Chapter 20
TWENTY
Beckett Harrington
“One drink maximum,” Asher announced the moment we entered the Halloween party. “We’ve got to keep a clear head. One hour. In and out.” He was back to the grumpy Asher who seemed to be allergic to fun, but at least it served a purpose this time.
He was keeping us in check for filming our special Halloween video tonight, but we promised Leah we’d stop by her Halloween party for a bit since none of us had seen her in a while.
I’d secretly invited Paige and her girlfriend with Leah’s blessing. Something about watching Asher’s jaw tighten and Theo’s eyes narrow when they spotted someone they thought might want me gave me a rush I wasn’t proud of.
Tonight would be perfect—we could finally let everyone know what we were to each other.
Theo rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, Daddy,” he drawled, voice low and sarcastic. My pulse quickened despite myself—not from the word, but from the defiant tilt of his chin, the way his mouth curved around the syllables.
He turned on his heel and stalked toward the kitchen where the alcohol sat.
“Gosh, they grow up so fast,” Asher said with a dramatic sigh, his lips twitching as he fought a smile.
I laughed and followed after Theo, joining him in the kitchen as he was pouring out three shots of vodka.
“If we’re going to limit our drinking, might as well make it a shot,” he said, shrugging.
I couldn’t find an argument against his logic. I took the shot he offered, waiting for both of them to be ready.
“Here’s to staying positive and testing negative!” Theo’s toast hit my ears a split second before the vodka hit my tongue.
By the time my brain caught up to his words, the liquid was already scorching down my throat. I nearly choked trying to swallow while suppressing a laugh that threatened to send alcohol spraying across the kitchen.
Asher shook his head, chuckling. “Jesus, Theo. You’re…something.”
“Well, I had others to say, but they were all disrespectful toward women or involved women in a way I’m not interested in,” he responded. “Now let’s go say hi so we can get out of here. I’m plugged.”
My eyes widened at Theo’s admission.
He knew we were heading to a Halloween party, so I didn’t expect him to stick to his routine. Especially not when he knew we’d be gone for a while, but I guess it was better for him since he was going to be taking both of us tonight.
At once.
In Ghostface masks.
“You’re going to be the death of me,” Asher muttered under his breath, then ran a hand through his hair before stalking out of the kitchen toward the living room, where most of the people were.
Leah had a decent-sized crowd, but not as packed as the parties at the frats were, of course. And the music wasn’t nearly as loud.
Through the crowd, I spotted Paige and her girlfriend swaying to the music near the makeshift DJ booth where Leah’s friend was spinning tracks.
As I made my way over to them, I caught Asher’s eyes following me, his jaw clenched tight.
Despite Paige being exclusively into women, something about her always triggered that possessive glint in his stare.
I didn’t think it was bi-phobia anymore, more so the fact that he didn’t like anyone being within five feet of me. I made sure to hug her extra tight and hold on for a second too long.
Gen’s hand shot out, wrapping around my wrist. “Come dance!” she called over the music, tugging me toward where she and Paige swayed.
Before I could take two steps, Asher materialized beside me.
His fingers circled my waist, gently but firmly redirecting me until my spine pressed against the solid wall of his chest. The heat of him seeped through my clothes as his arms encircled me, one hand splayed possessively across my stomach.
Around us, conversations faltered, heads turned.
My pulse quickened as I realized what was happening—Asher, who guarded his privacy like a vault, was letting everyone see exactly who I belonged to.
Theo appeared at my side, his eyes glinting with mischief. “Sorry ladies,” he said with a lazy smile, “but we’ve got dibs.” He tilted his head toward Asher. “Mr. Possessive here gets twitchy when others play with what’s his.”
“May I remind you that they’re literally dating,” I said, rolling my eyes, but neither of them could see.
“Oh, my gosh! Look who decided to leave their apartment and stop fucking for ten seconds to see the friend who literally got them together!” Leah squealed, running up to Theo and hugging him while Asher kept me tight against him.
“I’m ready to go home now,” Asher whispered in my ear, the music drowning his voice out for anyone else. “Ready to bury myself in Theo alongside you.”
I elbowed him lightly, teasingly. “Give it a few minutes. We just saw our friends. We can’t keep locked away in our apartment forever.”
“Says who?” he asked.
