Chapter Text
Half a dozen people were already heading into the corn maze ahead of you, each one wrapped up in sweaters and beanies. It was cold, far colder than either you or Nick had anticipated, and it was made even colder by the atmosphere.
Every year, you vowed to go to the corn maze. And every year, you failed to do so. It wasn’t from a lack of trying. Things usually got in the way, such as work, or the end-of-year cold, or sheer exhaustion. One year, you’d even twisted your ankle the morning you’d decided to finally go through the maze. It was as if fate was keeping you away for some reason.
Now, this year, you were finally here. Unfortunately (or, fortunately, depending on how one looked at it), it was the haunted maze that you were about to enter. The regular, family-friendly corn maze had ended about two hours before, while Nick was still at work. You knew that if you didn’t go today, though, you’d never manage to make it this season. And so you went, even though it wouldn’t be the romantic stroll you imagined.
It was already dark out, the moon providing just enough light to illuminate the cornfield in a sickly bluish-white tone. Headlights cut through the haze of night, bouncing back off the wooden sides of barns and other outbuildings. There were a few solar-powered lights posted around the edge of the cornfield, but there didn’t appear to be any on the inside.
“Come on, love,” said Nick, urging you forward. “We’re not going to finish the maze by just standing here.”
You hesitated just long enough for Nick to realize that something was wrong. He placed his hand on your lower back and drew you closer to him. Despite the low light, you could see worry written across his face.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Just then, a bloodcurdling scream tore across the sky and echoed across the fields. You practically jumped out of your skin, throwing yourself against Nick’s warm, safe body. His arms wrapped around you and kept you shielded from whatever had produced that horrific scream — which, he could easily deduce, was either a scare actor or an unfortunate patron of the haunted corn maze.
You tucked your face against his neck and blushed deeply in embarrassment. You could hear a few people around you chuckling, not-too-quietly commenting about how scared you were. You clung to Nick’s sweater as you leaned back and looked him in the eye.
“I’m sorry. I’m being a big baby.”
“Don’t apologize for being scared. That’s what this maze is for, isn’t it? I imagine it’s quite a big compliment to the actors, you know. They are getting paid to scare people.”
“Yeah, but I haven’t even encountered any of the scare actors. I just heard someone else scream.”
“It was a rather terrifying scream,” he offered, trying to comfort you. It didn’t help much. Nick always got this tone when he was trying to make you feel better about something silly. It wasn’t a mocking tone or anything, but there was just something about it. It bordered on the verge of pity, and it drove you crazy.
You peeled yourself away from Nick and looked back toward the maze. Small beams of light, presumably from phone flashlights, bounced around throughout the maze. Every now and again, a light would spin frantically and someone would scream. More and more people lined up for the maze, chattering excitedly about what they might experience.
“If you don’t want to do it, we don’t have to.” Nick reached out and grasped your hand. “It’s perfectly alright if you’d rather go home and watch a movie.”
“No. We came all this way and … and this is the only time we’ll be able to do it this year.”
“That’s not true. We can always make time on the weekend to come out. We can come earlier and do the regular maze. If you don’t want to be scared, you don’t have to do this one.”
“But I want to. I mean … I at least want to try.” You squeezed his hand, feeling jittery as a man hollered from the middle of the cornstalks. “If you’re willing to, I mean.”
Nick smiled and kissed your forehead. “I’m willing to try anything for you, love. C’mon.” He pulled you into the line, letting you stand behind him with your arms wrapped around his middle. “I’ll keep you safe when we go in there. I promise — nothing is gonna come between you and me.”
You hugged him tightly from behind and pressed your face into his back, breathing in his scent. “I know,” you murmured. “You’ve always protected me.”
“And I always will.”