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It’s Halloween night! While everyone else is trick or treating, Matt and Jay were waiting for the book to arrive. They were watching shitty horror movies to pass the time. They were extremely violent and gory, which was Matt’s favorite part.
Jay didn’t really care for gore. He wasn’t completely repulsed by the sight, he just thought it was boring. He did like how blood flowed though. It was thick, not like water at all. He checked the time, and it was almost 7. The book would be here any second.
Right on the dot, there was a blinding light on Jay’s piano. It fades, and reveals the book. It’s open, beckoning one of them to flip through its pages. Jay succumbs, as always, with Matt not far behind. They’re surprised to see only one spell this year. The illustration has two figures. One of them is giving the other a blue flower.
“Aw come on book! You couldn’t think of anything else this year?! Not everything has to revolve around love!” Matt says.
“Maybe it wants to go easy on us.”
“I don’t want it to! I want all sorts of crazy things to happen to us!”
“Just let me play it.”
The tune is beautiful, but kind of sad. Matt sits next to Jay on the bench, and leans on him. The song is making Matt strangely tired. Maybe that’s the spell this year. One of them falls into endless slumber, and the other has to save them through love. Or maybe they’ll just sleep until the spell wears off. Ooh, and they’ll get super scary nightmares!
Matt’s head starts to hurt the more Jay plays. Ooh, maybe his head will explode! Pretty boring though. Then it progresses into the worst headache Matt has ever had. He feels like he’s being jumbled around. Oh god, it hurts so-
Jay finishes the song, and their bodies go limp. They fall on the piano, and create a terrible noise. Jared and Luca emerge from their spots, and immediately move to help their friends. They move them to the couch.
“Maybe it just straight up killed them this year.” Jared says.
“That’s pretty lame. Guess we can go to bed early!”
Matt then opens his eyes, and Jay opens them too not long after. They look disoriented.
“Hey guys. You ok?” Jared asks.
“Who are you?!” Jay asks.
“Your friends? We film you guys every day?” Luca says.
“Oh, so you’re weirdo stalkers.” Matt says.
Jared simply assumes the book has made them lose their memory. He and Luca tell them about their lives. The band, the plans, the time travel and their love for each other. Matt says they’re completely wrong. He’s not in a band, he’s an office worker. He’s never seen Jay before in his entire life.
Jared and Luca are horrified. They wonder if they’re the ones that have been cursed. The book slipped them into an alternate dimension or something. Jared looks at the book, and notices text.
SAVE THEM BEFORE THE FLOWER WILTs
There’s 5 petals on each flower, which means 5 days until some unspecified fate. Jared wonders if it’s even possible to save them. But he knows that he and Luca have to try. It’s what Matt and Jay would’ve wanted.
Matt and Jay go to bed. It’s the first time they’ve not slept together since the Seventh Inning Skydive. There’s no time for Jared or Luca to sleep, however. They stay up all night coming up with plans.
—
NOVEMBER 1ST
Matt half-listens to Jay. Their captors are forcing them to do this, and he’s not sure why. At least he doesn’t have to go to his horrible job today. The only thing he misses is his roommate, Owen. It’d be nice to have him here.
Jay’s life is marginally better than his. He currently works at a grocery store, and he plays piano on the side. He used to be in a band, but they broke up long ago. He doesn’t have many friends. His dating life is terrible.
Matt wonders what the point of this is. Is this secretly a reality show? Are Jared and Luca trying to make them be friends? Or trying to get them to date each other? Matt looks around for cameras, but he can’t see any.
He’d love to go on a date with Jay. He’s a really handsome guy. His hair is perfectly groomed. There’s little streaks of grey. His beard nicely frames his face. His eyes are a deep rich brown. He has sharp teeth that make him look like a vampire. His nose looks like the beak of a bird. He has a lisp that Matt finds really cute. He's a very handsome man. Maybe even beautiful.
There’s no way he’d ever date Matt.
