Ding-dong.

            Waking up with a snort, my eyes opened wide, gazing around the room. It took me a few moments to realize I'd fallen asleep on my couch, right in front of the T.V. A commercial for Education Connection was playing, the catchy jingle monopolizing my mind for a moment.

            Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong.

            A scowl crossed my face as I ran a hand through my messy bedhead. "I'm coming!" I shouted in annoyance as the visitor continued to abuse my doorbell. After smoothing my hair down one more time, I grabbed the door handle and yanked it open, narrowing my eyes.

            They widened again when two tall hooded figures appeared in my vision. My mouth dropped open in surprise, but nothing would come out. The two forced me further into my house and I stumbled backward, my mind not working properly enough to comprehend the situation. Was I being robbed? Kidnapped?

            The taller one reached out and grabbed my shoulders, pulling me closer to his body. "Where's the money?"

            "I—"

            "Noah," the shorter one reprimanded, smacking his partner on the back. "I said we weren't going for the robbers approach!"

            My eyebrows furrowed. I knew that voice. "Chace?"

            "Happy birthday," Chace greeted me, pulling back his black hood to reveal his handsome, grinning face. "I'm a bit worried about your reaction though. You should have screamed or something..."

            Rubbing a hand over my face, I yawned. "I just woke up... Noah, are you going to take off your hood?"

            The blonde chuckled, sliding back his hood to display his blonde hair. "Sure thing, Rose. Long time no see, by the way."

            "I'll say," I responded, smiling slightly.

            "Happy birthday. Thanks for inviting me to your party."

            "Hey, blame that on Chace. He set it up."

            Pursing his lips, Noah targeted Chace with accusing eyes. "Why wasn't I invited?"

            "I didn't realize you guys were friends," Chace said simply, shrugging. "Next time I'll invite you."

            "You better," Noah muttered. "Anyway. Where's your costume?"

            I frowned at him. "My what?"

            "Costume? Hel-lo! It's Halloween!"

            "And I'm eighteen now... I'm not going trick or treating," I told him, giving him the are-you-crazy look.

            He clicked his tongue, shaking his head. "Rose, Rose. You are never too old to go trick or treating."

            I crossed my arms. "Uh, yeah you are. I didn't even go trick or treating last year... or the year before that even."

            "What a waste!" he cried, an offended expression crossing his face. "That's like, two bags of candy you've missed out on!"

            "Yeah, well, I don't like candy that much to begin with."

            "Lying isn't healthy, Rose."

            I turned to Chace, who was smirking widely. "Don't tell me you're going trick or treating..."

            "Yes, I am, and you are too," he informed me, his chocolate orbs lit up with excitement. "I told you I had a special surprise planned for your birthday."

            "But—"

            "No buts!" Noah interjected. "We're going trick or treating. I suggest throwing on a thermal if you have one. It's a bit nippy."

            These guys had to be crazy. First of all, we were all legal adults. You definitely weren't supposed to go trick or treating upon turning eighteen. It was almost literally taking candy from babies! "Guys, I, um, don't even have a costume."

            Chace beamed at me. "That's good! We made an extra just in case."

            "Made?"

            Noah pulled at the black gown that accompanied his hood. "Can't say we're too good at handicrafts, but it came out okay."

            I raised an eyebrow. "And what are you two supposed to be exactly?"

            "Uh, dementors, hello," Noah replied immediately, gesticulating to his body in an almost violent matter. "We have masks in the car. Those came out awesome."

            "They did," Chace agreed.

            "Dementor?" I echoed.

            Noah gaped at me. "You're kidding..."

            "I jest not."

            "From Harry Potter!" he said, sounding as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Dementors? Tell me you've seen Harry Potter."

            "I think I've seen the fourth and sixth..."

            Noah looked like he'd been slapped on the face. "You've only seen two of the movies? What is wrong with you?"

            "Nothing," I told him, an amused smile slipping onto my face. "You never pinned me as a type to like Harry Potter."

            His offensive look grew. "There's a type?"

            "I don't know, nerdy? You're more like, captain of the soccer team."

            "That's because I am captain," he snapped at me. "Who happens to love Harry Potter. But apparently you don't appreciate the finer things in life, Rose."

            Not sure whether to believe him or not, I kept my face neutral. Though he really did seem like the type to be a captain. "Oh really..."

            Chace sighed, cupping the back of his neck. "Just ignore him, Rosie. He gets too emotional when it comes to HP."

            "I am not emotional!"

            "I really don't want to go trick or treating, Chace," I started, turning my pleading eyes to him. "Can't we go to your house, curl up on the couch, and watch a movie or something?"

