Page 57 of Out of Nowhere

Chapter Thirty-four: Seo-jun

In the weeks leading up to the Halloween party, Dex became more and more excited. Seo-jun had to admit that some of it had rubbed off on him.

Seo-jun left his costume up to Dex because he wasn’t the creative type and probably wouldn’t have worn a costume if Dex hadn’t wanted him to so badly.

“An Asian Adonis?” he asked, turning in front of the mirror to get a look at the back of the costume. The skirt barely covered his ass.

“Why not? Anyway, I doubt anyone is going to ask which god you are.” He reached up to adjust the gold laurel wreath in Seo-jun’s hair. “You look so sexy.” He paused, suddenly looking like someone had slapped him in the face.

“What’s the matter?” Seo-jun asked, concerned.

Dex’s eyes met his. “Oh, my God. You don’t have to wear this.” Turning, he began scrambling in the bedroom closet. “Don’t you have a black turtleneck you can wear with a pair of black pants and boots? Maybe if we coupled it with some—”

“Dex!” Seo-jun swung him around. “What’s wrong with you? A minute ago, you loved this costume.—“

Dex looked miserable. “I hadn’t thought…God, Seo-jun. I’ve dressed you up, just likehedid.”

“He?” Seo-jun asked, uncomprehending.

“Haru,” Dex whispered, eyes filling with tears.

Oh.

Pulling Dex into a tight hug, Seo-jun kissed the side of his head.

“Baby, you’re nothing like Haru. This is Halloween. I love that you think I’m sexy in this. But even if you just wanted me to try something on in the bedroom, I would never compare you to Haru. What we have is totally different.”

Pulling back, Dex looked at him seriously. “Yeah? I mean,yeah, of course it is. But still…I don’t want you to ever feel, you know. Objectified.”

Dex was so damned sweet.

“I don’t, and I promise if I ever do, I’ll tell you right away.”

Seo-jun kissed him softly. “You look very sexy, too, just so you know. I love the pointed ears. They look real.”

Dex had chosen to be an elf from one of the fantasy games he played, and Seo-jun really did think he looked incredibly sexy in the leggings and medieval tunic.

“Ready to go?”

Dex nodded and grinned.

When they pulled through the mansion gates, Dex let out a long, appreciative, “Oooo. Cara really went all out, didn’t she?”

She really had. Cobwebs hung everywhere—she must have had someone get on ladders to arrange them—and there was a graveyard out front with skeletons trying to crawl out of the earth. A few more hung from trees, their boney bodies dancing in the wind, and one was even perched behind the wheel of Colt’s jeep, one arm over the wheel. Haunting music blasted throughhidden speakers, and a fifteen-foot Frankenstein guarded the front porch. When it spoke and tried to make grab for them when they passed it, both Seo-jun and Dex gave embarrassing shrieks, jumping a mile before dissolving into laughter.

“There you are!” Dressed as a dashing blond pirate, Colt came striding into the foyer. “Everybody’s out back.” He leaned in conspiratorially. “I invited a fuck-ton of people, but not this many. I think we have some crashers. Don’t tell Cara. She’ll be pissed.”

“You don’t think she’ll notice?” Dex asked humorously.

“Not if I get her drunk enough,” Colt said with a wink of the eye that wasn’t behind the black eye patch he wore.

Taking Dex’s hand, Seo-jun led him downstairs and they emerged into the backyard from the sliding glass doors. Large tubs of ice and bottles of beer and a table of chili, corn chips, and fixings were set up by the pool, where a large group of people Seo-jun didn’t recognize were loading their plates.

“Must be the party crashers Colt mentioned,” Dex murmured into Seo-jun’s ear. “We’d better not mention the pool’s heated. They might whip off their costumes and get in it naked.”

“We’ve got to get rid of these crashers,” Sean appeared at their side. Dressed in some kind of Medieval plague doctor costume, he’d shoved the beak-like mask onto his head. “Colt! Get over here!” he yelled.

Colt, who had just appeared from inside with a cooler in his arms, set it on the table and walked over to where Seo-jun, Dex, and Sean stood.

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