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Chapter Sixty: Maggie

The New Year is right around the corner. Close to the end of a crazy, hectic year, but one that I'll definitely hold dearest even after a new beginning arises.

I'd be lying if I said that the first half of this year wasn't absolute mayhem for me, because it was. It was a rollercoaster ride that just kept going and going in an upwards direction and seemed to have never stopped.

Until now that is.

Though the journey was exhausting the end was fulfilling in its own way. I went through a lot of hurdles and disastrous mishaps; I lost friends, gained some, made mistakes, and also tried my best to fix them.

I honestly feel like I'm not the same person I was before because the girl I was then - timid, reserved, and overly self-righteous, she's different from the person I am now. Sure, certain aspects of who I am are still there, but I'm learning.

I'm learning to leave what's behind me and to come to terms with how my life is now and anticipate what's in store for me in the future. Considering there's no point in dwelling on nostalgia and painful memories.

With that being said, I'm ready to accept this brand new year with open arms. Awaiting for the new possibilities, opportunities, and even for the upcoming hurdles along the way.

I've never been this optimistic and ready for the unpredicted until now, and in a way I guess I kinda got that from Evan as he had taught me to be more tolerant. Speaking of Evan on the other hand, he's grown so much since the day we met.

Back then, if you had asked me if I could ever envision myself being remotely associated with Evan either platonically or romantically, I wouldn't even laugh. I wouldn't even entertain the idea with how much I know past Maggie would consider the scenario as every bit absurd.

We started so rocky that it's crazy to think that we ended up here, right now to where we are today. That's why I intend to finish this year celebrating it with the ones who helped me grow - my family, my new-found family, friends, and new-found friends.

So when Tiffany approached me and Evan with a plan of hosting a New Year's Eve party at their company's building and how she's been planning it since last November, we knew we couldn't pass on the opportunity.

"A New Year's Eve party?" Evan reiterated when Tiffany told us the news "Sure, doesn't seem too bad. Haven't had one of those in a while."

Tiffany ecstatically clapped her hands at that "It's settled then! You can invite your friends if you want, I already contacted Jasper's parents to see if they wanted to attend and they were more than willing! The same goes for you too, Maggie!"

With that, she left the room with a reminder to shop for clothes because the party will be lavish and filled with hundreds of guests from all kinds of connections, family or not, so we need to look our best.

"I've never attended a New Year's Eve party before. I was always so used to just celebrating it with my mom and my grandparents." I told Evan as soon as Tiffany walked out of the room.

Evan, appearing curious, then asked "Just you and your mom?"

I nodded solemnly "Yeah, my father was usually the one to attend those New Year's Eve parties, sometimes he would ask me if I wanted to come with but I always said no because he never wanted mom to come along with us."

He holds my gaze for a moment, a wave of incredulity washing over his face "Seriously? Who would do that? You're still his family for crying out loud."

Yeah, we are, by blood at least.

I shrugged, thinking despite how much the memory is upsetting there's no point wallowing over how much of an asshole my father is "It's alright, at least I get to spend my first New Year's Eve party with you and your parents instead of him, as well as my mom this time."

Even though the disbelief and disgust were still visible in his gaze, his expression softened at my words as he made his way towards me, sitting beside me on the living room couch as he hugged me from behind.

"It'll be fun. If you think my mom goes all out during Christmas, wait until you see how she acts during New Year's Eve, her inner host always flourishes the best in that kind of environment."

Chuckling, I turned my head and planted a kiss on his cheek. "And I can't wait to spend it with you and your parents, I can't think of anybody else I would want to spend the holidays with."

His eyes gleamed at that "Same as I."

* * *

The day leading up to the party was actual chaos, to say the least.

Tiffany was all over the place trying to help us with what we were supposed to wear, with her and Evan going back and forth arguing about whether he should wear a tux and him just adamantly refusing.

Whilst I, on the other hand, decided to just let Tiffany decide whatever she thought would look great on me for the party, thinking she knew better about these sorts of things than I did.