“Normally, I’d be mad at you for setting up Theo and Asher as roommates…but I can’t be, because look at what we have now,” I said, melting against Asher’s chest as his fingers traced possessive patterns against my hip.
Leah beamed. “I knew it’d work out. I just knew it!”
I adored Leah, but part of me hated her because of how she tried to set up Asher and Theo several times. I didn’t know Theo had feelings for me, or that my feelings toward him were more than friendly, and she didn’t know I liked men, so I couldn’t hold her meddling against her.
But even if he was still just my best friend, and I was being as stupid as I was before, I would’ve been mad at her for taking him away and giving his time to someone else. He had always been mine, one way or another.
“Leah, we love you, but we…have to go…shortly,” Theo said.
Leah tilted her head at Theo’s strained tone, then her eyes lit up with sudden understanding. “Wait—it’s filming night, isn’t it? Spill the details!”
I would say Leah was like a gossiping teenager, but at nineteen years old, she was one.
Theo’s eyes sparkled with mischief as he leaned in. “There might be a couple of Ghostface masks involved.” He winked at Leah, who gasped in delight. I wasn’t worried about him sharing—Leah, Paige, and Gen had known about our content for months and never once made us feel weird about it.
“I don’t blame you, babe. Head out, it’s okay.” Leah gave us her stamp of approval. “I’m going to get back to my party, but have so much fun!” she chirped, bouncing on her toes as she disappeared into the crowd.
There was no happier person I had ever met.
“First, there’s something I wanted to do,” Asher said, his grip letting me go as he spun me around, planting a soft, claiming kiss on my lips.
I heard the whispers around us as our mouths remained fused together, time standing still around us, but I didn’t care what they said. I only cared how I felt in the moment…loved, accepted, free.
Just as the heat between us threatened to become inappropriate for Leah’s living room, Asher broke away.
He reached for Theo, drawing him close with one fluid motion, then claimed his mouth with the same possessive intensity he’d shown me moments before.
“Just wanted everyone to know,” Asher said, a smile of pride taking over his face. “Now let’s go make a video.”
***
Figuring out the logistics of filming a scene with two men in a Ghostface mask was hard.
The concept was mine, but the idea for execution came from a group discussion.
We had several ways this could’ve gone—chasing him, faking an invasion, or something even more sinister.
We had to think about what we wanted, as well as our brand and what people wanted to see. We didn’t want to create fake expectations or scare people off.
Leave it to Theo to solve our creative dilemma.
His brilliant concept had Asher and me donning our masks near our front door, playing the part of returning roommates, while he waited inside his room.
The bedroom was already prepped—our handheld camera clutched in Theo’s grip and the second one mounted on a tripod, its lens trained directly on the mattress where everything would unfold.
Asher held out the mask to me. “You good to go?”
“All set,” I confirmed, slipping it over my face.
We positioned ourselves inside the entryway, then opened and slammed the front door to cue the beginning of our scene.
Dressed in white shirts and jeans like Billy Loomis from Scream, Asher and I looked the part.
I’d always appreciated the film for its slasher elements, while Theo had confessed a different fantasy altogether—a desire to be railed by Ghostface.
Tonight, that particular dream was about to become reality, with two of them.
I only hated wearing the mask because I couldn’t kiss either of them while wearing it.
Theo emerged from the hallway, camera aimed at us.
“Look who’s back from the Halloween party,” he narrated with theatrical enthusiasm, his voice dropping an octave.
“I’ve been waiting all night. Just me and these boxers.
” The camera lens captured us while his nearly naked body remained just out of frame.
He stood there in nothing but black cotton, skin gleaming under the apartment lights. I shifted in my costume, suddenly overdressed for what was coming. We’d never filmed a scene starting this clothed before.
“Well,” Theo purred, eyes traveling slowly from our masks down to our shoes, teeth grazing his bottom lip. “Aren’t you two just… terrifyingly sexy.” The word dripped with suggestion.
Asher advanced, his voice deepening behind the mask. “Looks like someone wants to play dangerous games tonight.”
“Been thinking about nothing else since you two left,” Theo replied, his smile turning wicked as his gaze lingered on our disguises.
He backed toward the hallway, fingers hooking into his waistband.
“Race you to the bedroom—winner gets inside first,” he challenged, then spun and disappeared down the hallway.
We agreed he’d set down the camera on the nightstand, and we’d have two different angles from that and the one on the tripod.