HIRAM’S POV:
It is that time of the year again when humans dress up to make fun of supernaturals-yes; it is Halloween, my least favorite time of the year. I have to watch children wear hideous costumes of wolves and witches, then hand them candy like seeing them mock us makes me happy. One of these days, I really hope they encounter an actual wolf or maybe a vampire; then we’ll see who’s laughing.
“How do I look?” Juniper asks, walking out of the room in a towel. At first, I think she is joking because all I can see underneath the towel is thick leggings that look yellowish.
“Is this a joke?” I ask, and she frowns slightly. “You’re going out in a towel?” I question, and she chuckles, then opens up the towel to reveal a glittering black bodysuit. The sides of the towel are glittery, too.
“And what’s that supposed to be?” I ask, trying not to sound controlling at the fact that my girlfriend is about to go to a party filled with boys in a bodysuit covered by a towel.
“Sabrina Carpenter,” she sighs. “God, Hiram, you’re not even that old. You can keep up, you know.” She rolls her eyes, and I sit up on the couch.
“The singer?” I question.
“Yes. Everyone keeps saying I look like her, so I’m trying to see,” she says, then grabs my hand, pulling me up. “Come on, you have to see the last look,” she says happily, and I follow her like I am truly happy.
She drags me into the bedroom, then lets go of my hand, walking to the bed. She grabs a box, opens it to reveal a blonde wig, and walks to the mirror. I watch her do her magic, and soon her brown hair is replaced by the wig.
Slowly, she turns with a cheeky smile, then hands me her phone.
“So, how do I look?” she asks, and I look at the picture on her phone.
I try hard to ground myself. She looks too happy, and I don’t want to take that away from her.
“You look great,” I say, and her brows wrinkle.
“Just great?” she asks, and I sigh, sliding her phone into my pocket and pulling her to me.
My arms wrap around her waist.
“Your outfit is sexy,” I say to her, and I watch her lips curve into a smile. “No, not in a good way. In a way that doesn’t make me happy. You don’t know how I’m trying hard not to crack down. There will be guys at this party, and you’re going dressed in that.”
“Then come,” she says, and I raise a brow. “You could wear a mask, and they won’t know it’s you. It’s Halloween. Any costume will do,” she says, and I shake my head.
I am about to speak when we hear the doorbell.
“That must be Rhea!” she squeals. Then I let go of her with a sigh, watching her rush out of the room.
I follow her, making it to the living room, where I see Rhea dressed in something similar but with artificial eyes and whiskers. I piece it together-a werewolf.
“My sexy wolf!” June exclaims, throwing her arms around her. I roll my eyes, slumping onto the couch as they get along, talking briefly, before June walks up to me.
“We have to leave now, babe,” she says, then disappears into the room to grab her purse.
“You’re a Halloween op,” Rhea speaks, and I tilt my head to meet her face. “Oh, sorry, I meant…”
“I know what you mean, Rhea. I’m not that slang-dumb.” My words make her chuckle briefly. This is one of the few times we’ve spoken. “The holiday has never really made sense to me, but I don’t have anything against people who celebrate it. Happy Halloween,” I say to her, and she is about to reply when June walks out the door, glancing at both of us.
“Is that a bond I see?” she teases.
“Yes, and we might be banging behind the scenes.” My eyes widen at Rhea’s unfiltered reply.
“Haha, very funny,” June replies, then scoots down to kiss my lips. “I’ll see you at your house, right?” she asks, and I nod.
“Goodbye, professor,” Rhea replies in a sultry tone, causing June to push her out the door.
I settle into the couch with a smile on my lips, then shut my eyes to relax, trying to drive my mind off Juniper’s dress. I trust her, and I know she won’t entertain other guys.
Shortly after my eyes are shut, my phone rings. I pull my eyes open, reaching for it. The moment I answer it, my mother’s shaky voice comes through.
“Hiram, your father has passed.”
**
Juniper:
The Halloween party isn’t what Rhea, and I had expected. I know it’s a college party, and there will definitely be smoking, drinking, and all kinds of juvenile acts, but there isn’t even a streak of candy.
“We should have gone to a children’s party,” Rhea says, and I sigh as I sip from the cup of alcohol in my hand, watching the people in a corner take turns on who can inhale more drugs.
“When does the cycle end? Not even a decent Halloween party!” I exclaim.
“Hey girls.” We look to the left at once to see Lyon closing in on us.
I remember Rhea’s little joke at the apartment, so I decide to return it.
“Hey, babe,” I say to Lyon, and they both stare at me in confusion. “My bad, I thought we switched boyfriends.” My lips curve into a mischievous grin, and Rhea smacks me gently with her elbow.
She throws her arms around Lyon, and I look away as they both eat each other’s faces.
“You know, I’m just going to get another drink as the third wheel,” I say, but none of them reply.
I groan, walking away to the table with drinks. Then I pour myself a cup, sipping it as I look around the whole place. My eyes dart toward the spot where Rhea and Lyon were, but they’re gone.
“And there’s Juniper, sexless because she decided to date a reserved professor.” The words leave my mouth accompanied by a sigh, then I sip my drink.
The cup is empty in no time, and I pour myself another one. I keep drinking until I feel the need to pee, so I walk away, searching for the restroom. I walk into it, shutting the door. As I sit on it, I check my phone to see there’s no text from Hiram. He isn’t calling to check on me-he must be really pissed; I think to myself.
A knock on the door causes me to stand. Then I flush the toilet and wash my hands, opening the door to see Cillian standing there.
“June?” he calls out, and I don’t respond. I attempt to walk away at once, but he grabs my hand. “Don’t you think you’ve punished me enough?” he asks, and I yank my hands away, letting out a scoff.
“Does this look like a game, Cillian?”
“You tell me. It’s been two months, June, and really, I’m tired of trying to get you to speak to me. I cut ties with Susan, and it was a onetime mistake, I swear, I…”
“Save it, Cillian. We’re done, and I don’t want to speak to you!” I grit my teeth, but he grabs me roughly, pulling me towards him. Then he presses his lips against mine before I can tell.
In response, I bite him, causing him to pull away forcefully with a groan.
“What the fuck, June!” he yells, grabbing his lip, but I don’t wait for him as the hall is lonely.
I take to my feet, rushing out to the party where everyone is, and then I see him coming after me.
“June, wait, please!” he calls out, but I keep running, mingling with the crowd until I make it to the front door.
I see a taxi in front of the house, and I jump into it without hesitation, then I tell the driver my address, and he drives off. I look back to see Cillian walk out the front door, looking around. Then I slump into the back seat, shutting my eyes.
Shortly, I get to Hiram’s house, then I text Rhea to let her know I’ve left, but don’t tell her why, because she’ll probably incite Lyon to go after Cillian, and I don’t want that. When I get into the house, I call out to Hiram, but he doesn’t answer.
“He’s in the art room,” Winston says to me, and I nod, making my way down the hall.
I notice the paintings hanging on the wall are gone, but I don’t think much about it. On getting to the room, I see him lying on the couch with his eyes shut. I walk towards him, then I lift the duvet covering him, and I lie on top of him. His hands reach for the duvet, covering the both of us, and I remain like that, shutting my eyes, hoping for sleep to come so I do not have to speak about what happened between Cillian and I.