Hollie’s POV

“Come on, Kay, just pick one!” I sighed, banging the back of my head against the side of the dressing room. We’d been at the mall for hours now looking for the ‘perfect’ Halloween costume for my friend Kay. I was exhausted and so over this whole trip. If I had my way, I would be cuddle up at home reading or writing some kind of short story on my laptop. The mall was public enemy number one.

“I just don’t know which one to get,” she mused, lazily leaning in the doorway wearing a very revealing Native American costume. She squinted her eyes as she looked at her reflection in the mirror, pursing her lips. “The Native American or the Sexy cop?”

“Sexy cop…” I groaned and rolled my eyes, looking at her over the top of my phone. She knew how much I hated shopping. I didn’t really care for either costume but whatever got her little ass moving faster was good with me. “Who are you trying to impress anyway?” I asked, not understanding why it was so hard to pick a costume.

A wicked smile quickly fell over Kay’s face as she looked down at me. “I was thinking about inviting Brian and his friends,” she smirked.

Oh, I knew that look. The little huntress was on the prowl again and that guy Brian was her new target. I didn’t know much about him, but he was all Kay would talk about lately. Something about having magic fingers or some shit like that. I don’t know, the girl talked in circles sometimes. I loved her but her mind worked a mile a minute and sometimes she was hard to keep up with.

“You mean those guys from the party? Zacky and Jimmy?” I asked, trying to remember that night. Though the only one I really remembered that night was that guy Matt. Damn he hot, with his chiseled body, muscles, and that amazingly handsome dimpled grin.

Though there was something off about him that I just couldn’t shake. It was in the way he looked at me, like I was his prey and he was about to devour me any minute. The thought of that alone sent shivers down my spine and gave me excited butterflies in my stomach. The only problem was that I didn’t know if I could trust myself around a guy like. He was handsome and dominant, and I honestly didn’t know how to respond. I mean, sure he turned me on… but was there more? I wasn’t the type of girl for one night stands. Not to mention I had just gotten out of a bad relationship a few months ago and I was hesitant to even consider another guy right now.

“Hello? Earth to Hollie?” Kay giggled, bumping me with her hip. I shook my head and looked up at her with a sheepish grin. “I see you have taken a liking to one of them too,” she teased, wiggling her eyebrows at me.

I opened and closed my mouth a few times, shaking my head. How the hell did she always know when I liked someone? Was it written on my face? I guess I needed to improve my poker face.

“Which on is it? Zacky? Jimmy?” She pressed following me around the dressing room area as I covered my ears and sang, “la la la, I cant hear you!”

“Come on tell me! Is it Johnny?! I never pictured you going for a guy shorter than you, but he is super nice!” she continued and I gave her a pointed look.

“He also has a girlfriend,” I pointed out, though she was too busy grinding up against Brain to notice.

“Oh so it’s Matt!” she chirped and my face instantly turned beat red. Fuck my body for giving me away. “His is hot! And don’t even get me started on those muscles or that dimpled grin!”

I rolled my eyes and put my hand over her mouth. “Will you shut up? It’s not a big deal. I just thought he was handsome, okay? Besides I’ve only said a few words to him.”

Kay narrowed her eyes at me, looking at me with her piercing blues. “You saw him after the party, didn’t you?” Was she a fucking mind reader too? Jesus! “You did! I can see it in your eyes!”

I raised a brow at my friend and let out an exasperated sigh. “I just saw him a the grocery store. It wasn’t planned… though he did ask me out tomorrow night.”

“But that’s my party,” she pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. “I know, that’s why I told him I couldn’t,” I explained. “You know I wouldn’t miss your party for the world.”

“Well then it’s settled, we are inviting the guys and you Miss Hollie, had better pick out a sexy costume,” Kay directed, shoving me into the dressing room. “I think I know just the one.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose as I waited for Kay to return with the costume. How the hell did I always get myself in these situations? Why couldn’t I just say no and go as zombie like I originally planned?

“Here try this on!” Without warning, a pile of clothing fell on top of me from over top of the changing room door. I looked down at the little red dress in my hands. She wanted me to be the Queen of fucking Hearts? Really?

“I don’t think so, Kay. I think I’m going to go with my zombie costume,” I argued before she came barging through the door. “Don’t be silly, this will be perfect and he wont be able to take his eyes off you. Now chop chop, try it on!” Kay said, roughly pulling my shirt over my head.

