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“Which one is it that’s caught your attention?”
The sudden unfamiliar voice by his side startled Jade, but just as quickly as he’d been taken off guard, he regained his composure. In a grand ballroom in the Spectral Realm on Halloween night, he shouldn’t have been surprised that he hadn’t heard a ghost approach. “Pardon?” Jade asked.
“Which one of our guests do you keep longingly staring at?”
Jade forced a chuckle. “You’re mistaken, sir. Forgive me if I’ve alarmed you; I’ve merely been lost in thought a few times this evening.”
This time, it was the ghost who laughed. “You can’t fool a ghost on Halloween, young man. I know that look far too well. I wore it often when I was alive.”
With an amused hum, Jade’s gaze returned to the bustling ballroom. Students and ghosts alike filled the space. Some chose to enjoy the grand smorgasbord and brightly colored mocktails. Others had taken to the dancefloor, either by themselves, with their friends, or with a partner.
One student, however, stood at the side of the room, chatting away while the pair of students he spoke to looked progressively uneasy. Before the pair slipped away, Azul handed them a business card.
Jade smiled. Yes, Azul truly was one of a kind. And after spending even more time by his side as his vice housewarden, working with him on the school’s Halloween committee, and nearly losing him during midterms, Jade could admit to himself that he’d grown particularly fond of the funny little octopus he’d met just a few short years ago.
Perhaps those feelings had influenced Jade’s decision to command Azul to dance earlier in the evening.
“A look you often wore in life, hmm?” Jade smiled, redirecting the conversation. “Did you let the object of your affection know how you felt?”
“I did,” the ghost answered. “Nearly 500 years ago in this very room.”
Jade’s eyes widened with surprise. “In this very room? So then…”
“That’s right. I only had the courage to confess my love to her once my physical form was no more.”
“Interesting. Did she reciprocate?”
The ghost nodded. “She did. We were wed and even started a little family. Our oldest son and his wife will be welcoming our first grandchild soon.”
Ghosts… can have children? Ghost children? And ghost grandchildren?? Jade decided not to question it. He was a merman living on dry land, for goodness sake. “My, it sounds as though things worked out quite well for you.”
“Yes, but I often wonder what might have been had I told her my feelings sooner. What sorts of adventures we could have had in life.”
Jade knew exactly what this ghost was doing. He knew the ghost was subtly telling him to confess to Azul ‘before it was too late’ to avoid having regrets later in life (or in the afterlife). And, truthfully, Jade was tempted. Maybe it was because he was especially tired after so many weeks of preparation for Night Raven College’s Halloween festivities, followed by a long day and night, but Jade was feeling a bit bold at this late hour.
Despite his weariness, Jade smiled at the ghost again and gave him a polite nod. “I understand. If you’ll excuse me, I believe I have someone I need to speak with.”
The ghost returned the smile. “I wish you luck.”
Jade made his way across the ballroom, carefully weaving between groups of students and ghosts enjoying their nights. The party had been going on for a few hours now, and some students were beginning to show signs of fatigue, but the end of this endless Halloween still seemed quite far away. The music hadn’t stopped once, and the food seemed to keep coming no matter how much they ate.
When Jade finally reached Azul, he was greeted with a bright smile. “Ah, Jade. Where have you been?”
“Enjoying the sights, I suppose you might say,” Jade answered with a grin.
“I’ve gathered a great deal of new information tonight,” Azul continued excitedly. “I’ve had to make notes on my phone to keep up with it all. Oh, what a productive evening in the Spectral Realm this has been!”
Jade chuckled, and Azul’s expression turned sour. “What are you laughing about?”
“You never cease to amaze, my dear Azul. Your industriousness knows no bounds.”
Judging by his scrutinizing look, Azul didn’t seem to believe Jade was truly paying him a compliment.
Jade supposed now was as good of a time as any to say what was on his mind. “Azul, I–”
But before he could finish, the music in the ballroom shifted. The lively dance music that had been playing shifted into a much slower tempo. Perfect for…
“You… what?” Azul prompted.
“I… wanted to ask you to dance.”
Jade bowed slightly, placing one hand on his chest and extending the other to Azul, who scoffed. “I believe I’ve danced enough at your behest tonight, thank you very much.”
Jade fought back a snort. Azul wouldn’t be letting that go for a while, would he?
“I wanted to ask you to dance with me.”
Azul sighed dramatically. “Jade, I’m tired. Just today, I’ve pretended to be possessed, actually been possessed, had to deal with unruly visitors, and been whisked away to the Spectral Realm. I don’t feel like exerting myself beyond mingling and networking.”
“That was what I thought, too,” Jade admitted, “but then I noticed just how few of us weren’t dancing. I didn’t want to be labeled a wallflower. Besides…” Jade leaned closer to Azul and whispered, “far too much work went into our costumes to not show them off with at least one dance.”
