Years Of Love

Haunted Hearts

Chapter 27:

Paige's POV

A week after my birthday bash at Ted's Club, things had finally settled down. Kk's TikTok live had turned our lives into a bit of a viral spectacle — comments were still pouring in about Ice's dance-off with the DJ and Kk's dramatic story about how she lost her keys halfway through the night. My DMs were packed with everything from "Happy Birthday, Paigey Poo" to "When's the next party?"

Now, with October 29th here, the team had one thing on their minds: Halloween. We were all buzzing about the annual campus Halloween party coming up tomorrow night. Halloween was Kk's favorite holiday — she'd been scheming up costume ideas for the team since August.

After practice, Azzi found me stretching on the sidelines, her face lit up with excitement. She came over and nudged me with her shoulder, giving me that mischievous grin. "So," she began, drawing out the word. "Got any ideas for our costumes?"

I raised an eyebrow, grinning back. "Oh, are you not gonna make me dress as a basketball? I thought that was your idea."

She laughed, shaking her head. "Nah, I've got something even better." She held up her phone, showing me a picture of a couple's costume: Bonnie and Clyde.

A smirk tugged at my lips. "Bonnie and Clyde, huh? So, who gets to be the mastermind?"

She shrugged, tilting her head thoughtfully. "Well, you do have the 'Clyde' swagger. And I've always wanted to be the one running the show, anyway."

I chuckled, giving her hand a playful squeeze. "Alright, it's a deal. But if we're doing this, we're going all out — fake guns, costumes, everything."

Kk, who'd been eavesdropping, joined in with a knowing smile. "Look at y'all, already that iconic 'it' couple, and now Bonnie and Clyde too? UConn isn't ready."

Azzi and I exchanged a look, our smiles widening as Kk continued to hype us up. Aubrey and Ice joined us, with Aubrey already throwing out her own ideas for "scary couple's costumes" for them. Soon enough, we were all in the middle of a chaotic brainstorm session that was as much laughter as it was actual planning.

The Day of the Halloween Party

By the time classes wrapped up, Halloween excitement was in full swing. Ice had her speaker blasting "Thriller" and "Ghostbusters" on repeat while she and Aubrey transformed the common room with fake spider webs, glowing jack-o'-lanterns, and a fog machine that Ice found online. The entire room was bathed in eerie purple and orange lights, and Aubrey even set up a skeleton on the couch, complete with sunglasses.

Azzi and I got ready together in my room. She had managed to find the perfect pinstripe dress for her "Bonnie" look, complete with a vintage red scarf and a small, toy pistol. She helped me into suspenders, a retro-looking hat, and a fake scar that she dabbed onto my cheek with Halloween makeup. When I finally put it all together, Azzi tilted her head, giving me an approving nod.

"You look perfect, Clyde," she said, a gleam of admiration in her eyes.

"Coming from the perfect Bonnie," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. The way she looked right now was enough to make my heart skip. She caught my hand and pulled me in, planting a soft kiss on my cheek that left my face heating up.

"Ready to go rob the Halloween scene?" she whispered, her lips close to my ear.

I grinned, giving her a light squeeze. "Lead the way, Bonnie."

The Party

The second we walked into the party, Kk spotted us and threw her arms up. "Bonnie and Clyde have arrived!" she shouted, drawing attention from every corner of the room.

People turned, and a few phones came up to snap pictures. Azzi and I played it up, posing with our fake pistols and leaning against each other, giving Kk the satisfaction of an over-the-top entrance. Ice, who was dressed as Frankenstein, was already in the middle of a laugh attack, barely able to keep herself steady.

As we made our way around, more and more people stopped us, complimenting our costumes or laughing at our dedication to character. Azzi and I played along, dropping lines about "laying low" and "keeping an eye out for the cops." Aubrey had already downed two cans of soda, and with her mime costume, she was miming everything from blowing up balloons to an exaggerated "I'm trapped in a box" routine that had everyone in stitches.

In the middle of it all, Azzi and I found a quiet corner by the back porch, the noise of the party just a hum in the background. She leaned against the railing, looking up at the stars for a moment before turning back to me, her face lit by the soft glow of the Halloween lights.

"Can you believe this?" she asked, her voice a little softer, her eyes glinting with a mix of excitement and something warmer.

"What, that we're dressed as two infamous criminals and crashing Kk's biggest event of the year? Yeah, totally," I joked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

She chuckled, resting her head on my shoulder. "No, I mean... us. I feel like I'm finally getting to show everyone how much you mean to me. And I like that."

My heart skipped at her words, and I couldn't help but pull her a little closer. "You've always meant the world to me, Az. I'm just glad we're getting to be that couple everyone sees and just... knows. Knows it's real."

She nodded, smiling softly. "Yeah, me too." Her eyes met mine, and in that moment, it was just us, Bonnie and Clyde under the Halloween moon, wrapped up in each other.

Kk burst out onto the porch, interrupting us with a loud, "OHHH, there they are! Caught you two slipping!" She was grinning, phone in hand, clearly filming. "The fans are going to love this one," she cackled.

Azzi just laughed, rolling her eyes. "Kk, come on. Do we have to be all over the internet 24/7?"

Kk didn't even flinch. "Listen, people eat this stuff up! Y'all are the UConn power couple! You're Bonnie and Clyde now; people are invested!"

Azzi gave me a look, her smile widening. "Guess we'll have to give the fans what they want, huh?"

I grinned, reaching out and pulling her close again, playing up the act. "It's all part of the job, Bonnie."

We posed dramatically, looking into each other's eyes as if caught in the middle of some high-stakes heist. Kk snapped a few more pictures before finally retreating, yelling something about needing to make a meme.

The night rolled on, laughter filling the air and the team all crowding together for group photos. By the end, Ice was "Frankenstein" asleep on the couch, and Aubrey was miming fake tears beside her, making us all laugh. Azzi and I stole one last moment, leaning against each other as the lights dimmed, letting ourselves relax after an unforgettable night.

"Happy Halloween, Bonnie," I murmured.

"Happy Halloween, Clyde," she replied, her hand warm in mine as we made our way back to the team, knowing we had something that would last well beyond the holiday.