Happy New Year

Author:  Abby Lockhart – Hanna

Email:  hans910@hotmail.com

Title:  “Happy New Year”

It was New Year’s Eve.  In the lounge, Abby looked out the window and was surprised to see a light blanket of snow covering the ground, and more steadily drifting down from the sky.

                                                                                                                                                         Ah, snow.  Abby liked snow.  Hated the cold, but liked snow, if that made any sense.  She supposed it didn’t.  Well then, it’d fit in perfectly with everything else that was going on in her life.

Everything else – namely, that being Carter.  At least they’d started talking more now.  The bad thing was, when that happened, Abby found herself with that burning, stinging attraction that, in previous times, did much less good than bad.

Oh well.  Abby sighed.  She just didn’t know what to do about it all.

Reaching into her locker, she put on her coat and pulled on her gloves.  Just then, the lounge door swung open and Carter stepped in.  Abby felt her heart flutter.

“Hey, Abby!” he exclaimed.

“Hi.”  She put on a hat and grabbed her purse.

“What’re you doing tonight?” he asked as he took off his stethoscope and white coat.

“Actually, nothing,” she said bashfully.  Why would anyone want to go out if she could stay home and wallow in self-pity?

“Really?”  He sounded surprised.

“Yeah.  What about you, Carter?”

“Actually, I’m staying home too.”  He took out his jacket.

Abby raised an eyebrow.  She had been sure he’d go to some glamorous New Year’s party.  (Yes, she’d thought about it.)  “Fun, huh?” she said sarcastically.

“Oh, yeah.”  He smiled.  Before he could stop himself, he posed an invitation.  “We should hang out.”  Shocked at himself, he held his breath and waited for her reply.

Obviously surprised, Abby let out a nervous laugh.  “Um… Yeah.  That’d be fun.”

Carter grinned.  “Great!  We could… You can just come home with me now!  We can hang out.”

“Why the hell not?” Abby wondered aloud.

Carter felt like jumping up and down in excitement.  “Let’s go, then,” he said, and they exited the ER.

It was around seven-thirty when they left, and already getting dark.  The snow had almost stopped, reduced to the minimal sputtering that the clouds seemed reluctant to produce.

Abby looked up at the sky in wonder.  It was past sundown, and would normally have been quite dark, but the sky was that illuminated, purplish-gray color that meant snow.  When the sky was that color, the night was brighter.

“Do you mind the El?” Carter asked.

“No, of course not.”

Carter offered his arm and was delighted when Abby’s gloved hand took it. They walked, arm in arm, to the El platform, where he insisted Abby go up first.

They came to the entrance, and Abby rummaged around in her purse for loose change.

“I got it, Abby,” Carter told her.

“You sure?”  She looked up gratefully.

“Yeah.  ’Course.”  He paid for two tokens and handed her one.

They passed through the turnstiles and Carter led her to the right train stop.

“My car’s in the shop,” he explained apologetically.

“It’s okay, Carter,” Abby said with a smile.

“Good.”  They could hear loud rumbling, and then the train pulled up.  Carter, Abby, and a few others boarded.

The train was nearly empty.  The car they sat in occupied only two others – two teenagers, making out furiously.

When Carter and Abby saw, and looked at each other, they burst out laughing.  The teenagers took no notice, but they still tried to stifle their giggles.

“Ugh, I’m freezing,” Abby said after her laughter subsided.  She pulled her coat tighter around herself.  “Stupid me.  Forgot my scarf.”

Not missing a beat, Carter unwrapped his own from around his neck and held it out to her.

Surprised, Abby waved it away.  “I’m fine,” she said, flattered.

“No, really.”  He offered it again.

“No, really!”  She pushed his arm away gently.

“Okay, Abby.  You asked for it.”  He turned and wrapped the scarf around her neck himself.

Abby grinned and didn’t protest.  Once it was on, she snuggled into it and inhaled deeply.  The dark, charcoal gray was a fine cashmere.  It smelled faintly of him, and Abby sniffed slowly again to smell more.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice smothered by the scarf.

“Any time.”  The El began to slow, and Carter stood up before pulling Abby to her feet.  They stepped past the teenagers and into the cool night.

They walked the couple of blocks to Carter’s place briskly.  He stopped at a large, split-level brown duplex.

“This is pretty,” Abby remarked.  It was – and something about it was just charming.  It stood there, lonely, on the street , the next houses quite a distance away.

“Thanks,” he said, and pulled his key from his coat pocket.

“Who lives on the other side?” she asked.

“An elderly woman.  Mrs. Johnson.”  Carter pushed open the door and held it open for Abby.

Abby stepped inside and looked around.  The house was simply but beautifully furnished.  A brown leather couch stood by a large, overstuffed armchair.

