Kiss me at midnight || Bade
Beck stood up a little straighter, sweeping his gaze over the crowd to see if he could see Jade yet. The phone in his hand vibrated and he glanced down to read the messages and he didn’t hesitate before dropping his bags immediately, glancing up and breaking into a huge smile as he finally spotted her.
Jade tucked her phone into her pocket and started moving toward him as quickly as she could, bobbing and weaving around the people standing in her way until she had a mostly clear path to him. She then broke into a full on run, all but jumping onto him when she finally reached him, arms around his neck and legs around his waist, holding on tight to keep herself steady.
He laughed, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her close. “Hey, baby. Miss me?”
“So much,” she mumbled, her voice a little muffled from her having turned her head to kiss his temple. “I can't believe you're here. I thought you weren't coming back until the tenth.”
“Yeah, turns out the plan changed. Just as well because I missed you a lot, too.”
“Really?”
“Really. Is that so surprising?”
“I just thought maybe you would've been having such a blast with your family you wouldn't really have time to miss me. And that would've been okay.”
“It was nice to see them but trust me, I had plenty of time to miss you.”
She pulled away enough that she could look at him, beaming at him and running the fingers of one hand through his hair as if to reassure herself that he really was there and she wasn't just imagining it. She leaned in and pressed her lips to his without really stopping to think about it.
He kissed her back softly, smiling against her lips as he did so. The flight had been long and he hadn't been in the best mood but a few seconds with her and all of that was fading away.
She broke the kiss to rest her forehead against his. “You're coming home with me, right?”
“If you'll have me.”
“Of course. It's New Year's Eve. I can't think of anyone I'd rather be spending it with.”
He grinned. “Me neither.”
She shifted around, trying to drop the hint that he should put her down. “Let's get going then. I'm sure you're sick of the airport by now.”
He nodded, loosening his grip on her so that she could get down - even if it was a little reluctantly. He retrieved his bags from where they had been unceremoniously dropped in favor of catching her, shoving them all over his right shoulder so he could offer her his left hand to hold.
She readily took his hand and laced their fingers together before leading him through baggage claim to the entrance she'd parked at. Once his bags were tucked into the backseat and they were safely buckled in, she turned her key in the ignition and started off toward her house. She wanted to keep holding his hand like she did when he drove, but she didn't think she was a good enough driver to do that yet. Instead she just kept her hands on the wheel and tried not to look away from the road too much.
Beck had no problem with them lapsing into comfortable silence, not feeling the need to speak and thinking that doing so might distract her anyway. He did stretch out an arm towards her, resting his palm lightly on her thigh as a small way of keeping in contact with her as she drove. He tried to keep an eye on the road but he found himself mostly watching her.
Jade smiled to herself when he touched her, trying to be nonchalant and keep her eyes on the road even as she felt goosebumps racing across her skin underneath his hand. She could feel him watching her but it wasn't at all uncomfortable, so she just focused on driving and it was only a few minutes before she was pulling into her driveway and switching the car off.
“You really seem to be getting the hang of driving,” he said finally, teasing her a little. He didn't immediately move to get out of the car or even remove his hand.
She finally turned to him and smiled, dropping a hand to cover his. “I had a really good teacher.”
He smiled back at her and then ducked his head. “I really did miss you, you know. Next time I go you're just going to have to come with me.”
“I missed you too. And I'd love to come with you sometime. I've never really been anywhere outside of California. And I bet it'd be more fun than being here alone all break.”
“It'd be cool. I'd love to show you around up there and everything.”
“I'll hold you to that,” she agreed. “Now what do you say we head inside? We've still got like an hour before the ball drops and I wanna give you your Christmas present.”
“Oh, I have yours too! Yeah, let's do that.” He was already clambering out of the car and rifling through his stuff on the back seat to make sure he actually did have her present on hand. Shouldering the bag containing her gift and leaving the rest of his stuff there, he turned away from the car and made his way over to her so she could lead the way inside. Even though he knew that Jade's dad wasn't around, he felt slightly nervous being there as though he was at risk of getting her into trouble.
