Months passed, and before we knew it, Halloween was just around the corner. The day before the big event, one of my college classmates had sent out an open invitation to a Halloween party. Gabriella and I had already made plans to dress up: She would be a zombie, and I would be a hunter. Mei, decided to go as Raven from Teen Titans Go.

We were at the café, discussing the party details, when Evelyn, overheard us. She came rushing over, her eyes wide with excitement.

"There's a Halloween party? Where? When?!" she asked eagerly.

Mei placed a hand on Evelyn's shoulder, sighing dramatically.

"Sorry, kid, but it's for 21s and over, and you're not there yet."

"What?!" Evelyn exclaimed, her lips pouting. "Come on, I'm only a year younger! Why can't I come?"

She then turned to me with her signature pleading look.

"Mia, please? I promise I won't cause any trouble. Pretty please?" she begged, crossing her fingers as though making some sort of pact.

I glanced at Mei, who was already shaking their head in disapproval. "No".

But I couldn't bring myself to say it. I had always been the soft touch, and Evelyn knew how to exploit that weakness.

"Seriously, kid, this is enough now," Mei said, their voice rising slightly in irritation. Mei could get angry quickly, so this wasn't surprising.

Evelyn, however, didn't seem deterred. She stared at me, her pout deepening, and I could feel Mei's glare growing hotter. Ugh, I don't know what to do, I thought.

"Fine! Just promise me you won't drink, and that you won't wander off anywhere. Stay with me the entire time, alright?" I blurted out, feeling a mixture of guilt and relief.

Evelyn's face lit up, and she jumped up and down. Mei, however, shot me a disapproving look before storming off. I ran after them.

"Mei, I'm sorry! You know I can't say no to her," I called out, trying to catch up. Mei suddenly stopped and turned to face me.

"Mia, it's not about saying no," they said, their expression softening. "I'm worried. Do you remember how half the class used to treat you after... well, after everything? If Evelyn does anything stupid, they'll pin it on you. I don't want you getting dragged into that mess again."

I sighed, looking down at the ground. Mei had been my rock during some of the toughest moments of my life. When I came out as lesbian in college, things had been hard. A lot of my so-called friends had turned their backs on me, and I had to face a barrage of cruel comments and bullying. Mei had stuck by me through it all, especially when my ex-girlfriend cheated on me. After I found out, she had dismissed it with the idiotic phrase "You only live once." She'd spread lies about me after we broke up, and suddenly, I was the outcast. Four years later, I had finally graduated and, instead of working for some big corporation, I chose the simpler route and took a job at a local café.

"I won't let anything happen," I promised, stepping closer to Mei. "I'll keep an eye on Evelyn. You know I've got this."

Mei sighed, their expression softening a little. They stepped forward and gave me a tight hug. "Just be careful, alright?" they said.

"I will. I promise." I hugged them back, feeling a sense of calm wash over me.

When I got home later that evening, Gabriella was sitting on the couch, playing with Pearl, my cat. Pearl purred contentedly as Gabriella gently scratched behind her ears.

"I'm home!" I said, slipping off my shoes and hanging my jacket on the coat rack.

Gabriella smiled up at me, her face lighting up. "Hey, love. How was work?"

"It was good. The manager gave us tomorrow off, so I'll be around all day until we head to the party. Oh, and I invited Evelyn," I said, walking into the kitchen.

Gabriella looked at me, her eyes narrowing. "Wait, what? Why her? Isn't she, like, 19 or something? You know the party's 21 and over, right?"

I felt my stomach tighten slightly. Gabriella wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea. "Yeah, I told her she couldn't drink and that she needs to stay with me the whole time. Don't worry, I won't leave her on her own."

Gabriella folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. "That's even worse! Are you just going to babysit her all night? Are you planning to ignore me the entire evening just so you can look after her?"

I felt a pang of guilt. "N-no! Of course not. I just don't want her to get into trouble. I promise, I'll still spend time with you."

Gabriella let out a frustrated sigh, walking into the kitchen. "Fine," she muttered, but I could see the disappointment in her eyes. She leaned over to give me a quick kiss on the cheek before turning to prepare dinner. "I'm making lasagna. What do you want for dessert?"

I tried to cheer her up with a teasing smile. "You," I said playfully.

Her lips curled into a smirk, and she leaned toward me, her eyes mischievous. "Is that so?"

We shared a long, slow kiss, and I could feel my heart flutter.

After a few moments, we pulled away, both breathless. I couldn't help but smile as I walked towards my room to change.

"Brownies with vanilla ice cream, please!" I called out over my shoulder.

Later that evening, we settled down for dinner. Gabriella had made the lasagna from scratch, and as always, it was delicious. I dug in with enthusiasm, my stomach growling in anticipation.

As we were eating, I pulled out my phone and suggested we watch a film. I had been meaning to watch The Conjuring, so I set it up and we sat together on the couch.

As we were watching the film, a sudden jump-scare made me flinch, causing my fork to fall from my hand. As I bent down to retrieve it, Gabriella gasped. "Is that a tattoo?" she asked, her voice rising with surprise.

I straightened up quickly, instinctively covering my back. "Oh, uh, yeah," I said, trying to sound casual. "I got it ages ago. It doesn't really mean anything."

Gabriella raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued. "Really? It's just... there?"

I nodded quickly, hoping she would drop the subject. She looked at me for a moment longer, clearly unsure, but then let it slide. We continued watching the film, though I couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. I hadn't wanted her to see it.

After the movie, I grabbed both of our plates and started washing up. Gabriella checked on the brownies in the oven, they were almost done. I opened the freezer to grab the ice cream but realised there was none left. With a sigh, I grabbed my jacket.

"I'm just going to pop out to the supermarket for some ice cream," I said, grabbing my phone. "I'll be right back."

I needed a bit of fresh air, so I decided to walk to the supermarket. It wasn't far, and the night air would do me some good. I grabbed the ice cream and a few other snacks, paid, and headed home.

On my way back, I spotted Evelyn walking out of my apartment building. When she saw me, she waved excitedly and hurried towards me.

"Hey, Mia! Oh, what's that you've got there?" she asked, eyeing the grocery bag in my hand.

"Just some snacks for me and my girlfriend," I said with a polite smile.

Evelyn's smile faltered for a moment before returning with a strained look. "Oh... Well, I guess I'll let you get on. Enjoy your evening!" she said, her voice a little off as she quickly walked away.

That was odd, I thought, watching her figure disappear into the distance. But I brushed it off and made my way back to the apartment.

"Hey, love, the brownies are done!" Gabriella called out from the kitchen as I entered. She was grinning like a child on Christmas morning.

"Perfect timing," I replied, placing the grocery bag on the counter before walking over to hug her. She wrapped her arms around me tightly, and I felt my heart warm at the familiar gesture. She sliced the brownies and put a couple on my plate.

"What do you want to watch?" I asked, grabbing the remote.

"Let's watch Don't Move. It just came out on Netflix," Gabriella suggested, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

I nodded, starting the film, and we settled in together on the couch. As we ate our brownies, I could feel myself growing drowsy. The combination of the food, the movie, and the warmth of Gabriella next to me made me sleepy. Eventually, my eyes fluttered shut, and I drifted off to sleep.

*****

END OF CHAPTER 12!

Q: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

A: Write, listen to music and read