Chapter 25
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FIVE
Weston
Berlyn’s name lights up my phone and I can’t help but smile to myself.
It once felt foreign, but it’s started to feel a lot more natural. Something that happens without thought.
This week has been full of excitement with every note and every reaction, and yet it feels as if it’s dragged on. Each day feeling longer than the last, barely taking us closer to our goal.
Finally, we’re here.
Halloween Eve.
Berlyn’s nickname for it is whimsical. Like her. Makes it feel like an entire event, rather than just the night before Halloween. There’s nothing really special about it. Especially for a pair like Berlyn and her friend, who take this season and this holiday so seriously.
Just another day in Fall. Another day of festive activities, which have filled her entire week. Between her trying to solve the riddles and hints we’ve left her in our notes.
Today is a special day for us though.
It’s the day we get to see her again. I like texting Berlyn, but nothing beats seeing her in person. Being able to feel her warmth and smell the sweet scent she always wears and hear the melodic cadence of her voice. She’s soothing in a way words on a screen could never be.
I text her back to let her know we’re leaving now and promise her not to forget to grab the pumpkins we bought together at the pumpkin patch. They’re already in the car waiting for us to go.
As soon as we get to her house I understand why she told us we wouldn’t need anything but our pumpkins. Her and her friend already have more pumpkin carving materials than I knew existed strewn across her front yard.
They stand in front of the chaos, waving as Jude parks on the street in front of her house. I’m the first to hop out, carrying only my own pumpkin.
My brothers grumble behind me, but I only have eyes for Berlyn. I wasn’t sure how she would be after avoiding us all week, but maybe texting made her feel a bit more relaxed. She isn’t avoiding our eyes quite as much, though there’s already a pink hue coating her cheeks.
“Hi,” she greets softly, her eyes dropping my gaze but gives me a hug when I reach her. I hold her softly, not wanting to push her too far. She’s already being so careful with us. I want her to relax again like she was at the pumpkin patch.
Jude follows behind me, grabbing her and spinning around. Her laughter sounds carefree and it breaks some of the silent tension. When he puts her back on her feet, she’s beaming, but flushes once more when he drops a kiss on her cheek.
Ezra is the last to step up to her, brushing a strand of her hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear.
“You look beautiful,” he says and her nose scrunches as she looks down at her outfit.
She’s wearing an oversized shirt with a witch and cauldron on the front and a pair of workout shorts.
Most of her dark blonde hair is pulled back into a clip atop her head, but there are strands falling out in every direction.
She’s not wearing any makeup, but seems to have a soft glow about her today.
He’s right, she does look beautiful. In a chaotic comfortable way. Like this is what she could look like waking up in the morning. I like it.
She thanks him, but doesn’t seem to believe him. That’s okay. We can keep telling her until she believes it for herself. Simple solution.
Her friend claps her hands together. “Ready to carve some pumpkins?” There’s something about the way she says it that makes me think maybe I’m not ready. Maybe we got ourselves into something more than we thought.
It only takes a few minutes to realize we definitely did get into something far more complicated than I originally thought. The sheer amount of stuff they have for this activity is overwhelming. Designs, patterns, markers, spoons with jagged edges, and more knives than a professional kill kit.
Her friend cocks her head, squinting her eyes as she studies where Ezra is drawing the outline of a bat on his pumpkin, ignoring her own in her lap. I never even thought of carving things other than faces. I lick my lips, looking down at my own and not knowing where to start.
“Need help?” Berlyn asks, coming to sit next to me. I shake my head on instinct, but continue to only stare at the orange monstrosity.
“I’m going to do a ghost this year,” she tells me casually, grabbing a marker to start her own outline.
“Last year, I did a cat. That was one of my favorites. I try to do something different every year. You’d think I’d be able to do more complicated designs by now,” she continues, laughing.
“But I tried one year and totally ruined it. I keep it simple now.”
Maybe I should have done more research into pumpkin carving techniques. She meant her words as an encouragement, but something about them stroked my competitive nature. I’ve never done art on anything other than paper or skin, but I’m suddenly feeling like I can master this.
My pumpkin is large, giving me lots of room to work with. I could probably pull off a more detailed design. She certainly has enough tools here to help me. Where did I put my phone? I need to look up some tips and inspiration. She chuckles as she watches me type into my phone.
“Not going to keep it simple then?”
I shake my head with a grin. “I like a challenge.”
