9. Gwen
Chapter nine
Gwen
Over the past week or so, we have had a lot of sex, and I mean a lot. Obviously, we are trying to get me pregnant, but what’s more, I just can’t seem to get enough of Gabe. Sex with him is like nothing I’ve ever experienced—really all of it is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. Right before he comes, it’s almost like a part of him enters my soul, like we’re closer than anyone has ever been. Fucking my best friend has got to be the best decision I’ve ever made.
Or the worst.
Because, everything is amazing. My friendship with Gabe has always been great, but now all of the little things that he used to do for me feel romantic, and our joking feels like flirting. I fall asleep in his arms every night after he blows my back out, and wake up to find the coffee pot programmed, breakfast prepped, and a goofy little note.
“You’ll need the energy for baby making.”
“Sexy breeders need protein for growing babies.”
“I’ve only got eyes for you.” With a silly little doodle of a monster with a million eyes.
“Check your email.” When I open my email, he’s gone online to this website where you can build tabletop minis, and he’s ordered me one that looks like me, except she’s pregnant. He’s added the comment “I gave your mini a sexy update.”
So, maybe this really is the worst idea I’ve ever had. Because even though he’s my best friend in the world and I can talk to him about anything, I can’t seem to bring up the nerve to talk to him about this. I’m just… scared, because if I am good enough to breed, but not good enough to actually be with? It will break me. Even admitting that that is what I want feels so precarious.
No, I’m so messed up and confused, and to make matters worse, it’s Midnight Mayhem.
Midnight Mayhem is a night that sits on the cusp of summer where everybody dresses up in costumes and the kids get to stay up until midnight. The event is like a carnival on Main Street, but everything is themed around poking fun at misconceptions that humans often have about monsters, or in some cases, reenacting older ways of life that monsters have given up in a safe way. It’s a little bit carnival, a little bit Halloween, a little bit historical reenactment. There’s always a lot of fun to be had,, and after the kids go to bed at midnight, is when the mayhem really breaks loose.
At midnight, all of the monsters really get in touch with those parts of themselves that they often have to suppress. There is hunting, primal play, and lots of folks sneak off to have sex in the wild. In past years, I’ve always either gone alone or with Gabe. Preston was never really here during Midnight Mayhem, and I preferred it that way.
Gabe always made sure that I was safe, especially after the mischief broke out. We would usually stick around for a little while and then head home and play a two person game. Sometimes, we would play a four person game and each play two people. There is this one game that really focuses on being in a haunted house and then at one point one player betrays everybody else, and that one always seemed really fitting.
We often wear matching costumes, because it’s a pretty common thing for people to wear matching costumes, but this year—like everything else—that feels different.
Gabe asked if he could pick our costumes this year, and when I woke up today, mine was laid out across my bed. At first, I thought it’s just a nun costume, but once I put it on, I realized that it was specifically a sexy nun costume.
We usually wear matching costumes, but in the past, it’s been things like peanut butter and jelly. I have never been anything like a sexy nun. My face heats as I look at myself in the mirror, because I have to admit, I look hot as hell. Frankly, my boobs are… everywhere, because there’s no reason for this shirt to be this low cut. There’s a huge slit up one leg with buckles at the top no nun would ever be caught wearing. All in all, though, I look… luscious. Gabe knew exactly what he was doing when he bought this costume and I’m not mad about it.
When I go downstairs, I see that Jonas, who opens the shop for me, is already dressed up. We have a small staff, just two others to open, and then Gabe and I close every night. Jonas has got this really cool superhero costume that is totally nerdy and amazing.
“Morning!” I say, trying to look surreptitiously at Gabe. He’s crouched in his usual spot by the door and wearing… not much at all. A small loincloth, temporarily grey, hangs between his stone legs. I guess my costume isn’t the only one that is super sexy this year. I am full of nervous energy all day, because while people are used to us being together at the Festival, and I’ve been having sex with him for a while, it still feels like a date.
