New Year of Passion and Misunderstanding- Short Story Pt.1

New Year’s Eve in New York City. The music had been playing since before I could remember. I had been drinking so much that I could barely recall arriving to the party, in which I was a total stranger. I didn’t know anybody, at least in the traditional sense, although I had been sharing life stories with the guys next to me for the past hour or so. A thought began to form in my mind and suddenly it was all very clear – I had been waiting for Jenn since before I arrived at the club. Jennifer Howland was my best friend and confidant who had convinced me that it would be a good idea to move to New York just weeks before New Year. A city in which I was practically all by myself. No matter how much I needed a change of scenery, sometimes I thought I had made a huge mistake.

The loud music never stopped; the rhythm was one noisy song after another. A perfect ambiance for when you really weren’t interested in getting to know the person next to you. However, the guy sitting next to me at the bar didn’t seem to mind the noise. I believed he was just happy to be talking. He kept telling me how it had been the best year of his life and how next year he would probably become one of the wealthiest people in the city. Not that I was paying much attention, I never understood how a person could just sit in a bar and start bragging about their achievements to random people, but apparently it was a common practice in the big apple’s night life.

The club grew more crowded by the minute, and I started to contemplate the possibility that maybe I had arrived to the party too early. After all, that had always been one of my flaws, according to Jenn. It was almost midnight and I was starting to worry because Jenn hadn’t arrived. Then, over the music, I heard a familiar voice shouting my name from afar. I looked around, but could not locate the source until I turned to the VIP and saw it – the green hat. I had met Jennifer during my junior year of high school and even back then she had already been rocking the green hat. How many people could say that their sense of style did not change over the years? I have no idea, but Jenn’s never had and neither had her spirit. She was still that brave girl with an amazing attitude towards the world. She was waving at me to go to the table she had secured, if that’s what being on top of the table meant.

The club was packed. I found it hard to even walk around the edges, so I decided to go through the dance floor – a horrible idea as I was carrying drinks in both hands. As I walked across the color changing floor, the countdown to midnight started and people quieted down. I focused on my task of reaching the other side of the club as fast as I could. Then it happened: 3, 2, 1 BOOM! Happy New Year! Before I even had time to think, people started jumping and bumping into me. I dropped one of the drinks and bang! A kiss. I was a bit drowsy from the booze, but I couldn’t resist – not that I wanted it. It was the best kiss I had ever had in my life. The girl stopped, took the leftover drink out of my hand, said a happy New Year, and danced away. All of the sudden, I was left alone in the middle of the dance floor as her red hair disappeared in the crowd.

Finally I made it to Jenn’s table, but I was not in that world anymore. Jenn hugged and kissed me. She was talking but I didn’t pay attention to her, my mind was focused on that girl. I couldn’t even hear the music. Everything just stopped for a second and then I heard: “Earth to Roy, Earth to Roy,” Jenn repeated, as she waved her hand in front of my face. “I told you to stop calling me that, my name is Ronald.” She winked at me, smiled, and said, “Yeah, but Roy sounds much cooler.” We laughed and everything went back to the way it was supposed to be, the partying and dancing. After a while Jenn stopped dancing, picked up a bottle of champagne and shouted, “This is our motherfucking year!”

It must have been quiet the rest of the night. After Jenn’s premonition for the upcoming year, I didn’t remember much.

The pounding in my head was killing me; it felt like my brain had been pounded with a hammer. Moments before midday, I heard somebody knocking at the door. Somehow I crawled my way to the door to find Jenn on the other side. “Why aren’t you up, man?” Or at least that was what I think she said. I could barely think straight at that point. I asked what was she doing up so early, but already knew the answer. She was on a run. She always ran before she headed to the boxing gym to train. When it came down to her workouts, Jenn never played around. I believe that’s what made her such a good boxer. Jenn realized that I was hungover and started to speak in a lower tone of voice.

“What a party last night! I haven’t had so much fun in a while,” Jenn said
“Better than being home alone,” I said. After my latest relationship ended, I had become kind of a homebody – one of the main reasons Jenn had convinced me to move to New York.
“So how is the job hunt going?” she asked, but I didn’t answer.
“I got to go to the GYM, I will see you tomorrow at brunch,” Jenn said as she headed out the door.

After Jenn left, for I moment, I was transported back to a year ago when I thought I had everything going on for me. I was working for National Geographic and engaged to my high school sweetheart, who I loved but, apparently, she was not ready to commit. The boxers belonging to the pizza delivery guy pretty much sealed that deal. And to think that I had almost given her a second chance! Sometimes I thought I was too naive for only trying to see the good in people, but the truth was that I just wasn’t brave enough to face a world in which everybody was looking for a way to push the next person down.

Thinking of what could have been left me so tired that I decided to take a little nap that wound up lasting almost a whole day. The train passing right outside my window woke me up just before dawn. One would think that New York was the loudest place in the world, but it could be quite relaxing at times. I had moved to New York with one idea in mind, that I would not repeat my past mistakes. In specific, I would no longer center my life on the person I was dating. I had been known to fall in love too fast and that was something I wanted to change in my new life. That year I was supposed to focus on my career and nothing else. Yesterday felt stiff and hopeless, but today was a new year full of hopes and new opportunities.

The train stopped on 42nd street. I was going to meet Jenn and one of her friends for brunch in a place near the Brooklyn Bridge. I had been to several interviews already that day but, apparently, New York was not very welcoming of unrecognized photographers. Most of the positions I had been offered were entry level, which in my opinion meant a setback in my career. Jenn was convinced that one of her friends would be able to hook me up with a gig or two.

The day was hot for January. Most people on the streets were wearing short sleeves and even one or two had shorts on. The restaurant was just a block away from the subway stop. According to Jenn’s latest text they were sitting on the patio. Arriving to the restaurant, I could see Jenn, but her friend was sitting against the door, so I could only see the back of her head. Jenn saw me and stood up to meet me.
“Roy!” Jenn shouted. “What took you so long?”
“I had an interview that lasted longer than expected,” I responded with a smile on my face, like I had gotten a job offer, which hurt to say I did not.
Turning to her friend, Jenn said, “Well, let’s get this over with.” Jenn stretched her arm to touch her friend’s shoulder. “This is Katherine Pipper, best pal and redhead extraordinaire.”

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It continues .... I wrote this short story awhile back and I have been looking for a wait to share. Please follow, upvote & share if you like to see the end of the story. All comments are welcome