Trick-or-Treat

“So Kennedy’s coming down there, right?” Tania held the phone tight between her shoulder and head, balancing the bowl in her hand and spoon in the other. “To visit for the weekend?”

“Yes.” Her friend let out a squeal through the the phone, “I’m on my way to pick him up right now.”

Tania focused her attention to the batch of cookies she was working on while Dani chatted through the device, gushing about all the things she and Kennedy were going to do. She knew the truth, Kennedy and Dani wouldn’t leave Dani’s hotel room until iKennedy had to go. No matter what seaquariums were opening or clubs she loved or how warm the ocean was, Tania knew what Kennedy and Dani would spend their time in Miami doing.

The more Dani talked, the less Tania listened; it wasn’t that she didn’t care about her friend because she did. But Tania couldn’t help but be a little jealous. Kennedy was leaving the tour for the weekend to visit her in Miami, and yet, John didn’t bother. When he’d call and she’d ask about visiting, he’d always tell her he was trying to get a weekend away but never could.

“So do the guys have a lot of time off then?” She changed the subject. “I mean Kennedy’s been down to visit you like, what, three times now?”

She could practically see Dani frown against the phone. “Yeah, they have tons of time off between shows. Doesn’t John come visit? Do I need to talk to him?” Tania smiled at her friend’s response. “I mean, you two are officially together now right? That’s what he told Ken.”

“Oh, uh… yeah, ‘course he visits.” Tania lied for him. “He’s just been swamped trying to write and interviews and stuff. Sucks being the lead singer I guess, huh?”

Dani let out a forced chuckle. “Look, you don’t have to lie for him. If he’s being a jackass I got no problem beating him up. He listens to me.”

The phone slipped from her shoulder some, causing her to set the bowl down quickly on the counter to readjust it. The cookie dough was coming together, all the ingredients mixing to form the second part of John’s care package she had been working on. “No.” She mumbled.
“He’s just busy right now. And the all the guys leave the second there’s a break, so John stays with the driver and everything.”

“Okay, whatever you say,” Dani groaned out, “Lying for him won’t make him any better. Look I’m pulling into the airport so I gotta go okay? I’ll call you later when you’re ready for me to bitch at John.”

She wanted what Dani and Kennedy had. She wanted for her and John to be inseparable, for two weeks to be way too long for him to go without seeing her. For Dani, Kennedy would visit her in Miami every other weekend. And Dani would visit him in between those weekends, staying on the bus or in a hotel while they toured.

John had only visit once since they left two months ago for tour. Even though shows were sparse and the group would have three or four day breaks between cities were the group would just stay on the bus until they headed off to the next place. She wished he would come on those days, like Kennedy did for Dani. John swore that he was simply too busy writing with Jared or doing interviews to leave. But still, she had trouble believing it especially with how often Dani would call to tell her Kennedy was visiting or she’d see Garrett and Melanie together at friends’ parties.

This was her fourth batch of cookies she’d made today. While most of her friends were out today gathering supplies to make costumes for Halloween and planned on attending parties, Tania stood in the kitchen that Friday night with no plans other than to bake cookies and work on her homework. Baking was something that kept her occupied and checked in. Her mind wouldn’t wander to sad moments; it served as the perfect distraction. She’d made a batch for everyone; snickerdoodles for her elderly neighbor, chocolate chip for her parents, and peanut butter for her sister. And this batch was for John, because he loved her sugar cookies and always begged her to make him some. Tania enjoyed making cookies; it could be such a stress reliever and distraction. Whenever she had a bad day at school, she’d bake and when she had a fight with her parents the first thing she’d do when she’d get home was get out her baking gear, and of course, when she missed John, she’d work on cookies.

It was barely six o’clock and trick-or-treaters were already starting to show up. The doorbell rang and the puppy would bark, only making her move quicker towards the door. It was the same routine as all the years before, she’d buy the candy that morning, dumping it into a big bowl, and whenever the neighborhood children would ring the doorbell, she’d answer, giving each kid a handful of candy. She considered just not bothering with it this year because she was bitter about John not coming home and the kids had plenty of other houses to visit and their bags would have candy in it regardless of her help. When John called and promised her he’d be home for Thanksgiving, it gave her the motivation to get out of bed and celebrate the holiday.