Also for the fact that I didn't wanna get mauled.

"A tux is so uncomfortable! Plus the party will only last for a few hours anyway!" Evan argued.

"I already got a tux custom made for you from one of the most high-end designers I was able to reach these past few days; do not squander my plans for you, Evan!" Tiffany scolded as he groaned, clearly fed up with his mother.

As soon as Tiffany left the room to get the portfolio of his tux that the designer sent, Evan paced around his room muttering curses about how much of a handful Tiffany is being right now.

"A tux? I know she said it was formal but I didn't think it'd have to be that formal."

"Just do what she says, you know how much of a control freak she can get during these sorts of things," I advised.

He rolled his eyes as I stood up from the edge of his bed and let my hands roam on the expanse of his broad shoulders, before carefully pushing him down so my lips were at the same level as his ear. "Plus, I think you would look really sexy in a tux..." I purred as I felt his body stiffen at my words.

Before he could even retaliate, I immediately pulled away the second I heard Tiffany's footsteps resonate from outside before she entered the bedroom, holding the portfolio containing the design of Evan's custom-made tux.

"I swear once you see the outlines of the design you'll love it, dear-"

"Actually, you know what, you're right, mom." Evan cuts her off as she looks at him, surprised "I was overreacting when I said the tux is a bit too much, I'll wear it, don't worry."

She blinked a few times before smiling widely "Ugh, thank you so much, dear! I'm glad that you agree with me!"

Evan sighed as he bent down to whisper in my ear "Happy?"

I smirked, nodding "More than."

* * *

December 31, 5:00 PM. Two hours away from the New Year's Eve party.

I'm currently in my room unboxing the dress Tiffany had sent me a few hours ago in the recommendation of what I should wear for the party.

What I didn't expect was the overall quality and design of the dress, however, because as soon as I took it out from the white and gold gift box it was placed in, I felt my literal jaw hit the floor.

Because it was not just any other dress, it was a Gianni Versace dress, the well-known safety pin dress to be specific with the oversized golden pins holding together a massive slit that went down the left side torso.

Long enough to reach my feet, I took the sleek black dress out of the box and held it against my body, examining the details and how beautiful it looked.

I then noticed a price tag that was still hanging by the neckline and when I pulled it to see how much it cost, I felt my eyes practically bulge out of my sockets.

With that, I was quick to get my phone and dial Evan's number, ringing him up as he answered right away "Hey baby," he greeted "Are you almost ready for tonight-"

"Tell Tiffany I can't wear the dress she sent."

There was a long stretch of silence on his behalf "Why? Do you want anything else? We can arrange to send another dress last minute if that's what you want-"

"What? No! The dress is beautiful and goes way beyond what I expected."

The confusion in his tone deepened as he asked "Then I don't get what's the problem?"

"The problem is that it costs six thousand dollars!"

The line went dead for a while, and per usual, his obliviousness didn't fail to present itself when he spoke "That's a problem because...?"

I face-palmed myself, literally "Evan, just because your family can afford such things does not mean you should. I am not going to allow your mother to buy me a dress that's worth six grand that I'll only be wearing for a party. That's simply absurd plus capitalism is a disease enough as it is."

I heard him let out a chuckle from the other end of the call "Maggie, it's just a dress, don't fret over it way too much."

"That's the thing! A dress shouldn't cost this much! I simply can't just abuse six thousand dollars by wearing it for one night, plus I can't imagine Tiffany wasting this much money on me-"

"Baby, it's alright, my mom wouldn't have given that dress if she minded, plus you love the way it looks, right? I bet you'd look really pretty in it."

I examined the dress as I tilted my head "I mean yes, it is beautiful but-"

"Then it's settled, just try not to think too much about it plus that dress is basically my mom's present to you. Wear it, rock it and just keep it, okay? You deserve it."

I sighed "But baby..."

"Try not to overthink it, okay? This is our night to let loose, so let loose. At least for me?"

I could practically hear the pleading pout in his voice "Okay fine," I said, letting out a defeated breath.

