Begin Again

Bonus Chapter | Happy New Year's

“Damn, this city!”

I laugh, watching as Joe tries and fails, to hail down a taxi. “Can’t they see me?” he asks, running a hand through his brown hair. “I’m waving my hand around like an idiot here and they still can’t see me?!?” The irritation in his voice isn’t hard to notice, but nonetheless it sends me into fits of giggles.

Joe gives me a flat look, pulling his hand down to his side. “It’s not funny,” he deadpans, narrowing his eyes at my face. “We’re going to miss the ball drop if you just keep standing there and laughing at me! Could you please get the taxi?”

His bottom lip juts out, and I have to keep myself from ‘awwing.’ Even though throughout the five years that we’ve been together he always manages to make me agree to everything by using that adorable pout face. It’s quite annoying, actually. He knows I can’t resist anything when he does that, sometimes I feel like slapping him across the head.

“Nuh uh,” I shake my finger at his face. “I’m not falling for that face, again.”

Joe grins at me, wrapping his arms around my waist. Instinctively, my hands wound around his neck. He leans down pressing a kiss to my lips. A smile makes its way across my lips as I slowly kiss him back. “I thought we were supposed to save the kisses until midnight,” I mumble against his lips.

“Yeah, but I’m trying to convince you to hail this taxi for me,” he jokes, pulling away but not before pecking my lips quickly, one last time.

I wriggle out of his grasp, sending him a playful glare. “If I would have known that you’re only using me, I wouldn’t have wasted my life with you for the past five years.” I turn away from him, crossing my arms over my chest. Obviously, I’m actually not mad at him and he knows it, but he still plays along.

“Baby,” he whines, coming up behind me, gripping my waist. “I’m not using you!” he says dramatically, his grip tightening around me. I try to get out his grasp for the second time that night because I know what’s coming next. His fingers start moving, tickling me. I start laughing uncontrollably, shaking in his grasp. If he didn’t have a tight grip on me, I would’ve fallen flat on my face by know.

“S-stop,” I gasp out, flaying my arms about. “It hurts!”

“Are you going to hail us a cab?” he asks, stopping his tickling.

“Yes!” I respond, jumping out of his grasp.

“Good,” he smirks, but then it turns into a cold glare as he stares at all of the taxi drivers going past, “because New York seems to hate me.”

I chuckle, turning around to hail a cab. If you haven’t guessed it yet, Joe and I decided to spend New Year’s in New York. Both of our families are travelling to New York tomorrow so we can celebrate New Year’s with them. At the moment it’s just Joe and I here. We wanted to come earlier so we could see the ball drop. The only thing I’m worried about is the amount of people at Times Square already and how we are going to find somewhere to stand.

Our taxi comes a few minutes later, and I don’t miss the playful glare Joe has chucked my way. I stick my tongue out at him before sauntering into the taxi.

“Where to, miss?” the taxi driver asks.

I look in the rear-view mirror, my eyes meeting a pair of green ones, staring at me expectantly. “Times Square,” I tell the middle-aged man, giving him a grateful smile. He waits until Joe has buckled himself in before he steps on the gas, speeding his way to Times Square.

“Are you from around here?” the man asks, trying to start up conversation.

“No,” I respond. “We’re from Michigan.”