through the silence

it gave me the courage

We arrived at the party, and as soon as we knocked, Katie opened the door, smiling and already in full Halloween mode. She gave us all a quick hug, welcoming us in. The house was buzzing, with decorations covering every corner, a mix of eerie lights and cobwebs that gave everything a strange glow. We made our way in, glancing around, and quickly found ourselves by the drink table, where Beth, Steph, Leah, and Lia were already hanging out.

"Hey! Love your costumes!" Beth grinned, looking at each of us, her eyes lighting up at Syd's Joker look. "Syd, you really went all out."

"Thanks!" Syd replied, doing a quick spin to show off her costume. "You look amazing too, by the way!"

They laughed and started chatting, sharing stories about past Halloween parties and funny costume memories. Leah mentioned a year when everyone had come dressed as superheroes, and only she showed up as a witch by accident.

"Oh no," I laughed, imagining it. "That must have been awkward!"

"It was," Leah grinned, shrugging. "But hey, I was a very cool witch."

After a few minutes, Syd excused herself to go talk to Manu, one of our German-speaking friends. I watched her leave, thinking how easy it was to talk to Manu—she was always warm and welcoming, and we often slipped into German around her. Jill and I decided to grab another drink and headed towards the kitchen, where she turned to me.

"Hayden, choose something for me, will you?" she said, a teasing glint in her eye. "I'll be right back; just need to find the restroom."

She walked off, and I grabbed a couple of options, waiting for her to return. Just then, Viv appeared beside me, smiling.

"Hey, Hayden! You guys went all out with the costumes, huh?" She laughed, glancing around at the crowd.

"Yeah, we thought we'd go big this year," I replied, chuckling. We kept chatting, trading stories about the party preparations and costumes. But after a few minutes, Viv's face softened, and she hesitated.

"Actually... I wanted to say something." She looked a bit uncomfortable, glancing down before looking back up at me. "I'm really sorry about that red card joke the other day. It was out of line, and I didn't think it through. I just—honestly, it was dumb, and I feel bad about it."

Her voice was sincere, and I could tell it took a lot for her to apologize. I gave her a reassuring smile and leaned in to hug her. "Thank you, Viv. I appreciate it, really. Just... maybe no more jokes like that?"

She nodded, smiling sheepishly, and we chatted a bit more until Jill came back, joining the conversation with her usual cheer. We spent the next few minutes laughing, telling stories, and sipping our drinks. As the night went on, I could feel the alcohol hitting me, and I could tell Jill was feeling it too; we were both leaning into each other, laughing a bit too loud, letting the evening carry us.

Suddenly, "Maneater" started playing, and Jill's eyes lit up. She grabbed my arm excitedly. "That's my song! Come on, we have to dance!"

Before I could protest, she pulled me onto the dance floor. We laughed as we moved to the beat, our feet unsteady but our energy high. The next song started, and Jill slid her arms around my waist, pulling me closer. My heart sped up; I could feel the warmth of her hands, the slight sway of her body against mine. Her face was so close, her eyes locked onto mine, and the tension grew between us, pulling us closer.

Time seemed to stop as she leaned in, her lips meeting mine softly at first, then deepening, filling me with a warmth that felt both intense and comforting. Her lips were soft, familiar somehow, and in that moment, everything else disappeared. We stayed like that for what felt like forever, coming up for breath only to fall back into each other.