Page 15 of Little Horrors & Deceptions

She straightened up, a lock of hair falling defiantly across her face. With a casual flick, she brushed it behind her ear, her eyes flashing in the dim light like steel. The corner of her mouth twitched, almost a smile. Almost. I pushed off the car, my hands finding their way into my pockets.

“I'll manage,” she shot back, her voice as firm as the set of her jaw. I stepped closer.

“I can drive you home.” I offered.

Her lips parted, ready with a rebuttal, but she paused. The night air was still around us, save for the soft rustling of leaves. Her gaze flickered away then back, as if measuring the weight of my offer. I could feel her watching me, evaluating, always so damn meticulous. It was infuriating. It was attractive. It was Jade.

“My apartment isn’t that far. A walk won’t kill me,” she said finally.

“Well, if you insist, I’m walking with you.” A pause hung heavy between us—a challenge.

“Fine,” she relented.

The town hummed quietly around us on the way. My hands found refuge in my pockets, fingers brushing against the fabric, itching for something to do besides hanging idly by my sides.

“So, how did you end up out here? Owning a world-renowned haunted house of all things?” I stole a glance at Jade, but hergaze was fixed on the Gothic spires cutting through the night sky behind us.

“I actually grew up in the city,” I started, an unexpected laugh escaping me. “But when my mom passed away when I was fifteen, I knew…” My throat tightened, words catching like barbs. “I wanted to get away from there.”

We reached the dimly lit street corner, and I paused, looking back at the property that had become my refuge, my own personal battleground. “As soon as I turned eighteen, I found this place listed. My mother had left her insurance money to me” A hint of pride warmed my voice, despite the chill in the air. “I always had a thing for Halloween, spooky season, you know? So, I took a leap and opened Dead Man’s Mansion.” My arms gestured vaguely, encompassing the sprawling estate. “It just kind of exploded from there.”

Her steps slowed beside me, and I felt her searching my face. “I’m so sorry about your mom,” she said, and her words carried weight, sincerity. She tilted her head slightly. “But if you don’t mind me asking… what happened?”

The night was holding its breath, waiting for my answer.

“I’ll tell you more about it another time. I don’t want to bring down the mood.”

“Okay.” Jade’s voice was soft, and she accepted the switch in conversation without pressing any further.

We walked a few more paces before she broke the silence again. “Do you think she would have liked the haunted house?” Her question caught me off guard. My mother’s smiling face flashed behind my eyes, a memory so clear it could’ve been yesterday. I swallowed hard against the lump forming in my throat. Thinking of her wasn’t something I allowed myself to do often—it hurt too much. And yet, the thought of her opinion mattered more than I cared to admit.

“Maybe,” I said after a moment, my gaze fixed on the shadows stretching from the streetlights as we moved down the sidewalk. “She always had a taste for the dramatics. Enjoyed a good scare.”

A small huff of laughter escaped Jade, and I glanced at her, finding a glimmer of warmth in her gaze. “Sounds like she was quite a character,” she mused, her curiosity giving way to a lightness that felt like permission to breathe again.

“She was,” I agreed, feeling the tight grip of the past loosen ever so slightly. “Fall was always her favorite season.”

“Mine too,” Jade replied. A smile crept onto her face, gentle and warm like the first ray of sunlight after a long night. It was the first time I’d seen her smile like that since her carefree laughing with Derek when she’d first started. It caught me off guard, unsettling the careful walls I’d built around myself. That smile, it did something to me—something unnerving. It tugged at the dark corners of my heart, places I didn’t let anyone see. I shoved my hands deeper into my pockets, trying to shake off the sudden tightness in my chest. I needed to focus.

“What about you?” I ventured, pushing aside my thoughts. “Were you always a city girl?”

“No,” she said, a trace of nostalgia lacing her voice. “I actually grew up in a small town. We didn’t even have a proper streetlight until I was ten.”

“I bet it was quiet,” I said, the words trailing off into the night.

“Too quiet sometimes.” She sounded almost distant. “That’s why I moved to the city. I needed noise, action… a purpose.” She glanced at me, then flicked her gaze back to the sidewalk ahead. “But I must say since moving here, I’ve enjoyed the quiet—the reprieve. It’s been a nice break.”

Her apartment building loomed ahead, a silhouette against the velvety backdrop of the night sky. We halted at the foot of the stone steps leading up to the entrance. In that pause, the moodshifted palpably, charged with an unspoken energy that raised the hairs on the back of my neck.

She turned to face me. Her breath hitched, just barely audible over the distant sounds of the town’s heartbeat.

“Thanks,” she said simply.

“Anytime,” I replied, my voice low and steady, betraying the chaos swirling inside.

“Really though,” she continued, “you didn’t have to.”

“I could say the same about you and half the things you’ve been doing at Dead Man’s. You’ve stayed late every day.” The corner of my lip twitched, a silent acknowledgement to all of her hard work.

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