The first thing I notice when I wake is the empty space beside me. I rub my hand across the mattress and feel cold sheets.


    Nick is gone.


    My heart lurches forward, and panic ws up my throat.


    Today is our deadline.


    Halloween.


    The deadline to our fake-dating and hookup situation.


    I hope this isn’t the end.


    I sit up too fast, scanning the room, like maybe he’s just in the bathroom, but his shoes and his jacket are gone; even his cologne that always lingers in the air is faint.


    It’s easy for me to convince myself I’ve been ghosted, like how Asher warned over a month ago. He said Nick would be gone without warning.


    Just as I’m getting ready to spiral, I see a folded note propped against the bedsidemp with my name written across it in his elegant handwriting.


    I unfold it with anxious fingers.


    Julie,


    I had to take care of some business things today. I’ll see you tonight at the party. In the meantime, Cozy Spa in town is expecting you. Massage, facial, the works. My treat. Don’t argue.


    Enjoy your day, sweetheart.


    Nick


    Relief crashes over me so hard that my eyes sting.


    He didn’t leave for good. But still, the ache of him doing that doesn’t disappear. This deadline has made me anxious and paranoid. And I’m aware that when we open those envelopes, everything will change between us for better or worse. We will leap together, or we’ll walk away. It’s that simple.


    I’ll respect his decision, but I’ve been trying to prepare myself for all options.


    The thought of us going our separate ways after we’ve shared so much has me reeling. Crossing this line with him was a risk, but it was one that I was willing to take. I just hope this doesn’t hurt me.


    If it does, I’m swearing off men for an eternity.


    After I take a shower and eat a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, I grab my keys and head to the spa. Inside smells likevender and eucalyptus. The soft music and trickling water feature in the corner are calming. As soon as I arrive, I’m escorted into a room where I lie face down on the table. A warm nket is draped across my lower back, and I try to remember thest time I felt this rxed.


    Nick did this because he knew I was tense and needed it.


    The masseuse presses her palms along my shoulders, working out knots I’ve carried since Craig returned. I close my eyes, and instead of the calm ocean sounds, I imagine Nick’sugh, his real one. I think about how he walked into Cozy Coffee the first day he was here and confidently invited me to dinner. It’s impossible for me to forget the cute grin he gave me when he pretended to be my boyfriend.


    The firm pressure moves down my arms. My mind drifts to the nights we spent together at Hollow Manor. How he kissed me on the nket in the apple orchard as the sunlight flickered through the tree branches. Him holding me close after the break-in, jaw set like he’d burn the whole world before letting anyone touch me.


    The masseuse circles her thumbs along my lower back, and my body sinks deeper into the table. I think about Nick’s hands on me. The way he held me in the Range Rover when I straddled him, teasing him in the beginning. Or how he pulled me against him after the Fairy Godmothers left my condo and whispered sweet words to me.


    A lump rises in my throat. I can’t imagine being with anyone else. Nick has been my everything, even among the chaos, and I’m not ready for it to end yet. Our time together overshadows the drama with Craig, the naked picture scandal, or any of the town gossip. I think about the sexy moans he releases right before hees. And how he calls me sweetheart, like the word was invented for me.


    The massage shifts to my legs, kneading out the tension, and I let myself rey the moment we kissedst night after we revealed our carved pumpkins. Candlelit gourds that he’d carved our love story into surrounded us, as if they were proof that what we shared wasn’t fake.


    Fake. That’s what this was supposed to be.


    My eyes sting, and I bite the inside of my lip. Tonight, what we’ve written and tucked inside those envelopes will decide our future. This will either be a beautiful, fleeting October or the opportunity to keep him long after the leaves have fallen.


    The masseuse presses gently into my temples, and I force myself to breathe. I need to rx and let go, but my heart keeps lurching toward thoughts of him. I’m … in love with him. The realization unravels me. And if he doesn’t feel the same, I’ll be ruined.


    By the time the massage ends, I feel wrung out, like every knot in my body has melted away.


    After my facial, I’m given aftercare instructions. My body is spaghetti as I enjoy the crisp October air. All I can think about is Nick. His hands on me and his voice.


