//------------------------------// // New Year's Eve // Story: Amor Fati // by BRyeMC //------------------------------// “Another win, dawgs!” yelled Tyrone as he and the team entered the locker room after another victorious game. He sat down near his locker and laughed. “We are going into the history books as the greatest team to play for this school.” “Don’t get too cocky, T,” called over Thunderlane, “we’ll start losing now because you said that.” “Pssh. I doubt it, dawg. I’ll make sure we won’t lose.” “Yeah, you’re right. After all, it is basically your team. Lead the charge every game and there’s little chance of us losing.” “Exactly. As the highest scoring dawg in the area, I won’t stop scoring unless I know for a fact my team will win.” Thunderlane smirked. “Highest scoring dude for chicks, too.” Tyrone slyly shrugged and smiled. “What can I say? I’m a baller and that’s the perks. Anyways, remember my New Year’s party is tomorrow night. Come if you want to have fun, or you might get lucky, who knows?” “Yeah, I’ll be there. I’m pretty sure everyone in the school will be there,” said Thunderlane. “When Tyrone invites you to a party, you’d be sure to go.” “Damn right, dawg. That’s the attitude I like to hear.” Tyrone looked around and noticed a lack of a certain baller like him. “Yo, where’s C at?” As he finished his question, Tyrone saw Clyde walk into the locker room, wiping sweat off his face with his jersey before taking it off completely. “C! Where have you been, dawg?” “I had to go talk to and thank someone who came to watch me again tonight,” replied Clyde briefly glancing down at his arm. Tyrone nodded with a grin. “I see you man, I see you. Say, you tryna help me tomorrow night?” “With your party?” “Yeah. I need help with getting the scene set up.” “What time were you thinking of?” asked Clyde wiping sweat off his body and putting on his regular shirt. “Maybe like seven. The party begins at eight. That should be plenty of time.” Tyrone slammed his locker and began tying his sleek new sneakers he got for Christmas. He looked up and saw Clyde frowning. “I would have to leave early because I promised to pick–” “Oh, shit! I forgot about that! Sorry, dawg! You know what, I’ll ask someone else to help.” “Are you sure?” Tyrone smirked. “Yeah. I know just who to call.” ~ ~ ~ Dingdong. Tyrone ran to the door and opened it. He laughed when he saw the certain boy standing there. “Wahlburn! My dawg!” “The one and only,” replied Wahlburn with a coy smile. “Come in, man. We got work to do!” Wahlburn entered the house and looked around. “Brother, you have nothing done with this place.” “I know, that’s why I needed help. Are the others coming?” “Probably not,” said Wahlburn with a sigh. “Poncho is too lazy, Patel is too damn lazy, Rivs and Sticky are watching basketball all night, and Cannon is probably already drinking and most likely drunk by now.” “What about Jeb?” Wahlburn began laughing uncontrollably. He stopped for a moment and saw Tyrone looking at him with confusion. “Oh, you were serious...” Tyrone laughed. “I was joking.” “Good. Jeb is a loser.” Wahlburn looked at Tyrone again and scratched his head. “Where’s Clyde at? Don’t tell me he’s not coming either.” “He is. He wanted to help set up, but he had to pick up his girl tonight so he’ll come when the others will.” “Wait a minute, his girl?!” asked Wahlburn in shock. “Is that why that asshole left the group chat long ago?” “I guess, dawg,” said Tyrone. “I’m not sure myself, but I am proud of my boy C. It’s the girl he had a thing for since we known him. She was able to cheer him up so I’m happy for them.” Wahlburn nodded. “Yeah, brother. I’m happy for him, too. At least one of us found someone after all. Our lunch table is a mess of a place. Yelling, fighting, throwing of food. I doubt anyone wants us.” “Most of that yelling and fighting is you,” laughed Tyrone, “at least I’m chill.” Wahlburn smirked. “Hey! I have to stand my ground! Those damn freshman think they are full of shit!” Tyrone shook his head and laughed. “I tell you, we are something all right.” He looked at the clock on the wall. “Anyways, let’s get this show on the road.” “Sounds good to me.” “Sorry to tell you this, but I’m afraid there’s no weed at this party.” “Fuck off.” “I’m messing with you, dawg. Damn.” Tyrone decided to head to the kitchen first where he began sorting bags of chips, pretzels, and crackers along the counter. He slid a large bucket near the fridge and looked at Wahlburn. “Yo dawg, fill that bucket up with some ice and dump the water in there.” “You mean fill this straight up with water?” Tyrone stared at