She beams at me and I almost feel like I might be the one blushing now. The way Berlyn acts like every word I say to her is a precious gift makes my heart race faster. It gives this instant boost of serotonin. A hit of my very own brand of drugs.
Berlyn is something I would gladly overdose on.
Anything would be worth the look in her eyes as she stares at me.
“So,” her friend drawls slowly, still staring at Ezra. “A bat, huh?” she asks and Berlyn narrows her eyes on her friend in a way that doesn’t fit the question.
“I think I’m going to do Ghostface,” she explains. “You know from the movie.”
Ezra stops drawing and looks up at her curiously. “Cool? A bat seemed easy.”
Berlyn snorts and gives her friend a shake of her head, but her friend continues to ignore her, staring between Ezra and Jude. “I thought we could watch Scream tonight when we’re done,” she continues and Berlyn huffs at my side.
Jude and Ezra trade looks before throwing a glance my way. “Sounds good,” Ezra says, a lilt in his tone making him sound confused but agreeable. Something is definitely happening other than the conversation, but I don’t understand what.
Ezra catches my eye and smiles, telling me not to worry about it. So I don’t, focusing back on my phone so I can make the best pumpkin out of us. I think I have a pretty good idea now that I’ve read a couple articles and watched a video.
When I look back up, I find everyone else already hollowing out their pumpkins.
I quickly map out what I’m thinking for my own design and then grab one of the knives.
It’s kind of relaxing, even if the texture of the inside is a sensory nightmare.
I kind of hate that part, but Berlyn hands me gloves and one of the large scraping spoons and then it’s not so bad.
Once the strings are gone, thinning the shell is pretty easy.
The whole time her friend and Jude have been chattering away, but I’ve mostly been ignoring them until I hear Berlyn groan and find her glaring at her friend.
“Come on,” she prompts, waving her hand. “Do a finger wave.”
Jude looks bewildered. “The fuck do you mean a finger wave?”
“Wave with your finger,” she says as if he’s being an idiot.
Jude lifts his hand, dropping a carving knife and lifts his index finger, waving it side to side.
Berlyn’s friend scoffs. “That’s a finger wag, you freak.”
“Then you do it,” he demands and she does. Oh, it finally dawns on me. Okay, I get it now. She’s trying to see if we’re the stalkers. The thought nearly makes me smile. At least I understand why Berlyn seems equal parts amused and annoyed with her friend’s antics now.
Jude mimics the way she did it, bending his finger forward, but it looks nothing like when he or Ezra did it before.
She hums, cocking her head to the side. “Not hot enough.” Turning to Ezra, she ignores Jude’s offended protests and points at E with her knife still in hand. “Your turn, Glasses.”
“Oh my god, Summer,” Berlyn hisses. “You are being so rude.”
She waves her off. “No, I’m doing research.”
Ezra just chuckles, repeating the motion the same way Jude did.
“Hotter,” she muses, “but still not quite right.”
“What the hell was wrong with mine?” Jude demands, no longer acting and actually offended she said E was hotter. She only continues to ignore him.
Her eyes land on me, but I’m not doing that shit. Before she can even open her mouth, I’m shaking my head. Her pout does nothing to change my mind, and I refocus on thinning out my pumpkin shell.
Berlyn pats my knee in encouragement and her friend huffs. “Okay, fine. I’ll drop it.” Berlyn relaxes more at my side, picking back up her own pumpkin but it only lasts a moment before her friend is speaking again.
“So how do you guys feel about masks?”
Jude starts cracking up and Ezra only shakes his head. “Is there something you want to ask us?”
I mean she did kind of just ask us something, but I don’t think that’s what he meant.
“No,” Berlyn yells at the same time her friend says, “Well, actually.”
“Summer,” Berlyn scolds and it’s kind of funny to watch the two of them bicker. I wonder if this is how we appear to other people.
“They brought it up,” her friend defends.
Berlyn laughs again and even though she’s discouraging her friend I can tell she finds the whole thing amusing. “No, they didn’t,” she argues.
The two trade looks and her friend dramatically turns away from her friend, focusing back on Jude and Ezra. “Anyways,” she says, drawing the word out. “Are you guys stalking Berlyn?”
Berlyn turns beet red and both my brothers smile and I stop what I’m doing to watch this play out.
“Like right now?” Jude teases, winking at Berlyn who is groaning at her friend.