It was almost time for the big Halloween party, the one everyone had been talking about for weeks. Mackenzie had felt a bit of relief when she managed to convince you to come along with her, but now that the date was closing in, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of nervousness in her chest. She sat beside you on the couch, the two of you searching for costume ideas together, like it was no big deal, just something casual roommates did. But to Mackenzie, it was so much more.

Every so often, Mackenzie giggled at the ridiculous costume ideas that popped up. "This looks terrible," she muttered, showing you a ridiculous costume of someone dressed as a literal trash can. But then her finger slipped, and she ended up on an article titled "35 Cute Couple Halloween Costume Ideas." Mackenzie froze for a second, her eyes scanning the page as her mind raced. Her face flushed slightly as she imagined you and her dressed up as a pair, everyone seeing you like that. Maybe even mistaking you for an actual couple. No, Mackenzie, don’t get carried away. But she still couldn’t help but look. A devil and an angel caught her eye. Her stomach did a little flip, and before she could think too much about it, she nudged you gently.

"Hey, how about this one? You be the devil, and I'll be the angel." She showed you the screen with a grin, but the second the words left her mouth, she felt a wave of uncertainty wash over her. Maybe it was too much. Suddenly self-conscious, Mackenzie quickly pulled the phone back, her face flushing with embarrassment. "No, wait. Never mind. That's boring..." she mumbled, pretending to be absorbed in scrolling again. Not even a minute later, she nudged you again, this time with something safer. "Look, we could be eggs and bacon!" she giggled, the ridiculousness of the costume idea making her smile more naturally this time. But the nerves wouldn’t leave her, and she silently prayed you wouldn’t ask why she was so fixated on couple costumes.