Don't Make This Easy, I Want You to Mean It

“Okay, so let me get this straight,” Alex said, sitting on my sofa with his feet resting on my coffee table. We’d been here a couple of hours now, and I was currently curled up with a cup of tea, talking about this weekend’s party with him. “You want my help finding a costume for Halloween? Holly, you’ll end up looking like a whore.”
“I draw the line well before the stage where I may as well just be wearing underwear,” I told him, rolling my eyes. “I don’t need you to pick it out, I just need your input. A guy’s opinion would be nice.” I shrugged my shoulders, taking a sip of my tea. I honestly had no idea what I was supposed to go as this weekend and had merely asked for Alex to help out.
“A guy’s opinion would be to get you into something that looked like it was just underwear.” I watched the smirk on his face grow and rolled my eyes.
“You’re such a pervert.”
“You love it,” he laughed, grabbing the mug from my hands and putting it down on the table. “Come on, we’d best get going if we’re going to find you anything to wear this weekend.” Alex grabbed my hand, pulling me from my seat and dragging me out of the door, barely allowing me to lock up before we exited the building.
“What would you have done if I, oh, I don’t know, needed my purse?” I laughed as Alex continued to pull me toward my car. Alex hesitated for a moment before realising he’d seen me leave it in my car earlier and carrying on toward the vehicle.
“Honestly, I would pay to see you in the costumes I’m going to be suggesting to you today.” Alex grabbed my car keys from my hands as I went to unlock my door, pushing me toward the passenger side and slipping into the driver’s seat. I scowled as I slumped in my chair. I didn’t like other people driving my car, but the grin that Alex had flashed me as he’d taken the keys from me had stumped me long enough to allow him to start the car. “But, seriously though, you have to promise you’ll try on everything I suggest to you. No matter how weird you might think it is.” I bit my lip, trying to figure out the catch in his statement, as he started the drive toward the mall.
“Do I have to show you it?” I asked suspiciously.
“Not if you don’t want to.” Alex shrugged, glancing at me from the corner of his eye.
“… what’s the catch?”
“No catch. I just know from experience that you never know what you like until you try it.” I snorted at his words, trying not to make an innuendo back at him. He could have chosen his words a little better, but I’m pretty sure that’s why he and Jack had always gotten along so well. If Jack didn’t have someone to bounce innuendo off, he got bored pretty quickly.
“Fine,” I relented, as he pulled into the parking lot at the mall.
“That’s my girl! Now, come on. The costumes won’t be waiting around for us forever.” Alex grabbed my hand as I got out of the car, pulling me once again in the direction he needed us to go. I laughed as his sped up when he entered the building, trying to ignore the looks we were getting from everyone around us. I recognised a couple of the confused faces as people from our school and knew that this would simply add to the rumours surrounding Alex and I that had already begun to pop up around the school. I mean, today alone two people had asked me if I was sleeping with Alex, so clearly something was being said about the two of us. I suppose it was to be expected: Alex and I hadn’t had any form of contact before this week, and now suddenly we were running around holding hands and kissing in hallways. I’d be saying shit if I was anyone else. Alex’s face lit up as we finally reached our destination (actually quite a distance from my car), speeding inside and almost diving toward the rack of fancy dress costumes.
“Okay, so you wanna try this,” he started, flinging a Supergirl costume at me, “and this. Oh, and this one! Yep, this too.” I laughed as Alex continued to throw costumes in my direction, a pile already beginning to form in my arms.
“Alex, I asked for your help, as in say yes or no to my suggestions. Not take over the entire thing.”
“You’re like, what? A six?” Alex asked, ignoring my question as he glanced at me, though nodded softly at his words. I mean, don’t ask me how he guessed my size, but he managed it. “Okay, great. That means this’ll fit.”
“Can I at least suggest you find something, I don’t know, cutesy?” I asked, not sure how to express my taste to him as he inspected a Batgirl costume, muttering to himself about Dick Grayson. Alex threw the costume back on to the rail, still muttering about the original Robin, once again ignoring my remark. I sighed loudly, beginning to feel bad about how many men were dragged into the situation on a weekend by their girlfriends. Alex seemed to be having a lot more fun with this than I was. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I loved Halloween, and I did enjoy fancy dress, but Alex had taken the choices away from me, flinging his own suggestions into my arms.