They hadn’t been a couple for long, they’d barely known each other for 6 months yet. Dani introduced them during spring break when the boys were home from touring and Tania wasn’t so swamped with school work. John and Tania got along well enough, they’d go out and see movies, she’d call John when her day was overly stressful, and John knew her house inside-and-out, but he moved slowly to advance their relationship. It took John a good 3 months to kiss her and another one to ask her to be his girlfriend.

She understood why it took so long, the band made it hard to hold a solid friendship. But she handled it well enough, the phone calls would frequently suffice. Tania would mail him care packages full of baked goods and things he’d miss from home. He’d promise her he’d visit soon and even fly her out to whatever he was so they could spend the day together. But he never actually had and she never bothered asking why.

Of course she missed him. She missed their Friday night dates that he never really counted as dates; the ones where he’d simply come to her house with a collection of movies, a pizza, and a few beers and they’d spend the evening relaxing. He’d stay the whole night sometimes, letting her complain about professors and friends. He’d hug her when she was upset and kiss her after she felt better. Just the idea of having him a few minutes away was comforting.

By the time she got to putting the final batch of cookies in the oven, she’d already seen most of the neighborhood children at the door. It got a little annoying, every time she’d open her textbook or tune herself into what was on television, it’d chime again. The puppy’s bark didn’t help much, so Tania resorted to locking Nolan in her bedroom for the evening. Tania worked hard between trick-or-treaters, finishing her assignments due the following week and then catching up on the readings she’d missed.

Tania had just reached her couch when the doorbell rang again, followed by the tapping of knuckles against the wood. With a groan of muffled curses, she pushed herself back up, grabbing the bowl of candy and walking toward the door unwillingly. The bowl seemed to not be emptying fast enough even though the children were still showing up just as frequently. She was tired of it now, ready for the festivities to die down so she could actually get some work done.

Without a smile, she pulled the door open, expecting to see a group of children screaming at her to give them candy but instead wasn’t at all. Her frustration disappeared when she saw the smile over his face and the pizza box in his hand. “Trick or treat.” He mumbled, leaning forward and pecking her lips. “Surprise?”

She hadn’t expected it, not in the slightest. When they talked that morning, John said they were in Boston and he said they’d be doing interviews in the afternoon and had some dinner with label people afterwards. Never had she imagined him standing on her front porch this evening, looking like he always did every Friday night, a box of pizza in one hand, a pack of beers and a few movies in the other. “I t-thought…you—you said you were in Boston.” She stuttered out, the blush rising to her cheeks from her lack of words. “W-what are you d-doing here?”

“Well, I was in Boston this morning,” John replied, still smiling. “And I missed you.”

“Missed me?” She repeated, still looking confused. The bowl was still in her hand, the door only opened far enough for her to come out. Her attention set on the children walking on the sidewalk, their eyes directed up at the two as their parents guided them past the house after seeing him there. She gave them a thankful smile, they probably couldn’t see but knew was there.

He nodded gently, “You’re surprised, right?” He bit down on his bottom lip.

“Of course.” She breathed; his face softened at her words.

John exhaled, readjust the beer in his hands. “Good, because Melanie knew and Garrett flew home yesterday with very specific directions to not let her tell you—”

“Don’t worry, John.” Tania smirked, “Knowing those two, I’m pretty sure Garrett did a fine job at distracting her.”

Another family walked by, one she recognized from down the street. They knew her, the two kids walked up the driveway with hopeful eyes, her name falling from their lips. John stepped out of the way, smiling down at the two girls, one not much younger than the other, both dressed up as princesses. The mother greeted her as she scooped two handfuls of candy for the girls. They girls tugged at the mother’s hand when Tania introduced John and he shuffled around the food in his hands so he could shake the woman’s hand. Neither party spoke for long, the mother was being half-dragged down the driveway as John stepped back into his spot in front of her.

“So, are you gonna let me in?” His voice was hopeful, as if Tania would actually tell him no or to go home.

Not answering, she stepped back, pulling the front door with her so John could step through. In one long stride, he stepped into the house, immediately smiling as he inhaled, “Did you make cookies?” He questioned, glancing into the kitchen curiously.

Her gaze followed his, “I was working on another care package for you.” She shrugged, blushing a little at the smile that covered him after she told him.

