A/N: Same ol', same ol'. Spunky is stupid, cyko and Boleyn are smart.

December 31, 2006

T-minus fifteen minutes and counting.

In 2007, my resolution is to wait patiently for Lindsay.

That's total shit. I'm not gonna be patient. I haven't been over these past six weeks; why start now?

And here we are, December 31. Lindsay and I talked yesterday about who we're going to kiss at midnight. The question is, did she take that conversation seriously?

If so, fifteen minutes - excuse me, fourteen - until Lindsay and I kiss.

Someone punches my shoulder. I turn around to see Flack barely standing. "Happy New Year, man!" he slurs. I pull the champagne glass out of his hand.

"You're wasted," I yell over the music. Flack grins.

"Danny?" I turn around and see Mac. "I know that it's, uh, not really...Well, it's not really appropriate for me to ask you this, or suggest it, but, uh...See, I want to kiss Stella at midnight. But I don't want to be the only one kissing someone. So could you kiss Lindsay?"

I can't believe it. Mac is giving me permission to kiss Lindsay? God, now all I need is Lindsay's permission to kiss Lindsay.

"Uh, yeah, sure," I say, finding my voice. Mac smiles gratefully.

"Thank you," he says. I wave it off and start walking around.

We actually got quite a turnout. Hawkes brought his new girlfriend, who brought about ten of her friends, all of whom Flack had hit on. Hammerback, Pino, and Adam came, too. Hammerback brought four girls, which I really don't want to ask him about. Pino brought his girlfriend, Amy, and Adam, poor Adam, was going stag.

T-minus ten minutes.

I find Lindsay by the champagne. "Hey," I yell.

She turns to look at me. "Oh, hey, Danny. So, ten minutes until our kiss." She waggles her eyebrows suggestively.

I force a laugh. "Yeah. Hey, are you drunk?"

Lindsay was staring at the disco ball in complete bewilderment. "What?" she asks, pulling her head back down to my level. "Oh. Sorry. I'm just a little bit drunk, yes."

She giggles a little. "You're so cute," she breathes. "Why can't we date again?"

Because you won't have me.

"Lindsay," I say as carefully as I can, "as much as I want to kiss you - and believe me, I want to kiss you. But as much as I want to, I want you to want me to kiss you. I don't want to kiss you while you're drunk."

"Danny," she says, running her finger up and down my shirt, "I'm not drunk. Well, OK, I'm a little bit drunk. But just a little! And I want you to kiss me. Know what else? I want you to - " She leans forward and whispers something into my ear.

Hot damn.

I look at her for a second. "OK. I'll find you in seven minutes." She waves a finger at me.

"See you then."

Seven minutes later, I set out to find Lindsay. This time, she's talking to Stella by the fridge.

I see Mac come up to get Stella. "Lindsay," I say. "Come on, the ball's gonna drop. Let's get a good view by the TV."

We all stand in front of the TV, where Dick Clark was leading everyone in the countdown. "Twenty-nine! Twenty-eight! Twenty-seven!"

OK. I can count.

Finally, it gets down to five.

"Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Happy New Year!"

Lindsay was staring at the television, probably wondering how they got the ball to drop. I grab her wrist and pull her toward me.

I lean down, catching her lips. She moans slightly - God, I'm in love with this girl.

Her lips part, and her tongue darts into my mouth. Is she trying to kill me? Really.

I have to stop myself. In five...four...three...two...

I pull my head away from hers. "Happy New Year, Montana," I say.

She smiles. "Happy New Year, Danny."