Chapter 6 – Kiss Me at Midnight

A/N:  A few words about this chapter.  First, I know the one song I am about to use, "Kiss Me at Midnight," really refers to New Years' Eve.  However, it's on a Christmas album so I'm going to use it for Christmas Eve instead.  Also, Sam's poem that he will use is adapted from a church song I heard called "The Cloud's Veil" by L. Lawton.  I had to take out the religious references in order to make it work (besides, I want to be as secular as possible).

The next 2 chapters might seem to be as though they were in a musical with all the song references I'll be using. However, to save space, I'm only going to add the parts of songs with relevant lyrics.

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Finally, all the preparations, shopping, and waiting were over. It was finally Christmas Eve, and of course, it was time for the yearly gift exchange. Now, for some unknown reason, Raymundo told Reggie and Otto that their party would have to be moved from the Shore Shack to their house--something about it being too cold outside, he had said. Still, everyone was there. Not only were the four kids and Ray present, but Tito came with his nephew, Kioni (who had flown in to spend Christmas with Tito and his friends) and Cleo came with Twister (she was in town to visit family, too). Even Crystal Bianco came in to town to visit Reggie, the world-famous "Good 2 Go" reporter from Beach Break several years ago. Most importantly for Ray, Breezy was there as well. Ever since he had met the Sunset Surf clothing rep, things hadn't been the same. She came back frequently to visit Ray and the kids and Ray often took her out on dates. Meanwhile, she had grown close to the kids, especially Reggie. To her, Breezy was becoming more of a mom to her. In fact, they became so close that Reggie even felt comfortable talking to Breezy about "girl issues." Everyone knew that Breezy and Ray were as compatible as peanut butter and jelly. To them, it was only a matter of time.

For poor Reggie, however, the past few days had been a blur. One night, Trent invited her out to dinner at a fairly nice restaurant in town. She thought, "This is it--we're going to start dating." Unfortunately, Trent instead presented her with some sad news. At the end of the school year, he was going to return to New Zealand. Back home, he was able to get a college education for free due to the government system and he was guaranteed a spot because of his athleticism, especially with rugby. Reggie was heartbroken, and so was he. Through the meal, they both appeared as if they could cry. Later that night, they sat together on the pier and stared up at the stars. It was a romantic evening; bittersweet, but romantic. Before she went home, Reggie and Trent shared a long, meaningful kiss, the one they had wanted to share ever since their eyes met that fateful day 6 years ago. That night, Reggie thought she would eventually burst in to tears and would be locking herself in her room through the holidays. However, to her surprise, she never got to that point, and she eventually figured out why: she had two friends who loved her dearly, and their apparent dedication to her kept her strong. "Maybe this was all meant to be," she pondered.

The party was very casual. The food was wonderful--Tito brought a roast pig for pulled pork, Twister and Cleo brought Ensalada de Navidad (Christmas salad) as well as some traditional Mexican Christmas sweets, and Breezy brought a bunch of holiday cookies. Of course, there was also a ton of chips, vegetables and dip, and other typical finger foods. Besides eating and talking, the group played Charades, Monopoly, and other card games.

Finally, the clock struck 11:30. The hour had come for the kids to exchange their gifts (of course, they would open their gifts from their families the next day). Otto started by giving Twister and Sam their gifts. Twister was very excited about the Best Buy gift card and Sam loved his new hockey mask--a wall of stones was painted outside with a squid on top wearing a yellow shirt just like Sam's. Sam smiled when he saw it--they didn't call him Sam "Stonewall" Dullard for nothing. Reggie wasn't surprised that Otto hadn't given her a gift yet--she expected to get it tomorrow.

Reggie gave out her gifts next. Twister was very happy with the keychain that Reggie bought. With his initials on it, he knew it would be harder for Lars to get away with stealing the set of car keys he would get from his parents (little did he know that he would be getting his own car shortly). When Sam put on his new clip-on sunglasses, everyone laughed as Sam looked so cool. In fact, he reminded everyone of a military pilot, as they have been seen sometimes wearing such sunglasses. Otto would get his gift tomorrow--he knew that. Besides, they had to have something to do with Raymundo on Christmas Day.