“Where’s Nolan?” He glanced at her, waiting for the oversized shepherd puppy to attack him.
The puppy was a gift from him before he left for tour. Nolan was intended to fill the void John left when he was traveling. And he did, filling Tania’s house with something else. But he wasn’t John. Nolan was an oversized German Shepherd with a huge tail and a loud bark. He was handful for her, but she loved him. He’d sleep beside her at night when she missed John’s warmth and the sound of his nails against the hardwood floors of her house made the space feel smaller. She was thankful to have him.

“Oh.” She breathed out, pointing down the hallway at the her doorway. “He barked at every trick-or-treater, so I put him in my room.”

There was still that young couple awkwardness between them. Tania didn’t know what to say to him. It was obvious he didn’t either. They both stood in the foyer for a few moments, John’s attention towards the kitchen and her’s on him. She wanted him to say it again, that he was home strictly for her. There weren’t any family parties to attend or band meetings. She hoped it was just to see her and to lay in bed beside her once again. But she couldn’t ask. Tania didn’t want to seem needy. She didn’t want John to know she missed him as much as she did or wanted him to come visit her like Kennedy and Garrett visited Dani and Melanie.

“Do you, uh… wanna,” She pointed at the box of pizza in his hand, quickly gesturing to the kitchen. “Eat or…?”

John nodded, stepping towards the kitchen. He walked a few paces in front of her, keeping the pizza tight between his hand and the pack of beers hanging in the other. The kitchen was messy when they entered it. Her cheeks flushed and she darted her eyes away from him as he turned around to see her, pushing to cookie racks out of the way to put the pizza down on the countertop. Had she known he was coming home, she would have cleaned up the dirty dishes in the sink and the stacks of homework and textbooks on the table. “S-sorry about the mess.” She whispered.

Instead of answering, John filled the gap between them, resting his palms against her waist. He pecked her once, before kissing her harder against the lips. She moved so her back rested comfortably against the counter, her hands sliding over his shoulders and around his neck, and fingers playing with the hair on the base of his neck. John didn’t rush her, kissing her simply until the two ran out of oxygen and he broke away, leaning down into the nape of her neck. “I really did miss you, Tania.” He breathed.

She wouldn’t let herself get too caught up in the gesture and start over-thinking his intentions. Mumbling her response seemed too sudden and she didn’t want to scare him off. Instead she pushes against him a little, making his head bounced up and the moist air that spread over her to stop. “So w-what movies did you bring?”

“Oh.” He muttered, pulling away quickly to grab the movies. “I got Psycho and Silence of the Lambs.”

“I don’t like scary movies, John.” She smirked at him, watching him set the cases back down on the counter and reach for two plates from the cabinet above the pizza. “You know that.”

He set the two plates down, opening the pizza box and pulling the slices apart. Putting one on hers and three on his. “It’s Halloween, Tania.” He glanced at her, licking the grease from his fingers before pulling two beers from the box. “‘Sides, I’m here baby, I’mma protect you from all the scary things.”

Scoffing, she grabbed the plates from him, carrying them out into the living room as John followed with the drinks and movies. The living room wasn’t quite as disastrous as the kitchen. She rarely spent time in the room when John wasn’t around, her time usually spent dealing with food in the kitchen, studying at the table, or sleeping in her room. Sitting down in the room wasn’t right without John anymore.

At first, they sat apart, inches separated their knees and shoulders. The food distracted her for a short time so her attention wasn’t on the movie. But as it progresses and the movie scared her more, she moved closer to John. Her head rested against his shoulder and she’d turn into his neck when she got scared. John would chuckle, squeezing her tighter to him and kissing the top of her hand. By the time the move ended, he had fallen asleep with his head resting on hers and her eyes were shut, waiting for the film to be over. He snored lightly, his hand fell from his shoulder to her waist.

“John,” She whispered, moving her head slowly, “It’s over.”

He didn’t move at his name or when she moved her head, simply curling into her more and sighing into her neck. She giggled when he snored again, his body turning towards her. “John,” She whispered again, “Wake up.”

Instead of waking up like she’d hoped, John wrapped his arm around her waist, trapping her beside him. Tania only giggled again. She felt bad waking him up especially after he flew home that day to see her. But she couldn’t resist, pressing her lips to his quickly and lightly, waiting for him to shift.