He sounded elated as he spoke once again "I'll pick you up at 7:00 PM, be sure to get ready by then, okay?"

He bid his farewell as we both ended the call, a billow of guilt engulfing me as I inspected the dress once more, but just shaking my head to rid myself of such thoughts as I reminded myself of Evan's words. Just let loose.

With that, I began getting ready.

* * *

I looked at myself in the mirror, quite impressed with what I was seeing.

I placed the flat iron I was using onto the floor when I knew my hair was flat and straight enough before taking out the Versace hair clips that Tiffany included in the box along with the dress.

Pinning each hair clip on both sides of my head as I tucked my hair behind my ears, I examined myself to see if I did my makeup in the same way Beth taught me over the phone when I was contemplating what kind of look I wanted for tonight.

So I just settled with a dark, smoky eye that would compliment my attire, accentuating more on that area of my face as I decided to put on a simple nude lipstick, making me look sophisticated and well put-together, and not gonna lie, I actually nailed making myself look presentable.

A soft knock echoed through the room just as I was finished tidying up my room from the clutter of makeup and hairstyling tools I had used during the past hour as I called out for the person outside to come in.

It was Frank as he stepped inside the room "Maggie, Evan is downstairs ready to pick you up-"

He halted at his words as soon as he took a good look at my appearance, the shock evident in his eyes as I smiled from ear to ear at his dumbfounded expression "So? Your thoughts on my first attempt at readying myself for an event without anybody's assistance?" I asked.

He covered his mouth with his hand, a huge smile making its way up to his lips "Sweetheart, you look absolutely captivating. Words can't even describe how gorgeous you look."

I chuckled, "Thank you, that's so sweet."

He came up to me and took one good look at my face, his head tilted "Your eyes look different."

"Probably the eyeshadow."

"Yes, probably so, but something about it makes your eyes look... sharper." he noted, fascinated. "More intimidating, your eyes look so much like Wayne's right now."

I scrunch my nose at that "Better take off all this makeup then-"

He laughed, stopping me "No, no, you look gorgeous. Perfect really."

"Quite an exaggeration, don't you think?"

He shook his head "No, not at all, once Evan sees you that boy is sure to be awestruck."

I put on a pair of black high heels before letting Frank lead me out of my bedroom, helping me go down the stairs because of how long my dress is as I held onto his forearm, feeling unreasonably nervous "You don't think I'm overdressed?" I asked.

Frank shook his head "No, not at all, you look gorgeous, sweetheart. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a tool."

I let out a snort as we finally made our way down the living room, and I looked up to see Evan standing by the doorway, and from my point of view, I could see that he was wearing a very fitted, high-end tux that hugged him in all the right places.

Feeling my heartbeat pound erratically inside my chest at the sight of him, I couldn't stop myself from ogling at him because of how devastatingly beautiful he looked.

I cleared my throat to get his attention, and he swiveled around to look at me, a smile plastered on his face but it faded away as soon as we locked eyes; his gaze indecipherable as I felt myself grow worried at his sudden change of expression.

It didn't help when Frank exited the room, leaving us alone. All the while as I slid my hands down my dress, trying to wipe off the sudden moisture that developed on my palms until I realized how gross that is and immediately pulled them back.

"Hi," I greeted with an awkward smile, "You were right, the dress does look pretty."

His face remained blank as I raised an eyebrow at his lack of reaction. "Or no...?" he kept quiet as he started walking towards me "It doesn't look good? Or I don't look good? It's the makeup, isn't it? It probably is, let me just go back upstairs so I can-"

But he didn't even let me finish before he cupped my face in his hands and drew my lips to his, kissing me with such vigor that I found myself stumbling a little bit at the sudden change of reaction from him.

He kissed me like he hadn't seen me in over a decade so when he detached himself away from me it was only when we felt ourselves struggling to maintain our breathing, his lips separating from mine as he stared into my eyes very intensely, making me blush.

"So is that a yes or....?"

He laughed, leaning his forehead against mine "How did an idiot like me ever get so lucky?"