“Okay, so what’s cutesy?” He asked a few minutes later, when I was laden down with another couple of outfits. “Oh! Disney princesses are cutesy! Right?” He looked over at me, grinning widely and I let a smile creep onto my face. So he had been listening. I nodded as he moved over to another rack of costumes. “So, I know Belle is your favourite, so have this,” he threw both of Belle’s outfits into my arms before turning back to the rail, “but I like Aurora, because she’s pretty and blonde like you, so have this too.” Alex continued to list through the Disney princesses, weighing up which outfits he felt would fit best, and throwing the occasional costume in my direction. “Okay, that’s it,” he said, finally. “You should go try them on, unless you have anything else in mind?” I laughed at Alex’s question, struggling to carry the pile of outfits he’d thrown into my arms.
“I have half the store in my hands right now; I don’t think there’s another costume left that I could try.” Alex smiled meekly at me, realising just how overboard he’d gone.
“Sorry. Halloween is my favourite holiday and I tend to get a little overexcited this time of year.” I laughed again as Alex continued to smile at me sheepishly. He was utterly adorable. I mean, Jack got excited like a small child over pretty much anything, but Alex seemed much more grounded than Jack did and I just found it cute how he was so excited over this.
“It’s okay, just wait until you see me at Christmas.” I turned quickly from him, making my way into the changing room and drawing the curtain on him, catching a glance of him sitting down opposite before the curtain blocked him from view.
“So, what do you get like at Christmas then?” Alex asked as I pulled my top from over my head.
“Um, I’m pretty much Jack,” I laughed.
“What? You sit alone in your room watching Home Alone on repeat?” I snorted at his words, grabbing the first of many costumes Alex had picked for me.
“No. Jack and me sit in my front room binging on fabulous Christmas movies, including Home Alone.”
“So, that’s where he goes! I tried to call him once when he told me he was staying in watching films alone and his mom told me he was out.”
“He brings me Twizzlers and popcorn, and I make him pretend to be Jack Skellington while we laugh at The Nightmare Before Christmas. He abandons you for me more times than you know.” I heard a tutting through the curtain and stepped out, posing in my Dorothy costume. I watched Alex splutter a little, his eyes widening before catching himself.
“Dorothy is a hot blonde,” he said, finally.
“Honestly, I’m not feeling the slutty Dorothy vibe,” I shrugged, peering into the mirror behind Alex and inspecting the costume. I wasn’t usually concerned by short skirts or low necklines, but it just felt a little stilted and trashy. It definitely didn’t feel like me.
“Okay, fine,” Alex huffed. “Try the Wonder Woman one next.” I shut the curtain back over, pulling the outfit over my head and putting it back on its hanger, throwing it over the top bar for Alex.
“Put it back, would you? I’m going to lose track on which ones I don’t like if you leave them all in here with me.” Alex groaned and I heard his footsteps leading away from the cubicle as I stepped into the next costume.
“Why aren’t you happy with any of these?” Alex sighed, half an hour later as I pulled a face at yet another costume he’d picked out for me. “You look hot in everything you’ve shown me so far today. Girls are so fussy.”
“Because they’re just not me,” I huffed, pulling at the sleeve of the Aurora costume.
“You know, most girls would be swooning because I called them hot, not picking faults with the very costume I called them hot in.” I turned my scowl from the mirror to Alex, realising he was mocking me.
“I’m not ‘most girls’ though, Alex.”
“Oh, damn straight you’re not,” he smirked. I rolled my eyes at him. “Just go finish the last couple of costumes. We still have a shot at finding you something.” I turned back into the dressing room, taking off the costume and throwing it over the top at Alex like I had everything else. I heard another groan from him. “You have got to stop doing that. It isn’t fair.” I could imagine the pout on his face and chuckled to myself.
“You’re being a pervert again.”
“I’d love to stop, but you make me feel all fuzzy inside.” I laughed at him again, throwing the costume over my head and adjusting it quickly.