    By the time I get home, the need for him is too much.


    I peel off my clothes and step into the shower. The hot water cascades down my back, steam rising, but it isn’t enough. My skin feels too tight, my body restless with all the things I can’t say yet. I close my eyes and see him—the upward lift of his mouth when he calls me stubborn, along with the heat in his gaze when I push back.


    My hand trails lower, my breath catching as my fingers brush over my clit. I let myself imagine it’s him instead. His hands. His mouth. The way he takes his time until I’m trembling, screaming his name.


    I brace a palm against the slick tiles as the tension builds, my thoughts nothing but Nick.


    Him holding me. Him buried inside me. Him whispering, promising me that he’s not going anywhere.


    My body breaks apart, a rush of heat and release that leaves me gasping his name into the steam. I lean against the wall, breathless, my knees nearly giving out as the orgasm takes over. The water washes everything away except the truth that terrifies me.


    I don’t just want him. I need him.


    When I finally step out, I wrap myself in a towel and catch my reflection in the mirror. My cheeks are flushed, and my eyes are bright. I look alive, in love, and ready to conquer the night. I tell myself that no matter what happens at midnight, I will survive.


    I dry off and slip into the costume. My hand slides across the teal fabric with gold trim, making me feel bolder than I am. I chose Jasmine because Nick has shown me a whole new world. There was no other choice.


    By the time I finish adjusting the dark wig with a crown, ire’s horn honks outside. She neveres to the door. Just three quick honks, one after another, like always.


    My jeweled sandals click against the porch steps. As I slide into her passenger seat, I’m hit with the smell of sage and cinnamon and her ever-present incense.


    “Have you been casting spells?” I ask.


    “Maybe,” she admits, backing out of the driveway as I buckle. “Tell me why you’re wearing a mischievous look on your face.”


    “No reason,” I reply, though my stomach twists.


    As we drive, the town shes by in orange lights and hay bales, kids in costumes darting across the open fields. ire drums her fingers against the steering wheel, her rings nking as her spooky ylist streams on her radio. She’s side-eyeing me.


    “So,” she says casually, “I pulled your daily card before you got into the Jeep.”


    I nce over at her. “You did? And?”


    She smirks. “Want to know what it was?”


    “Actually, yes.” My voicees out shakier than I want.


    Her grin widens. “The Lovers.”


    My pulse races as the words echo in my head.


    The Lovers. Finally.


    ire turns down Skyline Drive toward Hollow Manor, humming along to the radio.


    “All right, spill it. What’s going on in that head of yours? Because you look like you’re about to be sick.”


    I let out augh. “Tonight is the night.”


    She arches a brow. “For?”


    I exhale. “To decide if Nick and I will end tonight or if we’ll keep going as a couple. No more games. It was the deadline we gave our hookup situation.”


    “Oh. I see.”


    I nod. “At midnight, everything changes.”


    ire whistles low. “That’s spicy. Very poetic.”


    “Why?” I look at her, realizing she’s a fortune teller costume.


    “There’s an old wives’ tale about lovers’ confessions on the first midnight after Halloween, when the veil between worlds is thin. Any couple brave enough to speak their true feelings under the moonlight will be bound together. Forever. Comparable to a fate sealed in candle wax.”


    I roll my eyes. “Bound together? Sounds made it up.”


    ire grins like the devil. “Maybe. But I guess we’ll see.”


    She has me giggling. It’s something she’s always been able to do.


    “You have nothing to worry about, Jules,” she says more gently. “That man is gone for you. Everyone sees it. He looks at you like you’re his past, present, and future.”


    “Then why do I still think he might leave?” My throat tightens, and I nce out the window at the blur of porches decked out with hay bales and fake cobwebs.


    “Because you’re in love.” She states. “When falling in love is intense, moving to the next step in the rtionship is like jumping without a. I don’t think you realize Nick’s already at the bottom with arms open, waiting to catch you.”


    I turn to her. “You believe that?”


    “Yes.” ire smirks. “When it’s right, it’s easy. And if, by some chance, he screws this up, we’ll sh his tires before we leave. I’ll even ask Autumn to help me make some glitter glue.”


