AN: Thanks for all of the lovely reviews and continued support from the last chapter! I'm so glad you guys are loving this story :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Wolf.
Can't Take My Eyes off You
Chapter Four
"Stiles!" she yells from the front hall as she checked her lipstick one last time in the mirror. "Hurry up or we're going to be late!"
He walks around the corner a second later, arms weighed down with covered dishes of food. "I think I got carried away," Stiles tells her sheepishly.
"You think?" she says, eyeing the four large containers of food he spent most of the morning and afternoon cooking. Her gaze travels up and down his body and she takes a moment to appreciate the sight of him in a suit. She especially likes how broad his shoulders look and her mind wanders to how she had gripped them when they kissed at Christmas. Not letting herself get distracted yet again, she tears her gaze from his shoulders only to land on his sloppily tied tie. "Are you ready?" she asks as she rights it, letting her hands linger on his shoulders when she finishes.
Stiles nods. "Yeah, but can you grab my keys?"
Lydia pulls them off the hook beside her own, scoops up the cheesecake she made, and opens the door. She quickly locks her apartment door once they step out into the hall and they make the trek out of her building to his jeep where it's parked on the street. Within minutes they're on the road to Derek's loft since it's his turn to host the New Year's Eve party.
Once they get there, Lydia knocks on the door. They hear a shout from within and seconds later it slides open to reveal Isaac on the other side with an annoyed look on his face that clears once his gaze landed on the food in their arms. "Finally!" he moans, taking one of the dishes from Stiles. "I'm starving. All Derek made was a shitty cheese and cracker platter." Isaac turns, leaving them in the doorway.
Stiles and Lydia share a look before closing the door and following Isaac toward the back of the loft where a table has been set up. Various bottles of wine and liquors rest on the table next to the decidedly sad-looking cheese and cracker platter Isaac mentioned along with a large bowl of grapes. Lydia immediately deposits her cheesecake on the table before helping Stiles with his food.
By the time they finish, Scott and Kira had arrived with Liam and Mason soon after them. Malia wanders downstairs some time later from the kitchen with a stack of plates and napkins that she adds to the table. As the night progresses more people arrive and Lydia slowly circles the room, making sure to talk to every familiar face she comes across.
The hours pass quickly and Lydia finds herself standing beside Stiles again an hour before midnight. He hands her the half-filled glass of red wine he's holding in one hand while keeping the glass of whiskey for himself. She raises a brow at him in question and he rests his hand against the small of her back, nodding toward Scott and Kira where they stand in the center of Derek's loft. "They're getting ready to make a toast and announce their engagement," he murmurs into her ear so she can hear him above the music.
"Oh," she coos, watching Kira lean up and whisper something into Scott's ear that makes him laugh before he steps up onto the coffee table and helps her stand beside him.
Someone turns down the music and it takes a couple of minutes before it's silent. "First off, I'd like to thank our gracious host for holding the party this year," Scott starts. "I know you didn't want to do it, Derek, so thank you for letting us into your home and celebrating the coming of the New Year with you. Second, Kira and I have an announcement to make." He shares a grin with her. "We're engaged! She's agreed to be my wife!"
Cheers erupt around them and the pair shares a sweet kiss. Kira presses a kiss to Scott's cheek before turning back to everyone. "And we'd like to make a toast." She lifts her glass and waits for everyone else to do the same. "May the New Year bring us good fortune in all aspects of our lives, but especially from the directions that we least expect. Happy New Year, guys!"
Lydia and Stiles gently clink glasses and drink. After the music is turned back up, Stiles takes the glass from her hand and puts their glasses on the closest flat surface before taking her hand in his. "Come on," he says to her.
She lets him pull her through the crowd until they're standing on the balcony in the cold. A shiver runs down her spine as the wind blows against her, tousling her curled hair. Stiles shrugs out of his suit jacket before draping it over her shoulders and Lydia smiles in thanks.
They stand there in companionable silence for a few minutes before Lydia speaks. "I'm afraid," she whispers, half hoping that he hears her and half hoping that he doesn't.
Stiles frowns down at her in confusion and tugs her closer until she's leaning against him. "Of what?" he asks.
"Of everything changing again." Lydia tugs his jacket tighter around herself and presses her forehead to his shoulder so that he can't see her face. "Everything changed when I learned the truth about everything and later when Allison died. And then it changed again when we graduated and went off to college," she breathes just loud enough for him to hear. "I'm scared that things will change again once Scott and Kira get married."
His arms come up to wrap around her and Stiles pulls her away just enough to look her in the eye. "Lydia. That won't happen. I won't let it happen—I promise," he reassures her. "Besides, after that asshole Theo and the Dread Doctors, Scott won't let that happen. We were all separated once before, Lydia, and that proved to be a bad idea." Stiles hugs her to his chest and presses his cheek against her head.
"Things won't change when Kira and Scott get married," he promises.
Lydia nods against his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist, and they stay like that. She presses her nose against his neck and breathes his warm, earthy scent in, letting it calm her. Her eyes close and she fully melts into him as his hand rubs at her back in a soothing manner.
The last few minutes of the year tick by quickly and before they know it, they can hear the muffled sound of their friends shouting the countdown behind them.
Ten!
Nine!
Eight!
Seven!
Six!
Five!
Four!
Three!
Two!
One!
Stiles presses a kiss to her temple as the cheers erupt behind them as they ring in the New Year. "Happy New Year, Lydia," he says.
"Happy New Year, Stiles," she whispers back.
Happy New Year, guys!
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