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Alex held Sam's hand as they followed the moonlit path, surrounded by fellow visitors who'd come to witness the extravagant Halloween themed displays built completely out of carved pumpkins. The historical site held this event every year. Intricate designs of bridges, tunnels, giant statues and scenery, made of nothing but the prominent fall gourd, was a sight to behold. Thousands of pumpkins were utilized and lit, and hand-carved by artisans, just for this time of the year. It was an attraction that has become a staple of Alex's Halloween experience every year with her family, and now that she was with Sam, she wanted to share it with her too.
"Alex," Sam started as they approached the main entrance. "It is absolutely freezing. Are you sure this was a good idea? I'm sure this place is amazing, but I may seriously die of hypothermia," she said with her arms wound tightly around her chest, bouncing on her heels to stay warm.
Alex chuckled and leaned into Sam's side, snaking her arm around her girlfriend's waist to pull her close.
"Today was the day I got tickets for, babe," she shrugged. "I had no idea it was going to be this cold when I purchased them weeks ago. If it makes you feel any better, the other days are gonna be much colder."
"Maybe. But not by much," Sam chuckled. "This trip better be worth it, babe."
"It will be. I promise."
The two stayed close, huddling together to share what body heat they could, though they were covered from head to toe in winter garb. However, despite all the layers, they still shivered with the brisk night air blowing at their backs. Sam had nearly bailed several times because even with the chilly weather that happened upon them, groups of tourists had made the trek to that same destination point, prolonging the wait time to enter, which made the whole thing seem like such a chore. But, Alex stood her ground, convincing Sam to stay by explaining how great the experience would be, backing it with a number of stories from Halloweens past. And while she did so, with them both steadily waiting in line, Alex pressed up behind Sam, chest to back, wrapping her arms around the woman's torso and holding her tight. Occasionally, Alex would lean her face into Sam's neck, dotting her barely exposed skin with kisses, and breathing out puffs of warm air onto her skin to keep her warm. Sam couldn't deny then, that even with the bitter cold air gnawing at their bones, that being wrapped up in an Alex sized bear hug the entire time, was where she wanted to be.
"Is that a house up there on the hill?" Sam pointed out with an upward nod, her arms resting along Alex's.
"Yep. They decorate that manor every year. Some people even stay there. It denotes the start of the attraction."
Alex wasn't paying much attention, but knew what Sam was referring to, as she's been here dozens of times. Instead, she kept her nose pressed up against Sam's neck, inhaling the sweet scent of her perfume, while continuing to kiss and nuzzle into her. They took careful steps in tandem as they walked up the hill, with Sam being their eyes. Since Alex continued her steadfast hold, covering Sam from behind and keeping her close, with arms overlapping around her waist, it became a bit difficult for them to walk together without tripping over the uneven surface of the dirt path before them. But, Sam couldn't be bothered by it. She'd giggle more often than not when they wavered, unable to deny loving the idea of Alex's inability to separate from her.
When they finally reached the front of the historic building, they stopped and stared like everyone else. Alex continued her warming embrace, propping her chin on her girlfriend's shoulder as they stood in awe of the festive building. A loop recording of haunted sounds, mixed in with an occasional Halloween song, played in the background. Candle lit pumpkins of varied carvings and sizes decorated the patio, the railing, and all over every surface of the two story floor facade. At some point, Sam had pulled out her phone to take pictures. After she'd gotten her fill, she flipped the camera around to point at themselves, and stretched her arm out in front. She then turned towards Alex, whose head remained perched on her shoulder, and placed a soft cool kiss on her cheek, while snapping a photo.
Continuing on their journey, they walked along the path, following the people in front of them, taking in the view. There was a large mock-up of the statue of liberty, a long serpent the size of two full length cars, a decent sized train, a bridge, and other displays set with ghouls, goblins and witches. All were crafted with the use of expertly sculpted pumpkins. Alex watched as Sam took in the wonders before her. She'd never seen anything like it and seemed genuinely excited. In the beginning, it was Alex holding Sam's hand, dragging her towards the event. Now, it was Sam, holding Alex's and pulling her towards several different setups. Through most of it, Sam snapped photos of the artistic formations, and of course, yanked Alex in more than a few times, to take more selfies.