One of the reasons that Midnight Mayhem is one of my favorite holidays is because the weird hours make it so that there is quite a bit of time that businesses are expected to be closed. We open late the day of Midnight Mayhem in anticipation of being up all night, and then we’re closed the next day. Because Midnight Mayhem always happens on a Saturday, it’s an especially big deal for me and Gabe, because we almost never get to have a Sunday off.
We always do something at the shop for Midnight Mayhem, of course, but we also make sure that it is something that can largely run itself. This year it is a haunted vending machine. So you put some tokens in and then you get some sort of mystery prize. Most of these mystery prizes are fun little pranks that kids can pull on each other or their family, but there are a few in there that are actually really valuable cards for trading card games, or vouchers for the shop. Gabe and I and our staff will check in periodically in case there are any problems, but generally speaking it should handle itself. We’ve also added a fun little photo booth that we rented for this year, that I think people will love. It’s a really fancy one, like the ones that they have overseas where you can draw on your pictures and personalize them, and I imagine the kids and the teens are gonna go crazy for it.
The celebration really starts when the sun goes down, which luckily for us is also when Gabe wakes up. He stands and stretches, cracking his neck as he gives me a show of just how sexy he is in that loin cloth. It’s a miracle I’m not drooling, because he is so fucking hot. He’s big and solid, with bulging arm muscles, and a chest like a barrel. As you can imagine, his back is totally ripped, and I can’t help but to think about digging my fingers into those gorgeous traps tonight. Even the air feels charged tonight, like a single spark could set it ablaze. I blush as Gabe’s eyes roam over me, a slow smile creeping across his face. He comes up behind me where I stand at the register, pressing into my back as he reaches around me to get to his glasses.
“You look good enough to eat,” he rumbles in my ear. I shiver as his breath brushes over my neck.
“Yeah, on a scale from one to ten, I’d say I’m a nat twenty.”
“Absolutely,” he says, stepping back now that his glasses are on to fully take me in. He runs one claw along the extremely low neckline and where my tits are threatening to spill out of the top. “I did a damn good job.”
“I think so,” I say, spinning, so he can see the full outfit and winking at him. “You might be a little cold though.”
“With the way you get my blood pumping? Knowing what I’m gonna do to you after midnight? No way. Hell, if there’s a dunk tank, I might need a dip to cool off.” He says.
Jonas looks over at us and raises a brow before turning away and staring intensely at his work.
“Are you ready to go?” Gabe holds his arm out.
“Absolutely. What’s the plan for tonight? Are you railroading me? Or is tonight more of an exploration adventure?” Gabe widens his eyes and I blush, realizing that it sounded kind of dirty.
“As much as I want to rail… road you, I figured we could do some exploration. Feel free to use your ‘x’ card if you need it, but otherwise, I figure we can do a bit of improv.”
My pulse speeds, and I wonder how I’m going to get through the night if this is how he’s going to talk. With a laugh, he pulls me out onto the street, and the sounds and smells of Midnight Mayhem wash over me, plunging me into years of memories where I was exactly where I am now. Everything is the same, and everything is different.
Main Street is decorated with extra lights, so that parents can keep track of their kids. This year, Adri, our local yeti ski instructor has stuffed himself into what is surely the largest size of referee costume, but it’s still way too small. He’s swaying on his feet like he’s already drunk as he wanders around blowing his whistle at random people and telling them they are committing random violations like “not having enough fun.” He blows it at a group of kids and he’s swarmed by them in seconds. I don’t know if being their personal jungle gym is what he had in mind, but the kids are definitely having a good time with it, and judging by the smile on his face, he is too.
Outside of the diner, Ted has moved several coolers out for people to grab cold sandwiches while he flips burgers. While Midnight Mayhem is a night for many monsters to embrace their culture and heritage, Ted always mans the grill. “What am I going to do, go hang out in the forest alone?” he said one year when I asked him about it.