I couldn't help it, I grinned like a moron at his words like the lovestruck puppy that I am "Maybe it's because you say such cliche things like that?"

He shrugged, "Yeah, maybe." his eyes then proceeded to roam down my body as I squirmed at the way he was looking "God, I can't explain it, but you look like a million bucks."

"Maybe it's because I'm wearing Versace."

"Maybe so, but still." he looped his arms around my waist as he drew me closer "You're so beautiful, Maggie. Yet here you are giving idiots like me a chance to have all of this."

I put a hand on his chest, running my palms over the soft fabric of his blazer "You're one to talk, I haven't eaten for a while thinking there'd be food at the party but God, the way you look right now just makes me wanna-"

I froze at the sudden filth I was spewing out, and it seems as though the unexpectedness of my words didn't fly over Evan's head as he looked at me, appearing taken aback as well.

I was practically crimson red as I tried to justify myself "I-I just mean-"

But with no luck, there was no justification or excuse at the way I literally hinted that I wanted to take him right in this very living room, like the very hormonal hooligan that I am.

He smirked as he picked up on my silence "Looks like somebody's going through it,"

He lowered his mouth so he was directly speaking in my ear, and when he began to talk his voice was husky and suggestive in tone, causing a shiver to run up my spine "Finish what you were about to say, Carter." he ordered.

I gulped "I-I'd rather not-"

"No, I want you to, go ahead, say it. Say it with your whole chest, sweetheart." he said, gripping my waist as I felt my breath get stuck in my throat, unable to move nor speak "What did you wanna do? Do to me?"

Good God, this boy is gonna be the death of me.

But before he could even further provoke the hormonal cavewoman inside of me, a voice interrupted us "Mr. Williams?"

We turned around to see a man in a uniform stepping inside the house "Your mother texted me asking you and Ms. Carter to head to the party now."

I grew hot at the realization that we got so caught up in our little world that we forgot we had a party to attend to, as Evan just sends a quick nod to his driver before he turns to me.

"We'll get back to this later," he whispered, wrapping an arm around my waist as he led us out of the house.

I rolled my eyes, elbowing him in the ribs as he let out a wheeze "Keep it in your pants, Williams."

* * *

We arrived at the party shortly after, with the company appearing vibrant even from a distance due to the dozens of Christmas lights covering all corners of the building.

A ginormous Christmas tree is also seen situated from the outside, probably standing at 100 feet tall as it was also wrapped in layers and layers of lights.

We walked into the building, and already the lobby was packed, whether it be employees or non-employees, they looked immaculate and the overall setting was just very neat but also cozy.

"The building looks amazing," I said, appreciating the warm ambiance of the vast space as we walked in with our arms looped around each other.

Evan smiled "Yeah, mom tries her best to keep the place as tidy as possible. One of these days someone's gonna slip and break a rib with how much the floors here get waxed. Literally, look down, you can see your damn reflection."

I did and sure enough, he was right, I can see my reflection.

We sauntered into the elevator and right away people were already starting to make way for us, some looking at Evan with evident respect as they tried not to make eye contact for too long, moving out of the way as they allowed us to enter the elevator with no one joining us.

My eyebrows furrowed as soon as the elevator doors closed in on us "What's with everyone treating you like you're Moses?"

Evan chuckled at that, dismissively waving his hand "Nothing, it's just because they know I'll eventually inherit this place so they try their best to treat me with the utmost respect."

"That's not even respecting at this point, it's just blatant worshiping." I pointed out, a bitter taste lingering on my tongue.

We arrived on the 19th floor, one floor away from the very top which was apparently where Tiffany and Mason's offices were.

The floor was reserved for specific occasions like this where they needed a very spacious room to host events and be able to have as many people in one room.

We made our way in and instantly, dozens of eyes were already on us as guests started greeting Evan with much genuine enthusiasm. All the while as Evan reciprocated said greetings with equal politeness, nudging me slightly now and then to introduce me as well.

