Halloween 2024 Contest Entry:
I am John Larson and up until three months ago I thought life was good. I was soon going to propose to my girlfriend Lacey Adams and do the happily ever after thing. Lacey is perfect, just the girl for me. We have been inseparable since we met at the library three and a half years ago. We dated for 6 months before we made it officially exclusive, but I know we were from the start. Then after a year of dating we moved in together and I know sheโs waiting for me to propose. Yet something is holding me back from making that step. Yes, I have bought the "ring,โ but I have not pulled the trigger because something just isn't right. It's not cold feet on my part after three years I think we are pretty suited for each other but it's just that something was just not right. It started about three months ago; Lacey came home from work and told me that her friend Darla and her boyfriend Glenn are swingers. Yes they are into swapping, and they went to parties and clubs. They loved it and were having so much fun.
"That's nice for them, if Darla and Glenn want to have that life who am I to judge but Iโm not interested at all. Zero interest, not now not ever."
Lacey didn't seem that happy with my response and I think she thought maybe she could convince me.
"Look John it will be fun, just a little experimenting before we get to old and boring."
Maybe we weren't a perfect match after all.
"Lacey surely by now you have figured out Iโm a traditional kind of guy. I want a traditional relationship, just one man and one woman, anything else is too much. I want to get married one day and have children. Then hopefully grandchildren and I want a partner to spoil them with and grow old with. I want to spend my life with the woman of my dreams and hopefully we die together in each other's arms. Call me crazy but thatโs what I like."
Lacey was usually a really good listener, and something must have got through because she dropped it. Sort of. She actually brought it up again a few weeks later. She just happened to work into our conversation one night how Darla and Glenn had so much fun, and they weren't married, so it was all just good fun. One day soon they were going to settle down and get married. This could be Lacey and John who met at the library just having fun maybe going a little crazy before they got married.
"Listen Lacey like I told you the last time you brought this up. Sure, I'm into fun and being crazy with you, only you! Iโll do pretty much anything to have fun with you in the intimate sense just as long as it doesn't include any other people. I am not interested at all and frankly I don't want to here about Darla and Glenn's sex life again."
It was calm and quite for three weeks after that and then we went out for supper one night. There was a very good-looking woman seated across from us at the restaurant and Lacey asked me if I thought she was a good-looking woman. I must admit I sort of lost it-on purpose.
"Yes Lacey she is rather good looking, better looking that you from most people's perspective. Moreover, if I wasn't fully committed to you and single I would want to fuck her. Yes I said fuck her because that's what it would be, not making love or anything else it would be just meaningless casual sex. However, if you remember I am not interested in any of that I am a one man and one woman guy and drooling over another women while in a committed relationship is cheating. Yes cheating, a look happens but anything more than a very brief look leads to trouble. The mind is the biggest sex organ and if you let other people sexually into your mind it is only a matter of time before you let them into your bed."
That stopped that conversation in its tracks and Lacey tried to change the subject immediately, but I wasn't done.
"I'm not interested in that woman over there. Iโm interested in you. You are the most beautiful woman in the world to me. If you are interested in sharing me with other women I am not even remotely interested in that and Iโm definitely not interested in sharing you with anyone else."
Now I let Lacey change the topic.
Then another unusual thing happened. It was mid September and Lacey started getting excited about her work's Halloween party. Now her boss Greg Hallman was a huge fan of Halloween, so they didnโt have a Christmas party nor a summer BBQ, nor anything else. No Hallman laid it on big for a Halloween bash. The unusual thing was that for past two years Lacey wasn't excited about her company's Halloween party. She would get a costume; I would get a costume, and we would attend. Lacey would make sure she talked to the right people, didn't get drunk and stupid and we would leave as soon as possible. I would be the proper date for the party, be polite as well as not get drunk and stupid. It seemed to me she had a better time at my work's Christmas party than she did at her annual Halloween party.
Yet this year suddenly Lacy was all excited about the Halloween party!? She was getting the costumes, Deadpool for me and a naughty nurse for her. Lacey was telling me how excited her and Darla were for their upcoming Halloween party. This led me to ask the obvious question,
"Lacey whatโs so different this year about your work party that you are so excited? In the past youโve not been excited at all and now that's all that you and Darla are talking about."
Lacey's reply was almost convincing,
"Iโm just embracing the Halloween spirit. Iโm just getting into it and this year is going to be great old because old man Hallman has rented an old house. No downtown hotel nor their ultramodern McMansion like last year. This time we're going to an old house, and I just know they are going to make it super creepy. Hallman loves Halloween and I'm sure he is going all out to make this year special. "
Now I like the Marvel Universe but I'm more partial to Wolverine and Spiderman but Deadpool would work for me. However, I must say that my "Spidey" senses were tingling, and I needed some answers before this party.
I figured the best way for me to find my answers out was to ask Darla's boyfriend Glenn. Darla was also going as a naughty nurse and her and Lacey had the same costumes. Something was up and Glenn would hopefully know. Lacey and I had gone out with Darla and Glenn a few times so I felt comfortable enough to call him at work and ask if he would meet me for a beer. He readily agreed so that night I texted Lacey I would be a little late home and met Glenn at a bar near his office.
I knew the kind of beer he liked so when he came, he joined me at a table just as the waitress was bringing our beers. After some very brief pleasantries, I flat out asked him about the Halloween party.
"Glenn the last two year's Lacey has been pretty ho hum about her work's Halloween party but this year she is super pumped. It seems that your Darla is the same do you have any idea why?"
Glenn laughed,
"It's the Deadpool extravaganza of course, don't you think that would be enough to get everyone excited?"
Now I was more confused,