him and shook his head. “Open the fridge and put the bottles in there.” Wahlburn quickly peeked into the fridge and saw the rows of bottled water. “Oh. I see.” After filling up the bucket, Wahlburn looked around and sighed. “Hey, are you having any meals tonight?” “Yeah, dawg. I ordered some pizza and some wings because that’s about all you can order tonight. Most places are closed tonight. When you hear the doorbell ring, answer it if I’m doing something else.” “Got it, brother.” Tyrone slid him another bucket, this time for soda. After Wahlburn finished with the second bucket, the two of them looked around the kitchen. All that remained was the pizza and wings. “Where to next?” asked Wahlburn. “Most of the time, we will probably be downstairs,” said Tyrone stroking his chin. “You remember how big that place is down there. Plus that’s where the good drinks are.” Wahlburn smiled. “Oh yeah, it’s like a man cave.” “Yeah, but this time I have a pool table, a bigger TV in higher definition, a new gaming console, and a better stereo system.” “Sweet. What are you going to do up here?” “Well, the living room over there is going to have the New Year’s pre-game show or whatever it’s called. I was maybe going to have some board games for the little kids in the other room.” “T,” said Wahlburn with a laugh, “there isn’t going to be any little kids here.” Tyrone blinked. “Shit, you right. Well, I guess it’ll be more quiet up here then, other than the TV and music. Most people will probably only be up here for food and the bathroom if the one downstairs is occupied by someone.” “Sounds good, brother.” The two of them quickly dashed downstairs, Tyrone heading towards the TV and Wahlburn heading towards the master stereo that could play in every room in the house. Tyrone soon came over to him to help. Once they heard the song’s bass boom into their faces, they smiled. “Looks like we are good to go,” yelled Wahlburn over the music. “Yeah, dawg!” Tyrone went to the stereo and turned the volume down a few notches so nobody had to yell to talk to someone. “Let’s wait upstairs. People will be coming any minute.” As Tyrone reached the top of the staircase, he heard the doorbell ring. He quickly jogged to the door and opened it up. Standing at the doormat was a delivery boy with pizza boxes and four containers of wings. Wahlburn ran over to marvel at the food, too. “That’s what I’m talking about!” said Tyrone ecstatically as he took out some money from his wallet. Wahlburn took the food and ran towards the kitchen as Tyrone slapped some bills on the delivery boy’s hand. “Keep the change, dawg. I would say you could join us, but your boss would probably fire you.” “You got that right,” said the boy sadly but quickly broke into a smile, “thanks for the tip!” Tyrone nodded and closed the door. He whistled and walked back to the kitchen and saw Wahlburn slouched over one of the wing containers. As he entered the kitchen, Wahlburn turned around with a wing in his mouth and stood there frozen.“Wahlburn! What the hell, dawg!” “I’m hungry, brother!” he mumbled, grabbing another wing and stuffing it in his mouth. “I’m so glad you got boneless, too.” “People are coming in a few minutes! Couldn’t you wait?” “No can do, brother.” Tyrone laughed and picked up a wing, biting into it. “I don’t blame ya.” After Tyrone ate his chicken wing, he pulled Wahlburn away from the food and stared at the clock. It was two minutes until eight. As he watched the minute hand tick fifteen times, he heard the doorbell ring again. “Wahlburn, don’t eat anymore food until people get here!” yelled Tyrone walking towards the door. “Don’t worry, brother. I won’t.” Wahlburn waved at him and sighed. Tyrone reached the door and opened it. “Welcome!” he yelled as a horde of people cheered and ran inside. Tyrone waved, smiled, and high-fived most of them as they entered his house, making sure nobody fell down and caused chaos trying to get it the house. After greeting some more of his peers, he smiled when he saw his brother for life. “C!” Clyde looked over to him and grinned. “I didn’t expect this many people!” “Same!” Tyrone looked around and gave Clyde a confused look. “Weren’t you picking someone up?” “He did.” Tyrone watched as Rarity appeared from behind Clyde and stood beside him, nearly holding on to his arm to prevent being shoved. “I’m grateful of you being a shield for me,” she said looking at Clyde with a smile. Clyde returned it and looked at Tyrone. “T, this is Rarity. I’m pretty sure you both haven’t met face-to-face yet.” “Nah, dawg, we haven’t.” Tyrone glanced at her and nodded. “Nice to finally