“Is it too over the top to dye your hair for a Halloween costume?” I asked Alex, leaning against the wall of the dressing room, my eyes lighting up as I saw the costume in the mirror. Honestly, Belle’s original blue outfit was way cuter than her golden ballgown.
“If you do anything to that gorgeous blonde hair of yours, I will flip my shit,” Alex warned me.
“But I want to look perfect,” I sighed, turning to make sure I looked okay from behind too. Alex looked up from his phone, seeing me peering in the mirror, finally seeming happy with my choice.
“Belle was cute and all, but you make her look perfect.” I felt a blush creeping up my cheeks, watching as my pale cheeks turned a decided shade of crimson at his words.
“You’re such a fucking sweet talker,” I grumbled, turning quickly into the dressing room so he couldn’t see my embarrassment, however the chuckle I heard from behind me told me I hadn’t been as quick as I’d hoped.
“Aw, Holly, you little cutie, do I make you nervous?”
“No,” I replied, quickly through the closed curtain. “But I’ve never known anyone have such a way with words as you do.”
“Honestly, sweetie, that’s kind of my job.” I laughed, hanging the costume over my arm as I stepped out, back in my usual clothing.
“I think I need something for Marissa,” I told him, changing the subject quickly so he would forget the hold he so clearly had over me. “What’s Jack going as?”
“Robin,” he shrugged, putting his phone in his back pocket.
“Oh, so that’s why you were muttering about Dick Grayson while you stared at a Batgirl costume!” I laughed as his muttering finally made sense to me. No wonder he didn’t want me to go as Batgirl. Jack and I definitely had a strictly brother-sister relationship. “Oh, my God! It’s perfect.” I went quickly back to the rail where Alex had initially inspected the Batgirl costume.
“Are you trying to set them up?” He laughed, noting me searching for Marissa’s size in the costume.
“Oh, come on,” I laughed. “She’s had a crush on him since forever, and do you not see how happy he looks when he sees her? They’re frickin’ perfect and their very first couple photo will be Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon.”
“I forget you’re a normal girl sometimes.”
“And what’s that supposed to me?” I asked, picking out the costume and folding it over my arm also. I saw Alex shifting uncomfortably from the corner of my eye, realising that I did in fact make him a little nervous.
“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “You’re just so fucking cool and relaxed all the time, I forget that you can still act like a normal girl. I mean, like, most girls freak out at pretty much everything I say, and this is the first thing you’ve done that reminds me of other girls. I guess I’m trying to say you’re, you know, not like other girls.” I chuckled at his words, handing my money to the cashier for Marissa and I’s and costumes. I found it absolutely adorable when boys got nervous, Alex especially. He always seemed so cool and collected, I couldn’t imagine what he had to be nervous about around me.
“Jay-sey!” I heard as I grabbed the bag from the cashier, before I was jumped on by a tall boy. I laughed as Jack threw his arms around me, hugging me tightly. “I missed you today!” I smiled weakly at the cashier as I led Jack away from the store, Alex chuckling behind us.
“Did you miss me so much you paid attention in class?” I asked him, ensuring Marissa’s costume couldn’t be seen through the plastic bag it was in.
“No,” he snorted. “I spent my time doodling and thinking what to do after school, since Alex was so clearly wrapped up in you.”
“I’m right here, dickbag,” Alex scowled as we started making our way toward the entrance Alex and I had initially come through. “And besides. You’ve been texting me for about three hours complaining about how you want to come see me.”
“Oh, so that’s how he found us? You ratted us out?” I asked, raising my eyebrows at the pair. No wonder Jack had basically attacked me and Alex hadn’t even flinched.
“Of course he ratted you out, Jasey. He tells me everything.” I shook my head disbelievingly. “Where are we going though?”
“Uh, to my place?”
“I’ve never even been to your place,” Jack frowned. I snorted quickly, realising that in fact Jack hadn’t been to my apartment since I’d moved in. With working as much as I was, I barely saw Jack outside of school right now.
“I have,” Alex piped up proudly.
“You invited him round before you invited me?” I rolled my eyes at the accusation, knowing Jack was being overdramatic.
“Well, come round now and I’m pretty sure Marissa will be grateful for it.” I winked at him as his eyes lit up.
“Oh, man, do I like your argument.”

Notes