New Year’s Surprise

She sat in the midst of her friends, cradling a glass of red wine. She stared morosely at the liquid and frowned, as if contemplating the future she could see at the bottom of the glass.  She could see turning thirty five soon and being alone, except for the many cats that crowded her apartment.  Nevermind that she didn’t actually have a cat just yet.  Maybe she’d get one just so she could have some company at home.  Her apartment had felt so empty since her boyfriend, Vaughn, had left for California two months ago.  She sighed.

Laughter ebbed and flowed around her, all of her friends were getting ready to ring in the New Year. She steadily ignored them, swallowed up in her own thoughts. One of them, a big guy she knew was all heart, wrapped an arm around her and gave her silent squeeze before moving on to talk with someone else.  She glared at his back as he walked away.  She knew she was grumpy and should probably go home, rather than bring her friends’ New Year’s celebration down.  She couldn’t bear the thought of staring at her four walls though as the clocked ticked to midnight.  She scowled at the cranberry red wall ahead of her, instead, focusing all of her cranky energy on it.

The room around her became quiet suddenly.  Her friends whispered and looked towards the door.  Some were smiling joyfully at her, hope evident in their expressions.  Others kept glancing worriedly in her direction, their expressions otherwise neutral.  She frowned around at all of them.  Was she being that much of a downer for the party? Did they want her to leave? No, someone new must have arrived.  She craned her neck to see who it might be.  The crowd slowly parted to show her a view.  All it took was the sight of the blue scarf loosely hanging around his neck for her to realize who it was.  She couldn’t believe what she saw though.  She’d made that scarf last year as a birthday gift for Vaughn.  He was in California though.  Had he given the scarf to someone before leaving for the warmer climate?  She felt her face heat up with anger.  She stood up, ready to storm from the party after giving them all a piece of her mind. 

The angry words melted in her mouth, along with the tension in her muscles, when she saw the face above the scarf. Shock held her still, her numb hands dropped the glass of wine she’d been nursing.  She stared at him with wide eyes and an open jaw.  He was supposed to be somewhere on an airplane. He’d called her that morning to wish her a Happy New Year early because, he’d said, he had to be on a flight that night and wasn’t sure he’d be near a phone at midnight. His blue eyes, which matched the color of the scarf, sparkled.  His lips curved in that soft smile he’d always saved just for her.