With Ears to See

“Hey, Aus! This is champagne, right?”
Kellin was holding up a glass bottle that had a dark liquid inside.
I looked at the label and chuckled.

“That’s wine, Kellin.”

He pondered the bottle for a second, then smiled.

“So we can get even fancier.”
He winked at me.

I shook my head in disbelief.
“The champagne is the bottle next to the one you just picked up.”
“Fine…”

He placed the wine bottle back and grabbed the champagne bottle.

I took it from his hand and placed it into the cart, along with all the various types of junk food that piled in it.
Kellin insisted that we should buy some fireworks – I can’t imagine why – and so an assortment box of them was in the cart, too.

“Tell me again why we have fireworks in the cart…”
He turned towards my direction with his hands on his hips.

“You obviously can’t celebrate New Year’s without fireworks. Where’s the fun in that?”
“I guess you have a point…”

“Alright then. Let’s go pay for the stuff and get out of here.”

x x x

“I want to light the next one!”
Kellin was eagerly bouncing on his toes.

He’s too adorable.

I handed him the lighter and led him to one of the fireworks on the ground.
He lit it and I quickly pulled him away so he wouldn’t get burned.

Soon, the cylinder erupted with a mountain of multicolored sparks.

Even though he couldn’t see the colors, Kellin had a content smile on his face.

“I know you think I’m strange for this, Austin. But, being blind for so long; it lets me appreciate the things that I would usually take for granted. Maybe I can’t see the object, its color, its form, but I can simply enjoy the sounds that it makes. I can enjoy the taste or the scent of the object.”

He brushed his hand against mine and intertwined our fingers.

“I can enjoy the warmth, or texture of the object.”

My heart beat harshly inside of my chest.

The sparks ceased, leaving us in the dark with the stars above us.

“Come on. Let’s light another one.”
He nodded in agreement and let go of my hand

My heart still continued its harsh beating.

x x x

“Only five minutes until the countdown…”

We were sitting in the balcony, both on our third cup of champagne.

“It sure has been one hell of a year. I was cheated on and lied to…I lost the love of my life…I struggled with so many demons inside of me…”

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.
Kellin had a concerned look on his face.

“But…the past four months…have been nice. I moved into a great town. I got a decent job and apartment. And…I met you, Kellin. And…I’m glad that I did.”

He was now blushing and that beautiful smile made its way onto his face.

“I’m glad I met you too, Austin.”

It was silent for a moment, but then the sound of people in a nearby room counting down broke it.

“Five…! Four…!”

I felt a hand on my cheek.

“Three…! Two…! One…!”

Kellin scooted closer to me.

“HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

Warm, soft lips were on mine as cheers and fireworks erupted in the background.

I hesitated at first, but I kissed him back as I gently placed one of my hands on the back of his head.
I closed my eyes as we continued kissing.

I slipped my tongue into his mouth, the champagne still lingering.

The way he tastes.

I slowly inhaled his scent.

The way he smells.

He pressed his body closer to mine as my hands drifted down to his sides.

The way he feels.

We finally stopped to catch our breaths.

He looked up at me, flushed cheeks and a shy smile.

“Happy New Year, Austin.”

The way he sounds.

“Happy New Year, Kellin.”