The Moment | hs au

Haunting

Harry rang about ten minutes early, but of course Margo is always ready before she should be. She's excited to see what he is dressed up as on this Halloween Day.

He comes up in the elevator and Margo stifles a laugh. Shaggy brown pants are tucked hastily into his boots that reach the middle of his calf. His shirt is black and white stripes and he wears a long brown leather jacket over it all. It's all topped off with an eyepatch and bandana wrapped around his long brown curls. Harry is a pirate. They share a good laugh over that one.

"This is incredible." Margo comes closer to Harry, who then examines her costume. Margo is a living reincarnation of a 1950's rockabilly. Her hair is is neat curls that reach the top of her red dress with tiny white polka dots. She's wearing red heels. Harry's eye catch her bright red lips and dark makeup, extending all the way down her tattoo sleeves that add immensely to her costume. She tucks a red flower behind her ear now, Harry watches.

"You're beautiful." He says and Margo knows she blushes.

"A pirate and a rockabilly, shall we get going?" Harry asks.

"Let me grab my jacket then yes." Margo stoops down to pet Peanut quickly before hastily throwing on her black leather jacket. It adds more to her costume, even though she didn't plan it.

"Off we go then." Harry says. He swishes his jacket behind him which of course makes them both laugh again. It's an unusually warm night in the city. There are already some costumed children with their parents dashing from apartment building to house to business to basically anywhere that is handing out candy.

Harry drives a sleek black car. Margo thinks it sure does look expensive. She gets in and smoothes her dress. The sun sinks lower in the sky as Margo watches lazily out the window of Harry's car. Other cars speed past and the white lines passing make her tired.

"I must warn you before we get there, I remember you said you don't drink but Louis tends to..." Harry searches for a word, "Have a little much fun."

"It's fine, I still won't drink." Margo says simply. Alcohol doesn't tempt her the way it used to, not since the memory of Taylor and her death haunts her.

"Me either."

"How much longer?" Margo asks, looking curiously at passing road signs and exit ramps.

"Should be about twenty minutes from now." He says while changing lanes.

Margo gets nervous. She's meeting some of Harry's friends and if there is truly something in this friendship, she needs to make a good first impression. She hopes there isn't much liquor.

Soon enough, Harry gets off the highway and they make their way to a suburban neighborhood past all the city lights. Green grass surrounds them, and Louis house is very nice. The lawn is well kept and there's a small, neat garden in front. A few cars are parked in the driveway and pulled over on the front lawn. It's a typical family home.

Margo's gut does a cartwheel or two before they make it up to the front steps. Harry knocks twice and gives Margo a reassuring smile. A blast of cool air hits them as soon as the door opens, sending goosebumps over both Harry and Margo's exposed skin.

"He's from England, he likes AC." Harry adds before Louis can introduce himself.

"Harry!" Louis steps forward and gives him a friendly hug. Louis has a shorter, more slender body. His hair is brown and pushed upward from his forehead. The part that makes Margo smile is the fact that he's clad in a skin-tight spandex Spider-Man suit—minus the mask. She smiles.

"And who is this lovely lady?" Louis asks, eyeing Margo and looking at Harry suspiciously.

"Louis, this is Margo. She's my friend from New York City." Harry says. Louis extends an also tattooed arm and they shake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Margo and I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Margo asks, confused.

"You're friends with this oaf? Yeah I am sorry." He chuckles and Harry smacked him on the arm jokingly before they both head inside.

The living room opens up around them. Plenty of room for a party. She sees food and drinks in the kitchen just beyond the first room.

"Bathroom is past the kitchen, we've got food and drinks and dumb board games." Louis says, shutting and locking the door behind them. Margo realizes there's no turning back now.

"Harry!" A chorus of shouts hits them. A handful of the party comes forward to greet Harry the pirate, each of them slapping him on the back or shaking his hand.

"Everyone, this is Margo." Harry turns the attention off himself and onto Margo. They all greet her the same.

"I'm Niall, it's good to meetcha." A blonde boy about the same height as Margo introduces himself. He's dressed as a soccer player—it's easy to tell because there's a deflated soccer ball strapped on top of his head.

"Bianca." A girl with curly brown hair and warm caramel eyes greets herself quickly. She's dressed as a witch, completed with the tall hat.

"I'm Ashton." A boy with light brown hair says but then Niall interrupts him and says, "We all call him Asston."

"Yeah, they do." Ashton admits, shrugging and smiling. He's got a bandana wrapped around his forehead and has a pair of drumstick in his back pocket. Margo notices his extreme,y muscular and tan arms that extend out of his white cut-off shirt. He must be a drummer.

A handful of other people introduce themselves to Margo but she is sorry to say she only remembers the first three. She's never had a spectacular memory.

"What do you guys think? Beer pong?" Niall suggests. Harry glances at Margo when everyone else says sure.

"I'm driving us back to New York so I'm not gonna drink, I will still play though. Niall, you can drink for me. I'm sure you won't object." Harry says. Margo feels relieved.

This feels like a family here, everyone is laughing and joking around and just generally being friends. That's something Margo never really had.

Maybe this is a new chapter.