She grimaced to herself when she walked through the store’s front door.

It was Halloween. She had forgotten it was Halloween.

She did not enjoy Halloween.

She walked past the service desk, where an associate was dressed as a zombie. She tried unsuccessfully to avoid eye contact.

The associate nodded at her. Cindy nodded back.

She climbed the stairs leading to the employee breakroom and lockers. She passed another associate dressed as a fairy. Cindy chose that moment to pull out her phone and open the app to clock herself in for work. She avoided eye contact.

Cindy clocked in, glancing at the call-off list. Seven names today. That seemed strange for a summer weekday morning. The area was not only experiencing a drought but a stifling heatwave.

Cindy donned her work apron and went to her station in outside garden, where she grabbed a hose and began watering the plants. They would need it in this weather. One of the people who had called off was the person responsible for watering.

She enjoyed watering. It gave her time alone. It gave her time to think.

Glancing around, she noticed the lack of customers.

A haze hung in the air. Still, the sun shone through. It was going to be another ridiculously sweltering day.

She glanced over at the cashier’s station. It was empty. The gate was closed and locked.

The door leading inside the store was nearby. Cindy glanced inside the store. She saw a similarly empty building. Off in the distance, she could see an associate dressed in some animal costume.

Cindy sighed to herself and continued watering. She lost herself in her own world.

She jumped and let out a gasp when she felt the tap on her shoulder. Ann, one of the cashiers, was standing behind her. Ann was dressed as a very sexy vampire. The costume generously showed off Ann’s bountiful cleavage. Her skirt was short enough to reveal all her beautiful legs, adorned with fishnet stockings.

“Hmmm,” Ann said. She looked to the side, as if doing a mock think. “Let me guess. You are dressed as the sexy garden chick!”

Cindy was taken aback. Her eyes involuntarily widened. Her mouth dropped open.

Ann giggled and patted her on the forearm. “Just fucking with you, dude!” she laughed. Ann turned and walked towards the cashier’s station, swaying her hips.

Cindy tried not to stare.

She let out a long sigh and continued watering.

Four hours later, Cindy was watering outside the front of the store. She was near the cashier’s station.

Ann sauntered over and leaned back against a plant table. She let out a deep breath. “Two customers today,” she said, giving a raspberry in response to her own statement. “Hardly worth opening today.”

Cindy nodded. “Might be because it is so damned hot,” she said. She squinted at the sun. It was partially covered in a haze, but still bright enough to cause a sweat.

Ann bit her lower lip and smiled. “It’s hot, all right,” she said in a husky voice. Cindy felt her heart beat a little faster. “And the sun’s not the only thing blazing hot, either!” Ann said with a giggle. She sauntered back to the cashier’s station. Cindy felt herself turn red.

She continued watering. The plants really needed it. It had been at least three weeks since the last rain.

The workday was nearing its end. The sun was nearing the horizon, almost hidden by a distant haze.

Cindy wound up the hose.

Ann approached her. “So, any big plans for tonight?”

Cindy shrugged. “Not really. TV, food. That’s about it.”

“Even on Halloween night?” Ann said with a mock gasp, bringing her hands up to her mouth. Then she giggled.

Cindy shrugged. “I really don’t do anything to celebrate.”

Ann smiled. “Tell you what. Every Halloween, I make a so-called spooky meal, but it is really just spaghetti and meatballs with some food coloring.” Ann shrugged. “If you want to come over, then watch a scary movie, you’re invited.”

Cindy felt like her heart was beating as if she were running a marathon. “Sure,” she choked out.

Ann grinned. “Great! It’s a date!”

The two exchanged numbers, and Ann texted her address. They agreed to meet at six.

Cindy rushed home. She lived about a mile away from the store. A walk that usually took her 20 minutes took her 12 minutes that day.

As she rushed home, she walked under the railway bridge. She started slightly when a train let out a wail at one of the nearby intersections. Repeatedly and again, the whistle sounded, even as it had obviously passed the intersection and rumbled over the bridge, shaking the ground slightly under her.

When she got home, Cindy got into the shower.

Sensually, with a hunger she had not felt for an extraordinarily long time, she ran her fingers over her body as she soaped up. The water running over her body felt good. She ran her fingers over her stiff nipples. She tweaked them. She ran her hands over her breasts. She wished they were larger, but they felt so good today.