            He cocked an eyebrow. "Is that your idea of a fun birthday?"

            "Maybe?"

            "We do that a lot, Rosie," he complained. "We're going to get fat."

            I glanced at my stomach. "Hey, speak for yourself."

            "We're going trick or treating and that's final," Noah cut in firmly. "Even if I have to haul your ass over my shoulder, Rose."

            Letting out a resigned sigh, I slowly nodded. "Okay, okay. Fine. You guys win. Let me throw on a thermal and fix my hair."

            "You'll be wearing a hood," Chace pointed out with a heart-stopping grin. "Don't worry about looking good."

             I stared flatly at him.

             He realized his mistake immediately and smiled sheepishly. "Although, you look really good right now—"

             "Save it," I interjected, waving my hand at him. "Go make me a sandwich. I'm hungry."

             "Yes ma'am," he consented easily, mock-saluting me.

             I laughed quietly as I padded up the hallway. Randomly I wondered if Noah had a girlfriend. He definitely had to be the flirty type. Maybe he was a playboy. Tossing the thought of him aside, I quickly stripped out of my grey-and-black striped sweater and threw on a black thermal instead. Since my house was already at a rather warm temperature, the insulated article of clothing nearly made me sweat.

             Upon returning to the kitchen, I found Chace spreading some spicy mustard onto a slice of wheat bread. Impressed, I sat at the counter across from him, next to Noah. "You remember how I like my sandwiches."

             "'Course I do," he mumbled, as if embarrassed.

             Noah snickered, and I realized why. None too gently, I elbowed the blonde in the side. "Noah, you should take tips from Chace. Maybe you can become more of a gentleman."

             He snorted. "I am a gentleman. It's just funny to see Chace act this way when a few months ago, he wouldn't even talk to a girl."

             "Dude, shut up now," Chace snapped, now obviously embarrassed.

             "Well, I guess I'm just a special gal," I said cheekily.

             Noah gave me a surprisingly serious look. "I guess you are..."

             "Er... right. Anyway. Once I eat, let's get out of here. I'm dying in this thermal."

             "You'll be thankful for it once we get outside," Chace promised me, placing the two halves of my sandwich together to make it whole. "Here."

             Due to my hunger, I managed to scarf down the whole thing in less than three minutes. Both boys sat before me dazed, having a difficult time comprehending my unusual eating speed. Only slightly embarrassed by their gaping faces, I nodded to the door. "Shall we go then?"

             "You bet, Gluttony," Noah laughed, finally breaking out of his stupor.

             Chace just shook his head, hopping of the stool he was seated on. "We're going to stay around the neighborhood, so is it cool if I just keep my car here?"

             "Yeah, my dad's on a business trip anyway," I responded, locking the door behind us as we stepped into the bitter night air. "What time is it anyway?"

             "Just about eight," Chace notified me, glancing at his cell phone. "We've got about two hours."

             Noah yanked his hood over his head again. "Then let's get started. Rose, your costume is in the backseat."

             "And so are our masks," Chace added, opening the door to his car. "Just thrown the gown on over your head, Rosie. I'll help you with the mask."

             Doing as I was told, I threw the loose fitted garb over my head. It should have been surprising that it fit me perfectly, but seeing as how Chace's father had made a dress for me at one point, it didn't come as a shock. The masks, on the other hand, did. My nose wrinkled in disgust at seeing the grotesque faces. There wasn't even much to the face. It was hard to describe... they were just dementor-ish. Nevertheless, I allowed Chace to fasten it on over my face. The tight, black fabric was a bit constricting, but I figured I could deal with it for two hours.

             Gaggles of children and teenagers were already out and about by the time we started walking down my street, heading toward our first house. Plastic Walmart bags were in our hands— last minute goodie containers. In their excitement to dress up (and apparently dress me up) the dynamic duo had forgotten plastic pumpkins or pillowcases to carry their candy in.

             Honestly, I felt a little ridiculous going around dressed as a character (was it considered a character?) from Harry Potter. However, since no one could recognize me, I decided to let loose and have a little fun. After all, it had been two years since I'd last been trick or treating... and this would probably be my last time ever. As I walked past a young man in an oddly familiar costume, I paused, following him with my eyes. When I finally recognized the character, I gasped, grabbing Chace's hand. "Oh my god! That's guys dressed up as the goblin king David Bowie played!"

             "And I get made fun of for Harry Potter," Noah muttered in a carrying way.

