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"You want us to go to a haunted house?"
It's hard to understate how shocked I was when I heard Orlando's proposal. Everybody knew he was terrified of ghosts, and everything that was even remotely associated with the paranormal.
"Hoss, don't be so loud," he pleaded, placing both hands on his own chest. "We're going to wake the neighbors!"
"Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to shout. It's just... the last thing I expected from you. I almost choked on my cookie!"
I rubbed my eyes and checked my phone. It was 3am. A very unusual night, all told. I had been sleeping peacefully in my bed, dreaming that I was failing a math exam. Though for some odd reason, I was taking the exam inside a bakery, and the smell of flaky, buttery pastries overwhelmed all my senses.
It was such a strange dream that I woke up in bewilderment. At which point I realized the smell was not just a figment of my imagination, and in fact, coming from the kitchen below me. Intrigued, I stood up and walked downstairs.
Orlando and I had been roommates for about three months. I was getting to know him quite well; and if I knew one thing, it was that Orlando wasn't usually the type to endure sleepless nights. On the contrary, he would gently chastise me if I stayed up too late. Many times, I'd come home late after a party or movie night, only to find him gently snoring on the couch. “I was waiting for you to come home,” he would say upon waking up.
But that night was different. Orlando had jumped in surprise when he’d seen me coming down the stairs.
"Oh no, I'm so sorry!" He whispered. "Did... did I wake you up?"
"Not really, I just had a strange dream. Are you, uh... baking cookies?"
Orlando flashed me a nervous, toothy grin. It seemed to say: Please don't ask me about the cookies. I raised an eyebrow and sat.
I could tell Orlando was concerned about something, and I guessed he wanted to tell me about it; but he needed to gather his courage first. So I waited. And only after the cookies were done did he finally confess. He wanted us to go to a haunted house.
"I know it's weird, coming from someone like me," Orlando continued with a very loud sigh, as he poured himself a glass of milk. "But I'm so tired of seeing vampires and ghosts in my nightmares. I'd like to face my fears, for once. And I was wondering if you..."
He began to blush and took a bite out of his own cookie. He had baked a whole tray. To ease the stress, I assumed.
"If I wanted to come?" I completed. "Sure, why not. I haven't been to a haunted house in a while."
"It's not exactly a haunted house," Orlando corrected sheepishly. "It's more of a... spooky escape room? With actors disguised as ghosts, or so I’ve been told. And they occasionally chase you around."
"Huh, I didn't know that was a thing! Sounds fun. We should totally invite Roswell, he'd love that sort of game. Plus, he's insanely good at puzzle solving."
Orlando stared at me like I had gone insane. When he spoke again, his voice lost itself in a nervous high pitch.
"Roswell can't know about this! Hoss, you have to swear to me you'll never tell him!"
"Why?"
"Oh come on, you know what he's like! He would make fun of me constantly. I can't handle it."
He gave me a pleading look, which to me evoked a toddler lost in a grocery store. I shrugged.
"I think he's more sensible than you give him credit for. But fine, if I'm to swear an oath..."
I stood up and slammed my own fist against my chest, doing my very best to project an air of solemn determination.
"I promise you, my liege, word of our counsel shan't ever reach his ears!"
Orlando giggled and breathed out in relief. I sat back down.
"Still, we are going to be needing a third member, at least. Hard to complete an escape room with only two players. Should I text Sal? You know he's going to be respectful."
Orlando avoided my gaze.
"Would it be okay if it was just the two of us?"
I felt the skin warming up under my cheek fur.
"Well well well," I began, flustered. "What an odd request, my liege! But so be it, we shall conquer the shadows as a duo."
Orlando was obviously relieved upon hearing my response. So much in fact, that he decided to play along with my silly improv game.
"Yes, my loyal knight, I shall, uh... really appreciate your loyal service!" He replied as he munched on another cookie.
I yawned.
"Alright, in that case, I suggest we wait until tomorrow to organize everything. In the meantime, I think I'll go back to bed."
"Sorry again for waking you," Orlando mumbled.