At Cool Beans, Mitch and Clay, the wolf-men owners, have a collection of pastries set up and if it’s like prior years, each of them will have some sort of surprise. The pastries have wolfsbane in them, which doesn’t actually hurt wolves, it just interferes with monster olfactory functions, making sure everyone gets the same level of prank. Gabe and I each grab one, and as I catch Mitch’s eye he raises his brows and smirks. He is dressed as a blueberry pie, with intricate lattice work and three-dimensional berries that seem to be coated with something so they glisten. Next to him, looking for all intents and purposes unamused with the festivities, is his husband, Clay, wearing an apron. He gives us a nod, and it looks like he suppresses a chuckle when he sees which pastries I’m holding. Great, now I am a little bit terrified to try them. Clay might pretend like he hates Midnight Mayhem, but he has always gotten really into the pranking aspect of it, so he can’t hate it too much.
Gabe tucks me away when he sees Jake and Hayley. They are wearing a couples costume, which I know is a reference to an anime. The long white hair, ears and tail that Jake is sporting, paired with Hayley’s green school-girl outfit and short black wig couldn’t mean anything else, but I imagine some other people will have no idea what they are. Hayley waves at us, smiling wide, and bouncing a little. It’s only her second Midnight Mayhem in Hallow’s Cove, but she seems to really love it here. Growing up, there weren’t many humans in Hallow’s Cove, so I’d been excited when her aunt Betsy moved to town. A few of the other kids didn’t like having a human at school growing up, so I always loved seeing Betsy and her mate as an example of how humans and monsters could live together.
“Look at you guys!” I give Hayley a big hug. “You look great!”
“Thanks, it was between this and some sort of abduction situation, but I think that will have to wait until next year. I’ve always wanted to do this kind of a couples costume, so this seemed like the perfect excuse.”
“Oh, totally! Plus, this means that this year Jake hasn’t assembled his costume from a random assortment of stuff at the store and is giving us a hard time all night because we can’t guess what he is." I say, elbowing him. He and Gabe seem to be having a relatively intense, hushed conversation, though I can’t guess what it might be about.
I frown at Gabe and he tunes back in. “Yeah, you guys look great.”
“You guys look great too, I’m really into the whole virgin nun and her gargoyle thing.” Jake says, wagging his eyebrows at us. I suddenly have the distinct impression that at least Jake knows what we’re up to, or strongly suspects it, which kind of makes sense, considering it was originally his idea. “You guys decided against ketchup and mustard this year?”
“I decided it was time the world saw how hot Gwen is.” Gabe says, making me blush even harder. He pulls me into his side, so that his arm is around my waist. “So, what’s the plan?”
“Jake and I have designed this really cool luge for his booze. With a system of locks and stuff. You guys should definitely check it out later.”
“That sounds so cool! Let’s go check it out!” As we walk, we look at all of the shops and activities. Barnaby has a small selection of curated books on different pranking holidays and monster traditions. Maisie looks overjoyed and like she is drinking absolutely everything in. Barnaby is speaking to Rick, the minotaur who runs the local hardware store. I was under the impression that they were relatively good friends, but though he is nodding along to whatever Rick’s saying, Barnaby's eyes are glued to Maisie. They look so in love, it makes my heart pinch. Maisie is speaking to a group of children, she’s dressed as Count Dracula and is saying “mwahahaha,” making them giggle. But every so often, she still reaches back to touch Barnaby and he smiles.
I say I don’t want that, but I fear I’m desperate for it. Instead of not wanting it, perhaps it’s really that I only want it in one specific scenario. I want to be reaching back for Gabe, and perhaps I have ruined that possibility before it ever started. Because after all, all of this is really just pretend. Gabe and I like role-playing, and isn’t this just one more elaborate role-play?
When all this is over, we’ll go back to being just friends, because he didn’t want to complicate things, and I assured him that if anyone could avoid complications, it was him.
I should’ve thought about if I could avoid complications.
As we walk, Gabe and Jake are talking about the luge. Hayley pulls close to me, and lowers her voice. “Jake mentioned that you guys might be trying for a baby?”
Cool. So apparently our friends know? I mean, I suppose eventually they are going to have to know, but I really didn’t think about what we would say. In absence of a discussion about what we would say, it seems Gabe has decided to tell them. Except he hasn’t told me what they know. Then again, perhaps if Hayley knows what Jake has told her, I can potentially figure out what Gabe has told the guys.