It took nearly an hour to get through the entire attraction. The tail end of their journey brought them to a tunnel that had a ceiling plastered with even more pumpkins, all carved with stars on their faces and lit high above them. The "walls" were curated with lines of wooden shelves that continued the starlit theme by holding a number of decorated gourds, all twinkling with similar star patterns. The entire display made the tunnel oddly intimate, despite all the other people within in it. The fact that it was a mostly enclosed space which surrounded its guests with a warm amber glow, made it surreal . Midway through, Sam clasped onto Alex's hand, squeezing it tight while slightly swinging it. Alex then looked over at her, catching onto familiar hazel eyes that glowed in the dimly lit space.
"Hey," Sam mouthed coyly with a large smile on her face.
"Hey back," Alex responded with a bashful grin.
It wasn't a moment later that Sam stepped in close and slipped her hands around her girlfriend's neck to pull their bodies together, sliding her lips against Alex's. The kiss was soft, tender and lingering. It was cold at first: the frosty tips of their noses that brushed up against chillier skin, and the initial feeling of cool, slightly chapped lips that glided against the other's, but it heated up quickly. Sharing the warmth from their mouths, and the exhale of comforting breaths onto each other's faces, made quick work of it. By the end, they had slipped their eyes shut and leaned their foreheads against one another's.
"This is wonderful, Al. Thank you."
"I thought you'd like it."
When they pulled apart, they soon realized they had caused a bit of a blockage in the middle of the path. Several children squealed past them as the ran through. They laughed, a bit giddy and a bit embarrassed for making a bit of a scene and preventing others from walking through, so they connected their hands once more and hurried on forward, childishly knocking into each other's shoulders with affection as they did so.
The path brought them to their final destination; a large covered tent, that after a inspection, really was just a grouping of concession stands. They had various areas that sold snacks, beverages, souvenirs and the like. At smelling the freshly made coffee and the welcoming scent of hot cider doughnuts, Alex and Sam swiftly made their way over to get their share. The idea of filling their bellies with warm snacks, meant they couldn't wait. Opting to keep with the theme of the evening though, they decided to stick with purchasing cups of hot apple cider along with their doughy treats.
They took a stroll outside where there were some picnic tables set up, heated by tall outdoor heat lamps. All the tables were occupied, but Alex found them a spot by one of the lamps. They leaned up against the log fencing, using one of the posts as a table, then started on their treats.
"I am going to need hours under this lamp to thaw," Sam mused as she sipped on her drink, the hot cup held between both her hands, hoping to warm them up.
"Well, we can stay for a while, but then we should make our way back to the car, then sit there, blasting the heat."
"That sounds like a great idea."
They continued to lean there, shoulder to shoulder, snacking on their treats. On more than one occasion, Sam thought it'd be funny to catch Alex off-guard by tapping her cinnamon dusted treat on Alex's lips. Alex would instinctively flinch, but when Sam saw the flecks of sweetness on Alex's lips, combined with a toying glare, she couldn't help but chuckle. Of course, she'd eventually offer to clean it up with her tongue, teasing at her mouth. Alex definitely didn't mind, happily allowing her girlfriend to do so. In between the playfulness, Sam would take a moment to show Alex some of the photos she'd taken from the evening. They giggled at some of the childish antics that Alex had done, like mocking the face of the zombie-faced pumpkin that she was standing by, or the times when they'd both take selfies of themselves making obscure faces, exaggerating on how cold they were.
When they were done, Alex collected their trash to throw them away. When she got back, she smiled adoringly at Sam who huddled under the lamp, with arms crossed over her chest, as she bounced up and down on her heels to keep her blood flowing. As soon as Alex approached her, she tilted her head to the side, nudging it towards the entrance and offered up her arm. The corners of Sam's lips curled up in affection, hurrying over to slip her arm into the crook of Alex's elbow, then pressed close to her.
"I'm sorry you're still cold. I hope you had fun though."
"Babe, I had a blast."
"Even though you said you couldn't feel your fingers any more from snapping all those pics?" Alex teased.
"God, don't remind me. I don't even know if I have fingers still," she responded sarcastically. "But, I did manage to survive," she smirked, nudging at Alex a bit forcefully, which caused them to both stumble towards one side as they walked, "Know why?"
"Why?"
Sam responded by stilling her movements, which yanked Alex back and halted her too. She then turned to face Alex and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend's waist, leaning in and grinning widely, before placing a tender kiss on Alex's cool lips.
"Because of you, dummy," she giggled, her lips enveloping Alex's once more. "You keep me warm.”