    A startledugh bursts out of me. “Glitter glue?”


    “Yep. Nothing ruins a man’s ego more than driving around with a glittery YOU SUCK written across his hood. When it’s washed off, it just so happens to peel paint.”


    “Damn,” I mutter. “But thanks for having my back.”


    She grins. “Honestly, he’s yours, Jules. I have zero doubt about that, especially after talking to his brother.”


    “You talked to Asher?” I ask.


    “Yeah, at Zane’s birthday party, I did recon. I asked a lot of questions about Nick and learned a ton.”


    My eyes widen. “Really?”


    “Yep. No way I was going to approve of this rtionship without learning as much as I could. Basically, he’s a green g who has it bad for you,” she confirms.


    “Thank you,” I say, taking her words to heart.


    “Don’t be nervous. If it’s meant to be, it will be.”


    When we arrive at Hollow Manor, there are handfuls of cars parked on the manicuredwn.


    As soon as I see Nick’s Range Rover, my heart races. He’s been on my mind since this morning. It’s the first time I haven’t woken up next to him since he started staying with me. We haven’t even texted one another today. It’s been radio silence.


    “Calm down,” ire mutters.


    “I’m trying,” I admit.


    “Your leg is shaking,” she tells me as she unbuckles. “You have nothing to worry about. Now, let’s go find your man.”


    “Okay,” I say, trying to stop this spiral.


    We get out of the Jeep, and ire grabs my hand, leading me up the sidewalk that’s full of our pumpkins. Groups of people are huddled outside on the grass where the haunted houses are fully constructed. There’s also an outdoor bar and a DJ. Later, a band will take the stage. The house is pumped full of low-lying fog and glowing lights.


    “Do you see him?” I ask ire over the music.


    “Not yet,” she says, weaving around people.


    My heart races as I wonder where he is.


    As I scan the crowd, my heart hammers in my chest. Costumes blur together—pirates, witches, a giant intable dinosaur.


    When I slide into the downstairs library, I search for him.


    In the corner, standing near the bar, is Nick.


    My breath catches when I see him.


    For a moment, I stare at how gorgeous he is in a deep purple vest that’s open. His ab muscles are on full disy, and the light-brown pants sit low on his hips. A gold sash is wrapped around his waist, catching the light every time he moves.


    ddin. My ddin.


    Every bit of doubt I carried here, every nightmare about him walking away, burns to ash the second I see him smirking at me.


    When his eyes find mine, the entire party falls away. His mouth curves into that cocky, slow smile that always undoes me, and the unease in my chest disappears. He didn’t leave Cozy Creek. He’s here. He’s mine. And he’s looking at me like I’m the only person in this haunted mansion.


    The only thing that breaks our connection is ire nudging me. “See? Whole new world.”


    I can’t stop the joy that bursts out of me. “We didn’t tell each other what our costumes were.”


    “Totally meant to be,” she says.


    Nick casually strolls toward me. When he reaches me, he bows, extending his hand. “Princess Jasmine,” he says loud enough for a few people by the firece to grin.


    I roll my eyes, but my hand finds his anyway. “ddin? Really?”


    “Coincidence,” he says, kissing the back of my hand. “Or fate. You pick.”


    My cheeks burn, but I smile so hard that it hurts. “You look handsome.”


    “You’re a dream,” he says without missing a beat. His eyes sweep over me slowly, deliberately, and the heat in his gaze makes my knees weak.


    ire coughs dramatically beside us. “Okay, I’ll leave you two before I get cavities. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”


    “Uh, you have no boundaries,” I say.


    “Exactly.” She chuckles, disappearing into the crowd.


    I lean in closer as the bass of the music shakes the floor. Ghost lights are strung from the ceiling, casting a warm glow over the entire space. Even so, Nick is the brightest light in the room.


    “Damn, I’ve missed you.” His mouth brushes mine.


    The kiss is full of certainty.


    “I missed you too.”


    The fear of losing him immediately vanishes. As our tongues slide together, I know tonight isn’t about endings. It’s about new beginnings.