She placed a hand between her legs. Yes, she thought to herself. She was very aroused. She slid a finger inside of herself. For several seconds, she leaned against the shower wall, gently stroking herself.

She violently shook her head. She regained her senses, then applied soap liberally all over her body. She used soap in spots that would never see the sun.

Razor in hand, Cindy then went to work on any hair she felt might be on her body. This was a daily ritual for her, with only the hair on her head, eyebrows, and eyelashes allowed to remain. She found that being cleanly shaven helped fight chaffing while running.

Cindy emerged from the shower. She dried herself off. She liberally brushed her teeth. She brushed her teeth three times over.

She walked to her closet.

Cindy let out a long, drawn-out, sad sigh.

She had so little to wear.

Her entire wardrobe consisted of work clothes and running clothes. When she was about to give up and go with jeans and a T-shirt, an idea flashed in her head.

She moved the hangers aside. She dug deep into the closet.

She bought out a yellow sundress. Cindy smiled to herself.

She put it on. It came about halfway up past her knees. Spaghetti straps fell on her shoulders. She looked at herself in the mirror. Cindy smiled to herself. She rarely looked at herself in the mirror. But today, in that dress, she allowed herself to think that she looked pretty.

She found a yellow pair of panties and a yellow matching bra, both of which she put on.

Cindy did not have any dress shoes. She shrugged to herself. She had a yellow pair of Asics. Donning those over her yellow socks, she set off for Ann’s.

Ann’s house was about a half mile away, on the other side of the small town of Ludlear.

Trick or Treat had been the night before. Even then, she thought to herself, she had fewer visitors this year than in previous years.

She walked down Main Street. She passed the town square. A few teenagers sat on the hoods of their cars in the square, talking with each other in muted voices. Some wore costumes.

They glanced at Cindy as she walked by. She smiled at them. They looked at her with solemn faces and nodded in response.

As she walked past a bank, she paused. Near the bank’s entrance lay a pair of pants. She could not see if they were men’s or women’s, then chided herself for focusing on that trivial fact. She wondered why a pair of pants was lying on the ground near the bank entrance.

With a sigh and the shake of her head, she continued her walk.

Moments later, she knocked on Ann’s door.

Ann answered the door, still wearing her sexy vampire outfit. Now, her long blond hair was topped with a black pointed hat.

Ann gave her a little clap of joy upon seeing her guest. Her face broke into a large grin. “Yay!” she said. “I was kind of worried you wouldn’t come!”

Cindy smiled shyly. “Who would turn down scary spaghetti offered by a pretty witch?” She felt herself blushing when speaking those words.

Ann grinned, opening the door further. Cindy stepped inside. “You look so freaking cute!” Ann said. “I’ve never seen you dressed like this.”

Cindy felt herself blush a little bit more. “I hardly ever wear this.”

Ann grinned, waving inside.

Cindy glanced around, standing at the welcome mat awkwardly. It was a comfortable-looking apartment. Halloween decorations Ann had bought from the store were displayed sporadically. A skeleton dressed in running attire was sitting on a dining room chair. Orange and black bat lights hung from the ceiling.

The aroma of the food hit Cindy’s nostrils. She could tell this was not a store-bought meal. This smelled home-cooked.

Ann walked towards the kitchen, motioning for Cindy to follow. “Supper is almost ready. The sauce needs a little bit more simmering. OH! I do have one rule! No shoes in the house.”

Cindy nodded and removed her sneakers.

Cindy followed Ann into the kitchen. A strainer with cooked spaghetti sat over the sink. An oven pan with meatballs sat in one spot on the stove. Next to it was freshly cooked garlic bread. Red sauce bubbled on the stove, filling the apartment with its aroma.

“Nothing too special,” Ann said, stirring the sauce. “Fresh tomatoes, a little bit of onion, zucchini, garlic, tomato paste, butter, cream cheese, and parmesan cheese.”

Cindy chuckled. “More work than I put into my spaghetti sauce,” she said quietly. “Mine comes out of the jar.”

Ann laughed. “So does mine, but this is a special occasion!”

After a couple of moments, Ann poured the spaghetti into the sauce, mixing them.

“I assure you, this will make no difference in the taste,” Ann said as she grabbed a nearby jar and moved it over the pasta. Her hand paused. “You won’t freak out if this is all green, will you?”

Cindy giggled slightly. “No, I think I will manage.”