“Here, I’ll take your coat,” Carter offered.  “Make yourself at home.”  He hung up her coat and walked into the kitchen to get himself a glass of water.

Abby sat down on the couch.  It was very comfortable, she noticed happily.  She was in heaven – Carter’s scent, manly but gentle, surrounded her.

“Hungry?” Carter called from the kitchen.

“A little.”  Abby rose and walked over to the kitchen, which was connected to the living room by a wide, open doorway.

“Okay,” he said.  “What should we make?”

“What do you have?”

“Hmm.  Good question… I honestly don’t know.”

Abby looked at him quizzically.  “What do you mean, you don’t know?” she asked.  “What, do you have a maid or something?”

Carter laughed.  “Actually…”

“Carter!”

“No, no.  Not a maid.  More like a housekeeper.  She cleans a little.  Makes meals and puts them in the fridge for me.  Anyway, she’s on vacation this week.”  Carter shrugged.

“Ah.  Well, let’s see what you’ve got.”  Abby pulled open his cupboard doors to see a normal bachelor’s food supply – a box of Frosted Flakes, some microwave popcorn, a bag of Chex Mix, a package of Oreos, a jar of peanut butter, and a box of spaghetti noodles.  Abby cocked her head to the side.  “Hmm.  Well, let’s look in the fridge, then.”

He held open the door as she bent to look inside.  A jug of milk, a large bunch of carrots, a carton of orange juice, a few eggs, a bottle of Pepsi, a jar of tomato sauce, a stick of butter, and one lonely potato sat randomly on the shelves.

“Diagnosis?” Carter joked.

Abby groaned.  “Carter, that was lame.”

He laughed.  “I know.”

“Anyway,” she said, “looks like spaghetti.  Or spaghetti.  Ooh, how about spaghetti?”

“Sounds great,” Carter answered.  “But you know, you’re just as lame as I am.”  He laughed.

“I know!” she replied.

“So what do we do?”

“Get a pot and boil some water,” Abby told him.

“All right, I think I can handle that.”  He got out a pot.

Abby got out the pasta, butter, and sauce.  “Do you have a saucepan?” she asked Carter.

“Those are the flat ones, right?”

“Yeah.”

He rummaged around in a cupboard before pulling out a medium-sized skillet.  “Like this?” he asked.

“Yeah.  That’s fine.”  She set it aside for later.

“Is it gonna be done soon?” Carter asked, gesturing to the large pot of water.

“It’ll be a while before it’s boiled,” Abby replied.

“Okay.  I’ll set the table then.”  He walked to a cupboard and pulled out a beautiful, embroidered linen tablecloth.  “How’s this?” he asked.

“Fine dining!  Wonderful!”

Carter threw Abby the tablecloth and she laid it out on the round kitchen table.  He then threw her two matching place settings before bringing over a set of crystal candleholders.

“Those are pretty,” Abby remarked.

“You think so?  They were my great-grandparents.’”  He shrugged and set them at the center of the table.  Opening a drawer in the cupboard, he paused.  “Let’s see… we’ve got your plates… silverware…”

He took out two fine, hand-painted china plates and handed them to Abby.  He then pulled out silverware and linen napkins and they set the table.

“The water’s probably done,” Abby said, and, sure enough, they found that the big pot was bubbling.

“What now?” Carter inquired.

She handed him the box of spaghetti and told him to empty it into the pot.  He somehow managed to do so without making much of a mess, and then Abby placed the saucepan on a burner.  She emptied the jar of sauce onto it and turned the heat on.

“This part doesn’t take long,” Abby told him.

“Good.”  He paused.  “Oh, I almost forgot!  I bought this sparkling cider a while ago.  Would you like some?”

“Sure.”  Abby smiled, and Carter pulled out the bottle from above a cupboard over his fridge, followed by two elegant wine glasses.  He handed her one.

“I haven’t held one of these in a while,” she remarked.  Her face was expressionless; it was a bittersweet feeling.

“Yeah.  I know what you mean.”  He dug out an opener from a drawer and carefully popped off the cork.  She held out her glass and he filled it before filling his own.

“Here’s to – ”  He glanced out the window as he raised his glass.  “Snow!”

Abby laughed.  “To snow!” she repeated, and clinked her glass with his before taking a sip.

They turned back to the spaghetti, and Abby found a wooden spoon to stir the sauce with.

“So, Abby,” Carter said, and turned to her, “how’s everything been going with you?”  He playfully nudged her elbow with his own.

“It’s going all right, I guess.”  She felt a lot better now that she was there with him, and she smiled as she nudged him back.

“That’s good.”  He nudged her elbow a second time, but Abby’s hand was too close to the skillet and her middle finger touched the edge of the scalding pan.

