Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 101168 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101168 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
Edgar came behind them and wrapped an arm around Jamie’s chest.
“Did you do this?” Jamie asked, even though they knew he had. They turned around and wrapped him in a hug. “Thank you,” they said into Edgar’s neck.
Edgar squeezed them tight. “You’re welcome.”
“Wait, hang on. Why are you here?” Jamie asked, pulling back to look at Edgar.
Edgar swallowed hard. That was when Jamie looked at him a bit more closely. In the dark, with only floodlights casting deep shadows and the red light leaking from the signs, they hadn’t noticed how pale Edgar looked. How…green?
“Edgar,” Jamie warned.
“I’m going through the haunted house,” he announced. “I want to see all the amazing work you’ve done. This is your passion, and I want to support you. All of us do.” He gestured to the group.
“Baby,” Jamie said, heart overflowing. “You should not come in the haunted house. Thank you so much for bringing our friends to be here. But I don’t want you to be scared, and I really think you will be.”
“But I want to support you,” he said again, and Jamie realized what this was all about. Edgar was trying to make up for their family’s lack of interest and support with his own. It was incredibly sweet. Also misguided.
“Sweetheart, you do support me. You support me in every way that matters. You don’t have to do this to prove it to me. In fact, I’m asking you not to.”
“But—but I—”
Jamie pulled Edgar close and covered his mouth. Their heart was brimming with a weightless, hopeful anticipation that felt a lot like love.
“Shut up, you gorgeous, infuriating…” Jamie’s speech devolved into fond muttering as they made a quick plan.
Jamie grabbed Edgar’s hand, and they turned back to the group.
“Edgar’s going to put his ticket back in circulation,” Jamie said. “Thank you all for coming. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the other side.”
“Thank god,” Greta said. “That was gonna be hard to watch.”
Veronica, Helen, and Carys all nodded emphatically.
Poe looked like he’d received news of a death in the family. “Aw, come on, Edgar,” he said.
Jamie winked at him. “Make some new friends, Poe.” Then they took Edgar’s hand and led him away. Edgar followed easily. “Where are we going?”
“There’s a way you can watch the haunt on video.” Jamie squeezed his hand. “But you don’t have to see anything you don’t want to. You interested?”
“Yes,” Edgar said without hesitation.
Jamie opened the door to the trailer behind the haunt. There, a bank of monitors revealed every room of the haunted house from multiple angles. The cameras were equipped with a combination of regular and night vision lenses, and they were recording the whole time the haunt was open to make sure staff could intervene if there was a medical incident, an altercation, or if someone got too scared and needed an emergency exit.
“Hey, Trent,” Jamie said. “I’m going to take over watching for a bit. Would you tell will call to add a ticket to the wait list pile and reverse the charge for it to Edgar Lovejoy’s card? He bought one more than he needed.”
“Yeah, no problem,” he said and left Jamie and Edgar alone in the cramped trailer.
“We can watch them go through on here.” Jamie pointed to the monitors. “But there’s no sound, and the picture’s really dim. And if you want to look away, I’ll tell you anything weird Poe does so you can tease him about it later.”
Edgar smiled and tucked a lock of Jamie’s hair behind their ear. It was a tender, familiar gesture, and Jamie leaned into him.
There was only room for one chair in the small space, and Jamie patted it, indicating Edgar should sit. When he did, Jamie settled onto his lap. Edgar’s arms enfolded them, settling them firmly against his chest.
He kissed the back of Jamie’s neck, and warmth radiated from the spot.
“Mm, that feels too good right now,” they murmured.
They felt Edgar start to get hard. He buried his face in Jamie’s hair and mumbled something that sounded like reticent agreement. They stayed like that for a few minutes, basking in each other’s physical comfort.
***
When Jamie saw familiar faces on the first camera, they sat up.
“Okay, they’re going in.”
Edgar rested his chin on Jamie’s shoulder to watch. Jamie tapped on the first screen, where Poe was pinning a large white button to the front of his leather jacket.
“That means he doesn’t want to be touched by any of the performers,” Jamie explained.
The haunt was set up in four zones, and Poe and Carys led the group into the first zone. Veronica, Helen, and Greta followed, holding on to each other and looking deliciously nervous. The interior of the Victorian home showed all the signs of being first abandoned and then repurposed as a haunted candy factory. The dining room table was laid with lavish china and platters laden with food. Food that was rotting and crawling with insects.