“We are, it seemed so logical.” Wow Gwen, really astounding sleuth thing there. Surely I am seconds from figuring out what the guys know. New line.
“We are too,” she confides. “Are you doing anything to increase your fertility? I’ve got a few charms that I wear. I could make you some if you want?”
“Yeah, that would be great.” I had no idea that fertility charms were a thing, but Hayley is a little quirky to say the least.
“How long have you been trying? Have you tested yet?”
“No, we’ve only really been trying for like a week and a half… How about you?”
“OK, you got it out of me!” She lowers her voice. “I’m actually pregnant right now! That’s why I think you should take my pregnancy charms, because I think they really worked!”
Hayley is freaking hilarious. She was obviously bursting to talk to somebody about this, and I’m glad I could be here for her.
“How far along are you?”
“Only like a month, really! I kind of made the mistake of figuring out how early you can take a pregnancy test, and it’s earlier than I thought. The first test was super faint, of course, but the line was there. It’ll be really fun to be pregnant together, don’t you think?”
“How soon can you test?” All of a sudden, I’m realizing that perhaps I should have looked into this whole baby making thing. It sounds like Hayley has done a lot of research, while I’m over here just raw dogging it and hoping for the best. You would think that with all of Preston’s concerns about having a baby I would have done some of this research by now, but considering he was the one that wanted the baby, not me, I usually avoided testing until my period came, and by then it was obvious.
“I’ve heard of people seeing a line as soon as 10 days! Which, depending on where you are in your cycle, it sounds like it could be soon for you! Do you have any tests?”
“Not yet, my period isn’t due for a week or so, I figured I would test then.”
“Great, don’t buy any, I have loads left over. I bought a bunch thinking that we might need some time, but it only took two months. Apparently raccoon shifters are known for being virile.”
“Oh! Thank you so much!”
We are farther down Main Street now, and I can see a crowd of kids, gathering around the owner of our local information center. Naiadelia’s a mermaid that runs a birdwatching tour, and considering how many of the children are flapping their wings, I’m betting she has organized a nighttime excursion.
Hayley must follow my vision, because she nods her head toward her. “What’s her deal?” She asks. “I tried to get some information from her when I first moved here, you know, considering she’s the information center owner. But, she was really standoffish with me. I’m glad she’s nice to the kids at least, but I couldn’t seem to figure her out. She seems single, but she definitely wasn’t on the dating app scene when I was.”
“She hasn’t been the same since her mate, Damien, died. He was the only other human in school growing up, but I was a few years older. She’s cordial to me, now, but anytime I suggested that we do anything together she told me no thank you. For a bit, I wondered why she hasn’t gone back to the mermaids, but Gabe told me they are like… really mean.”
“She’s just always alone,” Hayley says. “It makes me feel so bad.”
“Me too, but she doesn’t seem to want friends.” I link my arm with Hayley’s, grateful that I’ve actually started developing the sort of female friendships I’ve always dreamed of. The guys are great but I’ve always wished for a group of girl-friends.
“Yeah! Though, I hope for her sake that she finds a friend or something.”
“Me too.” I squeeze her arm. “Everyone deserves a friend.”
Maybe in the next couple of days, I could find some alone time with Hayley to talk things out. I certainly can’t figure out where my head is at with my mom, and even though I normally confide in Jake, the whole situation kind of feels like I need a girl’s perspective.
I see Brooks and Sydney in the distance, and mentally add Sydney to my list. I don’t know her as well, but she is the most experienced with pregnancy out of the three of us. She’s currently showing, which looks absolutely adorable in the overalls she’s wearing. It looks like she’s dressed up as a farmer, complete with Brooks’s cowboy hat, and Brooks is wearing some of Sydney’s normal business wear. And I’m not talking about him wearing a man’s suit, he’s got on a pencil skirt, a blouse, and a cardigan tied over his shoulders. It’s too bad he has hoofs, because the way he is walking it looks like he could work some heels. In front of him in a stroller, is their daughter, Laney, who is also sporting an outfit swap. Laney is dressed up as a duck, with an adorable little hood. Snuggled into the stroller next to him, fast asleep, is Chicken, Brooks’s pet duck, dressed as a chicken.
