Beneath Her Smile

The bass was pounding, and the lights were doing that thing where they blurred at the edges, bending around everyone until it felt like the whole room was underwater. Halloween costumes swirled around me—witch hats, angel wings, painted masks. But I only had eyes for her. Katie stood a few feet away, laughing with her friends, that light, unbothered laugh that seemed to rise above the music. She didn't see me, but I was there, watching, feeling like I'd found some kind of anchor in the chaos of the party.

I moved toward her without thinking, slipping past people who barely noticed me, not that they ever did. Just another random face in the crowd, an NPC, as my friends liked to say. I was used to it, blending in, being the guy people didn't remember after they looked away. But now, somehow, I was closing the space between me and Katie Sommers—the Katie Sommers. She was the kind of person who seemed to float through life, with her easy smile, like she'd already won the game the rest of us were still figuring out how to play.

I reached her, barely inches away now, and she looked up at me, her smile softening. The background noise faded, and it felt like just the two of us. I leaned in, close enough to catch her scent—like vanilla and something I couldn't name. My heart was hammering, and I could swear I felt her breath on my face.

Then—darkness.

I shot upright in bed, my chest heaving. The party dissolved around me, leaving only my blank dorm room walls, the faded gray light of morning trickling through the blinds. I blinked, disoriented, still half-expecting the beat of the music, and the warmth of Katie's smile. I shook my head, groaning. Just a dream. Of course, it was a dream. Katie Sommers wouldn't look twice at me in real life.

I kicked off my sheets and sat up, rubbing my eyes. There was no way I was getting back to sleep after that. I glanced at my roommate's side of the room, his bed a rumpled mess, the same as mine. Brad was a snorer, sprawled out in his boxers, completely oblivious to the existential crisis I was having a few feet away. With a sigh, I grabbed my phone and glanced at the time: 7:15. Early, but not ridiculously so. I might as well get a head start on the day.

After a quick shower, I made myself a sad bowl of instant oatmeal, stirring it around as I mentally replayed fragments of the dream. Katie's laugh, her eyes, that faint vanilla scent… yeah, I was officially losing it. Or maybe I was just desperate for something interesting to happen.

My friends usually joked that I led a "non-player character" life—Jason, the ultimate background guy. Even here in college, I mostly drifted through the motions: classes, study sessions, and the occasional hangout with my roommates. Nothing wild, nothing dramatic. Just… normal.

I finished my oatmeal, grabbed my backpack, and left the dorm, making my way across campus. The morning was brisk, autumn air sharp enough to wake me up as I shoved my hands in my pockets and walked toward the coffee stand. Some caffeine couldn't hurt before class. I spotted a couple of familiar faces along the way—the guy from my dorm, and a girl from my Econ class—and exchanged a few nods. The usual. The morning crowd on campus had its rhythm, people moving in little groups, chattering and laughing, while I walked along, listening in without really belonging.

After picking up a coffee, I met up with Brad and Liam, my two best friends (if you could call people you mostly played video games with "best friends"). They were already at our usual table outside the cafeteria, both looking a little bleary-eyed.

"Late night?" I asked, sliding onto the bench next to Liam.

"Nothing I can't sleep off in class," Liam muttered, sipping his coffee. "What about you? Looked like you were deep in thought back there."

I shrugged, half-smiling. "Just my usual NPC thoughts. You know, existential dread and the meaning of life."

Brad snorted. "Classic Jason. Hey, don't forget—we're hitting that Halloween party this Friday. There's gonna be punch, and people wear costumes, unlike that 'horns' situation you had going on last year."

"Oh, don't worry. I'm going all out this time," I replied, sarcasm practically dripping.

We went back and forth a bit, the usual banter. Nothing important, just the comfortable back-and-forth that kept the day moving. Eventually, though, I checked the time and realized I needed to head to my IT class. It was not exactly a thrilling subject, but hey, it was part of the plan. At least this semester, the class had a bonus.

Katie.

I tried not to look obvious about it as I entered the classroom, scanning for her usual spot. She was already there, sitting near the front, her head bent over her notebook as she jotted something down. I slid into a seat a couple of rows back, pretending to pull out my laptop while sneaking the occasional glance her way.

