I had planned on making this a one-shot and publishing it on New Year's – since it is a New Year's Eve story. But as so often happens things don't go as planned. It's only my second attempt at a contemporary story but I thought I'd try something different. The second, and final, chapter should be up in a day or two.

Wishing everyone a very happy and healthy New Year!

Ten Years Ago

Tom put the phone down, broke out in a big grin, raised his fists in the air and shouted "I did it."

Although there was no one else in the room, indeed in the house, he continued to strut up and down the floor of the first floor sitting room, pumping his fists in the air and whooping like an American cowboy.

It was several minutes before he composed himself and collapsed on the sofa. He couldn't believe that he had gotten the job. Although he had been called back for a second interview he had left that interview somewhat downcast, not for any particular reason or that he thought he hadn't done well, it was just a feeling he had. He had answered all the questions of the three member panel but Tom thought one of panelist had seemed rather hostile to him.

Leaving the interview, he spied the next candidate sitting comfortably in the waiting lounge dressed in an obviously expensive three piece suit, looking as if he'd be at home at Eton or some other posh school. Tom had wanted to wipe that smug look off the git's face. Since he had been in England he had come to know that type rather well, they knew that their names and fortunes would always open doors to them that weren't available to blokes like Tom.

Walking out of the room, Tom loosened his silk blue tie, a good luck gift from Sybil, and undid the top bottom of his starch white shirt. He was wearing his finest suit the type of which could be bought at any good department store but certainly not tailored made as that git's suit. He had left the hotel in high spirits after Sybil had complimented him on his attire.

"If they're hiring on appearances alone" she had said "you'll get the job."

"That sounds rather sexist" Tom smirked. "Especially coming from a feminist like you."

"Well I may be a feminist but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate a good looking man" Sybil returned.

"Yes" Tom laughed. "I couldn't help but notice how much you showed your appreciation last night."

"Tom!" Even though they had been dating for over a year now, he could still make Sybil blush.

Sybil. The thought of her caused Tom to pause in his merriment at the job offer. Sybil.

When he had applied for the job, Tom assumed it would be at the headquarters office in London where he had gone for the interviews. During the first interview and even most of the second one, the focus had been on Tom's qualifications and education. It was only towards the end of the second interview that the question of working for one of the overseas bureaus had been brought up. Of course he was available to work overseas he had answered, in fact he looked forward to such an opportunity for one should arise he added never dreaming that such an opportunity would present itself now and not in a few years' time.

Hong Kong. There had been no specific mention of Hong Kong during the interviews. But now on the telephone the offer had been made for a job in the Hong Kong office. The job was with the BBC, the world's oldest national broadcasting system and the largest based on the number of employees and Tom couldn't let this opportunity pass.

He had to accept it even if it meant …

He was sitting on the front steps of Sybil's flat waiting for her to return home from class. The bottle of champagne was in his backpack which lay beside him on the broad steps. His euphoria of obtaining his dream job was tempered by the dread of what this would mean for him and Sybil. She still had another year of university so her moving to Hong Kong with him was definitely out of the question.

She was so happy and excited for him that Tom didn't think it registered with her that the job was in Hong Kong.

It was only later that evening, after they had drunk the champagne and feasted on take away, since as usual Sybil's refrigerator was fairly empty except for yogurt, cheese and a couple of bottles of wine, after they had made love, that they began to talk seriously of what this meant for them.

They'd talk on the phone every day. They'd send emails daily. Sybil would visit on her term break. They'd make it work.

Only with the time difference between Hong Kong and England it wasn't so easy to talk on the phone. As part of his job, Tom traveled throughout Asia, making it sometimes seem like his flat in Hong Kong was only another hotel room.

After the first flurry of daily emails, they became less frequent. Sybil thought she didn't really have much to say on a daily basis, her routine was pretty much as it had been before Tom left, attend classes, write papers, research in the library. She didn't want to tell him of the parties she attended just to cure her loneliness or the jealousy she felt reading his emails about all the new adventures he was having. Granted most of it was about his work but that work was taking him all over Asia and he was meeting new people and exploring new places while she was still at university with the same people and going to the same places. As he became more and more involved with work his emails became less frequent.

Sybil wasn't able to visit during her first term break. She had taken an internship and had to work over her break. Both expressed their disappointment with Tom stating he understood that the internship could lead to a job after her graduation but he withheld his thoughts or rather fears that this meant her interest in him was fading. For her part Sybil was hurt that Tom didn't beg her to come to Hong Kong anyway that she'd find another job after graduation.

Tom didn't get a proper holiday until he had been on the job for a year. He went to Dublin to see his family before going to England and seeing Sybil. Her internship had led to a full time job after her graduation from university and she was now living in Edinburgh a city she had come to enjoy. She loved her work at the non-profit and was determined to make a success of it. Any hopes Tom had that Sybil would now move to Hong Kong were dashed.

It had been evident in their few phone calls and in his emails that Tom loved his job. Being in a foreign office had offered him more opportunities than Tom had imagined. He had even done some on-the-air broadcasting which he was disappointed that Sybil hadn't seen. He explained to her that he had to stay at least another year in Hong Kong before he could even think about transferring to another office. Any hopes that Sybil had that Tom would move to London or at least somewhere closer were dashed.

The week they spent together was almost like he had never been away … almost. Sybil had taken off work so she could spend as much time as possible with Tom. They spent several days just walking around the beautiful city of Edinburgh acting as tourists.

