The Halloween Party
CHAPTER FOURTY-FIVE
Seth
Tonight is the Halloween ball here at Keystone, and Sasha has asked me to keep him company for the night.
I don’t know why I feel so nervous, we’ve been on a date before, and it went well.
To be fair, most of the date was in a dark theater, but it was good.
He held my hand during the moments I got scared, and after the movie he seemed genuinely interested in my thoughts on it.
At the end of the night, he was a perfect gentleman, never once making me feel like I owed him something for buying my snacks.
I really like Sasha, and I want to look nice for him.
Staring into my mirror, I sigh at my black button-down shirt and ripped black skinny jeans.
I put on my purple converse tonight because that’s Sasha’s favorite color.
Rolling my sleeves up to my elbows, I know Alex will make fun of me for copying Jake, but it’s what I’ve got, so I have to make it work.
My shaggy black hair is untamable, though. I run a hand over it to try and flatten it a bit, but it’s no use. I guess this’ll have to do.
A knock on the door startles me, and I open it expecting to see Sasha, but Brandon is standing there.
“Hey, bro,” I smile as he comes in.
“You got your cast off!”
I hold up my hand. “Yeah. Just came off.”
“Sweet. I was just checking to see if you wanted to have a smoke before the ball?” He pulls a blunt from behind his ear, and lights it when I nod.
“Hell yeah, it’s been a hot minute since we’ve had a chance to light up.”
He takes a puff and passes it to me. I take a long drag and hold it in for a moment before exhaling. I love smoking. Nothing else calms my nerves quite like a drag of… whatever the fuck this strain is called. Mountain Breeze Kush or some bullshit.
“So, you looking forward to your date with Sasha tonight?” Brandon asks as he sits on my bed. I sit down beside him and rest my back against the headboard, passing the blunt back to him.
“Yeah, he’s super sweet. And he’s a fan of Chainsaw’s Revenge so, he’s pretty much perfect,” I say.
“Chill. It sounds like you found your perfect match. As they say, the couple that slays together, stays together.” He laughs as he takes another drag.
I’m pretty sure I have a dopey grin on my face at this point, but I don’t care. Thinking about Sasha makes me happy.
“Well, he better be a perfect gentleman tonight, otherwise he’ll have me and two very angry ghosts to deal with. Debbie and Tom, too. Pretty sure Tom keeps a shotgun in their room.”
“He’s never been anything but a gentleman, I promise you.” It’s true, too. The furthest we got on our date was a chaste kiss at the end of the night. I wanted to do more, but he insisted we take things slower, which I really appreciated.
“Do we need to have a talk about the birds and the bees?” Brandon asks, and I slap my hand over my eyes, cheeks heating.
“No! Absolutely not. We’re not… it’s not… We kissed, one time!” I try to form a coherent sentence and I’m pretty sure I fail. I snatch the blunt from between his fingers and take another drag.
“Okay, but remember, if he hurts you, I’m gonna kick his ass and then let Alex play with his entrails,” Brandon threatens.
I snort. “Alex has no appetite for violence, despite what he may say. But I appreciate the sentiment. Sasha won’t hurt me. I trust him.”
“I’m really happy you found someone, Sethy,” he says as he wraps an arm around my shoulders.
I lean my head against his and continue smoking.
He doesn’t take the blunt back right away.
People often get the wrong idea about our relationship, but what we have is strictly platonic.
We’re too similar to ever actually get together, and Brandon is straight anyways.
“Me too,” I say.
Brandon and I lie on the bed until it’s time to head downstairs into the lobby that is doubling as the ballroom for tonight’s festivities.
***
When we get downstairs, the lobby is already packed with people.
It’s a surprise because usually the hotel is pretty dead, even during peak seasons.
Alex has done an amazing job of changing that, though.
Especially tonight. People in Halloween costumes are everywhere, dancing and mingling, getting snacks from tables along the wall.
I look around for Sasha but don’t see him.
Brandon nudges me with an elbow. “I’m gonna head outside for a bit, will you be okay?”
“Yeah, don’t worry about me,” I smile as I wave him off. I know parties like this aren’t his vibe.
I make my way through the crowd, laughing when I spot Alex and Jake dancing.
There are more than a few eyes on them. They look ridiculous.
Jake is dressed in his normal button-down and jeans, but Alex...
Alex is dressed up as a large hot dog, and he’s currently trying to twerk on Jake.