I told him it was no big deal. I stood up, quickly brushed my teeth (making sure to be thorough), and walked back toward the stairs. Orlando remained seated at the table, clearly bothered by something. I deliberately lingered, so I could give him a chance to say what he had in mind.
“Is it, uh…” he began timidly. “Is it okay if I sleep with you tonight?”
A sneaky little smile crept upon my face.
“Of course,” I said.
This wasn’t our first time sleeping in the same bed. Orlando claimed the nightmares went away when he had someone to cuddle. I appreciated the warmth, and feeling his soft belly pressed against my back. It was a perfect exchange.
Others would probably find this very romantic, but I knew Orlando didn’t like me that way. I’m very good at reading people, after all.
It’s alright, I thought as he wrapped his arms around me, the tip of his muzzle tickled by my thick mane. I don’t really need us to be more than friends. This is enough.
*
A week later, Orlando and I were on our way to the escape room. He had trouble sleeping that night, and the following morning was full of clumsy errors. He broke a mug as he tried to pour himself a cup of coffee. When he walked out of the shower, there was water everywhere on the bathroom floor, which I quietly mopped while he ran upstairs to get dressed.
After I was done cleaning, I checked that I had everything I needed, and waited for him by the front door, but he never came down. Worried that we were going to be late, I walked up the stairs and knocked on his bedroom door. He mumbled a very disheartened “come in”. I opened the door and immediately flushed red, surprised to find him in his underwear. Discarded piles of clothes littered the floor; he must have tried on at least seven different outfits.
“Oh dear,” was all I could say.
Orlando rubbed his eyes.
“I’m sorry. I know this is very silly, but I really don’t know what to wear for this.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“We’re just playing a game, y’know. I doubt the organizers will judge you for your look.”
Orlando and I locked eyes for a second, and I noticed something strange about his gaze. I felt, in that moment, that he knew something I didn’t. Intrigued, I said:
“We’re going to be late if we don’t go very soon. Want me to pick an outfit for you?”
He let out a deep sigh.
“No no, I’m good,” he said resolutely as he began to get dressed. “It’s going to be this one.”
He picked an outfit that I could only describe as bold. The colors were so flashy and vibrant that it made him look like a glitter bomb. Some anime character was depicted on the back of his jacket – to my utter dismay, it was one I hadn’t heard about. I would have to correct this mistake as soon as possible.
We ran to the bus stop and waited. Orlando fidgeted in place nervously. I placed a hand on his shoulder.
“You alright?”
“Yes, yes, I’m good,” he lied, forcing a grin. “No need to worry about me!”
I shrugged.
“Hey, it’s alright, you know. If you’re not feeling it, we could always… I dunno, take a walk somewhere, grab some food, watch a movie. We don’t have to fight the ghosts today.”
“But we’ve already paid for the reservation!”
“It’s okay though. It wasn’t that expensive.”
Orlando sighed.
“I can’t give up now. Look at me, I’m turning twenty-three this year, I’m a full-grown adult and the mere idea of playing a fun, spooky game is enough to make me lose my mind. It’s ridiculous.”
“It’s not ridiculous,” I promised. “It’s what makes you unique. Honestly, I find it pretty cute.”
Orlando looked a little hurt.
“I don’t want to be cute,” he replied firmly. “I want to be someone people can rely on. And we’re doing this.”
Our bus arrived at that moment, and he walked in first. I was left a little stunned, but I followed along anyway. Few words were exchanged during the trip.
When we arrived at our destination, we found a macabre lobby, decorated with skeletons, pumpkins and fake spider webs. Even the ceiling lights were fake chandeliers; the kind that one would expect to find in Dracula’s mansion. It made my heart flutter a bit. Whoever these people were, they understood atmosphere.
The game master explained what our mission was going to be. It was pretty standard stuff; we had to venture in a haunted placed called the Moonlight Castle, and locate a few magical artifacts, so we could use them to appease a flock of angry spirits.
“Doesn’t sound too complicated,” I observed.