One day was spent outside the city on the coast where they took a long walk on the beach and enjoyed fresh fish and chips in one of the local villages. Another day they drove in a different direction to the country side where they had a picnic. After being in crowded Hong Kong for so long, Tom especially enjoyed those leisurely days when at times there was no other person in sight except Sybil.

And of course there were the evenings, and mornings, when they made love. At first, there was an urgency in their love making as if they knew they didn't have much time together. But as the week went on, as they grew accustom to being with each other again, it was as if they had all the time in the world to be together.

It was a chilly rainy morning when Sybil took Tom to the Edinburgh airport for his flight to London and then on to Hong Kong, the weather a fitting match for their moods. Although neither would articulate why this good-bye seemed harder than the first time Tom had left for Hong Kong. That first time both had felt excitement at the new adventure for Tom and both were confident in their future.

This time there was no excitement. They had spent a wonderful week together and in most ways it was as if they had never been apart. Yet during that week, neither had talked of the future, of their future together for both knew that Sybil had no plans to move to Hong Kong and Tom had no desire to leave his current job there.

In the end it took another six months, six months of sporadic phone conversations and fewer and fewer emails, before Tom and Sybil admitted what was so evident, their relationship was over. The distance had just been too much.

Present Day

"But Sybil dear you have to come it's New Year's Eve." Sybil was glad she wasn't on skype because she couldn't contain the eye roll.

"It's just not right that you're working on New Year's Eve." How many times was her mother going to keep saying that.

"The hospital doesn't close for the holidays Mama. People still get sick or injured."

"But why do YOU have to work dear?" Her mother just wasn't giving up.

"Mama I did get Christmas off remember." Sybil thought if this conversation went on much longer she'd say something she would regret.

"It's the perfect chance for you and Larry to try to mend things, to get back together." Cora carried on as if she hadn't heard Sybil.

"Mend my relationship with Larry!" Sybil snapped.

Now Sybil was angry. Her mother knew why Sybil had broken things off with Larry, they had discussed this when Sybil had gone to Downton for Christmas, so why did she now think Sybil even wanted to revive her relationship with Larry.

"I would rather spend the rest of my life alone than get back together with Larry" Sybil couldn't contain the anger in her voice.

"I know you're angry at Larry dear … you're hurt … but this doesn't have to be the end of your relationship."

"I don't understand you Mama … don't you think I deserve someone better than Larry. Someone that won't cheat on me?"

Sybil felt tears welling up in her eyes something that happened when she was hurt and angry.

Sensing her daughter's hurt Cora said "Of course I want the best for you Sybil. I always want the best for you."

"Then why are you still trying to get me back with Larry?"

"All relationships have bumps in the road dear …"

"Bumps in the road" Sybil thundered before her mother could finish whatever she was going to say. "How could you call finding your boyfriend in bed with another woman a bump in the road?"

"I know it was hurtful Sybil. But you never gave Larry a chance to explain. He …"

"A change to explain … what is there to explain?" Sybil thought it beyond belief that she was even having this conversation with her mother.

"Well" Cora began "you do work so much and …"

"I'm not going to have this conversation again Mama."

"But Sybil you …" Cora could hear a doorbell ring in the background.

"I have to go Mama someone's at the door. I'll talk to you in the New Year." Not waiting for a response from her mother, Sybil hung up. She had never been so glad to hear a doorbell in her life even if when she answered the door she found that the party had rung the wrong flat.

During the next two days her mother called twice but Sybil ignored the calls letting them go to voice mail. She was almost as mad at her mother as she had been at Larry. Sybil knew the argument with her mother wasn't really about Larry but about her life.

Larry was from the "right kind" of family her mother would say meaning his family was wealthy and, like her father, his was an Earl. She had known Larry all her life since their families were close friends but she and Larry had never been close in fact she had always found him annoying.

A year ago he had moved to London and phoned her to ask her advice on places to live, restaurants, and the like. Against her better judgement, she had volunteered to go with him looking at flats and to her great surprise had had a wonderful afternoon. She enjoyed looking at the luxury flats Larry contemplated leasing and thought she had never seen Larry so nice and rather funny.

They went to dinner at a hole-in-the-wall place which especially seemed a come down after the flats they had just visited but was the kind of place Sybil had come to like, great home cooking or at least Sybil's idea of home cooking and cheap prices.

Now working as a nurse in London, Sybil didn't have a lot of extra money to spend. She had spent quite a bit of her trust fund buying her two bedroom flat but other than that she tried living on her salary.

In the next month Sybil saw Larry several times and eventually one thing led to another and soon they were "an item" as her mother would say. Sybil remained living in her flat but she often spent the night at Larry's when they had gone out.

If Sybil was honest with herself she wasn't really that upset about breaking up with Larry. Although finding him in bed with another woman had hurt, she was more upset at his deceit. All this time he had been telling her he was in love with her and had even asked her to move in with him, it turned out he was seeing other women. She felt like a fool that she had no idea of his behavior.

She knew she wasn't in love with Larry and never had been. Just as she hadn't really loved Paul or James the only other men she had been serious with over the past ten years. She thought she had loved them at the time but in the end she knew she didn't for neither had given her that feeling she had had with Tom. That had been love, what she had had with him, but she had been too young and too foolish to realize it then.