meet you.” “Likewise. Clyde talks about you all the time, since you are his best friend after all. I hope he didn’t say anything bad about me.” Tyrone smirked. “Actually, he did tell me certain things.” He glanced over at Clyde who hid behind his palm. “Oh? What were they?” asked Rarity, looking at Clyde and smiling at his attempt to hide his embarrassment. “It was nothing bad. It was long ago before the basketball season began. He poured his heart out telling me about you. I’m sure you know that stuff by now.” Rarity gasped as Clyde sighed. “T, I thought that was a true moment between us, brother-to-brother.” Tyrone laughed. “Look, she brought it up!” Rarity clung to Clyde’s arm and looked up at him. “Don’t be embarrassed, Clyde.” Clyde shook his head and brought a smile to his face after looking at her. Tyrone felt happiness overcome him as he watched them, but he didn’t want them to know he had a soft side. “Aight, dawgs, I’m going to go check on my people now. C, you know where everything is in this house, so I’ll see ya around.” Clyde and Rarity waved and left for the kitchen, leaving Tyrone to continue greeting his guests. After a few more minutes of greeting, Tyrone finally saw nobody near the door. He took a scan outside to see if there were any stragglers , but after seeing none, he grinned and shut the door. It was time for some partying. ~ ~ ~ 3 hours and 45 minutes until midnight. Tyrone continued talking to his fellow peers on his journey towards the kitchen. Most of them talked about how awesome he was in the last game or thanked him for hosting a party. He knew his popularity among the school was increasing after every game, as he was on track to break the highest scoring career in Canterlot High, so hosting a party would be an easy way to thank them all. He walked by the stairs to the basement and was quickly stopped. “T! What’s going on man?” asked Thunderlane, patting his teammate on the back. “Not much, dawg. Thanks for coming!” “Anything for a bro.” Thunderlane gave a chuckle and mysteriously looked around to see if anyone was watching them. “Hey,” he said in a whisper, leaning against the wall, “do you see Bulk over there?” Tyrone looked around the living room to find him. Due to the layout of the house, the living room and kitchen was mostly compacted and was the area of high traffic. Most of them would filter downstairs eventually, but since the night was young, people were still greeting each other. After waiting for a group of girls to walk into the kitchen, Tyrone saw Bulk sitting on one end of the couch. “Yeah, I see him.” “Just watch him for a second or two.” “What?” “Trust me.” Tyrone stood beside Thunderlane on the wall and discreetly looked over at Bulk. After a minute of watching him, Tyrone smiled. Every few moments, Bulk would shift his eyes towards the opposite end of the couch, where his eyes would meet a girl with pink hair’s. After they both noticed the eye contact, they would both look away nervously and the cycle repeated. Tyrone could tell they were both shy, but seeing Bulk act that way, made Tyrone smile. “Shit man, that’s cute.” “Cute? I’ve never heard Tyrone say that before,” replied Thunderlane laughing. “I may be a baller by heart, but I do respect love. That’s why I respect my boy C so much.” Thunderland nodded at him and wiped a tear from his eye. “That’s a manly thing to say, T. I respect you even more now.” “Thanks, dawg,” said Tyrone wiping a tear from his eye as well. The two of them gave each other a bro-hug and quickly separated before anyone saw them. “So,” began Tyrone after cough, “make yourself at home.” “Will do, man.” Thunderlane raised his bottle in the air as Tyrone left towards the kitchen to eat some more wings. Wings were his favorite and he would be damned if he couldn’t have some. ~ ~ ~ 3 hours until midnight. After finishing his food and talking to Wahlburn, Tyrone threw away his plate and grabbed a nice cool bottle of water. As he turned around, he saw Swift Justice staring across the house and into the living room. “My dawg! What’s going on? What are you staring at?” “W-What? I’m doing no such thing!” Swift frantically popped open a can of soda and began gulping it down. Tyrone looked past him and saw a group of girls talking and laughing with each other close to the stairs. They stopped when they heard a club song come on so most of them ran downstairs to listen to it better. “Oh I get it. Which one?” “It’s nothing,” said Swift. “Let me sulk in peace.” “Not gonna happen, dawg. I can’t let you stand here all mopey and shit at my party! Plus, I said I was going to help you get a