“Oh yeah, this room is beginner friendly,” the GM assured us. “We have a 60% success rate, though it’s a bit more difficult with smaller groups. But I’m sure you two will be just fine,” she added with a wink.
Orlando was shaking just a bit. I rubbed a paw against his back, just to remind him I was there to protect him if needed.
“And are the ghosts, uhm... aggressive?” he asked timidly.
“Our actors won’t beat you up, if that’s what you’re afraid of,” the GM replied with a laugh. “They’re just going to chase you around a bit. All you have to do is run and hide.”
“Right, right. We’re good at that, I think.”
*
The door locked behind us. Orlando and I were shackled to one another. The room we were in was pitch black. I could barely discern the walls. Orlando began to shake.
“Oh fuck, oh fuck,” he whispered. “Me and my stupid ideas. Why did I think I could do this?”
“It’s going to be okay. I think we’re supposed to look for a flashlight.”
“You think the ghosts are watching us? I thought I saw something move in the corner there…!”
I pondered the question for a second.
“No, I’m expecting the ghosts to show up later. When we least expect them.”
“Oh God…”
I turned to face Orlando. I could barely see him in the dark, but I could tell where his eyes were, as if they were two shining stars, piercing the inky night.
Time for a little performance.
“My lord, never forget that you are not alone in this. Though the perils may be great, I shan’t ever forsake you. We shall vanquish our many foes, release the angry spirits, and leave this castle victorious. You hear me?”
Orlando nodded, somewhat relieved by my improvised pep talk. We then heard a high-pitched witch laugh coming from the speakers. Orlando jumped, then shook his head in annoyance.
“Oh, damn you and your cheap tricks! I’m not afraid, okay? Not even a little bit!”
“And if anyone dares to even suggest my liege could be frightened, off with their head!” I added with a laugh.
With those words of affirmation to strengthen our resolve, we began to snoop around. Orlando managed to locate a flashlight placed on a wooden desk. We were in some kind of dusty medieval bedroom. There was fake blood everywhere, and skulls artfully spread throughout the décor.
The first few puzzles were quite easy to solve; or maybe it seemed like they were because Orlando was with me. It was truly amazing, seeing his brain at work, when he wasn’t too terrified to think. He could stumble upon a set of messy clues and immediately understand what he was supposed to do and how to organize them.
I was content to be his loyal henchman throughout the adventure. Eventually we found a key that we could use to open the shackles. The goal was to give us more freedom of movement, but Orlando refused to let go, instead clinging to my arm the whole time.
Should I be fully honest? It was electrifying. I didn’t want him to ever let go.
The second half of the game was a bit more intense. We managed to open a door, and found ourselves inside a very creepy castle hall, complete with a massive pentagram that we had to activate. There were many secret hideouts that we had to crawl through. The ghosts were just ordinary employees wearing dark robes and masks; but even I was scared when the first one began to run toward us. Orlando screamed and dragged me back to the first room, dashing so we could hide behind the bed. He hugged me very tightly. My tail swished left and right in excitement.
We remained there for a very long time, at least five whole minutes. Orlando refused to move, even after I assured him the ghost had left.
“Fine, stay here if you want, but I’m going to investigate,” I teased.
“No, don’t leave without me!” He pleaded, rushing after me.
Holding hands, we walked back to the Pentagram room and began to work on solving the puzzles. I started to relax. It was nice, being able to spend so much time with one of my best friends. We made such a good team! I didn’t know how much time we had left, but it didn’t really matter to me. If we ended up being among the 40% of losers, we’d always have a chance to laugh about it later, I reasoned.
Toward the end, I helped Orlando solve a puzzle that required arranging certain chess pieces correctly on a board.
“I think that’s the last one,” Orlando mused as he placed a red pawn on B4. “But, I’m not sure why it’s not working. Did we make a mistake?”
“No, I think we’re good, all we have to do is pull this lever, end-”
“Wait, Hoss, don’t!” Orlando shouted in horror.
