Minutes to Midnight I

The following is the first of a few posts in what I'm calling the "Minutes to Midnight" series. I saw a prompt in a book, "Somewhere between 11:36PM and 11:59PM, New Years Eve". I immediately thought of an idea, but then thought of a few more, and it challenged me to see how many different ways I could tell a short story of what happens in those 23 minutes. Here is the first one:

It's the minutes leading up to midnight, and Chase planned a cozy night in for himself and Allie. He had planned all of it for the past few months. He took advantage of their agreement to do something different for every New Years eve, and this being his year to choose, he chose this. In the past, they had gone for sunrise hikes, counted down the minutes in three different cities around the world, or spent it with friends.

This year, he had the idea of slowing it down and having a cozy night in a random cabin in Vermont he found online. It had amazing reviews and the longer he was there, the more he understood why.

Inside, he and Allie sat cuddled on the couch, covered by a thick, knit blanket, their faces lit by the fire. There was a small tv on a stand to the left of the fireplace that just got basic cable, and they had been switching between the few channels to see more performances. Of course, they gave brutal critiques of each one as it went on.

Outside, it was almost like Chase had paid someone to make it the perfect winter night in Vermont. Looking out the big picture window, you could see snow and stars for miles. It was a perfectly clear night, and the light from the almost full moon was flirting with the sparkle of the fresh snow from the storm that morning. You could almost see the mountain line it was so clear.

Chase's attention was brought back inside as he felt Allie standing up.

“Where are you going?” he questioned. “It's almost time to countdown!” he said excitedly.

“Come here!” she stood in the middle of the room and gestured her hand for him to join her. “Dance with me?” she looked at him with those eyes that made him fall in love with her all over again.

“Ugh, you're such a corn dog.” Chase groaned dramatically as he stood up from the couch. He dragged his feet over to her, and wrapped his hands around her waist.

“Yet, here you stand, without much of a fight, really.” She smiled and welcomed Chase's kiss as they started swaying to whatever performance was currently on tv. He didn't even know what channel was on. She rested her head on his chest and adjusted so his arms rested around her shoulders, hers wrapped around his waist to better fit their height difference. They just swayed for what seemed like only a few moments but forever at the same time. Chase peeked at the clock and saw it was 11:54pm. He only had a few minutes left to figure it out.

“I think this is my favorite New Years we've done.” Allie suddenly said. Chase could hear the smile in her tone.

“I think I'm gonna have to agree. Top six, for sure.” he said nonchalantly, which was met with a light smack from the girl in his arms.

“Dumbass,” she laughed.

“But, I'm your dumbass, my dear,” he used his finger to boop her nose before lifting her chin so he could kiss those lips again.

“Oh, trust me, I'm well aware,” she snuck in just as their lips met. He kissed her gently for a few minutes before peeking at the clock again. 11:57pm. Shit.

“Give me one second, I need to grab something,” he kissed her again before breaking them apart. He was so stupid to have had left the ring in their bedroom. He just didn't want her to feel it as they snuggled. He finally got to the room and grabbed the box off of his dresser, before running back to the living room to Allie.

He was hit with a tidal wave of grief as he walked back into the living room. It's the minute leading up to midnight, except its a different new year. It's the first New Years eve since Allie…since Allie.

He was met with just the low voices on the tv, and no Allie. He had gotten so lost in that memory he didn't realize that that was all it was. A memory.

Allie was gone. She was still gone, still dead. The crowd in New York City counted down the final seconds of the year then shouted their “happy New Years” to each other.

Chase fell to his knees. He closed his eyes, and instantly melted into the floor. Part of him hoped he would just seep into some of the cracks in the flooring, just to get a little further away from the pain of remembering.