chick so I’m here to help you! Now, who is this girl you want to make your girl?” Swift pointed at the lone girl in the group who didn’t go downstairs. Tyrone knew her as a girl who sat with Rainbow Dash and Rarity, along with Bulk’s mysterious and shy admirer. Her pink fluffy hair also helped to make her stand out in any crowd. “Her? I got you.” “W-What?” said Swift nervously. Tyrone ignored him and stood close to him, waiting. As the girl walked by them, Tyrone gently shoved Swift into her. “I-I’m sorry!” said Swift, rubbing his head. “Did I hurt you?” “Of course not! Hiya Swift, long time no see!” Her big smile made Swift even more nervous. “H-Hey Pinkie.” Swift angrily glanced at Tyrone who was purposely ignoring him. Swift turned back towards Pinkie and nervously thought of something to talk about. “So, how’s your history project coming along?” “Pssssst, project smohject. I’ll do it after we get back to school from vacation!” “Smohject? Is that even a word?” “I have no idea!” Pinkie giggled and looked at Swift carefully, causing him to become nervous again. “Say... I think you and I are truthfully connected somehow.” “Huh?” “I was reading some story on this fanfiction website and the two characters remind me of you and me! We even have the same names as them!” “I highly doubt there’s a story out there like that,” said Swift in disbelief. “No, I’m being serious! It’s called “The Something of My Eye.” I don’t remember the title.” “Is it ‘Apple’? That would fit the phrase.” Pinkie tapped her fingers to her mouth. “Hmmm, I don’t think so. Ooh! It’s “The Eye of My Pie!” Swift blinked. “I’m so confused...” “Don’t be!” yelled Pinkie, “it’s a party! See ya!” She quickly hopped away and slid down the railing of the staircase leading downstairs. “Well, she seems fun,” said Tyrone, walking up to Swift. “Yeah, but unfortunately, also random.” “Well, I did my job, dawg.” Tyrone patted him on the back and began walking away. “You can’t just leave it as that!” called Swift, “you didn’t do anything!” “I gave you the chance since you were too scared to talk to her! Later, dawg!” Tyrone waved as he began his descend into the basement. ~ ~ ~ 1 hour and 15 minutes until midnight. “Alright, listen up,” said Wahlburn looking at Tyrone and Clyde. He took another gulp of his beer can and threw it down on the small table. The three of them were sitting on bar stools at a small round table behind the couch and near the pool table. “I wanted to tell you guys, you’re my best friends. Hell with the others. I love you guys...” “Dude, you really got to stop,” said Clyde, “you’ve had too many and it’s not even late yet.” “Don’t tell me what to do!” yelled Wahlburn, pointing at him. He looked over at Tyrone and laughed before picking up his can again. “Brother, you’re awesome.” “Thanks, dawg. I try.” “No, no. You are awesome.” “I know. I just heard you say it.” Wahlburn laughed before placing his can on the table and falling to the floor. The life of the party stopped suddenly to look at him, but when they heard him begin snoring, they resumed. “So, C,” began Tyrone drinking the last of his water, “where’s your girl at?” “My girl? I’m not sure if she is my girl yet. We haven’t officially said anything. I was going to that one night, but my brother called me, and you know what happened after that.” “It’s aight, dawg. At least you can still ask her.” “Yeah,” said Clyde. He turned in his chair to scan the basement, but couldn’t see Rarity anywhere. “She probably went upstairs with her friends while we were playing that basketball game on your new console.” “She didn’t want to see you lose badly,” laughed Tyrone. “It’s not my fault you picked the best team in the game!” Clyde laughed with him and hopped down off the chair. “I’m going upstairs real quick. Did you want anything?” “Grab me another water.” “Will do.” “Thanks, dawg.” ~ ~ ~ 50 minutes until midnight. “Yo! What’s going on here!” yelled Tyrone as he pushed his way through the small circle around the pool table. He saw Bulk and some kid who was always at the weight room in school, Dumb-Bell, looking at each other from across the table. “What’s going on here?” he asked Thunderlane who was on Bulk’s side. “Dumb-Bell challenged Bulk to an arm wrestling competition! Bulk accepted!” Tyrone looked at Bulk and the challenger and laughed. “Sounds awesome! Let me be the judge.” Tyrone looked at both Bulk and Dumb-Bell and nodded. They nodded back and clasped their hands together. Tyrone held them in place with his own and looked at each competitor. “Aight, dawgs. Let’s get it cracking. Bulk, are you ready?” “Yeah,” he said with a