Within a few minutes, I was dressed in the short, red Queen of Hearts dress and I had to admit, it looked damn good. I let my eyes wander up and down my silhouette in the long mirror out in the middle of the dressing room. I carefully pulled my hair up on top of my head with one hand, trying to decide how it would look with the up-do Kay was blabbering about.

Just as I moved my head to the side, I felt all the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and an uneasy feeling settled over me. I quickly turned around and looked behind me, feeling like someone was watching me. My heart started to race but as I scanned the area, I didn’t see anyone. “Relax, its probably just from being in a Halloween costume shop,” I muttered to myself before turning back around.

I carefully adjusted the dress in the back and stepped into a pair of red heels, feeling that same sense of uneasiness come over me again. What was that about? Looking through the reflection in the mirror, I swear I saw a man with a baseball hat, sunglasses, and a hoodie staring at. I quickly spun around to look but again there was no one there. “Okay, I’m done. I’ll get this one,” I called to Kay before racing back into the dressing room feeling a little more than freaked out.

I pressed my back against the door, taking a few deep breaths. Why the hell was I so freaked out right now? My imagination had to be playing tricks on me, just as it had multiple times this week. There was no way someone was following me. I was just nervous because it was Halloween time. Yeah, that had to be it. There was no other reason!

By the time we got back to Kay’s place by the beach, I was starting to feel more comfortable again. I didn’t feel like I was being watched or someone was following me anymore and I was thankful for that. Now I could concentrate on decorating and getting ready for the party with one of my best friends.

“Hey Holl, will you make sure all the candy and drinks are out on the bar? It’s all in the tote and boxes in the garage,” Kay called from the living room. Through the archway, I could see her struggling with streamers and fake spider webs and I had to giggle. She was moving a mile a minute and her decorating wasn’t able to keep up with her speed, tangling her in a big mess.

“No problem,” I called, moving into the garage through the kitchen door. To my surprise, the garage door was open and I could smell the breeze from the ocean wafting inside. That was a smell I would never get board of. “Okay so booze and candy… but which tote is it?” I asked myself as I moved around.

That same uneasy feeling was starting to come over me again and I suddenly felt like I wasn’t alone. I glanced over my shoulder only to see the row of housed sitting quietly across the street as the sun started to go down. Though somehow that just made the unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach worse. Why did I feel like I was being watch? I swallowed thickly and turned back around to find the totes, trying to ignore my racing heart.

Without warning, a loud bang echoed beside me and I let out a shrike as I jumped back. My eyes darted around the garage in a panic, feeling cornered and vulnerable. I mean, what the hell was a girl my size going to do if some creep jumped out of the shadows and tried to abduct me? I quickly grabbed the broom behind me and took a step around the shelf towards the noise only to find Kay’s cat looking up at me.

“What the hell are you doing Sully? You just gave me a freaking heart attack!” I said, shaking my head at the cat. Well, thank god it wasn’t an intruder.

“What is taking you so long out hear? Did you get lost in your second home?” Kay called from the doorway. “We’ve got to hurry. The party starts in two hours and we still need to get dressed.”

“Sorry I just…” I motioned to the cat and Kay burst out laughing. “Come on, grab the shit and let’s go. We’ve got to look our best because the guys are coming!” she squeaked.

They were coming? I felt my heart start to beat faster in my chest as I thought about Matt again. How would he react when we came face-to-face again? Would he look at me with that same primal look in his eyes? Or would he be gentler? I had no idea but just thought of being in the same house as him excited me. Normally he wasn’t my type but there was something dangerous about him that I was drawn too and I wanted to know more.

Within an hour, I stood dressed and ready in front of the large mirror in Kay’s bedroom. She had styled my hair and make-up perfectly to match the short and very flattering Queen of Hearts costume with matching red heels. Hell, I even had on a pair of fishnet stocking and I wasn’t one to be super girly. “You’ve outdone yourself again, Kay,” I sighed, shaking my head at my own reflection. She had done such a great job that I hardly recognized the beautiful woman standing in front of me.

Kay threw her long perfectly curled red hair back with a laugh as she pulled down the short-shorts on the sexy cop costume. “That’s why we’re friends, Hol. Someone has to look out for you,” she chuckled, pulling me in for a hug. “And thank you for all you’re help. I couldn’t have put this all together without you. I think this calls for a toast!”