As it turned out, almost all of the guests were his relatives and they acknowledged my presence with actual warmth and acceptance. One of them being a man who appeared to be in his late 40s who bore a striking resemblance to Mason, he then greeted Evan and appeared to be quite happy seeing him, and as soon as his gaze was on me his smile grew large.

"I take it this lovely lady is the one your parents got you engaged to?" he asked before taking my hand in his and placing a small peck on my knuckles.

Blushing, despite the man obviously being Evan's uncle, I couldn't ignore the very attractive genes that showed in all branches of the family tree. His uncle was not an exception as he oozes charm and charisma much like his brother.

"Sebastian Williams, brother of Mason's and Evan's uncle," he said, giving me a fond smile "And I take it your name is?"

"Maggie," I said in a soft tone, quite intimidated by the man despite his mannerisms being personable "Maggie Carter, daughter of Veronica Carpenter. It's so nice to meet you."

"The same goes to you, dear. Tiffany and Mason picked quite the looker to be Evan's fiancee, and from what I've heard from my brother you're also the top student in your school? Beauty and brains, what a combination." he chuckled, giving his nephew a pointed look "You better hold onto this girl, Evan. I know it's all business, what you two have, but you make quite the pair."

He bid us farewell before walking off "He said we make quite the pair," Evan noted, reiterating his uncle's words "I mean, we do, don't we?"

I laughed, nodding "Yeah, we do, actually."

It wasn't soon before the party was heavily packed with guests, but amidst the crowded area, I was able to spot a very familiar face while Evan was too busy talking to guests, as I occasionally answered questions here and there whenever they presented themselves.

I squinted into the distance as a mop of dirty blonde hair caught my eye, detaching myself from Evan who turned to me despite having a conversation with a group of people.

As I then started making my way to the familiar face who was occupying himself in the buffet table positioned in the corner "Jasper?" I called out as he then turned to me, eyes wide and mouth stuffed with shrimp "Oh my God, hi!"

He swallowed down what he was eating and wiped his hands clean from any remnants of food before walking up to me and pulling me into a hug as I accepted it with open arms.

"Maggs, it's so nice to see you. Glad to see someone I know at this party, Evan's so busy greeting his guests that I thought I'd approach him later but hi!" he greeted.

I chuckled, nodding "Same honestly, he's too occupied with relatives and I can't blame him, I never knew the Williams family tree was this big."

"It is, and from the looks of it he's handling it quite well, being the life of the party and all,"

"Yeah," I said as I turned to Evan who seemed to be quite engaged still with the people he was talking with. "I never knew he was this charismatic in such environments, he'd make a great replacement for Tiffany and Mason one day."

"He really will," Jasper agreed as Evan excused himself from the crowd as soon as he caught sight of Jasper and me, making his way towards us afterward "Speaking of the devil."

"Here you are," Evan said as he came to my side and looped an arm around my waist, pulling me close as he placed a kiss on my temple. "I was wondering where you wandered off to."

"Sorry, I just saw Jasper here and I couldn't help but greet him," I explained, diverting my attention to the blonde as he smiled.

Evan turned to his friend and offered him a warm smile back "Hey man," they exchanged a quick hug upon acknowledging each other "I'm sorry if I wasn't able to greet you when you arrived."

He dismissed Evan's apology with a flick of his hand "It's nothing, you seemed preoccupied at the moment anyway, being a Williams is no joke."

"Tell me about it," Evan sighed as he turned around to inspect the guests who were stopping now and then to give him quick hi's and hellos.

I nudged his shoulder with mine "Go. Jasper and I still have a lot to catch up on and you need to entertain your guests, make your mother proud."

He was reluctant to comply but when I gave him a reassuring raise of my eyebrow, he heaved out a breath before planting a kiss on my cheek, whispering in my ear "I'll try to get back to you soon, but one thing's for sure is we'll be by each other's sides once it's midnight, okay?"

I nodded, a small grin teasing at the corners of my lips "Okay,"

* * *

It's currently 11:15 PM, close to midnight.

