Page 36 of The King of Halloween
“Well…” Adam curved his hip to the side and stared Raj up and down. “You clean up nice.”
Three, two, one, blast off.
?
Damn.
The second Adam walked through the door, he knew he was in trouble. He’d tried lingering in the fancy hallway pretending to greet townsfolk as they walked in. In reality, he kept trying to catch a quick glance of the man he was supposed to forget about.
In his mind, he’d pictured Raj in one of his many oversized sweaters, maybe with holes in the thumbs, and sweatpants. Course then the sweatpants became gray, and his brain glitched out thinking about that cock that had been pressed into his ass cupping fleece instead. It was bad enough to have that in his head, but the man put on a suit.
Not just any suit, his shirt was a soft ivory with golden embroidery across the collar and cuffs. More damning, that embroidery carried over to the black tie. He wanted to run his fingers over it, trace every swoop of thread, then roll the fabric in his palm, dragging Raj closer and closer until…
“Hey!”
Oh, my god. Holy shit.
Adam had thought it all a ruse. That Raj was blowing smoke up the mayor’s ass to get his permits.But he’s here! Burt Soup is in the same room, breathing the same air.
Don’t forget to breathe.
Adam gasped in oxygen and called out to the man who made him fall in love with horror. He had no idea what he said. His brain shriveled back to a ten-year-old kid playing the ancient VHS tape on a loop while the world passed by.
For a brief second, sanity punctured in until he realized Burt was holding his hand. The same hand that had ripped the zombie sheep’s head off. Sentience vanished once again, leaving Adam gawping. Someone had enough sense to at least take the man away before Adam drooled on him, or worse, asked for a plaster cast of the nose.
Without being near the man who was taller than he expected and smelled like a haunted library, his brain could finally put a few neurons to work. All they worked on was piecing together the man before him. The tempting belly curving over his belt, the tightness of the coat on his shoulders, the way the shirt collar clung a little too close to his neck. Adam’s fingers twitched, every one wanting to help by tearing those poorly tailored clothes from Raj’s body.
Fuck. Why does my type have to be teddy bears in awkward suits?
Those eyes of eternal dreams drew to him.Everyone’s watching. Don’t start shit. “Well.” By sheer willpower, he managed to keep his voice level. “You clean up nice.”
“You become undead well,” Raj said.
It was hard to guess if that was a compliment or a slight, but in the spirit of the season, Adam chose the former. “Thank you. I’ve had some practice.”
“Oh, right. You were in the movies?”
Adam’s smile tightened. “Theater,” he said. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to introduce the movie.”
The town was in full force for the night. Children dressed like their favorite superheroes, princesses, or general ninjas herded around the screen. Parents, dressed in sweats and exhaustion, kept trying to pull them back. Out on the lawn, the excited chirps and cries would thud into the grass and leaves. Here, they caught on the high ceilings and mahogany fixtures to echo back until Adam was fairly certain he lost all hearing in one ear.
Putting on his everything’s-great smile, Adam strode down the center aisle. He spotted a few of the local Stitches’ costumes, nodding to each as he went out of habit. One in the back was so particularly well done he’d swear he caught red lights glowing under the burlap. That took commitment.
This is what Halloween is all about. Gathering with friends and family as the lights turn low, the shadows lengthen, and cold fingers dance on your shoulder.Standing center stage, Adam couldn’t help absorbing the rising excitement. It was more than a celebrity most people didn’t recognize. It was greater than a movie from the eighties they played every year.
It was community…scaring the pants off of each other. He loved it.
Adam checked his watch, then gazed at the back of the room where a red velvet armchair took the best seat in the house. Raj’s blond surfer was assisting Mr. Soup with anything he could need. Adam nervously touched his breast pocket where he hid the laserdisc copy ofShadow Army. He hoped that while the kids enjoyed their puppet-movie-that-induced-nightmares he could get Burt to sign it. The man looked as enthralled with Logan as Raj was, causing Adam to press his lips. Then, the Nose raised his chin. A twinkle caught in his eye, and he winked right at Adam.
Lights dimmed, and the children started to quiet. Adam gazed out at the anticipatory faces, opened his mouth, and his brain blanked. He knew why he was here, even what to say, but a fear gripped the base of his skull and wouldn’t let go.What if I make a fool of myself in front of my horror idol? I’ll never leave the house again.The quiet shifted to a low hum. From the corner of his eye, he caught the mayor shuffling out of his lawn chair, his blanket hitting the floor.
“Hi,” Adam squeaked, needing anything to come out. Oh, god, it was the tenth-grade musical all over again. He was the first Seymour to vomit into Audrey II’s mouth. Heat burned up his chest he knew was about to turn into hives.
“I’m…” Dry mouthed, he hunted around the dark silhouettes staring and judging him, before he landed on one outside of the crowd. His obsession held his chin like a nerd fretting over a calculus problem. Then, as Raj drew his finger up to press the nose of his glasses higher, Adam’s nerves fell away.
“I’m Adam Stein, your King of Halloween, and I’m so pleased to invite you to our annual scare-athon movie night.” He couldn’t explain it. If anything, the way his rival stared him down should make him more nervous or radiate with rage. But, as he caught the softness in those brown eyes, the entire audience fell away until it was just one man watching another across the room.
“We’ll begin our evening of tricks and treats with a classic PG movie from the eighties. You know it best as—”