snort. “Are you ready, dude?” “Yeah, brah.” “Aight, let’s go!” Tyrone held back his hands and the manly arm wrestling of the decade was on. For a straight minute, almost even two, Bulk and Dumb-Bell were in deadlock. They groaned, grunted, and yelled at each other, making the crowd of watchers cheer more. Thunderlane was clapping near Bulk’s ear to encourage him to keep pushing. Bulk head butted Thunderlane while still focusing on his match. Tyrone laughed as Thunderlane sat on the floor dazed. Bulk and Dumb-Bell continued their stance, still at equals. “You guys better hurry this up. I don’t want your sweat all over this nice pool cloth.” Bulk groaned louder and Tyrone saw fire blaze in his eyes. Dumb-Bell began shaking as Bulk’s massive palm began pushing his towards the table. After a loud grunt, Bulk slammed Dumb-Bell’s arm on the table and the room cheered. “YEAH!” yelled Bulk, flexing his biceps. Thunderlane sat up and patted Bulk on the back and slowly walked away, rubbing his head. Tyrone escaped from the crowd of fans and watched Bulk yell and flex some more. “That guy is a true boss,” said Tyrone with a laugh. ~ ~ ~ 30 minutes until midnight. “I can’t believe they ate all my chicken wings,” said Tyrone sadly, smashing the pizza boxes and wing containers into the trash bag. He was alone in the kitchen as everyone was downstairs getting ready for the ball to drop on TV. Other than the music from the speakers, upstairs was dead. Tyrone grabbed another bottle of water and ran downstairs to join the party of the last few minutes of the year. ~ ~ ~ 10 minutes until midnight. “Hey, come on!” “What gives?” Tyrone motioned for the crowd to stop their boos. “I’m sorry dawgs, but I’m turning off the tunes for a bit. After Midnight, you can turn it back on. Chill!” He walked through the crowd as they began all talking at once. Since the music was off, the plethora of different voices talking at once made it hard to think or hear for that matter. He soon ran into Clyde. “C! What’s going on?” “Nothing much. I think I’m going to head upstairs.” “What!” yelled Tyrone, “Speak louder!” “I said, I’m going to head upstairs! It’s too loud down here!” replied Clyde with the same volume as Tyrone. “Aight, dawg!” Clyde quickly dodged some half-drunken peers and ran up the stairs. Tyrone looked around and saw Rainbow Dash and her friends sitting at the end of his big sectional couch near the flat-screen. He made his way to the couch and took the empty seat near Rainbow Dash, who was in deep conversation with Pinkie, even though she was looking at a wall. Once Rarity saw him, she quickly got up and walked over to him. “Do you know where Clyde is?” she asked politely, even though the loud room. “He went upstairs since it’s much quieter.” “Thank you,” replied Rarity with a smile. She elegantly moved through the crowd and made her way up the stairs. Tyrone looked back down the couch and saw the other girls walked away, leaving Rainbow Dash sitting there alone. Tyrone smiled and scooted over to her. With only a few minutes until Midnight, this was his chance. “RD!” he said smoothly as he wrapped an arm around her. “Oh no...” said Rainbow Dash with a sigh. “What’s wrong?” “T,” she said, moving away from his arm and looking at him, “Look, don’t take this the wrong way. I think you’re awesome! I just don’t think it would be good for us. We’re teammates and friends!” “That don’t matter, girl,” said Tyrone sadly. “We can be more than just teammates!” Rainbow Dash sighed. “It’s just, we can still be awesome together on the court and as friends! I’d rather fly solo some more.” Tyrone frowned. He knew there was no way now. “Aight, girl. At least we can still ball together. I just love your hair though.” “Why?” asked Rainbow Dash with a laugh. “It’s funky and shit. I need a girl like that, you feel me?” “I’m sure plenty of girls out there have hair like mine,” said Rainbow Dash with a comforting smile. “You’ll find her. It’s just not me.” Tyrone nodded. “You right. Thanks, RD. Sorry for making a move on ya.” “We’re good. I’m used to it.” She stood up and stretched out her hand, but stopped and gave him a friendly smile. “If it makes you feel better, you are my favorite teammate.” “I’ll take that.” Tyrone shook her hand and watched her walk away. He hung his head and felt sadness as he couldn’t have a girl for the night. He soon felt a weird sensation, as if someone was looking down at him. Curious, he looked up and saw a girl look at him with widened eyes. He gasped once he saw she had rainbow hair. “A-Are you Tyrone?” asked the girl. “Yeah, girl, I am.” The girl gasped and jumped