Nicotine

17

The party was the biggest after all. It seemed like the whole town was there.

Bass boomed from the stereo, drunken college kids were dancing and stumbling around everywhere, laughing and smiling.

Not me.

I lost Luke a couple hours ago, but I'm sure he's having fun somewhere.

"Hey you!"

I turned to see a girl smiling up at me. She had a cup in her hand. It was sloshing all over the place.

"You're pretty cute. Want to go somewhere?"

"No, not really."

I decided to go out to the balcony after that, and I've been there ever since. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a cigarette.

It was the last one in the box.

I wanted it so badly; I could feel my burned lungs itching for it.

But I also wanted you.

So I put it back into the box.

Put my lighter inside.

And threw it as hard as I could out over the balcony.

"I knew you could do it."

I looked over towards the door behind me, and it was you.

You.

You in your yellow coat and hair wrapped around your shoulders like a scarf.

Five!

"What are you doing here?"

Four!

"Looking for you."

Three!

"I've missed you Levi."

Two!

"I've missed you too."

One!

You ran into my chest and I engulfed you into my arms, bringing your face up to mine with a hand and meeting you there. You didn't hesitate and neither did I when we connected, peach lips against ash ones.

Fireworks exploded within and around us, as the New Year slowly grew older with each second. But we didn't care.

I inhaled you like nicotine, filling me up on a high I never experienced and never wanted to stop.

So I pulled you closer and you tightened your arms around me, until we were one being and I wasn't in the dark anymore, because you were my guiding light.

I was in a never-ending fog before I met you, and you were that ray of sunshine that broke through the clouds and shattered my world in the most beautiful way.

So thank you Mia,

Thank you for showing me the light instead of keeping me in the shadows.