Then Twister took his turn, giving Otto the latest video of young professional surfers. Of course, Otto had recently entered some local pro competitions and did fairly well in them, so this was nothing new to him. However, he still watched those videos so he could study what others were doing and try to formulate some new moves to win future competitions. As they say, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Sam received a new wireless keyboard and optical mouse for his computer, which Sam had really wanted. Now he could work his computer from his bed, which was several feet away. Reggie was puzzled why Twister hadn't given her anything, but she suspected there was a reason why.

When it was Sam's turn, he gave Otto an alarm clock that played surf tunes instead of the normal and annoying "beep, beep, beep." Twister got a subscription to a comic book magazine. To the dismay of his mother, Twister still loved comics; however, he no longer reacted as he did the one time he read a comic book from Sammy about an alien neighbor and, after reading it, thought Mr. Stimpleton was an alien. Sure, his imagination still ran wild occasionally, but not as much as it had 7 years ago. Again, Reggie didn't receive anything, and again, she was suspicious.

By the time they were finished exchanging gifts, it was 11:55 PM. At that time, Sam asked Reggie, "Reg, would you mind coming with me in to the kitchen for a second? I need to talk to you."

"Sure Sammy," Reggie replied. She knew what this was about.

"Uh, Reggie," Sam began nervously. "There's something I need to tell you. When I moved here, I wasn't sure that I would ever fit in. Then I met you. Your Zine and my knowledge of computers brought us together. Later, when I tried to play hockey with you guys, Otto and Twister completely busted my chops. But you didn't; you told them to lay off. Ever since, you have been there for me during my good times and bad. You taught me how to surf, to get on the ski lift, and to always look at the positives. No matter how many times I beefed or how often I was teased, you were there to offer me a hand and a smile. It's like this: we have so much in common, and our interests have brought us closer together. Whenever I'm around you, all my cares drift away. Your voice is music to my ears. Reggie, I think I'm in love with you. I'm one of your Secret Santas."

"Well, Sammy," Reggie explained, "I do feel the same way about you. We have a lot in common, Sammy. And I can never stand to see you hurt physically or emotionally. Besides, I think you're kinda cute. I don't know if I'm in love--it's hard for me to explain, but I feel the same way about you and Twister. I guess it's because you and Twister are like brothers to me, and I love you guys as if you were in my family. Of course, I could still date one of you if I ever wanted to because you're not really my brothers by blood. However, I'm not saying that I might not date or even marry one of you guys. I just don't know yet, and I don't want to rush something I'm not sure of. Besides, there might be a girl out there who is waiting for you to come along (or maybe there's one for Twister instead), and you won't have to worry about me. You know me--I'll survive no matter what." She winked at Sam as she said this

"Reggie, I could never forget you. Here, I want you to read my card," Sam rebutted as he handed her his gift. Reggie opened up the card. Inside was a poem that almost brought her to tears once again:

Even though the rain hides the stars,
even though the mist swirls the hills
even when the dark clouds veil the sky,
I'll be by your side.

Even when the sun shall fall in sleep,
even when at dawn the sky shall weep,
even in the night when storms shall rise,
I'll be by your side. I'll be by your side.

"That's beautiful, Sammy," Reggie cried out. "But why does it seem so pessimistic?"

"Well, to put it simply," Sam began to explain as Reggie opened her salon gift certificate, "you've been there for me, so I feel an equal obligation to be there for you. Nobody's immune from dark times, I know. When yours come, know this: if you ever need me, you should know that you can always come to me, no matter what." And Sam was right: since he was going to the same college as Reggie, the two of them could still be friends and come back to visit Ocean Shores whenever they wanted. After Reggie thanked him, Sam said, "No problemo, but could you do me two favors?" He could hear the song he had given Raymundo getting louder. "It must be time," he thought.

