6.

Z eke had never brought a girl home to his childhood house, but he was doing it tonight. Maybe it was because he only had a year left, or maybe it was because he no longer thought he'd be able to actually break this spell, but somehow, he knew that connecting with Jack was the best move he could make.

He didn't even care if she fell in love with him. He'd spotted her at that party, and he'd known instantly that she was uncomfortable. She wasn't the type of girl who fit in just anywhere. In fact, he was quite sure that she hadn't wanted to be there.

"What are we going to do?" Jack asked him.

"What do you mean?"

"The storm is pretty strong," she said. She was right. It rained on Halloween almost every year, but this was somehow different. The rain this year felt colder than it ever had before. Maybe it was part of the curse. He was worried about the reality of the curse destroying them both. The rain was just a side effect of that.

"We'll stay inside until it passes," he told her.

"And do what?" Jack turned away from the door, looking toward the rest of the house. It was dark. There hadn't been electricity here for a long time. There were no curtains, no blinds. Lightning lit up the night sky, illuminating Jack's face. He had this, at least. He could see her.

But she couldn't see him.

Not really.

Not with the stupid pumpkin on his head.

There came a moment in every curse victim's life where they had to decide whether they were going to be okay with that, though. Would this be that moment for him? Would he actually be able to accept his fate as someone who was doomed to walk the world alone?

He wasn't sure.

"We could talk," he said.

"Talk?" Jack snorted. "You brought me to a haunted house on Halloween, and you want to talk?"

"What? You don't like talking?" Zeke smiled at her. She was cute when she was flustered. He was already starting to dread the idea of saying goodbye to her tomorrow.

"I like talking," she said, "but..." Jack gestured to his abs, which were in perfect condition. Even with the mask on, he could see himself clearly. He knew he looked good. So did the witch who had cursed him. She just didn't care about that. She thought it would be a funny way to make his existence even more miserable.

Fine.

He'd work with it.

"What is it, Jack?" Zeke was going to make her say it. If she wanted more than to talk, he wanted her to ask for it.

He knew what she was thinking about.

For just a second, Zeke thought she was actually going to do it. Maybe this would be the moment where she asked for what she wanted.

Was Jack shy?

Or did she not think she deserved to get what she wanted?

There was a difference, he knew, in being able to take what the world offered you, and in not believing you deserved it. With Jack, he'd have to find the balance of pushing her just the right amount, and in helping her see what her true value really was.

She needed to be able to find the perfect way to deal with everything the world was throwing at them.

If he pushed her too hard, he'd lose her.

He knew it.

"Jack," he said. "Tell me why you're here."

Why was she here? He knew why he had come to her, why he'd chosen her out of every girl at the party, and he understood that he had an opportunity to make her feel better about herself and her world, if even just for tonight.

"I was just at the party," she told him.

"Why?"

"Because my friend invited me."

"Your friend invited you, so you went. That's all?"

"Yes," she said. But there was more. There was something she wasn't saying.

"You didn't want to be there."

"Not really."

"Because you don't want a boyfriend?"

"I just...I don't like Halloween, Z," she said.

And there it was.

That was always the problem when it came to Z's love life. He'd never been able to find someone who was okay with him being cursed, but he'd also never been able to find someone who was passionate about the holiday that haunted him.

Then again, maybe that was a good thing.

"Why not?"

"It's personal."

"We've got all night," he said. He turned and walked deeper into the house.

"Hey, where are you going?" Jack's voice sounded frantic. "We can't see over there."

"It's fine. It's just a house. It's not really haunted."

"Hey." Jack sidled up to him. She slipped her hand in his, and in that moment, Zeke realized he felt safe with her.

Protected.

Cherished, almost.

"What are you doing?"

"I just didn't want you to be lonely," she said. "I didn't want you to be afraid."

"What makes you think I'd be afraid?"

"It's okay to be afraid, Z," she said.

Then, she did something that surprised him. She pushed up on her toes, and she leaned forward, and Jacqueline pressed her lips to the side of his pumpkin head face, and he could feel it.

He could feel it.