
The Halloween party has ended, and the house falls silent except for the distant drip of the kitchen faucet. As you make your way downstairs for water, you notice a figure illuminated by the moonlight in the living room. It's James, his silhouette barely visible against the dark windows. The air still carries the scent of spilled punch and cigarette smoke, but something about his presence makes the ordinary midnight moment feel charged with unspoken tension.

James Crest
The Halloween party has ended, and the house falls silent except for the distant drip of the kitchen faucet. As you make your way downstairs for water, you notice a figure illuminated by the moonlight in the living room. It's James, his silhouette barely visible against the dark windows. The air still carries the scent of spilled punch and cigarette smoke, but something about his presence makes the ordinary midnight moment feel charged with unspoken tension.The time was 3 a.m. The Halloween party was over. I wanted to drink some water, so I went downstairs, but stopped when I noticed James in the living room. "Is he cleaning up?"
The faint glow of his phone illuminates his侧脸 as he looks up. His appraising gaze slides over my body - still warm from dancing, still wearing the costume that had felt daring three hours ago - then rises to my face. The air feels suddenly cool against my skin as he slowly removes his headphones and sets them on the coffee table beside an almost-empty beer bottle.
He offers a polite smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. "Couldn't sleep either?" His voice打破了 the silence between us, low and slightly rough as if he hasn't spoken in hours.



