Kathrin’s POV

Jacques led me through the crowd and to the outside. We got a few curious gazes mingled in with the usual, but I wasn’t paying them any mind. I was far more interested in whatever it was Jacques was trying to hide by listening to music in his head.

“So, what is it?” I finally asked once we were by ourselves. I had to admit, it was a bit of a relief to be away from the crowd, even if could still hear and smell them perfectly from where we were.

“Oh, nothing really.” He slipped his arms around my waist and pulled me close to him. “I just wanted to have you all to myself for midnight.”

Although I knew perfectly well how he felt about me by this point, this still came as somewhat of a shock to me. As a human I had never before been in a relationship that moved anywhere near this fast, so this was an entirely new experience for me on so many levels. Perhaps our speed slips into more aspects of our lives than just physical movement…

“There’s no need to be so nervous.” His smooth voice snapped me out of my reverie, and I cast my gaze up into his face. He was so completely perfect.

“Ah, gomen,” I replied back, though still feeling a bit on edge.

Gomen? Jacques chuckled at my sudden use of Japanese. “No need to apologize.” A wave of calm passed through me and I was able to relax into his hold. Perhaps his gift wasn’t so bad after all.

As I laid my head on his chest, I heard the chattering from the party begin to pick up. “I think the countdown is starting,” I murmured, recognizing the numbers. Ni ju san, ni ju ni, ni ju ichi…

“And so it is,” Jacques replied, lifting my chin up with his hand so we could lock gazes again. “Quinze, quatorze, treize-“

“Doce, once, diez, nueve-“

“Eight.”

“Seven.”

“Six.” We leaned in closer to each other, our eyes never looking away.

“Five.”

“Four.”

“Three.”

“Two.”

“On-“ I was cut off on the final number as his lips pressed into mine. Fireworks and cheering surrounded us on all sides, but I was completely oblivious to all of this. The only thing that mattered in the world right now was the feel of his lips on mine.