She’d been too young when he was born, and he was old enough to handle himself now. He wanted her to enjoy at least one night without having to think she was a mother first. He wanted her to be free and irresponsible, get drunk and maybe even hook up with someone. So he’d told her she should go alone, that she didn’t need to worry about him. And she probably was ignoring the last part, but she’d listened—for once.
Standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom, Noah tied his hair in a low ponytail. He looked pretty decent in a black turtleneck shirt and a pair of chocolate brown chinos that hugged his ass nicely. He loved how, despite his tattooed forearms and two others that weren’t visible unless he was naked, he still managed to pose as a respectable and elegant human being.
“Hey, princess! How much longer until we can leave?” Theo called.
“Shut up!”
“Come on! What’s taking you so long?”
“Unlike you, whose face has no fixing no matter what you do—”
“Fuck you.”
“Some of us like to take our time to look nice.”
“You wouldn’t look nice even if you got plastic surgery.”
“Is that jealousy I’m hearing in your voice?” Noah opened the door and leaned his shoulder on the frame, crossing his arms.
“It’s annoyance, because at this pace, I won’t be drunk before we enter the new year.”
“Are you done fighting like preschoolers?” Val asked from the end of the corridor. “If you don’t hurry up, we’re gonna miss the train.”
“Sorry!” both Theo and Noah said, laughing as they walked toward him, punching each other’s ribs.
They put on their coats and gloves, making sure they had everything with them—phones, wallets, and party tickets—and ran to catch the train.
As soon as they exited København station, their breath condensed in the air, creating a misty cloud in front of their faces. Noah zipped his coat up to his chin and shivered slightly. A waxing crescent moon glowed in the dark sky, and twinkling lights adorned the streets, lighting up almost every corner like a Christmas market. It was magical.
Although most stores and attractions were closed, the festive atmosphere surrounded them at every step, especially in the City Hall Square. It was only ten-thirty in the evening, but throngs of people were venturing into the wild bring-your-own-fireworks party going on there. Pyrotechnics, bullhorns, and everything noisy was welcomed. To hell with safety—drunkards and firecrackers were an interesting combo.
Noah and the guys normally avoided these massive crowds, except at concerts, yet they all agreed they had to experience this at least once. Where they came from, this time of the year didn’t get half as crazy.
When they arrived at the nightclub, the ambience was more of the same—people dressed up, eager for the clock to strike twelve. They approached the bar, pushing through groups already too drunk to care about others elbowing them in the ribs. Half anhour later, with their drinks in hand, they looked for a table that had any seats still available.
“Shit, this is gonna be impossible,” Val said.
“No, look.” Theo patted their arms. “That table over there, the one in the corner, doesn’t have that many people. They’ll take the chairs, but we can get up on the table.”
“Do you wanna start the new year by dying?” Noah asked.
“With my luck, I’ll die if I don’t jump.” Theo snorted.
“But Ben said there would be an area with benches or some shit like that specifically prepared for tonight, no?”
“I have no patience to look for that. Let’s just go over there.”
Determined, Theo continued walking forward, Noah and Val on his tail.
You see, although Danes aren’t scared of evil spirits anymore, it is a tradition to literally jump into the new year. It’s meant to defeat any oncoming difficulties or hardships that await in the new year.
So, yeah, theyhad todo it.
They talked with the strangers around the table they’d targeted before. Laughed with them at some anecdotes from earlier in the evening. And finally, the time came.
The music stopped, and the projector reflecting psychedelic imagery on the screen behind the stage shifted to live footage of the City Hall Tower clock. People started climbing up on the chairs, couches, and everything that was above floor level, including the bar. They, as agreed upon, stepped up on the table. It was fun to watch how those who could barely stand also tried—and failed. Noah laughed watching them. He was simple like that, and none of the falls were really catastrophic.
Then the countdown began.
