Page 90 of A Haunting at Keystone Manor

“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.”