up and down. “Oh my gosh! I’m like your biggest fan! I think you’re the coolest boy in the entire world!” Tyrone laughed. “I appreciate it. Say, what’s your name?” The girl giggled. “I have many names! Although to save some time, you can just call me First Light.” “More like First ‘Bae’,” laughed Tyrone again. Tyrone noticed that made her even more excited standing next to him. She definitely had the 'funky factor' he liked in a girl. Plus, she also seemed to really think he was super amazing which he never heard before. “Call me crazy, but I think I found her.” * * * * * Clyde sat back into the living room sofa and closed his eyes. All he could hear was the faint ambient noises coming from downstairs and the sizzle of the electric fireplace under the TV. He opened his eyes and saw the TV was on mute, but the New Year’s special was on. Clyde saw the countdown on the TV begin to get closer and closer to midnight and the crowd and special guests getting excited. “There you are,” said a familiar and angelic voice. He didn’t have to turn his head to watch Rarity walk up to him and sit down on the couch beside him. “What caused you to come up here?” “It’s more quiet up here,” began Clyde, “plus, it’s also not as hot.” “I guess.” Clyde saw her scoot closer to him and rest her hand on his shoulder. “Are you feeling well?” “What do you mean?” “Are you sick or don’t want to be here?” Clyde shook his head. “No, I’m fine. I’m not used to the large crowds is all. I just needed some breathing room for a few minutes so I came up here to watch midnight happen on TV.” “I hope you don’t mind if I join you?” asked Rarity with a pout. He knew she was feigning sadness. Clyde gave a small laugh. “Of course not.” “Good,” she said soothingly. “I’m sorry I didn’t hangout with you as much as I would have liked to. You were so preoccupied with that game I decided to go talk to the girls for a bit, well, all but one of them.” “Why, did someone not show up?” “Applejack stayed home to take Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo, somewhere. They wanted to come to this party, but Applejack, being the responsible sister she is, wouldn’t allow it.” Rarity checked her nails for a moment to see if they were still perfect. “Plus, she’s not the kind of person for these type of events. She’d rather work than slack.” “I haven’t really met her to agree with you,” said Clyde. “I’ve only met Pinkie and of course, Rainbow Dash.” Clyde saw Rarity flash a smile. “I’ll make sure to introduce you to all of my dearest friends.” “That sounds–” The cheers from downstairs interrupted him, causing him to look at the TV. The countdown was under a minute now and the people on the program and downstairs were shouting the numbers. “So Clyde,” said Rarity softly, but loud enough so he could hear her, “do you have a New Year’s resolution?” Clyde blinked and watched the countdown tick down to ‘30’. “I completely forgot about it. If I had to pick something, maybe continue helping my team or learn the guitar.” He looked over at her. “What about you?” Rarity sat there for a moment and looked away before returning her gaze at the TV screen. “Oh, you’ll find out soon enough...” Clyde stared at her, noticing a faint blush begin to appear on her face. He looked over at the TV screen and saw, and heard, the countdown tick down into single digits. After every number, the crowd downstairs shouted louder and louder. As the countdown reached ‘0’, Clyde heard people cheering, applauding, and running around downstairs. He looked over at Rarity. “Happy–” He stopped talking as he felt Rarity’s hands on his rough face of stubble. Without even telling his body to act, his eyes closed instantly and he felt his heartbeat beat faster as her soft lips finally met his. Clyde felt heat burn his cheeks, but because of her cool and shaky hand, he ignored it. Time was frozen in place and the only sound he could hear was his heart beating in joy. As her hands rested on his face, Clyde wrapped his arms around her lower waist, causing her to press her body closer into him more. He could smell the familiar perfume she wore during their first trip to the movies together, something he craved because it only caused him to think of her. Even through closed eyelids, he imagined her beautiful blue eyes were instantly filled with happiness and stars. Her lips had no particular taste due to his focus of only feeling them with his. Every sense in his body could tell him the same thing: this was the best moment of his life. Clyde could also tell Rarity was as nervous and excited as him. She wasn’t kissing him fully, like in the