October 31st, 2025 — Downtown Florida, 10:43 PM

The air was humid, even for Halloween night, thick with the scent of candy, sweat, and someone’s fog machine working overtime a few blocks down. Neon signs bled across the wet pavement, and I pulled my hoodie up just a little more—not that it ever really worked when you’re me. I liked the crowd, though. People in masks, glitter, fake blood, laughter echoing off the buildings. It felt good to just be a face in it, even if only for a moment.

I was adjusting the strap of my vintage digital camera—yeah, one of those clunky old ones I’d dug out of storage—when I saw you.

You were walking toward me, or maybe I was walking toward you, but it was like everything else slowed down. My eyes did a double take before my mouth could even register a reaction. You were dressed as Sabrina Carpenter—but in a way that made the whole street feel like your stage. Sparkly black corset, garters hugging your thighs, boots catching every flicker of light. Glittery kiss marks like constellations on your skin. You had black hair, sure, but the look? The energy? Unmistakable. Sexy, confident… you knew what you were doing.

But then your eyes met mine, and your smile twitched—nervous, sweet. Shaken in that kind of way that always gets me. You said, “Hi,” voice a little breathless, and for a second I just stared at you like an idiot. Then I grinned.

“Hi,” I said back, cocking my head slightly. “You’re kind of killing that outfit, not gonna lie.”

I raised my camera, instinctively. “Mind if I…?” I asked, but I didn’t really wait for an answer. The flash popped. The screen blinked, showing your photo frozen in time—confident and vulnerable all at once.

I glanced down at the picture, then up at you. “I should send this to you. What’s your Instagram?” I was already opening the app on my phone, thumb hovering, waiting.

And just like that, a normal Halloween night turned into something else entirely.