             I ignored him, my gaze now following a group of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. "I totally forgot about the variety in Halloween costumes there is..." A generic witch walked past me, followed by a woman in a fat suit and I grimaced. "And the lame ones."

             Chuckling, Chace wrapped a strong arm around my shoulder. "Don't be so judgmental, Rosie."

             "I'm kind of more interested in seeing everyone's costumes than going trick or treating," I said seriously, grinning at a group of girls dressed as characters from The Flintstones.

             "Not-uh, don't think so," Noah voiced immediately. "You can do that next year. You know, while you're the one doing the giving of the candy. The people will come right up to your door so you can check them out. This year, you're getting the candy, capeesh?"

             I came to a dead halt at his hearing his words. Almost instantly I felt my heart sink. Next year? There was no next year. Why hadn't the thought crossed my mind? This year really was my last year. What was the point of anything when I couldn't see? Halloween wouldn't be special. I wouldn't be able to see anyone's costumes. Halloween would just become another regular day. A day in which I would have no vision.

             "Dude," Chace started, sounding angry. "Lay off."

             "What?" Noah asked, sounding surprised. "What did I say?"

             I searched for Chace's hand and found it, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "No, nothing. You're right. This year is good for trick or treating."

             "You're supposed to say capoosh."

             "What?"

             "You know, capeesh, capoosh?" Noah explained vaguely. "Capoosh is the answer to capeesh?"

             From beside me, Chace sighed lightly. "No one is ever going to use that, Noah."

             "You are such a downer, man."

             "Forget it, let's hit up our first house," Chace returned, twisting abruptly on his heel and heading up a paved path that led to a quaint-looking home.

             Both Noah and I followed him, all squeezing together on the small porch at the top. Noah, ever the eager, nearly shoved me off it in his haste to press the doorbell. Fifty times.

             "Noah!" I scolded, swatting his hand away.

             "What?" he complained.

             "That's rude!"

             "Or it just shows I'm excited.

             Chace patted his friend on the shoulder. "Nope, just means you're rude. They might not even come to the door now."

             Noah's shoulders sagged. "No..."

             Much to Noah's relief, the door opened. Immediately both boys let out cries of "trick or treat!" while I just let out a little mumble. Yes, trick or treating got embarrassing once you reached a certain age. Not that any of the homeowners we were going to see would know my age, though.

             The little old lady who'd opened the door smiled widely at us. "Ah, dementors I see. Nice costumes."

             Noah gave me a little kick, causing me to grimace. "Holy," I began to say when my eyes landed on the platter the old lady was offering to us, but I managed to stop myself. This senior citizen was offering up king-sized candy bars. Noah swiped a Kit-Kat bar, while Chace went for a Butterfinger. It took me a moment to decide; I was still amazed at the generosity of this stranger. Finally I managed to come to my senses long enough to take a Hershey's bar.

             "Thank you," we chorused before heading back down the path.

             "Jack pot," Noah cheered. "First house equals win."

             His enthusiasm brought a smile to my lips. "You really don't act your age."

             "Would you believe me if I told you I'm older than Chace?"

             "Nope."

             "Well, he is," Chace admitted begrudgingly. "By half a year. Not a big deal, but he seems to think it is."

             Noah shook his veiled head. "And yet we hear the grudge in your voice. All you've ever wanted to be was the older one."

             "It doesn't matter to me!"

             "Then why are you getting offensive?"

             "I am not getting offensive!"

             "Hmm? Why, that sounds like denial to me."

             "It's not!"

             Noah chuckled darkly. "And if that doesn't sound like denial, I don't know what does."

            In a fit of frustration, Chace smacked Noah upside the head. "Dude, just shut up."

            A warm grin settled onto my face. It wasn't often Chace acted like this. Around my friends he was conserved, around me he was himself, but not the part of himself he showed around Noah. Around Noah he acted more immature, which was refreshing to view.

            The next few houses were the take one fun sized kind of houses, much to Noah's dismay. To me, it didn't really matter, since there were only a few types of candy I liked, but I felt a little bad for the blonde. He was more excited than Chace and I put together. Chace, for the most part, seemed happy. His hand never left mine, and sometimes he'd randomly start humming under his breath.

            "Dude," Noah stated, coming to a dead stop in the street. "Look at that house."

            Following his pointing finger, my eyes landed on a house that looked like it came straight out of a cheesy horror movie. Or horror movie attraction from a theme park. It came complete with a fake graveyard outside, with electronic skeletons mulling about. Shrieks of terror and moans of pain came from hidden speakers. The whole thing screamed expensive electricity bill.

            "Want to go up? Or are you too scared?" Chace asked teasingly.

