NEW YEAR'S EVE
"I've always wanted to do this", Jo clapped her hands together in utter excitement.
It was New Year's Eve, and Times Square was filled with people getting ready for the final count down. Mac and Jo were making their way through the crowd, trying to find the perfect spot.
"Take it easy, I don't want to lose you in the crowd", Mac said.
"Then you'd better try keeping up with me, Taylor", she smiled, and took another turn.
Mac had been the one inviting Jo to spend New Year's Eve with him. Last year, they had been called out to a crime scene. It had been a long night, and at about 2 a.m. in the morning, both of them had ended up in his office, both asleep on the couch from pure exhaustion. This year, he wanted to make something special out of it. Not so much because he was the life of the party, but because he wanted to take Jo's mind of the John Curtis case. It had only been two weeks since the attack, and she definitely was still racking her brain over it. He had talked about it with her, and it became clear to him that it had helped her put the past behind her. But that didn't take away the pain she suffered from the attack, and Frank Walter's suicide.
Mac was glad he had been able to be there for her, and make her feel safe again. He looked over at Jo, and studied her face carefully. Even though she was flashing her radiant smile, he could still make out the bruising along her cheek line. In the first days after the attack, her face had caused her so much pain, he had forced her to stay at home. She refused, but he didn't falter. He had guaranteed her to come over to her place, and bring her burgers at the end of the day. She had laughed at him, and said he had to come up with something better. She said she wasn't able to open her mouth that far for a burger to fit in. So he had offered her vanilla ice cream, and it had been a done deal.
One day later, he had kept his word, and held her company for as long as he could. It had been a blissful night, and in the end he had proposed for the both of them to spend New Year's Eve together. She had jumped in her chair, and begged him to take her to Times Square. He had agreed, because there was no denying to a pretty face as hers. So he had first planned dinner at his apartment, and now they were preparing for the count down.
"What about right here?" Jo asked, turning around to face him.
"Seems perfect to me", Mac smiled.
"God, it looks so pretty from up here", she tilted her head towards the sky.
Jo moved her eyes across all the bright lights, and drifted away in her thoughts. It had been a long time since she felt this content. And she knew it was Mac she had to credit for it. He had really taken care of her in the first days after the attack. Apart from when he had to go to work, he hadn't left her side. He had fetched her dinner, applied painkilling ointment on her bruised face, and held her when she told him how scared she had been. She had always seen him as her best friend, but now she had started to wonder if there was something more to it. She had felt the attraction for a while now, and had started to notice Mac's behavior changing. He had been acting more compassionate, and caring. And he hadn't been able to stop flirting with her. All of it, had made her feel extremely secure.
"Are you cold?" Mac asked.
"Hmm?" Jo asked confused?
"You are shaking", he stated, and ran his hand across her back.
"I'm good", she smiled, and put her hand on his chest in return. "Oh, speaking about being cold...", she reached for her bag, and started to go through it with a burning impatience.
"I got you something", she finally fetched a packet from her bag.
"I thought we agreed we weren't getting each other presents?" he asked puzzled.
"Arrest me", she handed the packet over to him. "Open it", she jumped in the air.
"God..." he sighed, and started to pull at the packaging paper.
Jo watched his face when he slowly retrieved the hat out of the paper, it was absolutely golden.
"Are you serious?" Mac lifted his eyebrows in disbelief.
"Of course", she stated seriously.
"I'm not putting this on", he shook his head.
"Oh, yes you are", she grabbed the hat out of his hands, and carefully put it on his head.
"There, ugh, so cute" she stepped back, and smiled at the plush antler that exited the red hat.
"A reindeer hat, really?" Mac asked.
Jo giggled out loud, and stepped forward. "It's getting cold, you know." She adjusted the hat to cover his ears, and tapped his nose with her finger.
"What did I do to deserve this?" Mac casted his eyes to the ground.
"Oh please, stop whining. It's not like people are going to turn their heads around here", she pointed to a woman covered in pink feathers from head to toe, and wearing oversized themed sunglasses. "It looks good on you", she stared back at him, and was suddenly captivated by the slight sparks radiating from his eyes.
"Ten! Nine!" the woman in pink began screaming, and so did the rest of the crowd. Jo snapped out of her trance, and blinked her eyes.
"Oh my god!" she turned around to look at the giant ball coming down towards them, and took hold of Mac's hand. Mac, on the other hand, wasn't really paying attention to the big hustle around him. He was watching Jo's face, and was enthralled by her excitement. Never had he met such a passionate, more vibrant woman as her. In return, he squeezed her hand tight, and moved a little bit closer.
"Eight! Seven! Six!" she screamed out loud. God, how much she was enjoying this moment. Again, she moved a little bit closer to Mac, until she felt his antler poking her forehead.
"Five! Four!" Mac looked up at the sky, and noticed how the lights were about to explode into the night sky. He felt his stomach tingling, and couldn't immediately point out why.
"Three! Two! One!"
In that moment, everybody seemed to suck in his last breath of air, and to get ready for the big bang. Jo closed her eyes, and listened to the crowd roaring. She wanted to stay in this moment forever. "Happy New Year!" Everybody screamed out loud, and fireworks were released into the air. Jo looked up at the night sky, and saw millions of paper shreds swirling towards her. She thought of it as heaven.
"Happy New Year", Mac winked at her.
"Happy New Year", Jo repeated.
Suddenly, Jo became aware of all the people making out around them. She looked at Mac, and threw him a shy smile. She felt extremely self-conscious, and started to shuffle her feet around. Mac became aware of her unease, and pulled her close to his chest. She immediately wrapped her arms around him, and lay her head on his shoulder. She stayed there for a while, taking in the moment to the absolute fullest.
Mac slowly drew back, and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. He couldn't pull himself away at once, and lingered for a while, caressing her skin with his cold nose. He sensed an intense fire raging through his veins, and felt his legs giving in with every passing second. His head was spinning, and he wasn't able to think straight anymore. He opened his eyes, and instantly met hers. She was just a breath away. He felt his gaze slowly melting into her soft skin. Her face reflected the colored light of the fireworks blowing up above their heads, and he couldn't remember ever seeing something that beautiful. He carefully leaned into her lips, not being able to think twice about it.
Jo became unaware of the world around her, and leaned in closer. She felt the warmth of his mouth encircling her lips, and slowly applied more pressure. She sucked in a small breath, and was captivated by the sweet smell of his skin. She felt she was about to black out, and pulled away. Again, their eyes met, and both of them knew there was no going back.
Mac studied Jo's face, and placed his hand along her cheek. And even with all the commotion going on around them, he had never felt this relaxed in a long time. He realized he had found love again, and place his forehead against hers.
"I love you", he whispered.
"I know", she smiled, and took hold of the plush antler on his head. "I love you too", and with that, their lips met again in the most passionate kiss. Although neither of them knew what the new year was going to bring, they knew they were going to face it together.