Matt’s not good-looking enough for guys like Jay. His hair is always a mess that he never has time to care for. He has hundreds of ugly looking moles all over his body. His lips look like a fish. The only thing he has going for him are his muscles. He never gets a chance to show them off though.
He’s content to just admire Jay from afar. Or just be friends with him. Which was probably what Jared and Luca actually wanted this whole time. He imagines them hanging out with Owen in a park somewhere.
“So uh, that’s all.” Jay says, breaking Matt out of his daydreams. “Wanna tell me about yourself?”
“All you need to know is that I like movies.”
“That’s cool.”
They go silent. Neither of them know what to say. Then Matt gets an idea.
“Play something on the piano!”
“Yeah sure. What do you want to hear?”
“The Indiana Jones theme.”
Jay begins playing. He plays the theme perfectly. Matt lets the music flow through him. He never wants it to stop. He wants to hear Jay play music every single day of his life. He wants to tell Jay how much he loves him right this second. He wants to hold him and hug him and tell him how perfect he is.
Matt finds himself sitting on the stool when Jay finishes the song. Jay doesn’t seem to mind, and he moves closer to Matt. Matt’s heart starts racing.
“That was amazing. Can you do more?”
“Sure.”
Jay plays for several hours. He plays whatever. Movie scores, video game soundtracks, random songs, and stuff he makes up. Matt can’t get enough. But every good thing ends eventually. Jay stops because he’s hungry, and Matt realizes they haven’t eaten since breakfast.
After dinner, Matt peruses the movies on the shelves. He picks some of his favorites out. He shows them to Jay, but he doesn’t want to watch any. He goes to see what’s there, and chooses Saw.
“Not that one. I don’t really like seeing gore.” Matt says.
“That’s fine. We can just watch what you picked.”
They sit on the couch together and have a movie marathon. Jay falls asleep at the end of The Talented Mr. Ripley. He leans on Matt. Matt doesn’t mind at all, and soon he falls asleep too. He wraps one of his arms around Jay.
Jared’s surprised at how well their plan is working. They’ll be back to normal in no time. He notices that a petal has fallen in the book. 4 days left, that’s plenty of time! Totally!
—
NOVEMBER 2ND
Jay wakes up early. He wants a sweet treat, but he can’t move. Matt’s big buff arm is around him, holding him like a skinny teddy bear. Jay finds it quite nice actually. He looks at Matt’s sleeping face. His hair looks golden in the early morning sunrise. Moles pepper his face, like stars in the night sky. His lips are big and full.
He’s quite the attractive man. Jay briefly gets the idea of asking him out, but he gets rid of them. He’s going to just end up like all the rest. They’ll date for a few months, and then they’ll get into an argument and break up. Rinse and repeat until the end of time.
Jay decides it’s totally fine if they’re just friends. He’s about to go back to sleep, but Matt wakes up. He stares at Jay like he’s not real.
“Morning.” he says.
“Morning.”
“What do you think those guys want us to do today?”
“No clue.”
Jay scans the room for something to do. He spies an N64 that already has a game in it. Mario Kart 64. Maybe they can play that while they wait.
“You wanna play Mario Kart?”
“Yeah!”
—
Jared walks onto a film set, ready to start the day. He talks to the director, who gives him a rundown of what they’re doing that day. Jared mans his camera and films. He loves his life.
That’s when Jared wakes up. What an odd dream. It felt real. He thinks nothing of it as he walks downstairs. He hears the sounds of Mario Kart. They’ve been at this for hours. Matt’s currently winning, but that’s because Jay keeps glancing at him. He has a look in his eye that Jared knows well. That look when he’s about to kiss Matt and tell him how lucky they are to have each other.
“Oh there you are. What’s your plan for today?” Jay asks.
“You guys can just do whatever.”
“Oh, cool.”
Jared’s content with the idea that Matt and Jay will get back to normal on their own. He watches them play Mario Kart for a bit, and heads upstairs to change. He can’t stop thinking about the dream. It might not even be a dream.
—
Him and Luca are at one of Matt’s many boba shops he goes to. Luca’s always wanted to try it.