Ann nodded as she gave the little bottle two shakes over the pasta, then stirred the pasta. It quickly turned dark green, with a reddish tint. Ann nodded in approvement at her own work. “Last time, it turned out puke greenish brown. Still scary, but it really did not look edible.”

A few moments later, two plates of green pasta sat on the dining room table.

Cindy spun her spaghetti around her fork and took a bite. It was wonderful.

“Thank you!” Ann said. “And I am so glad to see you properly spin your spaghetti rather than cut it up!”

Cindy shook her head. “That should be a crime.”

Ann grinned.

The two ate, exchanging small talk between bites.

“Spaghetti is one of my favorite meals, to fix and to eat. There are a lot of different ways you can fix it,” Ann said.

Cindy nodded in agreement. “I will take almost any Italian meal. Pizza included.”

“How about a taco?” Ann asked in a husky voice. Her head was slightly lowered. She looked at Cindy through batting eyelashes.

“I love tacos!” Cindy said. She caught herself. She realized what Ann was getting at.

The two broke into laughter.

Ann reached over and touched Cindy on the forearm. Cindy blushed.

After the meal, Ann and Cindy went into the living room.

Ann stood at the TV set, her hands on her hips, one hip slightly thrust out. “OK, frightening scary, or funny scary?”

Cindy smiled. “I am kind of in the mood for funny scary, if that is all right with you.”

Ann grinned. “That’s what I was thinking!”

She flipped on the set, chose a streaming channel, and clicked on a movie she had pre-selected. Cindy had not seen the film but had wanted to for quite some time.

The movie was not disappointing. The two women sat on the sofa, laughing at some points and letting out mock screams at other points.

The ending had both roaring with laughter, their chuckles lasting through the credits.

Cindy sat on the sofa; her feet tucked under her.

Ann sat on the sofa, sitting back and slouching a little. Her dress rode up slightly. Cindy could see a hint of the bottom part of her panties. Ann sat close enough; her head was leaning on Cindy’s left arm.

Ann let out another small chuckle, then looked up at Cindy out of the corner of her eyes. She bit her lower lip. She raised her eyebrows. “So. You want to make out?”

Cindy swallowed hard. She felt herself turn deep red. She felt her eyes grow wide.

Ann sat up straight. Her own eyes were wide. “Shit, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I totally misread that. I thought maybe that you ... oh shit, I am so sorry!”

Cindy’s mouth was open. Words refused to escape her throat for a moment.

“Don’t be sorry,” she croaked out as Ann was again blurting out another rambling apology. Tears were in the corners of Ann’s eyes.

Ann stopped speaking. “What?” she croaked out.

Cindy felt her heart beating harder. She moved her mouth. Words still refused to form. She did not know what to say.

Ann sat on the edge of the couch now, slightly turned and looking at Cindy with a bemused look on her face.

Cindy still struggled for words, brief snippets of words escaping from her mouth in choking gasps.

In a quick motion, Ann put both of her hands on each side of Cindy’s face. Ann kissed her passionately.

Cindy let out a small gasp of approval. She wrapped her arms around Ann, holding her tight.

Their tongues danced. Their lips pressed hard against each other. Cindy felt Ann’s hand go to her back. She felt her bra unsnapped. She felt the bra being pulled down. She felt a hand grasping at her breasts.

Cindy moved one of her hands to the front of Ann’s dress, pulling the front down a little bit to free her breasts. She kneaded them gently. She spun Ann’s nipples between her fingers.

The kiss grew more enthusiastic.

Ann stood from the sofa. She took Cindy’s hands. She led her into the bedroom.

Without a word, the two women fell into bed, kissing madly. Their hands and fingers ran over each other’s bodies.

Cindy let out a small gasp as she felt Ann’s fingers slide under the waistband of her undies.

“I’ve been dreaming of this since I first laid eyes on you,” Ann whispered as she planted soft kisses on Cindy’s face. Softly, tenderly, Ann moved her fingers along Cindy’s mound, exploring the softness, exploring the ridges, the tips of her fingers dipping into wetness.

The two women shifted in the bed until they were both on their sides, facing each other. Ann continued moving one hand between Cindy’s legs, while her other hand was firmly on Cindy’s shoulder, caressing it, holding Cindy close to her. Cindy still had her arms wrapped around Ann, as if afraid the other woman might disappear into thin air.