Blinking himself awake, he sat up, moving his hand from her waist, giving her a confused smile. His gaze caught hers and he smiled slightly, pecking her lips, the bags under his eyes only proved more to her that he was exhausted, that the trip here was for him to catch up on the lack of sleep. She forced a smile, looking away from his eyes.

“S-sorry.” He whispered, leaning closer to her ear, trying to recapturing her eyes. “I didn’t fly out here to sleep.”

“It’s fine, baby.” She mumbled back, trying not to sound disappointed. “You can sleep, I totally understand.”

Her attempt at not sounding disappointed didn’t work and John sat up, repositioning himself to a more comfortable angle for her. “I’ll sleep when I’m dead, Tania.” He said it in such a way that made her turn and look at him, smiling immediately at his grin. “Besides, I can think of much better ways to spend the weekend.”

A blush covered her cheeks again, “B-baking more cookies?” She teased when he tried kissing her again.

John didn’t reply, instead reaching up and cupping her cheek, pressing his lips to hers. She sunk into the couch as he moved closer, his hands falling from her cheeks to her neck. Tania sighed into it, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning back a little so he was laying on her. They laid there, ignoring the credits that were still running or the sound of Nolan barking in the other room. The doorbell rang once, but they ignored it, enjoying being together enough to make the background noises to disappear.

When the trick-or-treaters continued though, pressing their fingers to the bell again, John stopped, pulling away slightly. “The tricker-or-treaters?” He mumbled against her lips. “They probably want their candy.”

Tania just shrugged, pulling him back down and reconnecting their lips. They only kissed for a few more minutes until a new set of bells began. He pulled away again, smiling down at her while he breathed heavily. “Baby,” He whispered, pecking her jaw and neck, “You should get that.”

Nodding, she pushed gently on his chest and left the couch, sending John a disappointed smile as she went to grab the candy. Her kitchen looked the same, the finale batch of cookies still on the cooling racks and the stack of dishes waiting in the sink. She didn’t bothering worrying over it, grabbing the half empty bowl from the table and walking towards the door quickly. A small pack of kids waited there, ones she didn’t recognize, and their parents waited at the end of the driveway, sending her a smile. Silently, she put some candy in each open bag and closed the door when the kids walked away.

She left the bowl back on the table, quickly making her way back to the living room where John was waiting. A sheepish smile covered her face when she sat back down and he pecked her lips once again. They both sat awkwardly, waiting for the other to make some move again. Neither did and she sighed, looking towards him. “John?” She whispered and he looked at her. “Are we, um…?”

The doorbell interrupted again, and she let out a frustrated groan. He simply rose, leaning down once to kiss her before stepping towards the kitchen. “It’s okay,” She tried, rising from her seat only to see him give her a slight glare. “I can get it.”

“I got it.” He smiled, turning back to the door.

John whistled as he continued through the kitchen, bringing a smile to her lips. It was nice to have him near her, to have his voice fill the empty space, and to have someone to sit beside her. John didn’t live with her yet, but when he was home, he’d spend two or three days here a week. He’d come for various reasons, calling only moments before he’d arrive, and ask her if he could come over for a while. John made the house more comfortable, his constant humming and talking made nice background noise. When he left, it was the first thing she noticed. The silence. Even leaving the radio on or television didn’t work the same way as his noise.

He returned before she could memorize the sound of his whistling enough to be able to remember it when he left again. Smiling, he sat down on the couch again, sitting closer then she had to him. “I just left the bowl outside,” He whispered, wrapping his arm around her waist. “No more interruptions.”

The two were silent, John hand rested against her back as he pulled her into him, brushing her hair from her eyes. And she leaned into him, smelling the hotel soap and laundry detergent. This was what she missed too. He was always affectionate, wanting to hold her hand or hug her. When she let him sleep beside her, he’d like to be close to her, pulling him into his chest anytime she’d scoot away.

Before she could try to speak again, he was already pressing his lips to hers and her hands were in his hair. John pushed her back so she reclined against the arm, keeping himself as close to her as possible. The kissing was something she missed too. He was always slow enough that she never wanted to pull away or tell him to stop but he never left her feeling like she needed more. John’s hands wouldn’t wander under her shirt until she was ready for him.

She giggled when he pulled away to regain his breath. “There’s something in my room, John.” She whispered into his ear. “I wanna show it to you.”

John just smiled, standing up and offering her a hand, letting her lead him out of the room.