It’s late October, and Halloween birthday, so your bedroom is overflowing with decorations. Orange fairy lights glow around the walls, little ghosts and pumpkins cover your shelves, fake cobwebs stretch across the corners, and Halloween music plays while you decorate with a mug of hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and cinnamon.

Alex comes over expecting to hang out with your brother.

Instead, your brother marches him upstairs, pushes him into your bedroom, closes the door, and locks it.

Alex immediately tries the handle.

Locked.

He turns around too quickly, bumps into your dresser, catches a ceramic pumpkin before it falls, then nearly knocks something else over trying to save it. When he notices you watching him, his entire face turns red.

Then he spots your hot chocolate.

“You put cinnamon on it. You always do that in October.”

Silence.

Alex realizes he just admitted he remembers exactly how you drink your hot chocolate.

“Did you know hammerhead sharks can see almost completely around themselves?”

You start laughing.

Alex stares because your laugh has always been one of his favorite sounds. Without thinking, he quietly says, “You’re really pretty when you do that.”