"A New Year's Eve Rendezvous, 2016" by Gratiana Lovelace, 2016

"A New Year's Eve Rendezvous, 2016" (PG-13, LS; ficlet)

"A New Year's Eve Rendezvous, 2016" (PG-13, LS; ficlet), December 31, 2016 Gratiana Lovelace (Post #1024) 

(An original story copyrighted by Gratiana Lovelace, 2016; all rights reserved)

[story cover, left, created bu Gratiana Lovelace ; original Richard Armitage EsquireUK 2013 image via Fabo]

[I will illustrate my story characters with: as Michael, and as Lauren.]

Authors Content Note: "A New Year's Eve Rendezvous, 2016" is a light hearted love story with sometimes humorous and sometimes saucy and mature themes of love and relationships. It will mostly be at the PG-13 movie level. Some passages may have a further rating of LS for romantic references and love scenes that are tenderly sensuous and not explicit. If you are unable or unwilling to attend a movie with the ratings that I provide, then please do not read that chapter. This is my disclaimer.

"A New Year's Eve Rendezvous, 2016" (PG-13, LS)

No matter where they live in the world, their old college friends group of six individuals gets together every year to celebrate New Year's Eve—no matter what, still twenty plus years on. They were a tight knit and caring group of friends--sometimes former lovers, sometimes wishful thinking that they had been lovers—but always, always friends. And the years have not diminished their bonds of friendship and love.

In the early years after their college graduation, they met at each other's homes to celebrate New Years Eve together. But in the last few years, they have ventured further afield to do destination New Year's Eve gatherings. And since some of them are averse to flying—the train yes, flying no—gathering in the same location each year is no mean feat. So one or two of the guys always do the flying thing and the others chip in to buy their dinner, hotel, and such.

So this New Year's Eve of 2016 looking toward 2017, their group decided upon Chicago, as in Illinois. It is centrally located, easy to get to, and has loads of partying possibilities. And partially due to sentimentality, they decide to stay overnight in a block of rooms at the charmingly elegant (lobby below)—the scene of many of their non New Year's Eve Chicago jaunts during their college years and beyond. And the New Years Eve party they are attending will actually be held at the .

And though spouses are allowed to the New Year's Eve gatherings—not the least of which is that there was one marriage (and then divorce) that sprung from the group of friends—for whatever reason, this year, it is just the five old college friends, now in their forties.

And though there are three guys and three ladies in their college friends group—seeming to have a pleasing balance in numbers for the ladies having men to dance with—it is actually better, because one of the guys is gay. That means that though he handsome Theo spends at least as much time scoping out the other party goers as he does with chatting and dancing with his college friends, he is attentive to his lady college friends and their dancing wishes.

And the college friends group all join in on the fun with Theo's running commentary upon whom he deems datable—which as they all used as code for a hookup. Yet Theo was by far the most successful dater among them. So one year, they even brought Theo a gross of condoms as a gag—twelve packages of twelve condoms each. Seriously, how do you explain that amount of safer sex protection at pre-flight baggage check-in at the airport on your way home? So Theo returned the kind gesture and shared the condom packages around his group—in friendship, and as a public service.

Andas the college friends have seen each other over the years, they have allmatured, changed hairstyles, lost hair, gained weight, lost weight, and alsogenerally gained confidence about themselves. Reserved little Lauren who was dowdy during college and beyond—with her penchant forolder looking prints, minimal makeup, and hastily pinned back hair--has blossomedinto an admired college teacher, with an outward professional look to match. And let's face it, anyone who can keep alecture hall of 200 students interested and awake, has to have some verve in her personality. And she has also updated her clothing, hair, and makeup such that thetransformation her friends will see before them this year is a knockout. Well, a forties aged knockout, but she'lltake it.