But it was too late; my impatient paws had already wrapped around the handle. As I pulled the lever down, a tall closet opened, and an actor walked straight toward me, holding a bloody knife. I was so startled that I screamed, tripped on my own feet and fell on my butt.
To my astonishment, however, Orlando spontaneously stepped between me and the ghost. He clutched a fake rosary in his trembling hand (where had he even found that thing?), and pointed it at the ghost.
“Go back to the shadows from whence you came!”
The actor tilted his head in confusion, then seemingly decided to roll with it. He fell to his knees, acting like he was being super duper exorcised, and finally left the room. Orlando was left confused and panting.
“Wow,” was all I could say. “You’re so brave!”
“I, uh… really?” He replied, blushing furiously. “Uhm, thanks.”
He gave me a hand to help me get up, and hugged me as soon as I did. Something was bugging me, however.
“Wait, ‘Go back to the shadows from whence you came’? That’s…”
He made sure to let me go before answering.
“Yes, it’s from that play you performed in last year in June, where you played as the evil priest! I don’t know why I stole your line, it just came to me in that moment.”
I whistled.
“The student has become the master! You really put your whole soul into it. I was transfixed.”
I was deeply flattered that Orlando remembered that play. It had been very important to me at the time, and I wouldn’t shut up about it. Though everyone in our friend group had watched it, I’d felt like they had only come to make me happy. Dean in particular had found it extremely boring, and to this day I’m pretty sure he fell asleep during the performance.
Orlando was all business after that, and no ghosts came to trouble our stellar teamwork. We finished the escape room in 47 minutes, which is quite impressive, considering how much time we wasted in various hiding spots. The game master rewarded our efforts with a picture, and then we left to grab lunch at a noodle restaurant. Orlando ate voraciously, which I found a little cute. Stress will do that to you.
“So, how did you like it?” I asked.
“It wasn’t as bad as I feared. Like, don’t get me wrong, it was super scary, and I couldn’t do this every week; but once every six months, maybe? If I psych myself up enough?”
He gave me a timid smile, and I understood.
“It will always be a pleasure to solve puzzles with you,” I said warmly. “Besides, you really impressed me, when you jumped in to save me that one time. That bloody knife had me freaked out!”
To my surprise, Orlando rolled his eyes.
“They used corn syrup as fake blood; I could smell it from the other side of the room. It completely ruined the immersion for me.”
I stared at him for three seconds in utter astonishment, before bursting out laughing. Orlando raised an eyebrow at me.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” I replied, trying to catch my breath. “I love you, man.”
He offered a sad little smile in response, which again made me wonder if I had missed an important social cue somewhere. What could possibly be the matter?
I only put two and two together after we left the restaurant, as we were on our way home.
“Wait, wait, wait,” I blurted out suddenly, my eyes widening. “The reason you didn’t want anybody else to come, and why you spent so long picking your outfit this morning…”
Orlando looked away, retreating into own scarf. I blinked in shock.
“We just went on a date!” I finally realized.
“Took you long enough,” he mumbled.
I abruptly stopped walking and grabbed both of his hands. He watched me with a mixture of hope and fear.
“I had no idea you liked me that way,” I said softly. “I always thought you were madly in love with Dave!”
Orlando’s cheeks turned a deep shade of red. He let out a nervous laugh.
“Sue me for having a gay little heart. I develop crushes easily, but that doesn’t mean they’re not sincere! You’re like, so cool and passionate about everything you do. I love spending time with you, and I’d really love to get to know you better. Intimately,” he added with a very nervous gulp.
I could hardly believe my ears. The icy winter wind was blowing harshly, but I felt like I lived in a protective warm bubble. I was completely smitten with the golden glow of Orlando’s scales. All I could say was:
“Can I kiss you?”
Orlando beamed.
“Of course you can! I’ve been waiting for years for you to ask me that!”
Then, very slowly and cautiously, I angled my muzzle sideways, and put my tongue in his mouth. We kissed for a very long time, careless to be seen by strangers. We were in our very own fantasy world, and nobody could take us out of it.