Page 19 of Out Of Time

Remi’s jaw dropped.

“What?”

“Yup. Never wore a costume until tonight.”

She stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face him. “Max, tell me you're joking.”

“Not joking. My mom didn’t like Halloween. She didn’t allow us candy either. She was…hard.”

“Max, we have to take you trick-or-treating. It’s a childhood staple.”

“I’m not a child though, I think that ship has sailed.”

“Well, we have to do it anyway,” she argued.

“When?”

She grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the row of beach houses.

“Now. I’m taking you trick-or-treating right now, Max Miller.”

He pulled back, hesitating. “I’m too old.”

“Not a thing. You’re never too old to trick-or-treat.”

“It’s late, no one’s going to answer,” he said, trying and failing to convince her to stop.

Remi knew he was right. Of course he was too old. And yeah, maybe showing up as adults to a stranger’s house slightly intoxicated asking for candy any other night of the year would be frowned upon and grounds for a phone call to the local police, but it was Halloween, someone had to have some candy left.

She stopped in front of a pink house with a white iron gate. “So, here's what you do, you just ring the doorbell, and when they answer you say, ‘trick or treat’ and smile.”

“I’m not doing that,” Max said, pulling his hand away and taking a step back.

“Max, this is a life event no one should be denied.”

“Remi. I can’t do this.”

She looked up at him and pleaded, “Please. I’ll even go with you.”

“What if they don’t answer?”

“Then we move on to the next house until someone answers and gives you candy.”

She watched as Max considered it. He looked down at the bottle in her hand.

“Oh, yeah,this. We should probably ditch it before we go to the door,” she said, but before she could throw it out, Max grabbed the bottle and took a long swig. Remi laughed as he winced at the taste of the vodka this time. “Liquid courage?” she asked.

“Something like that.”

He handed the bottle back and she downed the last of it. Her head was definitely spinning, and her heart was racing. She was happy, and didn’t realize it before, but she was a bit nervous too. “Okay, practice round. We walk up, knock, they answer, and you say?” she asked.

“Help, this crazy jellyfish dressed me up like a cat and is forcing me to beg for candy?” he said with a coy smile on his face that absolutely took her breath away.

She grabbed him by the hand and pulled him forward. “Close enough.”

***

They both held their hands up to the door and at the same time, gave it a knock. Max's heart hammered in his chest as he waited for someone to open it. It might have been the longest minute of his life, and just as he was about to walk away, the door swung open.

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