The One After [SHAWN MENDES]

Chapter 141

"Pumpkin guts used to make my mom's hands itch," I commented as we scraped out the disgusting insides of our jack-o-lanterns.

"That happens to Aaliyah, too. My mum looked it up once and it's fairly common. People can be allergic to raw pumpkin but have no reaction when it's cooked."

I inspected my work and deemed it good enough. Then I got up and went to the sink where I scrubbed my hands. "I think I'll do a scary face this year."

"That's what I was gonna do. Let's see who can make the scariest," he challenged.

"Are we talking complex designs, because I can't do that."

"Naw. Just simple spooky ones. To make it even, we can say no more than four holes on the face. How's that sound?" Shawn asked.

"I'm in. How will we judge? You're a Leo, so you'll think yours is the best no matter what."

"That hurts!" He clutched his heart, dramatically. "It's a fair question, though. We can take a photo and show your dad, Jennifer, and my parents so that they can vote."

"And what does the winner get?"

"Any special sexual favor they want from the loser," he replied rather quickly. "Within reason, of course,"

I knew it would come down to sex. "Let's do it. No using your phone for inspiration, though. That's cheating."

"Are you talking about inspiration for what I'm going to request sexually after I kick your ass?" Shawn had a huge smirk on his face as his eyes twinkled mischievously.

"Very funny. You know what I meant. Is there a time limit?"

"How about thirty minutes?"

I nodded and picked up my knife. Shawn moved to the other side of the counter so that we couldn't see each other's work, and then he set a timer in his phone.

For at least six or seven minutes, I stared at my pumpkin. What made something scary to me? I thought back to my favorite horror movies and realized it was often the eyes of the killer or monster that freaked me out. I swore internally for coming up with the no phone idea, because I was stuck on how to follow through with my vision. After a few minutes, I formulated an idea for creepy eyes in my head and began carving.

Shawn, meanwhile, had been hard at work from the second he started the timer. When I glanced across the counter at him, I saw an intense look of concentration on his face and suspected I was destined to lose.

I got back to the task at hand and was quite pleased with the large sinister eyes I'd carved, but when my boyfriend called out a five minute warning, I panicked. I hadn't even done the nose or mouth yet! Resorting to the basic mouth design I'd done as a child, I worked as fast as I could, but the alarm sounded before I could add a nose.

"Ready for the big reveal?" Shawn asked smugly, clearly assuming his was better.

"Yes," I sighed. "I ran out of time, so I was rushed at the end."

"You also didn't start forever," he said with a light laugh. "On the count of three, turn it around. One. Two. Three."

His pumpkin was awesome. It had star-like eyes and a huge mouth with jagged teeth. The nose was just a triangle, and that detracted from the look as a whole, but it was still superior to mine. I began wondering what he'd want me to do for him later. A blow job? That wasn't particularly special. Surely he wouldn't request something I wasn't comfortable with.

"Those eyes are incredible, Lulu!" he gushed as he admired my work. "They are genuinely scary!"

I wasn't sure if he meant this or if he felt pity for me. "Thanks, but we may as well declare yours the winner. No need for getting input from anyone else."

"You're nuts. I think your pumpkin is amazing. You have just as good a shot at winning as I do."

He was wrong, but I loved how supportive he was of me. "Let's clean up and take a shower. We can put candles in the pumpkins afterwards and take a photo for our judges."

"I'll take care of the mess, you go warm up the water. I'll be there in a minute."

I went to our bedroom and pulled off my hoodie before removing my leggings. I was shocked to see a large quantity of blood in the crotch of my panties. My gynecologist told me that my periods could be erratic during the first six months with an IUD, but I assumed they wouldn't be this heavy since so far they'd been delightfully light and pain-free. I was suddenly hit by violent cramping, and I felt a trickle run down my leg. I hurried to the bathroom and got in the shower as tears started streaming down my face.

"What's wrong? Why isn't the water running?" Shawn asked with concern when he joined me a few minutes later.

"I got my period and the timing sucks," I blubbered.

"Baby...it'll be okay. What do you need? Advil? A tampon? Chocolate?"

"I need to take a shower alone because I feel gross. Then I'm going to take Advil and curl up in bed until we have to leave."

"You sure? I could give you an orgasm to relieve your cramps."

I shook my head. "I don't want to be touched right now, but thank you. You're the absolute best boyfriend." He left me alone and when I entered the bedroom after my shower, he was lounging on the bed looking at his phone. "The bathroom is all yours."

"I can wait if some cuddles would help you."

"I'd like that," I told him as I crawled into my side of the bed. He enveloped me in a hug as I rested my head on his chest. "So much for hot Halloween sex like we had last year. I guess we should've done it this morning while we had the chance."

"We've got lots of Halloweens ahead of us, and frankly, sex isn't what I was looking forward to most today. I'm really excited about dressing up and spending time with our families."

"But you made the contest about sex."

He chuckled, which made his chest vibrate under my cheek. "Isn't that what couples always use as a prize? And whoever wins will wait until you're ready."

I didn't say anything, but he'd just disclosed that he believed he was going to be victorious.

We stayed in bed until he had to shower, and then we went to the kitchen and put tea candles in the pumpkins. It wasn't dark enough outside to get the best effect, so we took them into the hall bathroom, turned off the lights, and photographed our masterpieces as they sat on the counter. After blowing them out and placing them on the patio table, I did my hair and we changed into our costumes.

Last year, Shawn woke me up wearing vampire teeth and it had been unbelievably sexy, so I suggested that this year he dress up as a vampire and I could be his victim. Initially this meant that all I had to do was make my face pale and add some bloody marks on my neck, but he upped the ante by saying we should be vampires from a specific time period. We wrote down five decades on scraps of paper and put them in a ball cap. I drew one and was pleased to see "70's" written on it. A couple vintage store excursions later, we both had authentic get-ups, though I also raided my grandma's closet for a few things.

Shawn was wearing denim bell-bottoms and a silky wide-labeled disco-era shirt with red, white, and blue jagged stripes. I had on a brown, orange, yellow, and avocado green floral mini-dress which I paired with patterned tights, go-go boots, and my grandma's crocheted sweater. He attached his fake fangs, and I made my face deathly pale with dark circles under my eyes. Using fake blood, he created bite marks on my neck and added a few drops to the corner of his mouth. I insisted that he let me put a little of my black eyeliner under his eyes because I'd seen photos of him wearing makeup on a previous Halloween, and it turned me on.

We were all set for the evening.