Chapter 29
Dusk transitioned in the sky, oranges turning to purples, purples turning to dark blues as Halloween night came to fruition.
Work the night before had gone by without a weird goodbye with all my co-workers because we had plans after the haunts to meet up at the festival.
While the haunts didn’t end until their normal time around nine, the festival itself started around six.
Myers and I wanted to experience every single second that the festival had to offer.
I thought I’d been prepared for what Hell-O-Ween had to offer, especially considering I had worked adjacent to the setup of the event itself, but I was sorely mistaken.
Jane’s land was massive enough to house most of the festival along with the haunted house and maze.
Police littered the streets, the main street that led to her house having been blocked off to accommodate the various vendors and such, creating a walkway for all those in attendance.
It worked out that the lot across from Jane was just a vacant field that had yet to be purchased.
Jane herself was thinking about purchasing the land if the town didn’t so that they’d never have to worry about whether they would have enough space for Hell-O-Ween for the foreseeable future.
There were booths lining each side of the street as well as on the field, creating a makeshift walkway between them.
The amount of things to do and see and purchase were overwhelming.
There was everything you could imagine. Some booths were filled with homemade halloween confections, sinister themed cocktails, and other food that screamed the holiday for all it was worth.
Others were selling spooky decor, candles with scents like ‘vivid nightmare’ or ‘paralysis demon’, and even a booth that was selling DVDs of horror classics, both vintage and modern, for a discounted price.
Booths with candy, booths with apparel, journals, literally anything and everything. It was overwhelming in a way that made my senses happy to be assaulted.
Aside from the haunted house and haunted maze, the festival had other littles games and things to participate in.
There was a costume contest over by the massive erected dance floor that was in the center of the field, bobbing for ‘poisoned’ apples (which were just covered in candy coating), and even horror movie trivia.
Myers had brought along Larsky, so the three of us had been able to hang out and have some fun together.
I’d even been able to walk with them through both the haunted maze and the haunted house, saying hello to Arze in the house and smiling wide when he said he’d join up with us once his shift at the haunted house was over.
It was nice to enjoy the haunts as a guest instead of an employee, but I still felt guilty that I’d left.
I loved those idiots, and I wanted to be right alongside them.
My heart hurt at the thought of leaving Phoebe at this point.
It was a painful reminder that I wasn’t going to see most of these people ever again.
Including Arze.
I couldn’t stomach that, not with my third mixed drink, ironically named ‘dearly departed’, sloshing around and making me feel worse than I already did. I needed to focus on the night at hand, not the fact that tomorrow was the day I was exiting Phoebe for good.
The sound of Taylor Swift’s Look What You Made Me Do started playing on the dance floor as we happened by it, making me turn to my sister, as it was one of our favorite Taylor songs.
Myers was smiling underneath the arm Larsky had draped over her shoulders, and I grinned at the pair.
She nodded back at me. This festival was exactly what we’d been hoping it would be.
She unfurled from her favorite stellymn’s arm and grabbed my hand, dragging me to the dance floor and beckoning me to dance. I laughed, but joined in pretty easily. Larsky barked about being left out before he chuckled and started dancing along with us, running a hand through his spiked navy hair.
Dancing to Taylor Swift was a nice reprieve from my thoughts, the song progressing until Myers was doing the choreography that matched the music video in the final chorus. The only thing that could have made the moment better was having Arze grinding up against me.
Night faded around us, and I’d lost track of time until I felt a confident squeeze on my shoulder.
I turned to see Arze’s smiling face and his wild orange eyes that drove me insane with lust. I wanted nothing more than to throw my arms around him and kiss him and force everything I’d buried in my heart about where things with us could go if I was staying, but I couldn’t for many reasons.
Tythwig could be listening, I needed to wait for Arze’s surprise, and mostly importantly, I wasn’t staying.
“How was work?” I asked as I left Myers and Larsky on the dance floor, walking with Arze away from the dancing so we could converse without the new song interrupting.
“Good, but not the same without you, of course.”
Blush warmed my cheeks, and I smiled. “I wish I could have been there.”
Arze nodded. “The others were wanting to meet up with us at the fireworks, if you want to head over? Myers and her companion are more than welcomed to join us.” He gestured with the tilt of us head behind me, where I turned to see that Myers was holding Larsky’s hand as they approached.
Myers gave Arze a nod that paired well with her familiar smile. “Nice to see you again, Arze.”
“You as well, Myers.”
Larsky threw on his cute and sloppy grin, holding out his hand in front of himself, hovering toward Arze. “Hey man, nice to meet you. I’m Larsky.”
Grabbing a hold of Larsky’s red hand, Arze shook it with his purple one. “Hi Larsky, I’m Arze. I’ve actually seen you working at the movie theater, it’s nice to officially meet you.”
“Thanks, man.” Larsky’s smile was as wide and genuine as Arze’s, and I caught a glimpse from my sister that told me she loved the thought of our guys getting along.
If they were our guys, that is. God, why was it that anything and everything reminded me that we were leaving tomorrow?
“The others from the haunts wanted to meet up with the fireworks,” I said, interjecting in an attempt to forget that more thoughts of our departure were just skimming underneath the surface. “You two want to join us and you can meet everyone?”
“Sure.” Myers nodded with sturdy enthusiasm. “I’d love to put faces to the names I’ve heard so much about.” She chuckled warmly.
Her giggle doubled when Larsky bent down and started laying kisses on her neck.