Jade's heart gave a flutter. She'd long since given up trying to tell him he didn't have to get her anything, knowing it was pointless to do so and besides, he always got her the most amazing gifts. It was impossible not to be excited to see what he had for her. She locked the car, but before she could head up to the door, she caught a glimpse of him hanging behind her, seeming a little hesitant. She turned and grabbed his hand, tugging him along with her up to the door, not even dropping his hand as she fumbled with her keys. The lock finally clicked and the door swung open, so she pulled him inside and directed him to the living room.
“You can hang out on the couch for a minute, if you want,” she told him. “Or you can get a snack or something. I'm sure you're starving. Just wait down here while I go upstairs and get your present.”
He nodded his agreement, making his way over to the couch and dropping his bag beside it as he sat down. She hadn't been wrong about him being starving, he couldn't even remember when he'd last eaten which was pretty much unheard of when it came to him, but the thought of sitting down for a minute won out. After the day he'd had, he was pretty exhausted as well. He folded his arms, leaning them on the arm of the couch and then resting his head on top as he waited for Jade to return.
Upstairs in her room, Jade hastily shoved his present into a gift box and tossed it into a bag before wadding up some tissue paper and cramming it on top. Grabbing the bag, she made her way downstairs, smiling to herself when she saw Beck curled up on the couch. She dropped the gift bag in the doorway and tiptoed over to him to kiss him on the top of his head. “You okay, baby?”
“Yeah, I'm good. Just a little tired,” he replied, smiling softly at her. “Come sit with me?”
“Of course.” She turned back to the doorway to snatch up the bag before heading over to sit down beside him. “We can hold off on the presents, if you want. I know you're tired.”
“No way. I'm not that tired.”
She laughed, raising her hands in mock surrender. “Okay, okay, we'll do them now. Do you want to open yours first or should I?”
He shrugged and leaned over the edge of the couch to get hers from his bag. “I don't really mind.”
She wrung the handles of his bag somewhat nervously. The idea for his present had seemed like a good one at the time, but she was starting to second guess herself. “Um, I can open mine first,” she offered lamely. The truth was that she wanted to see what he'd gotten her first so she'd know if her gift for him was even close to as good. She knew it wouldn't be, but she still wanted to see hers first. And okay, maybe she was excited and couldn't take the suspense anymore.
He handed the little box over to her, not sure if he was more excited or nervous about her opening it. “I had it gift wrapped. If you were wondering why my wrapping skills had improved so much,” he confessed.
Jade took the box and eyed it carefully, trying to figure out what could be inside. “It's beautiful,” she told him, gingerly tugging the end of the lilac bow that held the box shut. “It almost seems like a shame to open it.”
The bow untied, she laid the ribbon neatly on her lap and shifted the top of the box off. She lifted the bracelet that lay inside between her thumb and forefinger, holding it up so she could examine it and the four little charms dangling from it. At first glance they just looked like beads, but when she looked closer she could see that they were much more than that. The first was a treble clef, its surface glittering with inlaid stones. The second, a heart, her birthstone embedded in the middle. The third, a plain, heart-shaped bead with ‘i love you’ engraved on its surface. And the fourth, perhaps most impressively, was the tiniest pair of silver scissors, dangling from the edge of another embellished bead.
It was the most beautiful thing Jade had ever seen, and undoubtedly the nicest, most thoughtful thing anyone had ever given her. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes, but she didn't bother wiping them away or blinking them back, too busy wordlessly cradling the bracelet in her palm and tracing the details of each charm with the tip of her finger.
He watched her carefully, trying to gauge her reaction and worrying a little that she hadn't said anything. “Do you- do you like it?” He prompted quietly.
She looked up at him and nodded emphatically, realizing that she hadn't actually said anything. “I love it,” she told him, unable to keep her voice from wavering a little. “It's so beautiful. And all the charms are so perfect, I- you didn't have to do all that.”
“Really?” He beamed. “And I know I didn't have to but I wanted to. Wanted to get you something special. And beautiful. Like you.”