            Noah made a beeline for the path. "They're probably giving out cars."

            Laughing, Chace and I followed behind him. "You have a really interesting friend, Chace," I commented.

            "Yeah, he's pretty interesting, isn't he?" he replied fondly.

            "Isn't it crazy to think you could have lost him over one stupid fight?"

            "Ah, yeah..."

            Realizing I'd probably hit a sore spot, I frowned. "Wait, that came out wrong. Sorry."

            He shook his head. "No, it's fine. You're right. And it's thanks to you we're friends again."

            "Well, not really—"

            "Yes, really," Chace insisted. "I really owe you one."

            "No you don't," I mumbled, feeling both a bit pleased and embarrassed.

            Chace started to say something, but Noah, shouting from a little way in front of us, cut him off. "Guys! This zombie looks so real! Come check it out!"

            We hurried toward him, unaware of how much we'd fallen behind. In fact, I hadn't even noticed half of the creative decorations adorning the pathway. When we reached Noah, we found him nearly nose-to-nose with a life size zombie.

            "Boo!" it suddenly cried, sending Noah flying backward, an incredibly girly shriek escaping the blonde's mouth just before he fell flat on his back.

            This sent Chace over the edge. "Hahaha dude! Nice scream!"

            The zombie, probably a resident of the house, was also laughing. I tried to suppress my smile, but found I couldn't. Although I did find it in me to help the poor boy off the ground. Even though his mask covered his face, I figured he was blushing. "Y-you got me good," he said to the zombie.

            "Don't worry, you're not the only one," it responded in an amused tone.

            "Right... then I'll just carry on..." Awkwardly, Noah began to slink up the path again.

            "High-five, zombie-man," Chace ordered, holding out his hand.

            The zombie slapped him five, a grin still prominent on his face. My cheeks were beginning to hurt, so I forced my lips into a straight line. To Noah's disappointment, the house was not giving out cars, but bags of candy instead. I, for one, was satisfied with the bags of candy. It gave me more of a chance of finding something I liked.

            "You two," Noah said sharply as we were walking away. "We never speak of that again."

            "Sure," Chace and I agreed simultaneously.

            "Good, good..."

            For the next hour, we migrated from house to house, taking goodies from good Samaritans. One of the streets we walked down ended up being a dead end. After letting out a loud groan, I collapsed onto the ground. "My feet are killing me!"

            "I'm sorry," Chace offered unhelpfully, squatting down next to me. "Do you want to go back home? Our bags are pretty much full anyway..."

            "Noah?"

            "I have no problem with that," the blonde responded, also sounding weary. "This is worse than shopping in the mall..."

            Lying back, all I could see was the dark night sky and the bright stars. It reminded me of the time two days prior, when Chace had pulled me onto the roof to watch a meteor shower. It's funny how much more beautiful the world becomes when you know you're going to lose your vision. Each star twinkled stunningly. A large part of me just wanted to lie here forever.

            "Well, do you want to go?" Chace questioned again.

            "Only if you bring my house here."

            He laughed. "I can't do that, but I can offer you a piggy-back ride."

            "You'll carry me all the way home?"

            "Wee, wee, wee!" Noah chirped.

            Chace disregarded his friend, offering his hand out to me. I allowed him to pull me to my feet, but shook my head at his other proposal. "I'm way too heavy for you to carry all the way back."

            "Try me."

            "No way."

            "Rosie."

            I shook my head again. "No, Chace."

            "Don't make me throw you over my shoulder."

            I scowled at him, remembering a few seconds later he wouldn't be able to make out my facial expression under my hood and mask. "No. I'm too heavy."

            "I highly doubt that. You're very small."

            "That's... not a compliment," I responded, puffing out my cheeks.

            Groaning, Chace tugged on my wrist. "Come on. I'm your boyfriend. I should do this."

            Biting my lip, I still hesitated. "If I weigh too much, you'll put me down, right?"

            "You won't."

            "Chace."

            "Yes, if you do, which you won't, I'll put you down."

            "And if you get tired."

            "And if I get tired," he mocked wearily. "Now come on, Rosie."

            Feeling extremely self-conscious, I climbed onto Chace's back. With ease, he shifted me into a more comfortable position, beginning to walk promptly. Amazed, I clung to his neck. "You're strong," I commented.

            "No, you're just light."

            "Carry me too!" Noah said excitedly.

            Chace half-laughed. "All three hundred pounds, Noah?"

            "Hey. I only weigh one hundred and ninety. And I'm almost six feet. It's all muscle, baby."