“We should do this more often.” Luca says after they get their drinks.
“Yeah. Let’s do it next video game day.”
“Wanna hear about my dream today?”
“Sure.”
In his dream, Luca was a janitor at the SkyDome. It wasn’t the job he wanted at all. He wanted to be a famous movie star, but he could never get any roles. It felt real for some reason.
“My dream today felt real too.”
“Cool!”
“I don’t think it is. I think it’s the book taunting us. Showing us what’ll happen if we fail.”
“Oh.”
The rest of the day is fun, but there’s a sense of dread hanging over them. It doesn’t leave when they get home either, but it dissipates a little when they see Matt and Jay. They’re both sitting at the piano. Jay is playing a wonderful song, and Matt is staring at him with love in his eyes. Jared briefly thinks they’ve confessed, but he notices the book is still here.
Jay finishes the song with a flourish. Matt immediately stops staring at him, and acts like he was just listening. Jared wants them to get over themselves already.
“That was amazing.”
“Thanks.”
“Oh, the guys are here! What were you doing all day?”
Jared has to restrain himself from screaming at them. This can’t be messed up. He has to proceed with surgical caution. Everything depends on him and Luca.
“Oh, we got boba.”
“I’ve always wanted to try that!” Matt says.
Jared feels his eye twitch.
As he’s putting away the groceries, Matt walks up to him. He helps a little, but mostly just stands around. Something’s on his mind.
“What’re you thinking about?”
“If Jay would love me back or not.”
“I think he would.”
“You’re just saying that to-“
“Matt. Just go for it. Ask him out on a date tomorrow!”
“But what if-“
“Have you seen the way he looks at you? I’m sure he’ll love you. I’m really really sure.”
“Ok! I’ll do it tomorrow!”
Matt and Jay sleep in the bunk beds. Matt takes the top, and Jay takes the bottom. Jared really fucking hopes that Matt actually confesses. Everything depends on him and Jay getting together.
Another petal falls. Jared wonders if the book is sentient. He’s wondered that a lot, actually.
—
NOVEMBER 3RD
Jay hypes himself up in the mirror. Or more accurately, goes through every possible response Matt would say. It’s mostly rejections, and there’s only one outcome where Matt says yes. He’s scared that Matt sees through his facade. Not the cool and suave Jay, but the anxious and whiny and afraid of loud noises Jay. Sometimes he wishes that he still had the headphones.
But he remembers what glasses guy told him last night. Matt wouldn’t care about any of that. He’ll love Jay for who he is and he’ll take good care of him. He’ll listen to Jay play the piano every single day. They’ll grow old together, and eventually they’ll never remember a life without each other.
Jay kind of doubts that, but he has to try anyway. It’ll doubtlessly end like all the rest, so he has to savor every moment of it. He wonders what part of him Matt will hate. Maybe it’ll be his lisp. Everyone always makes fun of him for it. Even if they say they like it, he knows they hate it.
Jay leaves the bathroom, and walks into Matt. They both stare at each other. Here goes nothing. 3 2 1, go!
“I wanna go on a date with you!” They both speak at the same time.
They both look shocked, but then they start to laugh. Fun coincidence. All of Jay’s fears melt away, and he and Matt hug. He never wants to let go, he wants to have Matt forever. He thinks Matt feels the same way.
They start talking about what they’re gonna do, before remembering that they’re kidnapped. But are they? Maybe they can figure out a way to escape under their captor’s noses. That is, until Jared walks into the scene. He glances towards the two, and he instantly gains a smile on his face.
“Hey, are you gonna let us leave? For our date? Matt asks.
“Yeah totally. You know, you could’ve left at any time.”
“Really?” Jay asks.
“Yeah dude.”
Matt and Jay get to planning their date. Matt wants to go all over Toronto, while Jay wants to watch a movie and go to a fancy restaurant. They go with a combination of both their plans. Jay calls the restaurant, but they’re all booked for tonight. Tomorrow is good though.
“Guess we’re doing it tomorrow.” Jay says.
“Sounds great!”
