vi. 20 Minutes (Til Midnight)

If asked why she was more than ready to leave the New Year's Eve party her boyfriend Kai Fong had dragged her to, Jinora would've given a list of reasons:

#1) It was late, and she was tired. She hadn't stayed up till midnight for years, as lame as that may have sounded. Hey, a girl needed her sleep. As there were only 20 minutes left until it was midnight, she figured this would be her first time in a while.

#2) She was an introvert. People drained her out, but a good book? She could keep reading for forever. She needed to recharge.

#3) Oh, and Kai had vanished from her line of sight at least half an hour ago, and she didn't feel like talking to any of the people, least of all the guys who kept eyeing her, grinning.

"There you are," Jinora said, relieved, when Kai joined her. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pecking her on the cheek.

"Why?" Kai said, his smile vanishing. "Someone bothering you?" He cast glares over at the guys, who quickly looked away from them.

"No," Jinora assured him. "I'm just tired. And an introvert."

Kai's lopsided grin reappeared. "Don't worry babe, we can go right now. We'll just have to wait for Bolin to pick us up." Luckily, Jinora had had the foresight to realize that neither of them would probably be suitable to drive home that night, and had arranged for Kai's older Foster brother to pick them up.

What she had done to deserve such an understanding boyfriend, Jinora didn't know. She kissed him as a thank you, and they left the crowded, boisterous room; already, Jinora felt better as the pounding music and loud voices faded away as they headed away from the main room to the front porch. It was a chilly night, snow falling softly. Kai sent a quick text to Bolin while Jinora shivered.

"Cold?" Kai guessed.

"A little," Jinora admitted, wishing she had brought more than her regular coat. It was thin - fine during the day as a windbreaker, but at night it wasn't nearly enough. She snuggled closer to him, only to find him dropping his leather jacket over her shoulders. Jinora felt a little guilty, but smiled at him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome Jin," Kai said happily, obviously trying to hide how cold he was now without his jacket. Jinora looped her arm through his, pulling him closer and hoping to share her warmth. She glanced down at his watch, steadily ticking down the time - only ten minutes to go, now. "So, what are your New Year's resolutions?"

"Isn't this the part where you say something smooth like, 'Never mind, you don't need to change'," Jinora teased.

Kai chuckled softly. "I'll have you know I'm not that sappy. Besides, change is good. Great. If I hadn't changed my mind about you, if you hadn't changed my life, I don't even want to think about how my life would be."

Jinora flushed, and in spite of the cold an intense warmth was spreading through her. "And vice versa," she added. "I do know the one thing I don't want to change, however: us."

She grabbed his collar and kissed him, and they only broke apart when Bolin pulled up and honked the horn (twice). As they climbed into his car, Jinora thought that this was a great end to her day, and an even better start to their New Year.

i am the biggest sap that's ever lived. I hope you guys like the new cover. :) Happy holidays