Page 5 of Huge

“I’m sure,” I reply. “He was just being handsy.”

“Well, you can’t really blame him, can you?” Harrison says, looking at me pertinently. “That costume is pretty special.”

I lick my lips, remembering the red gloss I painted on them. The mask is itchy against my skin, but there’s no way I can take it off without risking that he will recognize me.

“Are you into gothic horror?” I ask, knowing full well he isn’t. He does like Stephen King though, and other crime thriller type books he stacks on his nightstand.

“I wasn’t before tonight, but I think I might have changed my mind.”

“You don’t seem to be enjoying your costume very much.” I nod my head towards the hideous latex pile of grotesque face and pins that is lying on the wood floor.

“Do you have any idea how sweaty it gets inside a mask like that?”

“I guess I don’t.”

“Lucky you. I’ve learned a lesson tonight. Next time my stupid friend suggests we dress up for a party, I’m gonna tell him he’s on his own.”

I chuckle softly. “You don’t have to wear a big latex mask though, do you? You could paint your face. There are all these gross stick-on wounds at the costume store. There is so much you can do for Halloween that doesn’t involve a face full of rubber.”

Harrison laughs. “I’m not as artistic or imaginative as you, obviously.”

He is. I’ve seen the doodles he draws lying on his desk when I’ve gone into his room to borrow a pen. He has an eye for art too. Apart from the sexy calendar of a bimbo pop star he has on his wall, the other posters are all beautiful abstract landscapes. I can’t say any of this, though, without giving myself away, so I look around the room, trying to think of something innocuous to say that’s interesting too. When you know someone well, it’s hard to think of how you might talk to them as a stranger. My mind is blank, except for the weather. I must wait for too long, looking uncomfortable or something because he asks if I’m okay or if I want to go back to the party.

I shake my head and look at him. His gorgeous hazel eyes look soft and his lips. Oh god, I’ve dreamed about kissing those beautiful full lips. His hair is still mussed, and it makes him look younger and more innocent somehow. I know I’m running out of time, but I’m so torn.

I know this is my only chance to know what it would be like to be with Harrison. In our real lives, we are step siblings, and it would be just too big a line for him to cross.

I know this.

He wouldn’t want to upset our parents. He wouldn’t want to take advantage of me. He wouldn’t risk our happy home. And it’sthe first time since he moved in that we are both single. Who’s to say it will last?

I’ve always been the kind of person to seize the day, maybe because my mom passed away when I was little and before I had the chance to get to know her or tell her the things I would have if I had known. If I pass up this chance, I won’t ever know how it feels to be in his arms, to have his body linked with mine. And I know I will always regret that.

I don’t do regrets.

“I want to stay here,” I say.

3

SEDUCTION

I have no idea what’s going to happen next. Harrison likes to talk himself up as a bit of a player, but I’ve never really seen him in action. Will he take my desire to stay in this little quiet room with him for what it is; an acceptance of whatever seduction he may or may not be planning? Or, will he simply think I’m an anti-social freak who goes to parties on her own dressed as a gothic punk slut.

“You’re a strange girl,” he says softly and kind of tenderly.

“You make that sound like a good thing,” I say, and he smiles.

“I guess I must like strange.”

I don’t realize he is going to touch me until I feel his finger stroke softly over the skin on my neck. That one finger sends the nerve endings in my back buzzing like crazy. I feel like I’ve been jolted with electricity, or lust, or something equally exciting. I know I’m breathing erratically as he continues stroking, and I can’t look at him for fear of what I’ll see. While he’s doing this tender thing to me, I can pretend. It’s just my stepbrother and me sitting on the sofa, having a cozy chat. But if I saw desire in his eyes, it would be something totally different; something amazing and totally terrifying, too.

“Why did you come to the party?” he whispers.

“I like parties,” I reply just as softly.

“And dressing up?”

“Yeah, that too.”

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