Joey Wheeler was scared of exactly two things: horror movies and gorgeous girls. In that order.
Mai Kujaku was as gorgeous as girls came, and when she rocked his world by finally asking him on a date, she mixed the heavenly experience with hell by saying, "Friday night at the theater. They're showing Jikininki."
"Jikin . . . hey." Joey swallowed. "Ain't those the, uh, flesh-eatin' ghosts?"
Mai's dark eyes glimmered with scary. "It's supposed to be pretty gory. Can you handle it, tough guy?"
And Joey's stupid mouth laughed and said, "Ain't nothin' I can't handle."
Which was how he found himself at a dark theater on Halloween night regretting not just his wardrobe choices (Mai was so fancy and here he was in signature jacket-and-tee) but also all his life choices to this point. Also his internet searches because it had been a mistake to go fishing for Jikininki lore in an attempt to prepare. All he'd done was give himself nightmares. Manly nightmares.
"Mai!" He tried for a smile as the girl of his dreams turned the corner. "You look . . ."
There were never words good enough for her. She didn't have the blonde curls of an angel; she had the hair angels were jealous of. Jewels couldn't compete with her eyes. Her mischievous smirk must have stolen breath for ten blocks. And the tight purple dress she'd chosen gave him chills that had nothing to do with the breeze.
In the end, he said, "You look great," which was the second-worst failing of his mouth (the first one being when he'd agreed to watch a horror movie).
She linked her arm through his and led him into the theater. Joey focused on how crazy it was that a girl like Mai, a girl who could have any guy in the world wrapped around her finger, chose to take a chance on him. He focused on how her hair almost glowed in the low light, how her smile was higher on one side and how weak that made his knees. He focused on the smooth leather of the red theater seats, on the weird art panels along the wall, on the almost pebbly feel of the floor—
"It's starting!" Mai whispered. She squeezed his arm.
The lights blinked out.
Joey's heart crept into his throat.
There was nothing to focus on in the dark. Just the dark. And the creepy music.
Was his breathing too loud? Mai was gonna hear it. Had he made it ten minutes yet? The movie was two hours long.
Mai let out a snort. She leaned her head close to his in the dark, so close her breath tickled his cheek, and she pointed to a couple a few rows down who were so tangled around each other they were basically one person instead of two.
"Jikini-kinky," Mai whispered. "Can you believe most couples go to horror movies just to make out?"
Was that an invitation? If Joey was ever lucky enough to kiss Mai, he'd die. But he'd already died, and this was hell. There were red eyes on the screen and pointy teeth ready to rip through his skin, and Joey had sweaty palms and a dry mouth and every muscle of his body wound up tighter than a cranked jack-in-the-box.
Slowly, Mai eased back into her seat. Her arm slipped away from his.
Joey was blowing this whole date. Man up! he ordered himself. Joey Wheeler ain't scared of nothin'!
But Joey Wheeler was very scared of red-eyed, flesh-eating monsters, and when he forced his jaw to unclench long enough to talk to Mai, it was the same moment a monster leapt forward on the screen and unhinged its own jaw to take in a guy's whole head.
That guy's scream was nothing compared to Joey's.
Mai laughed. He heard that. As if the whole experience couldn't get more humiliating. Joey wrenched himself out of his seat and barely kept himself from running to the exit. The hallway outside felt small and binding, but at least there was light and he could catch his breath.
Mai's hand on his shoulder made him jump; luckily he clamped down on a second scream. If he'd had any room in his tight throat, his language would have been colorful enough to drive her away forever, so it was a good thing he couldn't manage words. Not that he was ever getting a second date anyway. His face burned.
"I'm sorry," Mai said.
He forced himself to meet her eyes. Her smile really was apologetic. His pounding heart began to slow.
"You were hardly speaking to me. Didn't even want to make out with me. I thought I'd read all the signals wrong." Her smile widened a bit, and her eyes took on an amused twinkle. "Joey, you could have just told me you hate horror."
"I didn't want you to think . . ." His blush remained fierce. After hearing him scream, she definitely thought he was a wimp now.
"I don't think anything. Except that there's still plenty of time tonight." She extended her hand. "What do you think? A milkshake instead of a movie?"
Slowly, he threaded his fingers through hers. His skin was still clammy, but she didn't say a word.
Until they were out in the cool night air. Then she said, "They should have cast you; your scream was much more convincing."
Joey sputtered while she laughed. Then she squeezed his hand and leaned her head on his shoulder, which replaced all of his previous tension with warm tingles.
So maybe Joey Wheeler was only scared of one thing, and maybe it was worth a horror movie if it brought him closer to the gorgeous girl at his side.
Note: For a few years, I've had the tradition of writing a Halloween oneshot/twoshot, and even though this year is crazy busy, I didn't want to skip. I hope you enjoyed it!
For my Coming Home readers, good news: I had my baby! He's beautiful and healthy and everything I hoped. Becoming a mom has been a big adjustment, but I think (don't jinx it) I'm starting to find my rhythm. Hopefully that means more writing soon. Thank you for your patience and for reading. Happy Halloween!