There are very few things Anthony Beauregard hates more than flying, but when his best friend Justin mysteriously asks him to return to their hometown of New Orleans for Halloween, Anthony knows he will hop on a plane and go. Certain Justin’s been holding back on his own love to spare Anthony’s feelings, Anthony is determined to not show his feelings for Justin.
Justin Thibodeaux has waited over a decade for his best friend Anthony to realize there’s something between them. This Halloween, he’s determined to do whatever he must to put them in a romantic situation, even if that means taking Anthony out to a creepy shack in the swamp and scaring the hell out of him.
Will Anthony fall for the elaborate facade, or will it just turn out to be a weekend of horrific confessions?
The old white house stood atop a large number of wooden pilings protruding from the water. A deck surrounded it on all sides, but there was no land anywhere near it. Anthony imagined the strain that the people who had built it must have gone through. Justin pulled up to one of the end poles, and tied a rope from the boat to the pole. A second later, he reached for a rope ladder that hung down from the deck.
“I’m going to go up there and make sure nothing’s up there that shouldn’t be,” Justin said, making it up the rope ladder with his back pack intact. “Hand me one of those paddles.”
“I’ll join you,” Anthony said, handing Justin both of the paddles.
Justin’s face seemed to consider the idea as he accepted the paddles. “Okay, but stay behind me.”
“Oh, I will,” Anthony said. “I sure don’t plan on standing in front of you if you’ve got that thing in your hand. I’ve seen you swing at a baseball.”
“Um, I’ve improved,” Justin said, gripping the oar.
Anthony looked at his friend skeptically as he climbed the rope ladder. “Let’s hope we don’t have to find out.”
When Anthony reached the top of the ladder, Justin extended a hand. Anthony took it, liking Justin’s firm grip. When he was securely on the deck, Anthony and Justin both looked around the deck from where they were before beginning to walk around.
“You can never be too careful,” Justin said, starting to walk around the part of the deck that ran along the side of the house.
“Ain’t that the truth,” Anthony said, following Justin. “If there is one thing all of us who’ve grown up in snake infested lands knows it’s to look where you’re walking.”
Justin stopped as they reached the back of the house.
“This deck is huge,” Anthony said. “How many of these pilings are under this place?”
“Oddly, I’ve never counted. There are enough to hold this house up for generations though. It’s made it through floods and hurricanes and a few natural disasters surprisingly. It’s been in my father’s family for years.”
Two squirrels ran along the deck at the back of the house, but nothing else seemed to be there. Finally, they reached the last side of the house. As they turned the corner from the back, Justin backed up and pushed Anthony behind him.
“What is it?” Anthony asked.
“Another water moccasin,” Justin said.
“What are we going to do?” Anthony asked.
“This,” Justin said, rushing toward the sunbathing snake with the paddle in his hand.
Anthony ran after Justin, but wasn’t sure what more he could do as Justin used his paddle to push the moccasin over the deck and into the water.
Anthony started to look down over the deck, but Justin pulled him back.
“C’mon,” Justin said, wrapping his arm around Anthony. “You know you’re scared of those things. I don’t want you to have nightmares tonight.”
Anthony allowed Justin to lead him from the side to the front of the old house.
“I hope none of those got in the house,” Justin said.
Anthony was suddenly tense. “I had never even thought of that.”
Justin squeezed his arm a little tighter around Anthony. “We’ll check it together.”
I love his arm around me, Anthony thought, but if he knew the effect it was having on me, he would run from me like I wanted to run from that snake.