movies. Instead, her small movements with her lips caused Clyde to return them, but with more force. Just by contact with each other, he knew they both wanted to keep going. After a few more moments, Clyde felt Rarity’s angelic lips and hands begin depart away from him. He opened his eyes to see his favorite pair in the world gaze into his. “That was wonderful,” she said softly with a smile. Rarity leaned her forehead to touch his and smiled. Clyde could see her reddened cheeks burn with passion. “That was your resolution, huh?” asked Clyde with a loving smile. They both refused to break eye contact with each other. “Part of it. I wanted to finally share that moment with you because I only want you.” Clyde realized his arms were still around her lower waist so he pulled her closer and she snuggled into his shoulder. Clyde put his head atop hers and hugged her tightly to him. “That was my goal and I accomplished it within the first minute of the New Year!” “I say you did a pretty good job,” laughed Clyde. They watched the TV together and listened to the roar of the party downstairs. As Clyde felt Rarity’s gentle breaths on his chin, he thought of something. “Does this mean we’re a couple now?” Rarity giggled and broke out of his hug, much to his dismay. She looked at him and smiled. “Of course! I thought we were since Christmas, but neither of us said anything, so I guess this makes it official.” “I wanted to call you after I came over that day, but my brother called as I dialed your number,” said Clyde sadly. “It wiped my mind after that conversation.” Rarity frowned, but leaned her head on his shoulder again. She looked up at the ceiling and gave a comforting sigh. “It’s fine now, darling. It may have taken us an extremely long time to get together officially, but all of our past moments and memories were leading up to this night and this divine moment. We both care deeply for each other if we tried this hard for this long.” She turned around to look into his teal eyes again and smiled with lowered eyes. “Now we can share more moments together, but this time, as lovers.” “Oh?” said Clyde playfully, hugging her into an intimate embrace again. “I don’t think you mean anything by that.” Rarity giggled again and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I guess I’ll have to show you then...” she cooed. She quickly lunged at his mouth with hers. Unlike the first time, Clyde wasn’t as nervous and he could tell she wasn’t either. Instead of slow pecks, Rarity attacked his mouth with more energy, and most of all, more passion. He felt his heart beat happily each time Rarity’s lips smacked against his. He pulled her in closer to him and heard soft and quiet moans coming from her. Clyde ignored every sense in his body except touch as he wanted to only feel her intimate kiss. They continued their pace until Clyde felt Rarity slowly pull away again. Instead of gazing into his eyes, Rarity rested her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around his torso. “Waiting for it for so long made it perfect,” she cooed again. As she laid against him, Clyde could still feel his heart thumping. It wasn’t nervousness anymore like the first few times he talked to Rarity. That feeling began to fade out of his mind after he saw her affections towards him. This feeling was much different. It was a feeling he thought he lost in despair a long time ago. It was love. Love was something he thought he would never understand again after his parent's death. Except his busy brother, he didn’t have anyone he could turn to and talk about what was troubling him or even a random fact of the day. He had Tyrone and the boys now, but most of the time they would joke about serious topics. Rarity was different. She was truly someone he felt comfortable being around and telling her any secret he had. He knew she felt similar about him due to the various hints she gave him the past few weeks, but he hesitated on saying anything because he didn’t to get experience that pain again. Clyde looked down at her and gave a hug of his own. She snuggled closer into him as a response. The couple stayed on the couch for a few more minutes, not talking, but enjoying each other’s company, before returning downstairs. The music was back on and most of the people were either drunkenly dancing or singing. Clyde looked around for Tyrone or someone else, but he couldn’t find anyone. He felt a hand tug at his shirt and he turned around. Rarity looked at him. “Do you mind if you take me home? It’s getting late and people are getting even more drunk.” Her voice was more amplified than normal due