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“So you’re the one my brother is fawning over. I suppose he could do a lot worse.”

Thane grumbles, shoving his sister to the side. She stumbles, pretending like she’s going to fall. Someone quickly comes over, catching her. It’s a harpy who’s giving Tess the softest smile.

“Quick,” Thane says, taking my hand and dragging me away. “We have to make our escape while Savannah is distracting her.”

We weave our way through the crowd of people already here, losing Tess easily enough. Thane brings us over to one of the little booths set up. They’re spread throughout the quad, a handful of photo booths complete with props and a few costumes and hats.

Thane puts a hat on my head so I place a pair of giant glasses on his face. The couple in there before us come out. One of them is human and the other a handsome purple ogre who’s almost the same height as Thane. They’re blushing and their lips are red, like maybe they were kissing inside. They look so happy together that it makes me grin despite myself. The atmosphere in this place is contagious, everyone is so happy.

We duck inside, setting it all up before facing the camera and smiling. It clicks as it takes the first picture.

“Why’d you ditch your sister so quickly? Didn’t want the two of us talking?”

Thane looks over at me. “It’s embarrassing,” he says softly. “I didn’t want her saying anything that would scare you away.”

I give him a soft smile. “I think we’re past that, sweetheart.” The camera clicks again.

Thane looks down at his lap for a moment before finally looking back at me, returning my smile. The camera clicks for a third time.

“Come here,” I whisper, carefully taking the glasses from his face. Thane scoots close enough to kiss my lips. The camera clicks for the fourth and final time.

“Alright, alright,” the guy manning the booth says. “Quit making out and come wait for your pictures.”

The two of us stumble out, blushing from being caught. We each get a copy of the pictures. They’re fucking adorable and I plan to put mine up on my fridge when I get back home.

I tuck my hand into Thane’s, lacing our fingers together. His hand is so much bigger than mine yet it’s me who gives him a comforting squeeze. I’ll never get over how he makes me feel, how he lets me take care of him.

He means so much to me.

The zombie staff open the main building, finally allowing people inside. We wait until the main rush of students subside before stepping in as well. The entire room glows, like magic is laced within the air.

There are tables along the walls, covered with black and orange tablecloth. When I look up, I find floating chandeliers lighting up the room. A DJ plays music, giving the entire place a party-like atmosphere. The smell of food drifts towards us, coming from the large buffet table.

“They really go all out for Halloween, huh?”

I nod my head, guiding Thane towards a table already filled with his friends. “Kinda cliche for a monster school but I’m not complaining.”

“Hey, guys,” Thane says, sitting down in his seat.

“Hi, Thane! Hi, Thane’s boyfriend!” Simon says with a grin, waving excitedly at us.

Thane makes a strangled noise, his cheeks brightening. Gods, he’s adorable. “This is Maverick,” he says, gesturing towards me. “This is my roommate, Simon, but I guess you know that already. These other two are my project partners for one of my classes, Percy and Wendy.”

“Nice to meet you all,” I say with a little wave.

“We’ve heard so much about you,” Wendy says with a grin.

“If you say more than that, I will actually stand up and leave,” Thane says right away, narrowing his eyes at his friends.

Percy pretends to zip his lips, giving Thane a little wink. “We would never dream of embarrassing you. That’s your sister’s job,” he says just as someone flops themselves into the seat to my left.

“Speak of the devil and she will appear,” Thane mumbles under his breath, making me laugh.

“So, Maverick,” Tess says, turning in her seat towards me. I feel Thane’s hand on my thigh, giving it a little squeeze. “Do I have to give you the shovel talk or can we just skip that and get onto the good stuff?”

I tilt my head, giving her an amused smile. “If it would make you feel better, you’re free to give me the talk, though I don’t think it’s necessary. We’re not a couple of kids fumbling through stuff we don’t understand. I like to think we both know what we want and know we’ll treat each other with respect.”

Tess hums. “Good answer,” she says finally, nodding her head. She leans in closer, lowering her voice. “He’s different with you. He seems like he’s having a better time now that you’re in his life. Still the same goof who takes on way too much, but somehow, he’s lighter for knowing you.”