Jade could feel herself blushing and just glanced back down at her new bracelet, completely touched by what a sweet gesture it was. “I love it, baby,” she repeated. She undid the clasp and held it out to him. “Will you fasten it for me?”
“Of course.” He nodded and took the bracelet from her carefully. He fastened it around her wrist, relieved to see that it wasn't too loose, and slid the charms around so they were all visible. “There you go.”
Once she was sure it was secure, Jade held her hand out so she could admire the bracelet. “Does it look okay?”
“Looks perfect to me. What do you think?”
“I think I'm never gonna take it off.” She beamed, reaching her hand out to cup his chin and tug him in to kiss her. “Thank you so much, honey.”
“You're welcome. I'm glad you like it.”
“There's no way what I got you will even come close to comparing, but do you wanna open it?”
He made a face. “It's not a competition and I'm sure I'll love whatever it is. But yeah, I wanna open it.”
Jade bent down to pick up the bag containing his gift and hefted it into his lap. “Sorry it's not wrapped as pretty as mine was, I didn't know I was going to see you today so I had to do it kind of fast.”
“It's fine. I know this wasn't the plan and besides, I kind of cheated with wrapping yours anyway.” He didn't add that her rushed job was about as good as he was usually able to manage because he was too busy already reaching into the gift bag and pulling out a box. He opened that carefully but his excitement got the better of him and he tore through the tissue paper.
He pushed the wrapping to the side to pull the material onto his lap. “Oh my God,” he gave a surprised laugh and smiled at her. “These are great!” He picked the sheets up to take a closer look and run his fingers over the material when something fell onto his lap.
He picked up the clear case, turning it over and inspecting it closer. The instruction of ‘play me’ didn't really give much away and he glanced up to look at her questioningly. “What is it?” He asked excitedly, holding the disc up.
Jade just shrugged and leaned over the edge of the couch to pick up her laptop and set it in his lap. “Maybe you should play it.”
Beck nodded eagerly and didn't hesitate before putting the CD in the disk drive. He had no idea what to expect but he was internally bouncing off the walls with excitement. He hit play the moment it loaded, tilting his head to the side curiously as the music started. He recognised the song almost immediately and he opened his mouth to say something about it but before he had a chance to the music was joined with her singing. He closed his mouth, falling into a reverent silence.
Jade had her hands folded in her lap, trying to keep her cool and stay nonchalant about the whole thing even as the music built and her voice grew steadily louder until it filled the room. She'd worked hard on it- “Made For You” was undoubtedly their song, and it was for that reason that she'd wanted to record it for Beck, but she'd wanted it to feel more personal than the original. She'd taken the song and written a new arrangement herself, slowing it down and figuring out a piano accompaniment, then practiced it daily until she finally felt comfortable enough with it to book one of the recording rooms after school one day and lay it down. She'd done what had felt like an infinite number of takes, wanting to get it absolutely perfect. The final touch had been asking- well, threatening- Sinjin and Burf until they'd agreed to mix and master it for her. She'd all but slaved over it, put more of herself into it than she had any other song or gift. Maybe that was why she felt so nervous, biting her lip and trying not to stare too much as she tried to gauge his reaction.
Beck stared at the computer screen for a.few seconds after the room had fallen back into silence, hand hovering over the mouse pad. He was tempted to replay it, sure that he hadn't really been able to take it all in at first listen. He didn't though, closing the laptop instead and placing it on the coffee table along with the CD case and sheets. He shifted forward, curling an arm around her waist to pull her in closer so she was practically in his lap and kissed her.
Jade had been watching him intently for any sign of a reaction, but the song ended without one and in doing so caused an immediate knot to form in her stomach. She was just about to try to shrug it off, to tell him that it was okay if he didn't like it, when he slipped the laptop and his gifts onto the table. Before she knew what was happening she felt arms around her waist tugging her into his lap and his lips pressing against hers. Whatever she had been planning to say was completely forgotten, her mind wiped free of any thought that didn't concern curling closer to him and deepening the kiss. She gave into it for a long moment, holding him close as long as she could before she finally had to break away to catch her breath. “So… you like it?” she asked. Maybe the answer should've been obvious, but she couldn't stop herself from asking, needing to hear him say so himself.