We had just finished dinner and Tiffany thanked the guests for attending, saying how she can't imagine a better way of celebrating the end of the year than those she was closest to.

The adults had drinks and discussed business, with Evan being pulled into the conversation by his mother now and then when he wasn't he mostly stuck by my side, telling me background information on each of his relatives.

It wasn't until at one point Evan had gotten too engrossed entertaining colleagues of his mother that I thought I'd just leave him be, walking out into the balcony to get a bit of fresh air, and just to be away from all the commotion currently taking place inside.

"I thought I'd see you here."

I turned around to see Jasper catching me in action, and by action, I mean just mindlessly gazing at the stars "Hey," I said as he stood by my side, arms resting on the glass railing of the balcony "I thought I'd just get a bit of fresh air and some alone time. Parties were never really my thing."

He lets out an amused chuckle "From one introvert to another, I can understand your dilemma all too well."

We relished at the moment laughing and just making quick chitchat; talking about our plans once the new year begins as well as our overall future and what we plan to do for college.

"It's basically laid out for Evan and me at this point, our plans for the future I mean, it's just a matter of how we'll be able to handle it." I looked back inside the room and the party was taking place. "And so far Evan's doing great while I'm out here, letting him do all the work."

"You two just have completely different natures, that's all."

I sighed "Maybe, but sometimes I wonder if Evan even really needs me at all. Sure he seemed quite unreliable in the beginning, but he's matured over the course of the year. He's already made plans to go to New York for college while me?" I laughed dryly, shaking my head "At the start of this year I had so much going for myself and it was all because I depended on Levi's plans, and now that he's gone, I don't know what to do anymore."

"For some reason, I'm out here helping everybody plan their future except my own," I added "With Evan and how he's going to inherit the family business one day, and me helping my mom put Carpenters and Fields back into its feet. It always just feels like I'm clinging on to other people's plans without actually making some for myself."

"But once the marriage ends and Evan no longer needs me to help him and he goes to New York and meets girls he might take an actual liking towards, then what?" I implied solemnly.

I know it's absurd to think about these sorts of scenarios especially during a time where I know I'm supposed to be happy, but I just feel like going through a never-ending spiral despite being so optimistic about the idea of starting a new year and obtaining a new sense of growth.

I couldn't help but think about it now as I witnessed Evan in action actually taking everything that he's learned and putting it into motion, while me? I'm always doing my best to be the backbone for other people without supporting myself, my own goals, and my own aspirations.

And here I was thinking too highly of myself when as a matter of fact, I still had a lot of catching up to do, despite my willingness to strive forward for something bigger.

But then I couldn't help but wonder... What is it that I'm striving for?

There was a long stretch of silence before Jasper spoke "And here I thought I overthink and overanalyze for my own good," he remarked, his words playful until he eventually switched gears as his tone became serious.

"But I understand where you're coming from, though." he continued "I know you must be feeling like you're being co-dependent of others when you've pride yourself on wanting to be independent and secure in your life, but it somehow doesn't feel that way due to the current circumstances that you're in right now, with your mother and Evan, yes?"

I turned to look at him and gulped, nodding "Yeah."

He sighed at that, nodding sympathetically "But you have to realize that as much as you're being pulled back does not mean that it's your fault. All of this was dropped down on you and you had no choice but to accommodate what people asked of you, and it sucks, being blinded by the identity you use to serve others, thinking that's who you are. But it isn't."

"You have to realize that the mask you put up to please those around you and your true self is two completely different people. Don't get too caught up with what was out of your control but instead anticipate the days where you'll finally take hold of the steering wheel."

"You're not being clingy and co-dependent on other people and their plans, it's just that you've grown accustomed to putting other people's needs before your own. But you have to separate those two images and to realize that there are days ahead where you'll finally be able to break free and be who you are without anybody else's input, and that's when you'll know."

I blinked back the tears threatening to spill out of my eyes as I tried to wipe them away "You think I'll be able to discover who I really am and break free from this one day?"