            "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

            True to his words, Chace was able to carry me all the way back to my house. We entered my front door just as the clock struck ten. Noah yawned and stretched, peeling off his hood and mask. "I don't know about you two, but I have morning class tomorrow, so I'm going to head out."

            "You drove?" I questioned as I pulled off my own costume, trying to remember if I saw his car in my driveway or not.

            He nodded. "Yep, but I parked on the street. Anyway, I'll see you two later."

            "See ya, man," Chace responded, clapping him on the shoulder. Once the blonde left, he turned to me. "What do you want to do?"

            I tilted my head to the side, confused. "What?"

            "There's no school tomorrow for you, right? Teacher's professional day? And I only have afternoon classes, so..."

            "Actually, I'm kind of tired," I admitted. "I was thinking about going to bed early."

            Chace frowned a little bit. "Oh, okay."

            "Umm..." My heart skipped a beat at the disappointment on his face. He wanted to stay with me longer that much? "I mean, if you want to, you can stay the night. My dad won't be back until tomorrow afternoon."

            Chace seemed surprised at my offer. "Can I?"

            "You know, if you want," I mumbled. Did he not want to? "Just to sleep..."

            "No, yeah, totally," he responded quickly. "Just to sleep. Yeah, I'll do that. I guess I'm kind of tired too."

            The corners of my lips twitched up. "Really?"

            "Um, sure," he replied, scratching the back of my head. "I'll just text my dad..."

            "You can wear some of my pajamas if you want."

            "Ah..."

            Grinning, I gestured for him to follow me. "Just kidding. You can have some of my dad's. I just did some laundry."

            "Will he mind?"

            "He won't know."

            "Oh."

            "Relax, Chace. He wouldn't care even if he was here," I promised him. "We're only sleeping after all."

            Still clearly uncomfortable, Chace nodded. I couldn't help but grin. Sometimes he could be unbelievably cute.

            Twenty minutes later, pajama clad, teeth brushed, and tired out, Chace and I climbed into my bed. He kept a rather large gap between us and I turned on my side, propping my head up on my hand to gaze at him curiously. Eventually he faced me as well, blinking. "What?"

            "You know, we are dating. We can at least cuddle."

            Letting out an awkward laugh, he nodded. "R-right..." Almost reluctantly, he slid closer to me, opening his arms so I could snuggle up to him.

            "Does this make you uncomfortable?" I inquired.

            He shook his head. "No. It's just... weird. I haven't done this in a long time because..."

            "Right," I interjected. "Right. I haven't either."

            Grinning, his chocolate eyes met mine. "That's good."

            I stared at him resisting the urge to touch his face. Even if it was weird to describe a male as pretty, I couldn't help but use the adjective with him. Not only was he pretty, but he was also cute, and every other positive adjective you could use to describe someone's looks. I felt as if I could gaze at him forever.

            Forever?

            Oh.

            "Chace?" I whispered.

            "Mmm?"

            "I'm going to miss your face."

            Confusion crossed his eyes. "What?"

            "When I go blind," I clarified quietly.

            Now a pained expression came onto his face. "Oh."

            Oh. That was really all that could be said. Nothing could make the fact I wouldn't be able to see better. Nothing could promise me I'd be able to see his face forever. Suddenly his hands sought mine and brought them to his face. "I have an idea. Memorize my face with your hands. That way you'll never forget."

            "Chace," I started, but he gave me a hard look. "Okay, okay... I'll try it."

            Releasing my hands, he closed his eyes and lay stock-still. Slowly, I trailed my fingers across his jaw, up to his cheekbones, attempting to memorize each shape. I touched his nose, his eyes, his forehead, and then his lips. It was amazing how soft his lips were. Dragging my finger away from him, I went and felt his ears, smiling a little bit. Then a tickled his chin. He slapped my hand away almost immediately. Grinning now, I traced the slope of his jaw back up to his ear, then up to his forehead. Finally, my right hand came to a rest at his lips again. He parted them a little bit, and I gently traced my finger across his lower one. Then, feeling rather bold, I removed my finger and pressed my lips to his. "Goodnight, Chace."

            His eyes opened again, and he half-smiled. Leaning forward, he placed a kiss on my forehead. "Goodnight, Rosie. I love you."

            My next words stuck in my throat. I love you. He always caught me off guard with that. I needed to say it back. Sure, he hadn't said anything yet, but I was almost positive he expected me too. He wanted me too. Hell, I wanted me to too. But for some reason, I couldn't force it past my lips.

            So instead, I settled for pressing my face into his chest and murmuring nonsense. Soon I'd gain enough courage to say it. Soon.