Chris raised a brow as he turned towards John. “Am I making you mad?”

“Say another thing about my girlfriend and I’ll fuck you up,” John said with a menacing growl meant only for Chris to hear. “I don’t care if you’re my oldest, dearest friend, I will rip you apart if you mention a sweaty Victoria ever again.”

Chris didn’t move away. Instead, he edged closer to John. “There’s the energy I needed to see.”

John blinked in confusion. “What?”

“You’re walking around here pretending she didn’t rip your heart out and stomp all over it, when I know damn well you’re a fucking mess. You thought you could hide that from me?”

John backed up. He couldn’t believe he’d been about to come to blows with his best friend in a party store. “I’m sorry,” he muttered. “I didn’t mean...”

“You said exactly what you meant,” Chris said, leaning against a police officer costume stand. “You told me that she was your girlfriend and that you’d rip me apart for her. Simple as that.”

John’s shoulders slumped in resignation. He did just say that. In fact, he growled it. “I don’t know what to do.”

Chris clapped him on the back. “First step is admitting what you feel for her. It’s not a situationship anymore. You love her. You have to tell her.”

This was the third person to tell him the obvious. He was in love with Victoria and pride prevented him from saying so. “I don’t know if she’s going to show up at the party,” he said.

“Fuck the party. You have to say something.”

John looked down at his Zorro costume and frowned. Now or never was coming at him fast. If he was prepared to call Victoria his girlfriend, he had to make himself take other chances. John had to risk his dignity and go all in.

“We call this emergency meeting of The Write Bitches to settle the matter of Victoria’s hot librarian,” Regina said, holding a glass of wine aloft.

Paula was nearby, with her own wine glass, busily sifting through Halloween costumes. “Yes, yes, let’s come to order.”

For her part, Victoria had skipped the wine after her embarrassingly boozy weekend. She was searching through the Halloween costumes that Regina and Paula had been kind enough to bring to her home. There were feather boas, tiaras, and costume jewelry, some of which were from Regina’s bachelorette party several years ago. “Whose are these?” she asked as she picked up a pair of real handcuffs.

Paula raised her hand. “The key is around here somewhere in a small baggie.”

“What have you used them for?”

Her friend stopped her search to give her a look. “Really?”

“Gotcha,” Victoria said, giving them another glance before tossing them back in the pile.