Page 41 of Don't Scare Me, My Love

I was awake before Jason.When I blinked my eyes open, it was still dark, but the nightlights allowed me to watch his chest rise and fall. He looked so soft and peaceful. Just thinking about what was going to happen tonight made my chest flutter. Today wastheday—maybe even the most important one of my life so far—the day that would change my future. I knew nothing would go wrong during the scary part of our night. We’d practiced it five times. This was the biggest scare I had ever planned for Jason. It was over the top, but I was sure he would love it. But what about the question I wanted to ask him at the end? What if he answered it with something other than the enthusiastic‘I do’I was hoping for?

If only I didn’t have to wait until tonight.

Fortunately, I could talk my way out of working at the gas station. To be fair, I alsohad to, or I wouldn’t have been able to pull off the surprise.

Everyone who helped me with my plans for Jason was also involved in the bonfire, which took place at the same time. So I had to help prepare the fairgrounds in their place because Alex, the sound effects guy, had to prep my car for the fake radio transmission we came up with for tonight, just like Jack wouldhave to leave during the event so he could play the fake killer on Jason’s and my date.

I knew I was asking a lot of them. Still, when I told themwhyI wanted to go to such lengths and why it had to betonight, everyone was happy to help, including many of the older people who wanted to show how grateful they were for me recording their stories about the town before they couldn’t tell them anymore.

So I got Stan to work the day shift at the gas station in my place, and a lovely lady I had met during the filming of‘Seastone Secrets’called Mrs. Candice to help Gary in the evening.

Besides, not seeing Jason all day would have advantages. I wouldn’t have to worry about keeping a straight face for over twelve hours. I could be as excited as I was and tremble as much as I needed to.

And with that thought, I lay my eyes on his beautiful face for one last time before jumping out of bed to get a head start. It was still Halloween—the busiest day of the year in Seastone.

The closer Igot to picking Jay up at the gas station, the weaker my legs felt and the harder it was to concentrate on what I was doing.

I squatted in front of the bonfire, trying to stack the last sheet of wood against the pile. Only an hour left before the mayor would ceremoniously set it ablaze. But that damn log wouldn’t stay where I wanted it to. It kept falling over and over, even after the seventh try. I picked it up again, ready to shove it where the sun doesn’t shine, when—BAM—someone smacked me in the shoulder. I stumbled forward onto my knees, threw the log up in the air, and watched as it landed on top of the stack, settling intoa position much higher but staying right where it was as if that was precisely where it had belonged all along.

“I knew that the only one who was going to be scared tonight was you,” Jack laughed behind me. “Go home, Nick. Everything here is as good as it gets.”

I wanted to protest, mostly because I didn’t want to face the fact that he was right. I was so scared that I couldn’t say a word.

Jack’s face softened. “You shouldn’t be late.” He reached out to help me up. “Nick, everything will be fine. You two are going to have an unforgettable night.”

I put my hand in his. “Are you sure thateverything?—”

“I mean what I said.” Jack’s arm muscles tightened as he pulled me to my feet. “You two are made for each other.Anyonecan see that, believe me.”

His words made my pulse drop a little. “Thanks.” I pulled him into a quick hug. “I’m grateful to call Jack the Ripper my friend.”

With a pat on my back, he released the embrace. “Now, off you go. We’ll, uh,seeeach other later.”

“When you chase me through the woods and stab me!”

Jack made a face. “That sounds wrong on so many levels.” He turned around and walked away, putting his hand to his ears as if he was tired of hearing about it.

As I made my way to my car, I could feel the eyes of other helpers lingering on me. I searched for them and found smiling faces and sentimental eyes on the verge of tears. A few‘Good luck’wishes from some of them found their way to my ears. It looked like my plans weren’t a secret anymore. Hopefully, they hadn’t gotten through to Jason.

I pulled my car keys out of my jacket and… dropped them. My head snapped around to see if anyone had noticed, but everyone had gone back to whatever they were working on.

A laugh escaped me.

Why was I so nervous?

It was going to work out. I would get the answer I was hoping for. What was important now was to have a good time with it.

I squatted down, took the keys, and unlocked my car. I climbed into my seat and closed the door behind me, muffling the sounds of the busy townspeople preparing the last stuff. Later, we’d come back here with a good story to tell. I was sure of it.

My gaze wandered to the storage space in my door. The small, unlabeled white box I was looking for was still there. I placed it on my lap and opened it. There were still twenty-three fake blood capsules left. Only seven were gone to test the effects. Even though I only needed one, I took three out and put them into my jacket. In about four hours, I would secretly have to put one in my mouth and bite on it at the right moment.

A grin crept across my face. “I’m not scared. I’m excited,” I whispered to myself.

This was going to be an incredible night. Now, it was time to focus.Game on.

I tucked the package back in the door. I wanted to have them close by, just in case, and since they weren’t labeled, Jason shouldn’t suspect anything. It wasn’t unusual for me to keep a lot of stuff in my car because old habits die hard.

As I started the engine, the sound of drums filled the car, but after a second of listening, the song ended, and a familiar male voice said, “This is 66.6, your favorite Halloween station. This message is for Nicholas from his friends Jack and Alex:Good luck tonight. It’s going to be awesome.” I looked at the radio. It was glowing just like it should have. No one who didn’t know could even guess this wasn’t an actual broadcast. If it hadn’t been for this unexpected message, I would have forgotten about it, too.

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