I briefly wonder if I’m hallucinating. Maybe I shouldn’t have smoked that blunt with Brandon before coming down here.
I wave, and they both notice me at the same time. Alex waves and yells, “Hey Seth! You like my costume? I’m a wiener.”
Jake looks mortified as he runs a hand down his face. Save me, he mouths, looking pleadingly at me.
I smirk. “I love your outfit, bro! I kinda want to eat you.” Just looking at the thing is making me hungry.
“Ooh, careful Seth. If you want all this, you’ll have to fight Jake,” he teases and waves his hands up and down his costume while trying to keep up with the beat of the music.
Shaking my head I say, “I’m gonna go find Sasha.”
“Enjoy your date, tiger! You look amazing! You’re a hot goth king!”
I head towards the kitchen, pretty confident that’s where I’ll find him.
I learned recently that Sasha likes to cook, especially when he’s stressed out.
I can imagine a night like tonight would be pretty stressful for him.
As I leave the lobby, I see Kayla and Frankie getting their freak on like no one’s watching.
Kayla is dressed up in a black and white striped prison uniform.
Fitting, seeing as she was recently on bail for murder.
Allegedly. Frankie is dressed as a police officer, fitted out with handcuffs, a baton and everything.
I wander through the living room, past a pirate and a mermaid making out, realizing too late that it’s Tom and Debbie.
I rush through the kitchen door before they have time to notice me.
Just as I thought, Sasha is in here cooking what appears to be some kind of pasta. He looks up as I enter, smiling.
“Hi,” I say and bite my lip ring, suddenly feeling shy.
“Hello, you look very beautiful tonight.”
“Oh, um, thank you. You too,” I say awkwardly and run a hand through my hair. His eyes track my movements before settling back on his pasta. “What are you making?”
“Pelmeni. Is a dish from Russia, like dumplings. I have the dough here,” he points at a thinly rolled section of dough. “Beef goes inside with onions and peppers. Then you fold the dough, pinch sides and wrap into little ball. Then you boil.”
“That looks really good,” I say and my stomach grumbles. I really am hungry.
“Sit, I will feed you,” he says in the stern voice that I love. Everything comes out as a command, but he manages to soften his words with the looks he gives me. “These will take five minutes.”
I just nod. “So, are you having fun tonight?” he asks.
“Yeah, I guess. Brandon and I got high before coming downstairs. Parties aren’t really my thing, but I’m happy for Alex and Jake that the hotel is doing so well. I take it you’re not a huge fan of parties either.”
He shakes his head. “I do not like parties. Too much noise, too many people. I’ve had to threaten multiple people that have tried to come in here.”
“You didn’t threaten me,” I tease.
He looks me up and down. “I am saving you for later. After I ply you with food, you will be mine for the night.”
God, he knows just what to say to a boy. I bite my lip ring again, looking down at the counter.
“You cannot do this, it’s unfair.”
“What’s unfair?” I laugh.
“Looking cute like that. You are trying to seduce me.”
I look up at him. “Is it working?”
“Yes.” He pulls the dumplings out of the boiling water and plates a few, sliding them over to me with a fork. I bite into one after blowing on it and let out a low moan.
“This might be one of the best things I’ve ever eaten,” I say around a bite.
“You say this because you are high. But I’m glad you like them.” He plates a few for himself and we eat in silence for a few minutes before he asks, “How is your psychic business going?”
I set my fork down. “It’s going pretty good.
This land has so much energy, it’s a lot easier to work out here.
My granny would love it. I was planning to set up a booth tonight to do tarot readings, but…
I guess I wanted to spend the night with you instead.
” Oh god, I’m blushing again. I need another blunt.
“You have been spending more time here recently, because of me or something else?”
“That’s part of it,” I say, bobbing my head.
“But, I don’t know. I feel connected to this place.
I feel safe here. I know that sounds stupid, because of what happened, but…
the idea of Mr. Covington’s people being out there, not knowing if they know where I live…
” I trail off. “I tried to get my granny to come out here, she’d love this place, but she’s more stubborn than Alex and is the proud owner of an AK-47. ”
He snorts and considers my words for a few moments before putting his fork down and stretching his tattooed hand out to me.
I place my hand in his, and he looks down at my fingers, gently stroking.
This is the hand that Andrei broke when he was grilling me for information.
My fingers have mostly healed up, but if you look closely, they’re a little crooked and still ache occasionally. The pot helps with that, too.