Time passed much too quickly, and before I knew it I found myself in front of a mirror, preparing for our New Year's Eve and farewell dance.
"Hey Selph, hand me mascara, would you?" I asked. She finished the wing on her liquid liner and passed me my makeup.
"Getting' prettied up for Sora?" Selphie asked, resuming her application of eyeliner. I did a bit of a double take.
"Uh, what?" I asked, not sure if I'd heard her right. She rolled her eyes and looked at me while I began to heat up my curling iron.
"What?" I asked again.
"C'mon, Kai, let's be serious. It's obvious he likes you."
I laughed. "Selphie, we're best friends. It's not possible."
She gave me a deadpan look. "Kairi, it's possible, and it's true. Just because you've been best friends since kindergarten doesn't mean you can't like each other! Besides, if you became friends with him in the first place, you had to be attracted to him somehow. Even if at the time it wasn't romatically."
I processed her words. True, he did have a cut e smile and all… but I don't know. I tried to push the thought of Sora and I—together, dating-- into the back of my mind. Finally I shrugged, grabbing a section of my hair and wrapping it around the barrel of the curling iron. "I dunno, Selph, I just can't see it happening."
"Kairi, I bet you ten dollars that by the end of tonight he will have made a move, or at least chickened out of it."
I paused. "Deal. But why do you think tonight?"
She shrugged, a mischievous smile playing across her face. "I have my sources."
After we finished getting ready, the two of us headed to the ballroom of the hotel, which had been reserved especially for our class. About half the people were there, and the rest were currently arriving in a steady stream. I talked with some friends until Sora and Riku came in, sporting similar combinations of sports jackets, shirts and slacks. They greeted us in the usual fashion. Despite his attire, Riku's mood was casual, but Sora was seemed… fidgety.
"Chill out, So," Riku said during our conversation. He elbowed Sora. "It's New Year's Eve, for heaven's sake. No need to be nervous." Sora nodded a little but didn't seem convinced. I wasn't really sure what they were talking about, so I just smiled a little.
Later on after talking to some of my other friends, I spotted Riku. I walked over to him, the smile on my face turning into minor confusion.
"Hey 's Sora?" They stuck together 99% of the time at parties, so it was a surprise not to see Sora with him.
Riku rubbed his face with his hand and made a face. "Out there," He said, pointing to the French doors leading out to the balcony of the ballroom. I started to make my way over.
"Kairi, help him out." Riku said. I frowned a little, not knowing what he meant, but nodded.
It was bitterly cold outside. Sora was the only one on the balcony. I shivered, my sleeveless dress not giving me much protection from the icy wind.
"Hey, aren't you cold?" I asked, walking up to the balcony railing. He jumped a little.
"Oh, Kairi, it's you." He said, sounding equal parts relieved and uneasy at the same time.
There was a short silence for a few seconds. It was obvious he wasn't going to say anything else.
"Sora, are you okay? You've been acting weird tonight." I though back to Selphie's words earlier, but tried to clear the thought from my head.
He paused before answering me, as if thinking over his answer. "Uh, yeah. I'm fine." He managed a small smile. "Thanks for asking."
I made a face, not really believing him. "Uh, Sora, Riku told me to help you? Do you need help with something?"
He frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Well, Selphie was talking to me tonight, and she said that, uh, her 'sources' had told her…. You were going to try and make a move on me?" I laughed a bit to ward off the tension.
He blushed bright red. "Dammit, Riku…." He muttered, clenching his teeth. I waited for further elaboration upon the subject.
"Um, it's just that…" He took a deep breath, eyes closed for a moment. "Well, I really like you, Kairi."
"Oh. Um, wow." I said, startled. I didn't have much to say. He was blushing furiously.
"To tell you the truth, Sora…" I started. He turned to me with immense hope in his innocent eyes.
"I've never really thought about it, but you know, I kinda like you too." I smiled. "We can give it a try…"
That was all the answer he needed. He smiled the biggest smile I'd seen before, with a light blush on his cheeks, he planted a soft kiss on my lips. I giggled like a little girl and blushed a lot. He took my hand, staring into my eyes. I kissed him on the cheek once as I heard Auld Lang Syne play in the ballroom. Suddenly a rush of kids surged out onto the porch and I heard a loud crack. Sora and I turned in unison to the sky, where fireworks were being set off. He gave me a huge smile, which I returned. I heard people cheering and noisemakers as the clock struck midnight.
"Happy New Year, Kairi!" He yelled over the crowd, the signature smile never leaving his face.
"Happy New Year!"
A new year, a new beginning. It was a New Year's Eve to remember.