I shoot her a tiny smile. “I did. I gave them Vinny’s.”
Chloe stares at me for a long second, a slow grin spreading across her face. “I have never been prouder of you,” she says with admiration. She wraps an arm around my shoulder as Seacrest’s voice blasts through the speakers, shattering the moment.
“Twenty seconds left!” he screeches. “The ball is nearly twelve thousand pounds and look at that beautiful sight! Four hundred seventy-two feet above the street. Two thousand six hundred eighty-eight Waterford crystals make up that ball.”
The clock above his head keeps ticking.Fifteen, fourteen, thirteen. I crane my neck, still trying to make eye contact with Jake, but it’s no use—he’s too far away. I scream his name until my voice is hoarse, but I can barely hear myself over the deafening roar of the crowd.
“Grab someone you love, because it’s almost time for that New Year’s kiss!” Seacrest squeals. Ali and Chloe each slip an ice-cold hand through mine, and Chloe gives me a reassuring squeeze. With each passing second, I feel any lingering sense of hope drain from my body. I’m almost out of time; once this night ends, Jake will be gone, and I’ll have lost my chance forever.
“THREE… TWO… ONE… HAPPY NEW YEAR!”
Confetti rains down on us as the crowd explodes into cheers. Fireworks shoot through the air as “Auld Lang Syne” blasts through the speakers. Everyone around me is hugging and kissing but I’m frozen in place, my eyes never leaving Jake. The other guests onstage hug him, and he gives them all a limp smile, sending a halfhearted wave to the crowd. My heart sinks. It’s over. I’ve lost my chance.
The camera pans through the crowd. Images of couples kissing are broadcast around us as the music transitions to Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York.”
And then, it happens.
The camera returns to Trixie. I see myself behind her on the big screen. My eyes are red, and my face is streaked with tears. It’s a less than ideal look. Jake has just pulled back from hugging Fergie when his head turns toward the screen behind him. He freezes in place. His shoulders go rigid. He sees me.
He whips his head around, narrowing his eyes as he scans the crowd. Just then, the teenage girl gang swoops in front of me. Little Ali has her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowed.
“We called the number you gave us, and some jerk named Vinny answered,” she sneers. “How stupid do you think we are?”
I’m contemplating the best way to answer this when Seacrest’s voice erupts through the speakers. It’s the first time I’ve ever heard him sound anything other than cool, calm, and collected.
“Hey, man, what are you doing?” I look up and see Jake beside him, trying to wrestle the microphone from his grip. Seacrest holds on tight, his brow wrinkled in confusion. The pom-pom on his cap jiggles as Jake shakes his arm. Undeterred, Jake presses his lips to the mic.
“Lexi!” Everyone around me freezes. I take this opportunity to shove past the teens and lean my body over the fence.
“Jake!” But the roar of the crowd drowns out my voice. I twist my head around frantically, looking for a way to get higher. Then suddenly, a microphone appears in front of my face. Turning, I see Trixie’s face beaming at me. She nods encouragingly. I take a deep breath before shouting into it.
“Jake!”
Our eyes meet, and Jake’s face lights up like the sun. Shoving Seacrest out of the way, he leaps from the stage. At first, everyone is confused. Fans scream and surge toward him, grabbing at his clothes. But then, the cameras zoom in on me, and people register what’s happening. The crowd parts like the Red Sea to let him through, and he jogs across the gravel, never breaking eye contact.
Then, finally, he’s standing right in front of me. His chest is heaving as he grips the metal barricade. The tip of his nose is pink, and a cold mist escapes through his lips.
“Hey.”
“Hey.”
We stand there for a long moment, drinking each other in. Then, we break into nervous laughter when we both attempt to speak at the same time.
“Jake, I—” I start, just as Jake blurts out, “I’m an idiot.”
“Oh, sorry,” we say in unison.
“You go first,” I offer as Jake blurts again, “You talk. I’ll listen.”
A beat passes, and neither of us says a word. Then Jake leans forward, taking my cheeks in his gloved hands.
“I’m so sorry, Lexi. I never should have said those things about your life and your family. It was completely out of line. And you were right all along. Vinny was playing me. He even changed our duet at the last minute just for press, and I…god,I just missed you so much.”
I cover my hands with his.
“I’m sorry too,” I say. “I can’t even explain how much I missed you. I don’t know why I ever doubted you. I was just scared, and I got in my own head.”
Jake tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “I never should have asked you to go on tour with me. I know how important your job is, and I promise, from now on, I’m going to do what I can to accommodateyourschedule.”