He watched as Azul’s eyes darted around the room, confirming that the majority of the guests had taken to the dance floor. As much as Azul enjoyed standing out, he didn’t like to single himself out in a negative way.
Finally, Azul sighed in defeat. “One song. I’ll dance with you for one song so we don’t call attention to ourselves for not participating in the night’s festivities.”
Jade beamed. “Of course.” His tone was more relaxed than he felt on the inside, especially as he reached out and took Azul’s hand. “Not to worry. I’ll lead since you’re tired.”
Azul put up no resistance as Jade led them onto the floor, nor did he pull his hand away. Once Jade found an open spot, he spun Azul to face him and guided his free hand to rest on Jade’s arm.
With that, Jade began to sway in time with the music. Was he ever thankful that the band had decided to play a slow song; between the night’s events and his own less-than-graceful dancing capabilities, a slow, gentle sway felt appropriate.
“And when exactly did you begin dancing?” Azul asked incredulously.
“I’d hardly call this dancing.” Jade smiled sheepishly. “But I have attempted to learn the basics of human dance techniques. It requires a great deal more coordination than how we dance back home.”
Azul hummed thoughtfully and gazed at the people and ghosts around them. Jade couldn’t lose his attention now. Not while they were so close.
“Perhaps that’s why you’re the more adept dancer between the two of us. You’ve had more practice controlling multiple limbs.”
With a huff, Azul glared back at him. “Don’t try to flatter me. My abilities are laughable compared to most.” He suddenly narrowed his eyes. “Is that why you pulled your little stunt earlier? To have a laugh at my expense?”
Ah, so Azul wouldn’t be letting go of that for a very long time.
Jade wondered if he’d perhaps been foolishly optimistic. Maybe this wasn’t the perfect setting to attempt to let Azul know how he felt.
Or maybe… he was going about it all wrong.
“What sort of information have you gathered tonight?”
Azul raised an eyebrow.
“You said you’ve learned much this evening,” Jade explained. “I’d like to hear about it. It may prove useful in my own intelligence gathering.”
Those pretty blue eyes blinked, as if Azul was trying to decide whether or not Jade was being sincere. Then, his even lovelier smile returned. “Have you realized how intimidating Trey Clover looks without his glasses?”
Jade didn’t have a chance to answer before Azul began talking about someone else’s woes. And then someone else’s. Soon, Azul had gotten into a rhythm and seemed to have no plans to stop excitedly sharing the weaknesses of so many other students.
Jade merely smiled as he watched him, listening to the words but focused on the handsome creature in his arms. The Sea Witch might have once claimed that men take no pleasure in chatter, but Jade could listen to Azul’s gleeful gushing for hours. The way his eyes sparkled as he shared shocking truths and embarrassing secrets made Jade’s heart flutter.
(Of course, the humiliating secrets of his classmates thoroughly thrilled Jade as well.)
No wonder that ghost had easily sussed him out earlier. Jade was completely smitten. He supposed someone who’d spent a lifetime yearning for the object of their affection would recognize the signs of a lovesick fool in an instant.
“And you wouldn’t believe how much baggage these ghosts have!”
Jade chuckled. “I’m sure I would believe it. I spoke with one earlier who was expecting his first grandchild.”
Azul’s eyes widened comedically with confusion. “Grandchild? As in, the ghost’s living child is having a child?”
“No, his ghostly child wed another ghost, and now they’re expecting a ghost child of their own.”
“How in the deep blue sea do ghosts reproduce?” Azul muttered.
“I wondered the same myself, but I decided not to question it. I suppose it’s merely a miracle of love.”
Azul shook his head as if trying to dismiss the thought, but Jade could tell Azul would be pondering that for a while yet.
“Will we still be assisting poor unfortunate souls when we’re ghosts?” Jade snickered. “At that point, they’d literally be souls, wouldn’t they?”
“We?” Azul cocked an eyebrow. “You intend to continue doing business with me for that long? Until we’re ghosts?”
Jade gently squeezed Azul’s hand without even realizing. “I followed you onto land. I see no reason why I wouldn’t follow you into the spirits’ world when our time comes.”
“You’ll tire of it eventually.”
“Not so long as you continue to keep things interesting.”
Azul smirked, and Jade wondered if Azul understood the deeper implications of what he’d said.
“I have much I’d like to do before I’m a ghost,” Azul stated. “I’d rather we focus on those goals for now.”
Well, at least Jade had made his own plans clear. No matter where Azul’s dreams took him, Jade would follow.
He glanced away from Azul for just a moment to scan the crowd, and Jade locked eyes with the ghost from before. With a little nod, the ghost smiled brightly at them both.
Jade couldn’t help but chuckle. As far as he could tell, he had a little more time to figure out how to confess to Azul before they were ghosts.
He felt his expression soften when he looked back into Azul’s eyes. “As you wish.”