“Dammit!”  She pulled her hand away quickly and saw the red burn mark forming.

“Oh, Abby, I’m sorry!”  He turned the faucet on.  “Here.”  He grabbed her hand and shoved it under the icy water.

The pain throbbed through her finger, but Abby was laughing.  “Thanks a lot, Carter!” she joked, grinning.  “It still hurts, though.”  She gave him a five-year-old pout.

“Aw, poor Abby.  You want me to kiss it for you?”

Abby froze.  He became aware that he was still holding her hand a moment after she did, and he forced himself to let her go.  His words hung in the air, echoing through their ears.

He wanted to kick himself.  Wrong thing to say, wrong thing to say, he thought to himself repeatedly.

Inside, Abby was somewhat panicking.  What did he mean by that?  That was too strange.

She straightened up.  You can strain the noodles, now,” she told Carter, and he did.  She put some butter on them and he put the noodles in a nice bowl.  After the food had made its way to the table, so did Carter and Abby, and they sat down, grateful to have something to fill the empty silence – food.

After less than a minute of not speaking, Carter itched to break the silence.  Squirming, he took another bite of spaghetti and glanced out the window.

“Wow,” he said.  “It’s really coming down out there.”

Abby looked out to see the fat, fluffy snowflakes.  Anything to avoid Carter’s gaze.  “Yeah,” she agreed.

“Do you like snow?” he asked her.

“Yeah, I do.  Do you?”  She still wasn’t making eye contact with him.

“I love it,” he replied.  “I love making snow forts.  I did when I was little, I mean.”

Abby laughed.  “Sure, Carter.  When you were little.”

“Hey!” he exclaimed.  “I was littler last week.” 

“Uh huh.”  Abby cracked up.

“Aw, come on.  Playing in the snow is fun.”

“Is it?”  Abby set down her fork.  “I haven’t done it in forever.”

“Really?  Well!  We have to go play outside then.”

“Um… okay!”  Abby couldn’t help but flash a smile.

“Great.  After dinner, then.”

They went back to their dinner.  Carter couldn’t help but watch her as they ate.  The lights were dimmed, and the two white candles made Abby’s hair shimmer as it fell in front of her face.  He watched as her slender fingers tucked the hair back behind her cute ears.  He watched the silver fork bring bites of food to her irresistible mouth.  He watched her soft, dark eyes look at him.

“What is it, Carter? You’ve been looking at me a lot.  Do I have something in my teeth?”  She smiled.

“You’re beautiful,” he said simply.

It caught her by surprise, but it wasn’t awkward or unwelcome.  The moment seemed right.  She felt her heart leap.  “Thank you,” she replied, a little shyly.

He nodded, still somewhat mesmerized.  They had both finished eating.  It was just spaghetti, but it’d been one of the best dinners of his life.

He got up and walked to Abby’s side of the table and helped her rise.

“So, outside?” Carter asked her.

“Yes,” she replied.  “But I don’t have any clothes to wear out there.  Snow pants or anything.”

“I’m sure I can scrounge some up,” he assured her.  She watched as he entered his bedroom and rummaged in a closet.

The bedroom was simple but attractive, reminding her of a page straight out of a Pottery Barn catalogue.  A big, wrought-iron bed frame held up the mattress, covered in an off-white, heavy down comforter.  A small alarm clock and a lamp sat atop a dark wooden bedside table.

A few minutes later, Carter emerged with an armload of clothes.  He dropped them on the couch beside Abby and picked up a pair of snow pants. 

“Try these,” he said, handing them to her.  “They fit me when I was, like, twelve.”

She pulled them on.  They were much too long and very baggy.  “They’re fine!” she announced.

He laughed.  “All right.  Here’s a coat.”  He handed her a big blue jacket.  When she put it on, she found that it reached almost to her knees.

“Perfect,” she said.  He then gave her huge gloves and a hat.

She stepped into a pair of Carter’s size 12 boots and was set.  Carter did the same and put on all of his outdoor gear.

“Ready?” he asked.  She nodded.  Between the hat and the coat, only her eyes and nose were visible. 

He held open his back door for her and they stepped outside.  A good foot or so had already piled up, and more snow steadily continued to fall.

Abby held out her arms and spun around slowly, her head tilted up to the sky.  She opened her mouth to catch the fluffy flakes.

Carter stood back and watched her, a wide smile covering his face.  She was a picture right out of a movie.  He watched as she sunk down and lay on her back.

“Snow angels!” she called.  “C’mon!”

He bounded over to her and lay down.

“I haven’t done this in years,” she said to him, waving her arms and legs.

“I know what you mean,” he agreed, and did the same.  Back and forth they waved and kicked, gently, making imprints in the snow.

“The hard part is getting up,” she remarked, and stopped moving.