"Sure. Anything!" Reggie answered happily.

"Stand right here, and look up," Sam instructed her. Reggie complied and then saw it: the familiar green leaves with red berries and white ribbon. She was standing under mistletoe that had been cleverly been placed in the kitchen doorway. The music she heard in the background seemed to reinforce the hint of what she and Sam had to do.

Celebrating
No more waiting
Our time has arrived
Feel the beat of my heart
As the countdown starts
Just look into my eyes...

Now she knew what he was up to. She bent down, and their lips touched as the two kissed each other for the very first time.

Kiss me at midnight (heyyea)
Dancing till the morning light (ohho...)
Partying till the New Year
All of my friends are here and then the time is right
Kiss me at midnight

"Wow," thought Reggie. "That was powerful." Since she knew that Twister felt the same way about her, he asked Sam if he could talk to Twister alone. He smiled and nodded, and Reggie called Twister in to the kitchen as Sam left, still a little red from blushing. Ray and Tito smiled at each other; they knew what had happened. Kioni and Cleo even gave Sam a few hi-fives.

Reggie started with a story that was similar to what she had told Sam: "Ever since we've been little kids, we've been the best of friends. We've done almost everything together as friends, but you've grown so close to me, I think of you as another brother. Twister, I love you, but I don't know how to explain my love--it's more of a brotherly love. When you were lost and drowning in the shipping channel, I felt as if a part of me was dying. I couldn't stand to live if you hadn't. That's the kind of love I have for you. Sure, you're very cute, especially in a swimsuit with that little charm necklace you wear." Reggie chuckled as she continued.

"But right now, I can't stand to choose between you and Sammy. I know you've been playing Santa to try to express your feelings. Twister, don't feel embarrassed to tell me if you love me. I can take it--I'm Rocket Girl, after all. I love both of you guys as if you were family, and I want us to stay this way for now. Now I want you to understand that I don't know what the future will bring. Even though Sammy and I are going to the same college, I'm not going to let that change anything; we'll be back and we'll still be just friends, and for now, nothing more and definitely nothing less. Maybe I'll be dating one of you guys in the future; maybe we'll marry. Maybe I'll find a different guy who matches me perfectly who I want to spend my life with. Maybe you guys will find other girls. I don't want you guys to be jealous of the other at any time. Whoever I go out with later, respect that and support me--please do it for me as I know you would want the best for me."

Twister agreed. He did want the best for Reggie. He gave her his gift, which she shrieked in surprise as she opened--the CD player was perfect and would go great in her dorm room. Although there was no poem in Twister's card, it still rattled her heart as she read it. "I do love you with all my heart, and I always will," Twister reminded her.

"Thanks, Twist. Hey, can you do me one favor?"

"Sure, Reg." Twist smiled as he replied.

"Look up," Reggie instructed.

Twister looked up and saw he was standing in the same doorway that Sam had Reggie stand in. Their lips met in a fairly-deep kiss as the refrain to Sam's song repeated:

Kiss me at midnight (heyyea)
Dancing till the morning light (ohho...)
Partying till the New Year
All of my friends are here and then the time is right
Kiss me at midnight

Afterwards, they both returned to the living room. Like Sam, Twister was blushing. Kioni smiled and Cleo went over to tease her cousin, who had obviously just received his first kiss. Then Otto did something that nobody expected, he produced a piece of mistletoe from his pocket, held it over Cleo's head, and kissed her on the cheek. Everybody cheered.

"Hey guys. It seems like love's in the air right now, but I have two announcements!" Ray cut in. The room fell silent as they awaited his words.

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A/N: Had to add the Otto/Cleo thing in. Wouldn't be fair to leave him out.

One more chapter to go :)

I decided to bunch both surprises in to one chapter. It may be long, but it will end the story more quickly.

Hope you've enjoyed this story so far.