They play video games for the rest of the day. Jared and Luca join in, and for a moment, everything feels normal again. Jared’s mind drifts, and pulls up memories he’s never had before. In 2008, he left Toronto and never returned. Sure, he goes back to Canada to film in Vancouver or something, but he never returns home.
He really hopes that they can break the curse. He watches the petal fall. 2 days left. They can do it. He trusts them with his life. His real life.
—
NOVEMBER 4TH
Matt and Jay rush to the restaurant. They’ve spent all day together. For some reason, they were kicked out of the CN tower and the Royal Ontario Museum, so they just went to the movie. Back To The Future, in theaters for BTTF day or something. It’s Jay’s first time seeing it. He’s never seen the other two either.
“I gotta show them to you one day.” Matt says at their table, waiting for their food.
“Do I really have to? It’s not like Star Wars.”
“Yeah, but they’re good movies.”
“I guess.”
Dinner comes. Jay has a steak, while Matt has spaghetti. Matt watches as Jay chews apart the steak with his sharp fangs. He’s kind of like a lion. Matt spins around his spaghetti with his fork, and stabs the huge meatballs. They’re way too big to fit in his mouth, but he tries anyway.
“You’re gonna choke if you keep trying.” Jay says.
“They didn’t say how big they were gonna be! They didn’t even give me a knife!”
“Have mine.”
The two eat in peace, while Jared and Luca watch.
“This was a terrible idea.” Luca says while eating shrimp.
“I mean, this is basically what we do normally.”
“They think we’re strangers right now.”
Jared doesn’t reply, and they end the conversation there. Both parties enjoy their dinners.
—
“You know, my home is pretty nearby.” Matt says after they pay. “You wanna go?”
“Yeah sure. I was getting bored of that house anyways.”
Matt’s apartment is small, or maybe that’s because Jared and Luca are looking in from the window. Jared’s reminded of the days in the apartment, when he’d stand in the dumpsters outside. They weren’t the best shots though, so he stopped after a while. To think, he’s going to forget all that if Matt and Jay can’t save themselves.
The two sit on the couch. It’s the most awkward thing Jared has seen. Neither of them are talking. They’re just staring at each other. He’s starting to get a little annoyed. Then Jay breaks the silence.
“Today was nice.”
“Yeah.”
“I hope we can do it again.”
“Same.”
More silence. Matt breaks it this time.
“Canikissyou.”
“Say that again?”
“Can I kiss you?”
“Yeah sure. It’s our first date, do whatever.”
Matt kisses Jay. It’s beautiful.
The chains binding the real Matt and Jay break. Memories roll in like the tide. It washes away the book’s machinations, and takes their rightful place in their minds. Every part of them seems to glow, and their hair waves in an imaginary wind. The lights flicker, and the building shakes.
They go limp again, falling to the couch. It’s not long until they both wake. They both look like they just came out of a dream, or perhaps even a nightmare. Then they look around and realize that they’re in Owen Williams’ apartment. And it’s around the time he comes home.
Owen swings the door open, and sees them.
“Matt, I’ve told you that you can’t use my apartment for plans.”
“Dude! It’s not for a plan! I don’t even know how we got here!”
“Yeah!” Jay says. He honestly has no idea what’s going on.
“I don’t believe you two.”
Matt and Owen argue, which ends with Owen reluctantly accepting that yes, they don’t know how they got here. They don’t even remember the last few days! The last thing they remember is Jay playing the book’s song!
“Maybe the spell made you a fucking asshole or something.” Owen says. “Now get out!”
Jared and Luca meet them at the door, and give them a big hug. They explain what the book did to them. Matt’s surprised at the fact that he had a real job. Jay wonders if the band he was in ever played the Rivoli.
“I would’ve gotten us back to normal on my own I think.” Matt says as they walk home.
“You can’t even get a show at the Rivoli!” Jared says.
“But one day we will!” Jay says.
On the way home, they pass a flower shop that’s still open. Matt buys a bouquet for Jay. They’re blue flowers with 5 petals.