“Jade, I love it. It's absolutely incredible.”
“Yeah? Could you tell I made it different from the original? I tried really hard to make it seem more like us.”
“I could. It was really our song. And it was- I don't know, is it weird to say it was beautiful?”
She felt herself blushing hard. “No, that's not weird. I'm glad you like it.”
“I can't believe you did this. It's amazing.”
She shrugged. “I just really wanted you to have something special.”
“I mean, I already do.”
“What, the sheets? Those were just to disguise the CD.”
He chuckled, shaking his head and then leaning forward to kiss her nose. “Not the sheets, though they are pretty great. I meant you.”
Jade let out a little squeak of happiness when she felt his lips against her nose. It was something she did to him fairly often, but she couldn't recall him even doing it to her before, and it just seemed incredibly sweet. “Me? Really?”
“Mhmm. You're something special and I have you.”
“And you always will. I'm not going anywhere.”
“Promise?”
“I promise. You're going to be stuck with me for a long time.”
He smiled and pressed his lips to hers softly. “I'm holding you to that.”
She beamed. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. So much.”
“I'm really glad you came back early, you know. I really wanted to spend New Year's with you.”
“Well, there's honestly nowhere else I'd rather be.”
She smiled at him once more before shifting out of his lap and standing up, offering him her hand. “We've still got some time before the ball drops. Let's find you something to eat.”
“Sounds good to me. If it's not too much trouble,” he replied, taking her hand and standing to follow her.
“Don't be silly.” She dragged him over to the kitchen and rifled through the fridge, pawing through the imported sparkling waters and organic fruits and vegetables until she found the last half of the pizza she'd ordered the night before. She tugged the box free and handed it to Beck. “It's either this or some of the weird shit that Serena eats. Take your pick.”
“This is awesome, thanks. I haven't had anything since I don't even know when.” He was already digging into the box, biting into a slice of the pizza cold the moment he'd finished speaking. He might have been embarrassed at his lack of manners but it wasn't like Jade hadn't seen him eat before.
Jade turned to lean up against the counter, smiling to herself as she watched him inhale a slice of cold pizza straight out of the box. “You want a plate or are you good?”
He had to swallow before he was able to answer, smiling sheepishly when he did so. “Plate would be good. I'll heat some up. Do you want any?”
“Sure, if you're willing to share.” She turned and crossed over to the cabinet next to the sink, pulling out two plates and handing them to him. “Can I do anything?”
“Only because I really like you,” he teased with a smirk, taking the plates from her. He piled them both with a couple of slices of pizza and popped the first one in the microwave to heat it up.
“You sure it's not because you looove me?” she teased back, wandering over to him and draping her arms around his neck.
He pretended to look thoughtful, biting his lip for added effect. “I suppose it's possible.”
Jade made the saddest face she could muster, blinking until her eyes welled up with tears and making her bottom lip quiver. “...Oh.”
“Don't,” he whined, pouting and placing his hands on her hips. “I love you, I promise.” He ducked to kiss her forehead for good measure.
She grinned, blinking once more so the tears she'd worked so hard to put in her eyes could roll down her cheeks. “I love you too.”
“Jaade. Stop.”
Jade just giggled and ducked her head, pressing her face into his chest to wipe her eyes on his shirt. “Sorry. Stopping.”
He just laughed, holding her closer for a second and not saying anything. He couldn't be happier about being there with her, with her giggling and pressing close to him at pretty much every opportunity - he felt so lucky and like he was exactly where he was supposed to be. “God, I'm so glad to be home.”
“I'm glad you are too. I missed you, everything just seemed to suck while you were gone.”
“I missed you, too. You have no idea how much.” He was interrupted from continuing by the microwave beeping at him insistently. He disentangled himself from Jade so he could retrieve the pizza and put the second plate on to heat up. He placed the warmed plate in front of her with a flourish. “You can have this one. Because I love you,” he teased.
