I watched the two of them tangled up in each other, lips unwilling to part. My heart had already stopped, and yet somehow it still ached — a sharp, uncontrollable pain.
Two weeks ago, both sets of parents had been pushing us to get engaged.
Allan had knelt at my feet, promising he'd give me a home soon.
I'd thought today would be the happiest day of my life.
The boy next door I'd loved since childhood, down on one knee. Flowers. Applause. Congratulations.
Instead, what greeted me was his April Fools' joke.
Allan glanced back at the haunted house. No more screaming. No more desperate, gut-wrenching cries from inside.
He raised an eyebrow at Pauline and gave a thumbs-up.
"Your desensitization method actually worked. She's not even scared anymore."
Pauline lifted her chin, smug.
"Obviously. She's probably having the time of her life in there — totally hooked on the thrill."
The livestream chat started urging Pauline to take them on a haunted house tour.
Allan took the phone from her, carefully adjusting the angle.
They walked forward, and some invisible force dragged me along. I tried to drift somewhere else, but the moment I floated too far, I was pulled right back to Allan's side.