Carter sat up and managed to rise without damaging his angel.  From there, he hopped over to stand a foot or so in front of Abby, and held out his arms.  “I’ll help you,” he offered.

She smiled at him.  The light from the house cast a yellow glow on them and the surrounding snow.  She took his gloved hands, and he pulled her up.

“Thank you, Carter.”  She was now standing up at the bottom of her angel.

“Of course, Abby,” he replied.  With that, he put one arm across Abby’s shoulders and the other at her knees, and lifted her up.

“Carter!” Abby exclaimed, surprised.

He stepped carefully a few feet away from the angels and carefully set Abby back on her feet.  She looked up at him, and he looked back warmly.  That look, she thought, could melt this snow.  For a few moments, she still felt tingles from where he’d touched her.

“Look at our angels,” she said softly when she could muster up the ability to speak.  “They’re holding hands.”

He followed her gaze and saw that it was true – the angels’ wings were touching.  The sight made his heart sing.  They stood there and watched their united creation for a few moments.

“So, Carter,” Abby finally said, “why don’t you show me how to build a snow fort like a master?”

“You got it!” he replied, and bounded off excitedly.

She followed, more slowly.  Abby! she asked herself.  What is going on here?  With Carter?

She knew the feeling all too well.  She was just so good at hiding it and pushing it away that she hadn’t come to grips with it in quite some time.

Screw it, she thought, and ran to catch up with Carter.

“So, what do we do?” Abby asked him.

“Pile it all up over here,” he answered.  She got on her knees and started pushing the snow all to one spot.  When they had a fairly large pile accumulated, Carter sat back on his heels.

“All right,” he said.  “Now we start to shape it into the walls.”

Abby watched, amused, as Carter carefully patted, pushed, and prodded the snow pile into a shape resembling a wall.  He sat in the snow, brows furrowed in concentration, gingerly shaping the snow pile.

Abby grabbed a handful of the white stuff as evil thoughts crossed her mind.  As quietly as possible, she crept up in back of him.  Totally oblivious, Carter still sat there unperturbed.  A sinister smile passing over her face, Abby raised the snow high over her head before letting it plunk down on his head.

The expression on his face changed from shock to revengeful;  before Abby knew what was happening, she was lying face-up on the ground, and a heap of snow, twice as big as the one that she had dropped, landed on her.

Abby and Carter collapsed next to each other in a fit of laughter.  When she could find the strength, she reached next to her, and another handful of snow landed on Carter’s face.  This set off a huge snow fight, the air sparkling with the white flakes flying everywhere.  It went on for several long and agonizing minutes, complete with whitewashes, dunks, and surprise attacks, all ending in a flurry of sparkling snow.

Finally exhausted, Carter dropped to the ground, just inside his half-made snow fort.  Abby did the same and tumbled down haphazardly, accidentally landing on top of him.  Not having enough energy – or willpower – to roll off, she let out a big sigh and lay there happily.

“Look at the sky color,” Carter remarked, and they gazed up at the purple sky.

“It’s beautiful,” Abby replied, her head on his chest.  She suddenly remembered that it was New Year’s Eve, and she lifted her head up briefly.  “What time is it, anyway?” she asked.

Carter lifted up his coat sleeve and glanced at his watch.  “It’s quarter of midnight,” he told her.  “Jeez.  The night has flew by.”

“Yeah, it has,” Abby agreed blissfully.

They lay there for another minute or so, until Abby sat up.  “Let’s go inside,” she said.  “We don’t want to miss the ball drop.”

“Sure,” he agreed.  “Let’s make some hot cocoa.”

“Sounds wonderful,” Abby said.

They helped each other up, and they stepped back into Carter’s house before wiping themselves off.  They hung up their clothes and heated up some milk for hot chocolate.

Settling down on the couch with their steaming mugs, Carter flipped on the television set.

“Just in time,” he said.  It was the last minute before the ball dropped.

Abby smiled.  She was so glad that she’d agreed to spend the evening with Carter.  And she didn’t care that her feelings toward him had inflated from being just his friend;  the new feelings weren’t unwelcome.  She had accepted them unconsciously, and just as unconsciously, she leaned into him as the seconds ticked down to the new year.

Soon, the crowd on TV was chanting down the last ten seconds.

“TEN!   NINE!   EIGHT!”

Abby looked over at Carter and smiled.  He grinned back.  She felt content there with him, and safe.  It was something that she hadn’t felt in quite some time – perhaps she’d never even felt it with Luka at all.  It was something different, new, and exciting.

“THREE!   TWO!   ONE!”  The crowd yelled and cheered before embracing.

“Abby?” she heard Carter say.

“Hmm?”  She turned her face to his.

“Happy New Year.”

 And with that, he gave her a gentle kiss on the lips.