“Oh, and everyone says chivalry is dead,” she laughed, picking up the plate and taking a bite of her pizza. “Hurry up and eat yours, I know you're hungry and I'll be pissed if you're too busy eating to kiss me at midnight.”
He didn't have to be told twice, burning his tongue a little as he scarfed down his own pizza in hardly any time at all. It might have been just how hungry he was but he thought it was probably the best pizza he'd ever had. “This is great, babe. Thanks,” he mumbled through his last mouthful.
“No problem.” She finished the last few bites of her own pizza, then collected their plates and stuck them in the dishwasher. “I have a bottle of champagne I lifted from my mom's house, you want to open it?”
“Sure. If you want.”
“I thought we could toast or something but we don't have to.”
“No, that sounds fun. We should.”
She nodded and went back to the refrigerator to get the champagne. She set it on the counter, then bent to look at it more closely. “It just occurred to me that I actually have no clue how to open this.”
“Don’t look at me, I don’t know any more about it than you do,” he replied with a laugh. “Maybe that top part comes off?”
“Maybe. Let's see.” She picked up the bottle and tucked it under her arm, then covered the top with a dish towel and pulled. The cork shot into her towel covered hand with a loud popping noise that made her squeak in surprise, but she'd gotten it open and managed not to spill it everywhere. She dropped the cork and towel on the counter and triumphantly presented the open bottle to Beck. “I did it!”
He laughed. “I can see that, well done. You got cups or glasses around here somewhere?”
“Cabinet by the dishwasher.”
“Got it.” He was able to locate them easily enough, picking out two of the less expensive looking glasses and placing them on the counter.
She offered him the bottle. “You want to do the honors?”
He nodded, accepting the bottle and filling the glasses almost to the top. He picked up a glass and kept the bottle in his other hand to take it with them. “Back to the living room?”
“Yeah, I'll turn it on to the ball drop, we've only got…” She paused to glance at the clock on the stove. “Shit. Five more minutes. Come on, hurry.” Without waiting for a response she snatched up her glass and rushed into the living room, setting it down on the table beside her laptop and grabbing the remote to turn on the television.
He trailed along behind her, turning off the light in the kitchen on his way past and following suit by placing his glass and the bottle of champagne by hers on the coffee table. “I can't believe the year is just about over.”
“I know.” She shifted over on the couch to curl into his side and drag his arm around her shoulders. “I think we had a good one though, don’t you?”
“Yeah, definitely. Best one yet.”
“Yeah?”
“I mean, I think so. With the exception of maybe the year you first came into my life. This year has been great and I kind of fall in love with you more everyday even though it never seems possible to love you more than I already do.”
Jade blushed hard, surprised and touched by his words and only able to respond with a quiet “I love you” before nuzzling her head into his chest.
He smiled, hugging her a little closer. “I love you, too.”
She sat quietly for a minute, just enjoying the feeling of being close to him. When the countdown clock in the corner of the television screen read less than a minute, she let go of him and sat up. She grabbed her champagne glass and handed him his before getting to her feet. “Count down with me. And kiss me on two instead of one.”
Midnight had seemed to arrive all of a sudden and Beck felt like it was all a little surreal as he climbed to his feet after Jade. The last few seconds seemed to pass faster still and before he knew it, there were only three seconds left of the year. For fear of missing the count of two and slightly out of impatience, he jumped the gun and tugged her close to kiss her all the way into the next year.
Jade wrapped her arm around his waist and hugged him close, deepening the kiss. and getting so caught up in it she almost couldn't even hear the cheers of the people on TV. Her other hand wobbled a little as she kissed him, too busy to pay any real attention to what she was doing and accidentally sloshing some of her champagne out of the glass and onto her hand to drip onto the carpet. She didn't care. This was perfect and she wanted to stay with him like this as long as possible.
Beck was reluctant to pull away from the kiss, only doing so once he was really desperate for air. Even so, he only moved away as much as he needed to so he could breathe and stayed close enough to press his forehead against hers. “Happy New Year, babe.”
“Happy New Year, baby.”
He smiled and just leaned in to kiss her again.