He nodded "I do. You've fought for so many things for other people for them to get what they want. Eventually, you'll recognize your own needs and fight for them as well, and once that happens, all of this doubt and anxiety will be buried and won't even matter."

I couldn't suppress the smile threatening to spread across my face "You think so?"

"Yeah, you just haven't realized your true potential due to the circumstances you're in right now. Dig deeper within yourself and try to recognize what you want, so once the day that all of this is over, you wouldn't have to feel so directionless. It's not a bad thing to prioritize your needs."

Feeling quite sentimental, I reached out to grab his hand and squeezed it. "Evan was right when he said that you talk like a motivational speaker."

We laughed for a moment but stopped when we heard the door of the balcony open, swiveling around as we were met by the sight of Evan walking in on us.

"Hey there," he said as he made his way in our direction "It's almost midnight,"

Jasper gave my hand one last squeeze before pulling away "I'll leave you guys be."

With that, he walked out of the balcony so that it was only Evan and I standing here out here, all the while as he walked up to me "Only five minutes left before the New Year starts, are you ready?" he asked me.

"I am, you?" he nodded in return "How was it back there? Had fun at the party?"

He shrugged "It was exhausting, to be honest. Trying to make conversation and making it seem like I knew what the hell I was talking about was a goddamn handful. But I had no other choice considering my parents forced this on me and I just felt so suffocated."

Feeling my stomach sink at his confession, I caressed the side of his face with my palm, eyes boring into his "I'm so sorry, I should've been there by your side, at least."

He shook his head "It's okay, it's not your job to babysit me, you're my girlfriend. But not gonna lie, when I found it hard to maintain conversation I just kept thinking about you and how you probably feel proud that I'm engaging with future colleagues, that pushed me to keep going."

My heart melted at his words, realizing that as much as I felt incompetent and suffocated not being able to be as sociable as Evan, he too was also feeling the same way I was. But he kept going anyway because he wanted to make me and his parents proud.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned my forehead against his "Can I ask you a question?" he nodded "What happens when the contract ends and you don't need me anymore?"

His eyebrows furrowed, perplexed by my question "Maggie, even if all of this ends I'm still going to want to have you around. I know we got together because of business, but we helped each other grow out of our own free will. We got into a relationship because we both wanted to and you're more than just someone who my parents forced me to be engaged to for financial reasons. You're... you're worth so much more to me than that."

My throat knotted at what he said as I gulped, unable to get the words out of my mouth. To say something, anything, just to tell him how much his words matter to me.

How much he matters to me.

All the while as we began to hear the people inside the party begin to chant, fireworks bursting into the sky and horns blasting into the night, indicating that midnight is nearing.

"Ten!"

"Thank you for making this year something I'll never forget."

"Nine!"

"Same goes for you."

"Eight!"

"I may be afraid of what the future holds, and I may not know what's in store for us but..." I trailed off, looking deeply into his eyes.

"Seven!"

"I'm just glad I get to end this year with you."

"Six!"

He smiled, his voice being drowned out in the thunderous noise surrounding us, but even so, I was only fixated on him and what he was saying.

"Five!"

He tightened his hold on me as he closed his eyes "I'm glad I got to end this year with you as well."

"Four!"

"I love you, Evan," I whispered, shutting my eyes as I leaned into him.

"Three!"

I felt his lips brush against my own, goosebumps rising on my skin as I shut off the entire world around me, as we were once again transported into our own little world, just us, nobody else.

"Two!"

"I love you too, Maggie."

"One!"

He sealed his lips against mine and kissed me as soon as the clock hit midnight, with people's cheers roaring into the atmosphere and the fireworks going off like crazy into the night sky. I tuned all of it out as I only focused on the sparks being ignited inside of me.

With tingles, shivers, and an electrifying wave of adrenaline rushing through my bones, I pulled away as I stared back at him, seeing the different vibrant hues of exploding fireworks reflect themselves into his gaze. As if he too was bursting with color.

At least, in my eyes, he was.

"Happy New Year, Carter."

".... Happy New Year, Williams."

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)