to the music. “Sure thing,” said Clyde with a smile. They quickly ran back upstairs and walked past the couch they kissed on. Clyde and Rarity both stopped to look at each other again to smile at the thought of it. Clyde gave one last look for Tyrone before following Rarity out the door. The two of them walked outside into the cool air and Rarity instantly shivered. “Why did I forget a jacket? I guess I wasn’t thinking...” She felt Clyde put his jacket over her shoulder and she sighed in relief. “You really are getting better at hints.” “I can’t leave my lady in the cold. That would be rude.” Rarity brushed her hand over his face of stubble and entered his car, leaving him to smile. He looked up into the sky to search for stars, but clouds were blocking them. He shrugged and quickly entered the car. Instead of their normal car drives, Clyde kept the radio off so he could talk to Rarity. They didn’t have much to say, other than the party, but hearing her laugh and giggle made him feel happy. Once he pulled up along the curb at the normal spot, he turned off the car. They sat in silence before Rarity reached over and grabbed his hand with hers. “I guess I’ll talk to you later?” she asked with a wink. Clyde stared at the road. “Hmm, maybe even sooner.” Rarity gasped and laughed. “I’m surprised you remembered that. That was so long ago...” “Yeah, but it’s also the night we began talking to each other, too. I won't forget moments like that.” “Of course,” she said blissfully. He felt her grab his hand tighter and rub it with her thumb. Clyde saw her look at her store entrance with the corner of his eyes. “Well, I probably should get inside, sadly. It is almost one in the morning.” She opened the door and began to let go of his hand. “Wait,” said Clyde, snatching back her hand. Rarity looked over at him and stared into his blazing teal eyes. “What’s wrong, darling?” she said in a soft whisper. Clyde stared into her enchanting sapphire eyes unable to speak. He felt his heart thump again. This time, it was a mix of nervousness and the newly returning feeling of love. He knew his heart wanted to tell her something, but his nerves made him hesitant. He wasn’t alone anymore. He knew what his heart wanted. With a quick movement, Clyde placed his arm behind her head and kissed her lips. He heard her giggle before she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. They sat there in his car, under the dim glow of the street light, kissing each other passionately. Clyde departed after a few minutes and placed his forehead on hers. They opened their eyes simultaneously and smiled away. “What was that for?” she asked coquettishly, her arms still dangling around his neck. Clyde felt his heart thump faster and faster. Nothing in the world was better than her. If he won the lottery, he would give it all to her. Rarity was what his heart wanted and she was the only one who could have it. “It’s because I can’t wait to see you again,” he said softly in a whisper, “and because I love you, Rarity.” Rarity’s eyes widened and a faint gasp came from her mouth. Clyde watched her expression of shock transform quickly into glee. She kissed him lightly on the lips again before returning her gaze to his eyes. “I love you too, Clyde.” They sat together and kissed again before Rarity exited his car. Clyde started up the car and took out his phone. He signaled to Rarity to wait a minute and he typed a something on his phone. He looked up at her after typing “Goodnight. Oh, and keep the jacket.” He beamed as he watched her read the message and laugh. She quickly typed something back to which he looked down at the screen. “Goodnight, my love. ♥” Clyde smiled one last time before pulling away from the curb. He watched her wave from his mirrors and he pondered about the night. Not only did he have an amazing time as Tyrone’s party, he finally became Rarity’s boyfriend. After all these years, fate finally showed love to him. * * * * * Rarity watched Clyde turn right on the avenue and she lowered her arm down. She stood there for a moment and quickly ran inside. She threw her boots near the door and ran upstairs into her room as quickly as possible. Once inside she closed the door, flopped on her bed, and hugged her pillow tightly. “Ahh!” she yelled happily into her pillow. “He said it! He finally said it!” She continued her squees for ten minutes before deciding to call it a night. She wore his jacket to bed, which she could faintly smell his cologne, and held her pillow close to her. After some quick thoughts about Clyde and some snuggles into her pillow, she passed out effortlessly.