GEMMA: Halloween is happening at your place, yes, Sadie?

GEMMA: And Jack. Since you also live there.

JACK: And just what do we mean by “Halloween is happening”?

JACK: On a scale from kindergarten costume parade to frat party?

HARLEY: Somewhere around “drink a lot of wine and order takeout while also passing out candy to cute kids who come knocking on the door.”

NICK: You know, a guy from my office is throwing an actual Halloween party we could all go to.

ME: No.

GEMMA: Fuck no.

HARLEY: Love you, babe, but no.

ME: OMG DID YOU JUST SAY I LOVE YOU IN THE GROUP TEXT?!?!?!

HARLEY: Just an expression.

GEMMA: I can practically see your blushing cheeks from across the apartment, Harley.

JACK: Wine and takeout and passing out candy works for me, guys!

HARLEY: Now I love you too, Jack.

NICK: Whoa. Let’s take that one back several notches.

ME: Yeah, what Nicky said.

ME: Also, eff you guys for making me agree with what Nick said.

HARLEY: Oh my god, I love all of you equally, okay?

NICK: But me just a little bit more, right?

HARLEY: Obviously.

GEMMA: Me on the other hand, I hate all of you. I’m dressing as an old maid for Halloween.

ME: Gem, be serious. There might be hot single dads out there.

GEMMA: Sexy librarian it is.

“Is this going to be enough candy?” Jack holds up three bags, each the size of my upper body.

I purse my lips to keep back the smile, and yeah, I notice how his arms bulge a little, laden down with pounds and pounds of sugar. “How many did you go through last year?”

He tosses them on the kitchen peninsula. “I don’t know. I usually turn the lights off and hide in the basement.”

“Oh my god, you’re the cranky-old-man house!” Taking a few bottles of wine out of the cabinet, I also pull down five glasses and arrange them all on the counter.

“I don’t know if I’d go that far.” He frowns, his brow wrinkling in a way that’s adorable and also makes him look kind of like a little old man.

“Every neighborhood has one, buddy, and looks like you’re it for Park Slope.” I rummage around in the cabinets until I find a huge bowl. “If your old-man muscles can handle it, can you rip one of those bad boys open?”

Jack glares at me for a solid thirty seconds before grudgingly tearing open one of the bags.

I transfer the candy from the bag to the bowl, only pausing twice to take a bite of chocolate for myself. “You changing or is that your entire costume?” I wave my hand, currently holding a Twix, in his general vicinity.

He captures my wrist in his hand, biting off half of the candy bar.