Work Text:
Anne was getting her work done as she was listening to the radio. It was Maroon 5. The song was a huge hit but Anne could not agree with the lyrics. She was not a fan of Adam Levine’s; not since the day she saw the music video “This Love”.
What kind of man would make his girlfriend do that embarrassing and humiliating graphic thing for million viewers to see?
Even worse, Adam Levine’s face was clearly seen; but his girlfriend at the time was only there for the sex part.
By his lyrics, it was clear to her that Adam Levine is a stalking control freak.
But that’s also what makes him sexy.
Her phone rang; it was Isabel.
“Hey Annie, what are you doing on Halloween?” Isabel asked.
“I don’t know,” Anne replied. “Nothing on my planner yet.”
“Great!” Isabel said excitedly. “George’s mother is throwing her Halloween costume party. It’d be great if you can come.”
Anne was debating.
“Come on Annie! You like to dress up.”
“Fine,” Anne said. “I’ll come. What are you going to be?”
“George and I…we are going to be Daphne and the tree.”
“What?”
“It’s from Greek mythology. Daphane was a maiden pursued by a lover and she didn’t want him around; she prayed to Diana and the goddess turned the stalker into a tree.”
“Izzy, you had it all wrong!” Anne corrected her. “It was Daphane who got turned into a tree by Diana. The stalker is Apollos, Diana’s twin brother.”
“Wait, what?”
“Izzy, you have to be the tree and George has to be Apollo!” Then Anne, like usual, went on and on.
“Okay, Annie I get it!” Isabel was very sorry that she brought it up. “What are you going to be?”
“I don’t know…I have to think about it.”
***
Looking for a costume …
Anne went online to see what’s available. After surfing for hours, she finally found one costume that captured her heart.
It was a medieval gown; blue with a stylish headpiece.
Anne immediately ordered it and couldn’t wait for it to arrive.
Only to be disappointed when the delivered dress turned out to be green instead of blue.
What?
The design and style was similar but very different. The dress was dark green with designs that one could not tell unless looked very closely and concentrated. It also had furs on it. To her, it was something too plain for a noble woman and too much for a peasant girl. And there’s no matching headpiece.
This dress, it looked medieval but it’s definitely not medieval.
It was somewhere between fantasy and horror.
And it cost her $99.99 plus shipping and tax.
Anne grumpily looked at the dress.
She could get another costume, but it’s too late.
She had no choice but to wear this.
The party was tonight.
***
Anne arrived to Cecily’s house. Isabel was nowhere in sight.
She was wearing that hideous green gown and had her hair braided in medieval style. She had looked herself in the dressing mirror and she didn’t look too bad. To make it slightly more creative, she added a masquerade mask. She got herself some food, and searched for Isabel.
Finally she found her sister.
Isabel wore a high-waist dress from Napoleonic era.
“Izzy, what happened to your Greek mythology character?” Anne asked.
“It got too complicated,” Isabel simply dismissed it. “We don’t want to turn it into a research project. So I am Empress Josephine and George is Napoleon.”
“Well fit!” Anne remarked. Yes, George and his “Napoleon complex”. Speaking of George…
“Where is he?” Anne asked.
“He’s with his mother,” Isabel said. “His brother Richard came dressed up as Director of Planning.”
“He doesn’t have a costume right?” Anne snarled.
***
“I can’t believe you got me into this George!” Richard complained as he came down the stairs, dressing up as a wolf.
“Come on Richard! You look great in it! Plus if you are too embarrassed, no one would know it’s you!”
“My original costume is fine!”
“It was not a costume Dickon! You dressed up as yourself. You can’t be Richard Plantagenet for Halloween!”
“Is Ed going to join us soon?”
“No, him and Liz are out with their girls to trick-or-treat,” George told him. “They dressed up as bears—Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and two little bears. Seriously, I’m jealous. One day me and Izzy will have our own little bears.”
Richard ignored that comment.
He was certainly not a family person.
“By the way, where’s Johnny?” George asked, referring to his son with Kate.
“Johnny is at his school’s Halloween party with his mom,” Richard told him.
“Richard, don’t you want a family someday?”
“George, I’m not a family man,” Richard told him. “Now think of it, I am better off as a wolf. A lone wolf.”
With that said, he walked away and joined the party.
***
Richard spoke to no one. He drank one margarita after another. He never liked his mother’s parties. A bunch of people who need a life!
He looked around and then saw a girl in a green gown wearing a mask.
For an inexplicable reason, he was attracted to that girl. Putting down his cup, he went to her.
But that girl in green was moving away from him. Not that she was avoiding him, but she just went to eat or talk to other people.
Sure, everyone was in costume; but this girl was the only one who wore a mask other than him.
Initially, she did not notice. Yet, soon, she realized that someone was watching her.
That made her uncomfortable.
She tried to pretend not to notice or care, but she failed.
She told a brunette something and then went outdoors.
So he followed her, out of curiosity.
The two, under a full moon, were alone outside.
She turned around and saw him—a man dressed up like a wolf.
It had been a long while since either one had been with someone.
Since they were both in disguise and in masks, who cares?
They were outside. The sky was clear and the moon was bright.
And both had more than a few cups of alcohol.
And thus, slowly, the approached each other.
She lifted his mask—high enough to reveal his lips—and kissed him.
The kiss was gentle, but then it went deeper.
From afar, it was as if a wolf was consuming a maiden.
The two kissed and kissed, until they had to break apart to catch their breath.
Should they remove their masks and introduce themselves? After all, it was the best and most magical kiss they ever had in their life.
The two—the maiden and the wolf—looked at each other and neither removed their mask to reveal their face.
The door opened. Startled, the maiden ran away from the wolf and went back inside the house.
The wolf, or Richard, remained outside and then took off his mask.
That kiss…it was good.
He wondered who that young maiden was.
Would he see her again?
***
Three years later…
Richard dropped his son Johnny off to school and then headed to work. After Johnny’s mother unexpected died from heart failure, he had become a single father with sole custody of his boy. That made his life much more complex and busy than ever. George and Ed had advised him to get an assistant, to which he refused.
When he got into his office, he found everything changed.
The desk was more organized; the papers were filed in folders; coffees were brewed; and plant on the conference table was watered.
“Hi!” A young brunette greeted him from behind.
“Hi,” Richard greeted back awkwardly.
“You are…” She clapped her hands together and waited for his reply.
“Richard Plantagenet, AVP of Strategic Planning.”
“Anne Neville, your new assistant!”