“Hi Hoffmans!” Gabe calls out. Baby Laney is so cute it’s not even fair. And it’s a shame he’s not awake for snuggles.
“It looks like somebody can’t hang,” Jake says, motioning at Chicken and Laney.
“Nope, though of course he will probably be up to party for an hour or two around two,” Sydney says, with a wry smile.
Hayley raises her eyebrows at me and smirks.
Growing up, I know my mom always felt kind of isolated here. Most of the kids in my school were monsters, so sometimes that meant my friends' parents were upwards of a hundred years older than my mother, or other times it meant they were much younger. I’ll have something my mom really lacked, Mom friends that I can relate to.
We all travel down to Jake’s luge, which has a handmade sign claiming that it’s going to open at eleven. Considering how strong his moonshine is, it’s probably a good idea to wait that late. The goal is to be at least tipsy by midnight, but I know that if I started drinking his moonshine too early, I would be passed out by then.
Because Jake’s thrift store and the bodega are so close to the game store, we’ve meandered our way back. A group of kids stand in front of our vending machine, and they seem to be having a good time. Jonas stands off to the side, chatting with that fairy who has been coming to the game shop more frequently.
Jake pulls some lawn chairs out for us and we set them up, spending the next several hours talking and playing casual party games like Mafia or Love Letter.
Sydney sits on Brook’s lap half the time and Jake and Hayley seem to be constantly touching one another. Meanwhile, I’m sitting next to Gabe, like I always do, but now it’s not me and the guys. Now, it’s me, Gabe and two couples who have everything I want for us. We still have a good time, but the entire time, I can’t help but imagine how much better it would be if we were that way, too. Gabe touches me a few times, but mostly, he’s more tense than usual. He pays a lot of attention to me, sure, but it’s like he’s also unsure how to act… or he’s embarrassed of me.
Around 11:30, once the luge has opened and cheeks are flushing up and down main street, as the adults prepare for the changeover, my mother spots us. She waves and walks over, her eyes cataloging Gabe’s loincloth, my habit, and his arm around my shoulders. She raises a brow and smiles at me. And once again, I’m regretting that all of this is only for the baby. Because as much as my mother complained about how Gabe was hurting my chances, apparently she doesn’t mind if my chances are with Gabe.
“How’s it going, kids?” she asks us, as if we aren’t all closer to thirty than not.
“Great! I think it’s going to be our most successful year yet!” Gabe says.
“Is it? That’s wonderful!” My mother says.
“Yeah, we’re probably close to running out of prizes in the vending machine, but all of the kids seem really excited!”
“Well, as long as everyone is happy!” She meets my eyes, and I feel like she’s talking about more than the vending machine.
“Yes, absolutely.” I assure her, because what can I really say? Gabe and I are going to need to figure all this out. What will we tell people? How will it actually work? The past few weeks have felt like a dream, but my mother’s appearance has brought reality crashing back down on me. Gabe runs over to help some kids with the vending machine and my mother pulls me aside.
“Finally! I wasn't sure how much more nagging I could stand !”
“Me neither… wait… what do you mean ‘finally?’”
“Gwennie, I know you, maybe better than anyone. So, I knew that if I told you to date Gabe, you’d run in exactly the other direction.” She cups my face with her hand. “Your dad and I were so surprised when you started dating Preston, because you and Gabe had always been ‘G&G.’ He told me to trust you, to let you figure it out on your own, and I’ve tried , but I’ll be damned if I wasn’t at the end of my rope with you two! You’re perfect for each other, and I’m just so happy you see it now.”
“Oh! Haha! Yeah, it’s new but… it feels right.” And… it does.
“Have a good night, sweetie.” My mom kisses my cheek and wanders off like she didn’t just upend my entire world.
Because we are perfect for each other… and maybe I’ve ruined our chances by telling Gabe it was “just friends.”