She playfully swatted him, but I could tell from the blush adorning my sister’s cheeks and the megawatt grin laying claim to her face that she was loving Larsky’s attention.
He mimicked her laughter, feigning a chomp in the air in her direction before he wrapped an arm around her again. “Whatever you wanna do, babe, I’m in.”
They were calling each other babe now? Yeah, I definitely wasn’t the only one with reservations about leaving town.
Arze led the way to the open section of the field where people were gathering to witness the massive fireworks that were set to go off around ten. We only had a few minutes before the show was set to start.
With an ease I wished I could have mustered, Arze found my former co-workers huddled together up close against the barricade that sectioned everyone safely away from the fireworks.
Of course they were in the front of the crowd, I wouldn’t have expected any less from them.
We did some quick introductions, allowing my sister and Larsky to meet everyone.
Chase, Abigail, and Ripp hadn’t brought anyone, but Khalice was there with her entire family, and Jane was alone as well.
Although, I could have sworn Abigail and Jane were standing unusually closer than normal, but I could have been imagining it.
We were cramped, but they were talking low and hushed after introductions that gave me the impression that something might be going on between them.
Shortly after we’d settled into our spots with my friends, the fireworks started to pop off in the sky, illuminating the night and showering the sky with a multitude of decorative shapes. Skulls and pumpkins, spiders and bats were laid out in bright colors and shimmering sparkles.
Ripp started to holler in excitement, causing everyone to uproar and Arze took the distraction to pull me away from the group, allowing us to fade into the crowd until we were on the outskirts of the fireworks display, safely tucked behind a tree.
My brows tumbled into aerial formations at the sudden scenery change as Arze readied himself in front of me.
“Before we continue celebrating,” Arze began, his gorgeous eyes like jumping clementines. “I wanted to update you about that surprise.”
My stomach both jolted and sunk. I’d been looking forward to this so-called surprise, but if Arze wanted to tell me or show me before tomorrow, it meant that it had to be connected to the fact that we’d be swapping North Carolina for Virginia tomorrow.
I tried to plaster on a facade that felt a lot more excitement than I currently did.
“What is it?”
“I know you’re leaving in the morning.” Arze’s lip trembled on that last word, and my entire soul hurt at having to witness it.
He doubled his efforts to steel himself, clearing his throat to fortify what he was about to say without feeling a tremor of emotion.
“But regardless of whether we go no contact or we find some way to see each other, I’ve been making some calls to Wallace Watson. ”
I barely had enough time to register that he’d called the person that was fighting so hard for Orbs in the House of Representatives.
I’d seen talk of him online a lot, but that’s not where my focus went.
I was still a sentence behind, hanging on the words about whether we’d find ways to see each other after I left Phoebe.
“You still want to find out how we can see each other? Even after I leave?”
Arze’s sloppy smirk warmed my heart just as much as it made my dick leap toward the zipper of my jeans. “Of course, I do. If that’s what you want too.” He careened his neck, listening for other tythwig, and then he grabbed my hands and squeezed them in earnest.
I tightened my hands around him in response. “I want that too.”
“Great,” He nodded, excited to get to his actual point now that that had been settled. “So, with Wallace Watson.”
“He started that board that’s full of every species of Orb, right?”
“That’s right.” Arze used our conjoined hands to pull us closer.
Now our hands out in front of us were the only things keeping our chests from touching.
And fuck did I want us to be that close, the crowd just beyond the view of this tree be damned.
“Well, I brought up the tythwig decrees, specifically the one about humans and tythwig not being able to pursue each other romantically, and he told me the tythwig on the board had brought it up before. Long story short, he’s going to look into it and see what he can do on the human side about speaking with the Triads. ”
“That’s awesome, Arze.” I shook our hands, but the smile on my face was a cautious one. “But what does that have to do with us, exactly?”
“Well, I requested a direct meeting with the Triad here in Phoebe, and I just heard back when we got off work that my request was accepted.”
My eyes lit up at the prospect of Arze being able to speak directly with the Triad about the human and tythwig decree. “Holy shit, I could come and help you make a case! When is your meeting?”
Arze titled his head, losing his smirk. “Not until the day after tomorrow.”
A somber expression clawed its way over my features. “And I’ll be gone by then.”
He nodded, saving me the trouble of hearing the truth spoken.
“But regardless, I’m going to be meeting with the Triad and pleading with them to at the very least make an exception.
” He unfurled our hands, pushing himself against me, finally feeling his body against me as he pressed us against the bark of the tree.
Thank god it wasn’t a secret tythwig we were pushing up against. “I’m crazy about you, Krueger.
We’ll find a way to see each other, even with me here in Phoebe and you in Virginia.
We’ll find a way.” He pressed his forehead on mine, a sigh heaving out of his mouth.
“We’ll find a way.” I mirrored, nodding lightly as I wrapped my arms around him. Unable to take the heaviness of the subject, at the thought that if I was staying, I could fight for what I wanted just as much as Arze was poised to, I pushed him back so that I could claim his lips with my own.
As we kissed, his tongue teasing the bottom of my lip until I parted and melted into the passionate kiss from the tythwig I never wanted to let go of, I couldn’t shake the welling emotions from rattling my core.
I willed the tears to stay where they belonged as we continued to kiss, fireworks going off in the background behind us, lighting up the sky in juxtaposition to the darkness that waited for us when I left tomorrow.