New Year's Eve

6

New Year's Eve 2008

Age: 18

"Are you going to tell him?" Mum asked as we entered the function room. The room looked the same every single year, but it held so many memories.

"Yeah, of course I am," I replied, a little irritable at my mum's constant questioning. "I'm trying to find the right moment."

"Well, you have to tell him sometime." Dad chipped in.

"Yes, I know." I sighed, rubbing my forehead in frustration. I wanted nothing more than to go in there and have a good night and forget about all my worries and troubles. But that was not the case.

I shook my head and tried to expel all my negative thoughts and feelings, along with letting out a huge breath. I searched the area for my boyfriend and spotted him talking to his parents. My mood lifted in an instant and a smile made its way onto my face. Robert always seemed to make things better.

Robert spotted me when I saw him, and a huge smile lit up his face. Words didn't even begin to describe how much I was in love with him. He politely excused himself from his parents and made his way towards me. I picked up my pace, and we met in the middle. As soon as we were within touching distance, Robert threw his arms around me and he lifted me and spun me around. He then let go of me when my feet touched the ground, and he captured my lips with his own.

This seemed a little dramatic for a greeting. But we hadn't seen each other in at least two weeks, and that was an awfully long time for Robert and me. We spent every moment together that we could. And when we weren't physically together, we would even fall asleep in the middle of a phone call.

But I saw the space as a good thing, considering we were off to university soon. We could head to universities on opposite sides of the country for all we knew. I also had to prepare myself to tell Robert something important and highly troubling. Troubling for me, at least. But I missed him so much. It was strange how someone can make such an impact on your life that you feel lost without them.

"Is it bad that I've missed you like crazy?" I asked him as both of our hands fell back down to our sides.

Robert grabbed my hands and intertwined our fingers with a cheeky grin on his face. "Nope, because I've missed you like crazy, too."

I couldn't help but grin back. Robert's smiles were infectious. But I then thought about the thing that was always floating above my head — the thing I had to tell Robert — and the smile slipped off my face.

"What's wrong?" Robert asked, noticing my obvious change in demeanour. His forehead creased, and he became very concerned.

I shook my head and plastered a fake smile on my face. It was crazy how he had the skills to read my face like a book.

"Nothing, don't worry about it." I then grabbed Robert's hands and pulled him to the dancefloor, faking enthusiasm. "Let's dance!"

We danced for a little while, but it was hard to fake enthusiasm, and Robert noticed. I usually danced the night away, without a care in the world, but tonight, I couldn't feel the beat of the music to dance to it.

After two dances, Robert still couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. He must have decided to do something about it because he gently took me by the hand and led me to the patio outside. It was the same patio where he told me he was in love with me a year ago to the day.

We stopped in the centre of the patio, and Robert turned to face me. He then placed his hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eye.

"What's wrong?" Robert asked. I opened my mouth to reply, but he cut me off. "And don't say 'nothing' because It's not nothing. You seem to forget that I know you better than I know myself." I smiled at Robert's words because they were true. He knew me like the back of his hand, and I reciprocated that mood. He placed his hands on my cheeks and forced me to look into his eyes. "Now tell me what's wrong."