Kay reached over to her night-side table and pulled out a small flask. What the hell was she keeping that there for? Did she really—you know what never mind. I learned to not ask Kay questions a long time ago.

“To a good night with good friends and good fucks!” she cheered, throwing back a sip from the flask before handing it to me. “Cheers,” I giggled, though I didn’t think I would be hooking up with anyone to night. That was very wishful thinking on her part.

“Now let’s get this party started!” Kay cried just as the doorbell rang.

Soon Kay’s house was flooded with people dressed in costumes and I was having a hard time keeping track of who was who. I mean, I think our friend Mei was here dressed as a witch or something, but I lost sight of her. And god knows where Kay had disappeared too. Last I knew she was trying to handcuff Brian when he came in the door. On second thought, maybe the sexy cop outfit wasn’t the best idea to give her. It was never a good to put more ideas in her pretty little head. Hell, I didn’t even want to think about what she was doing right now.

But if Brian was here, that meant his friends couldn’t be far behind, right? The only problem was that I hadn’t seen any of them except for Jimmy. He was dressed as a werewolf but damn that guy was tall so he stuck out like a sore thumb. Not to mention that he was running around and howling. I felt sorry for the short man dressed as a lawn gnome that he kept casing around. I bet that was Johnny, but I couldn’t get closed enough to take a look.

“Hey Hollie, great party,” a low voice rumbled behind me. I quickly turned around to find myself face-to-face with a pair of piercing green eyes. “You and Kay have really out done yourselves.”

“Thanks, it was all Kay’s idea. I just helped put it together,” I explained letting a small blush fall over my face. “And I like your costume, Zacky. Are you a yodeler?”

Zack threw his head back with a laugh before patting the belly he was supporting. “Nah, I’m taking my own spin on October fest beer belly,” he chuckled. “Do you think it’s getting too big?” he asked, now rubbing the cushion belly through is lederhosen.

“No, I think the look suites you,” I teased back just as the hairs on the back of my neck stood up again. I could feel a presence behind me but I didn’t want to be rude to Zack by turning around.

“Oh, thanks, glad to know you’ll still like me even when I’m fat,” he laughed. “And speaking of fat, I think I’m going to go grab a beer. Would you like one?”

“Sure, thanks.” I said, feeling uneasy as I watched Zack head to the kitchen. Why did I feel like someone was watching me?

I looked over my shoulder before I started to make my way towards the dinning room, trying to convince myself that I was being paranoid again. The only problem was that this time, I swear I could hear footsteps behind me. When I reached the dinning room, my heart was beating rapidly in my chest. Something wasn’t right, I could feel it.

Without thinking twice, I headed up the stairs hoping to be able to lock myself in Kay’s bathroom for a few minutes to calm my rising anxiety. But as I moved, I could see a shadow following me and I picked up my pace. This wasn’t happening to me! Who the hell would be following me in a costume party? Hell, Kay and I knew everyone here… what was going on?

I quickly turned the corner, my fast pace quickly turning into a run. I didn’t know who was following me and honestly I didn’t want to find out. I just wanted to get to a hiding place and hoped that my stalker would take a hint.

The only problem was that the person followed me around every corner, and soon I was running through Kay’s upstairs, trying to get away. “Please just leave me alone!” I called over my shoulder before reaching the staircase at the end of the hall that took you back down into the kitchen. I quickly descended the stairs only to find myself alone again.

“Thank fucking god…” I muttered to myself as I leaned back against the wall, trying to catch my breath. Whoever was playing that stupid chase game wasn’t funny and they would hear some words if I ever found out whom it was.

After a moment of catching my breath, I stepped out of the stairway and around the corner, only to have a hand come over my mouth and push me back into the corner. I let out a muffled scream against the gloved hand as I looked up into the face of a zombie mask. My heart was racing a in my chest and I couldn’t deny the excitement and fear that was coursing through my veins as I looked at this stranger.

He slowly released my mouth and bit down on my bottom lip, smelling a very intoxicating cologne. I didn’t have any idea who he was or why he had me cornered but I was going to find out.

“Who are you?” I asked, my voice shaking as my chest heaved up and down.

Notes

Here is the next installment of your birthday story! Hope you like it! <3