look twelve, or eighteen like she first thought, but maybe even old enough to be allowed that beer he's consuming.

She says, "Hey, what's wrong with your face?"

He says, "My face?"

He whips out his handy mirror.

"Ah, look," he says. "Chin hair. I told you I could grow some."

She laughs.

"Hey, you do smile," he says.

"Well, only because you're ridiculous," she says. Jodie hates adorable things, happy couples, children, puppies, but Drew is positively adorable and it's not bad. He has money, and quite a bit of it, so maybe that's what does the trick.

"Happy new year, Jodie," he says.

Then he goes, as always, to chase after Amelia.

Jodie has always had a thing for the married ones, the hard, the damaged, the hopelessly unavailable. It's easier, there's less risk this way. She could pretend she's heartbroken by it, but really, she never even had a chance to be heartbroken. She has nothing to lose because rejection is inevitable. He's unattainable - he doesn't love her, can't love her, because he loves Amelia.

She finds comfort in this, a safety net for the unlovable.

And it's better this way, Jodie thinks. He's too soft, she'd destroy him. She'd eat him alive. But it's the unattainability that does it for her, almost like a challenge. That he's painfully in love with Amelia makes him nearly irresistible.

***

Drew stays to help Amelia clean up after the guests have gone. It's late, but they're barely buzzing enough to get the empty beer bottles thrown away, and the plates into the dishwasher. They finish the kitchen around three in the morning, and they figure they'll leave the back yard for the morning.

His face brightens suddenly, and he says, "Hey! You wanna watch it turn new year in California?"

"I'd love to," she says.

They sit down in front of the TV. Drew never worries if her leather couch was made in a humane way or not, he just wants to share it with her.

"You look a little cold," he says, and he waves her over with a hand. She is a little chilly. The frozen air from open doors and windows has taken the place of all the warm bodies who were just here. She scoots over to let him put his arm around her.

But instead, in one bold and hilarious swoop, he pulls her across his lap. She lets him hold her there, unsteady at first, easing her weight onto him, laughing as she says, "Am I crushing you?"

"What, because you weigh all of five pounds?"

"Shut up," she says. "I weigh more than five pounds."

And with his fingertips lightly brushing her forearm, smooth gentle strokes, bringing fine hairs to stand on end, she could so easily move this cuddle party upstairs to the bedroom. But she won't. She's spent the bulk of her young adult life forming physical connections before emotional ones, and this time she's trying something different. This time, she's taking things slow.

She pulls herself up to kiss him, gently, soft, and intended - not a play kiss, and not the least bit a joke.

Because they're alone, and in the quiet of her living room, she thinks she can safely say she's falling in love. But she won't tell him that yet, because she doesn't trust it - all she knows of love so far is how easily it fades, or turns away, or morphs into something vague and metaphysical.

Drew has been fishing for an actual kiss from this girl for so long he doesn't even know what to say. He's lost his usual charm with words says, "What was that for?" And then, "I mean, it was nice."

"For Happy New Year," she says.

"Happy New Year, Melie."

They whisper for a short while, they see it turn new year in California, they watch some obscure bands perform live music in a club somewhere. She eventually tucks her head into the nook of his shoulder, and falls into a deep and comfortable sleep.

And so begins another crazy year in Lakeside Heights. Happy New Year 2083!

*****

notes: forgive me, I am having WAY too much fun with pose boxes and face overlays! I'm learning it all at SimHaven. ;)