Page 19 of Best Hex Ever
This year, instead of opting for many smaller spooky decorations, they had opted for two giant ten-foot skeletons, which Dina was pretty sure you had to get shipped over from America. British people never went this hard for Halloween. Their usual limit was a couple of carved pumpkins filled with plastic candles on the doorstep.
Dina never bought sweets for trick-or-treaters herself, partly because she lived on the third story of her apartment building, and partly because she spent each Halloween dancing naked around a fire with Immy and Rosemary, a tradition they’d begun a few years ago.
The two skeletons were positioned to look as if they were gardening, one paused in the movement of pushing a large papier-mâché lawnmower, the other pruning an apple tree with a pair of giant cardboard pruning shears. They were lit from below by two green tinted lights, which bathed the entire house in an eerie lime glow.
A church bell echoed in the distance, breaking Dina out of her tipsy stare. She’d probably been ogling that house long enough (she was lucky no one in the neighborhood watch had called the police), so she turned on her heel to head home.
Unfortunately, as she did so, her heel caught on an uneven bit of pavement, sending her flying. She smacked onto the ground, the air pushed from her lungs with force. She tried to move, immediately feeling a bruise blooming on her elbow and a smear of blood on her chin. It didn’t hurt yet but she expected it would soon. Where was her damn witchy intuition when she neededit?
She tried to stand, her ankle twisting uncomfortably under her, and groped dizzily for something to grab a hold of to haul herself upright.
“Here, take my hand. Are you all right?” a voice said from above her. Dina looked up, but her eyes seemed to be playing tricks on her because there seemed to be two Scott Masons standing in front of her.
“Do you have a twin?” she asked, but her voice sounded slurred.
In response, both of the Scott Masons wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her up. She was vaguely aware how nice it felt to have their arms around her, warm and solid.
“Smell like pine,” she mumbled.
“I smell like pine?” She heard him chuckle.
“Pine and soap and dog.”
“Ah well, that’ll be because of Juniper, who needed an extra late-night walk and is being a very good girl right now,” Scott said. Dina tipped her head down and woozily noticed a small round ginger and white corgi waiting patiently at her feet, tongue lolling out of its mouth.
“Hi there, Juniper,” Dina said. Then she felt Scott’s warm touch, his rough palm holding the back of her neck, tilting her face up toward his.
“Dina, look at me. Are you hurt? Your chin has a little bit of blood on it.” He seemed concerned, his brown eyes boring into hers, but she wanted to tell him she was fine, except for the swarm of butterflies in her stomach. Damn the mulled wine.
“Youarea dog person!” was all she managed to say, and Scott huffed a laugh in reply.
“Yeah, I’m a dog person. Dina, listen, I think I should call an ambulance, you might be concussed.”
The idea of a concussion jerked her awake, though her limbs were still feeling a little floaty.
“I think I might be, yeah.” She groaned. “But I don’t need an ambulance. Can you just take me home? My mum can do first aid.”
Dina inhaled, smelling Scott’s warm scent, and suddenly her head was very heavy and she needed to lean it against his chest.
“You’re very warm. And big,” she slurred, vaguely aware that she was saying something she should probably be keeping to herself.
“Oh yeah?”
“I don’t normally get held by men, only women. And no one has held me in a long time.”
Scott was silent for a moment, his warm body tensing slightly.
“I didn’t realize you were—”
“I’m bi,” Dina added.
Why had she said that? He probably hadn’t even been about to ask that. It’s not like Scott needed to know who she was attracted to. So why did she want him to know?
Thoughts were swirling around her head and the bump on her chin was starting to ache. All she wanted was to rest her head against Scott’s chest and have a nap. Just a small one. She let out a long breath.
“Don’t fall asleep, Dina. Can you tell me where you live?” Scott said, his breath on her cheek and in her hair. What would happen if she leaned up and pressed a kiss to his lips?
“Stay awake, sweetheart. Tell me where to take you,” Scott said, one arm tucking under Dina’s legs and lifting her up into his arms. He cradled her like she weighed nothing. Dina just about managed to mumble her parents’ address before she slumped into unconsciousness.
