Not only was there a ten-foot skeleton on the lawn, but huge fake spiders all over the front wall, jack-o-lanterns lining thepathway to the house, glow-in-the-dark spider webs across the trees and half the lawn, and a fake witch that cackled as someone walked up to the door ahead of us.
Crossy shivered. “Anyone else a little creeped out?”
I grinned at him. “Don’t tell me you’re scared of Halloween.”
He scowled. “The holiday itself? No. That robotic witch pulling my head off as I walk past it? Maybe a little.”
The music thumped louder as we reached the house, lights already glowing through the windows and people spilled out onto the porch, cups in hand, laughter echoing into the night. I followed the guys inside, looking around with some interest. We had plenty of parties at school, hidden away in the basements of dorm rooms and out in the woods where teachers never spotted us, but this was the first one I’d come to off-campus. I didn’t realize that I was expecting something completely insane and different to the ones we had until I looked around and realized it was exactly what I expected.
The house was huge and had an open-floor concept, which meant there were people everywhere I looked. From the outside, the house looked lit up but now that I was in here, I realized it wasn’t overhead lighting but rather a mix of multicolored disco balls and some string lights slung haphazardly around. As we stumbled inside, I passed a group of footballers chugging drinks as onlookers cheered, followed by a group of boys struggling through a song on Guitar Hero. They were playing terribly, but all of them looked like they were really into it as they head banged and had girls screaming lyrics into a fake microphone next to them.
One of the girls by the microphone made eye contact with me and gave me a flirtatious wave. I smiled back at her but before I could even consider walking in her direction, Mako grabbed my head and physically turned it toward another corner of the room.
“What are you—oh.”
Her back was to me but there was no mistaking that it was Lilah standing by the patio doors, laughing along to something Poppy was saying. My feet were carrying me over to her before I realized what I was even doing and more importantly, what she waswearing.
The purple dress she’d picked out this afternoon.Rapunzel. The matching costume to mine.
This has to be a sign.
“Oh my gosh,” Lilah said as she spotted me. I expected her to be annoyed, but she seemed almost pleased, and I wasn’t sure what to do with that. “You wore it.”
“You wore yours,” I shot back, hoping I sounded cooler than I felt. Summoning all the Flynn Ryder rizz I could muster, I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned a shoulder against the wall. A smile tugged on Lilah’s pink lips as she watches me. The smile widened as I missed the wall completely and had to catch myself, but once I was righted against the wall again, I grinned at her like nothing mortifying just happened.
She blessedly ignored the misstep. Instead, her eyes trailed over the costume in appreciation before her blue eyes slid back up to me.
“I thought you said you were never going to wear it,” she said with a teasing smile that never fails to make my heart pick up the pace.
“I was forced to,” I admitted. Lilah arches a disbelieving eyebrow, so I glance behind me for backup. “Peer pressure. Not my fault.”
“Lies!” Mako said. I jumped, not even realizing he was right behind me. I’d lost Crossy and Bear somewhere in the crowd, although I was sure they would appear soon to greet their girlfriends. “He was totally into it. Spun around in the mirror and everything.”
I turned slowly to glare at him. “I did not spin.”
Saylor and Poppy were laughing now, hiding smiles behind red Solo cups. Lilah stepped up close to me, then ran a hand on my shoulder like she was brushing off dust.
“Well, I think you look very handsome,” she said, her smile only growing bigger by the second. “In fact, I think this should be your new go-to costume from now on.”
“Only if Rapunzel is yours.”
“Then we’d always match.’
I grin. “Exactly.”
“This is a one-time thing. I didn’t mean to match you. It just happened.”
“We’re just so on the same page. Real soulmate-type stuff, Lilah.”
She rolled her eyes. “If you say so, Tino.”
“I do say so. Look at us. Meant to be together.”
She shook her head, a smile still on her lips. She stood on her tiptoes and reached around me, fixing the collar of my green shirt. I caught another smell of her strawberry shampoo as she brushed past me. When she stepped back down, she looked at me with a happy expression.
“I still can’t believe you wore it,” she murmured.
“Anything for you baby.”