She looked as perfect as ever like she didn't have to try. Her blonde hair fell over her shoulder, and she had this little smile on her face like whatever she was writing was somehow funny. I felt that familiar tug, a mix of admiration and hopelessness. She was leagues out of my reach, a main character if there ever was one.

The class went on, and I did my best to focus on the professor's droning voice. Katie was there, within reach, but just as untouchable as ever. Still, seeing her every other day gave me something to look forward to, a tiny highlight in an otherwise standard week. But it was just that—a highlight. No expectations, no real hope that anything would come of it.

Then, a few days later, Brad cornered me in the dorm lounge with a grin on his face that usually meant trouble.

"Yo, there's this huge Halloween party happening this weekend. You're coming, right?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Since when are you, my social coordinator?"

"Since you started acting like a hermit, dude. Come on, it'll be fun. And they're going to have a legit setup—balcony, music, the whole deal. You can even bring your devil horns again," he added, laughing.

I rolled my eyes but relented. "Fine, I'll go. But if it sucks, I'm holding you personally responsible."

So, Friday night rolled around, and I found myself dressed in a lazy vampire costume, complete with cheap plastic fangs and a cape that barely stayed on. I met up with Brad and Liam at the party, and sure enough, it was packed. People were crammed into every corner, music blaring, and a line of tacky decorations strung up around the place.

An hour or so in, I'd lost Brad and Liam to the crowd, and I wasn't in the mood for dancing or mingling. Instead, I grabbed a plastic cup of punch and slipped outside to the balcony, where it was quieter. I took a sip, leaning against the railing, just enjoying the cool night air and the few minutes of solitude.

---

I stepped onto the balcony, grateful for the cool air and the brief escape from the stifling party. I took a sip of my plastic cup of punch, the sweetness doing little to help the slightly dizzying effect of the lights and noise that still throbbed from inside. Halloween parties had never really been my thing, but when Brad practically dragged me along with promises of punch and a "real party experience," I figured why not.

The party was buzzing with people from all over campus. Some in elaborate costumes, some barely trying—myself included. I had settled for a half-hearted vampire getup, the cape already on the brink of falling off my shoulders, and the plastic fangs had gone missing about ten minutes into the night. I smirked, imagining Brad's reaction if he saw me hiding out here, missing out on what he liked to call "character-building socializing."

Just as I was starting to relax, I heard the door to the balcony creak open. I expected another partier, someone spilling over with their drink, maybe even Brad himself, to come to mock my lone-wolf act. But then I saw her.

Katie.

I nearly choked on my punch.

She looked over, eyes catching mine as she gave me a smile, warm and easy. "Jason, right?"

I managed a nod, desperately trying to keep my cool, but my mind was spiraling. Katie Sommers remembered my name? That alone was surreal enough, but now she was standing beside me, leaning on the balcony railing, almost like we were… friends?

"Didn't take you for the party type," she said, her tone teasing.

I shrugged, trying to come up with a witty reply. "Yeah, I guess I'm more of a 'stand-alone-on-balconies' type. It's an exclusive club."

Katie laughed—a real laugh, not one of those polite chuckles you give out of courtesy. "I feel honored to be a part of it, then."

We started talking, and I'll admit, I barely remember what we said. Bits and pieces, random jokes, comments about the costumes, the party. She was so… easy to talk to. There were no awkward pauses, no need for me to fill the space with nervous chatter. She seemed genuinely interested, asking me questions, laughing at my dry, sarcastic comments.

It was like the rest of the party faded away, just the two of us out there, talking as if we'd done this a hundred times before. I found myself saying things I'd usually keep inside my head, sarcastic little comments about the ridiculous costumes, about the so-called "vampire" look I was attempting, and how I was about ten seconds away from giving up and heading home.

Katie laughed at all of it. Not that polite, distant laugh you hear from someone who's just being nice, but a real, genuine laugh, her eyes crinkling at the corners. I couldn't remember the last time someone had looked at me like that. Like I was interesting. Like I wasn't just another face in the background.

"So," she said at one point, turning to lean her elbows on the railing, her face illuminated by the distant glow of streetlights. "Do you usually come to these things?"

"Define 'usually,'" I said, with a shrug. "If you mean 'once in a blue moon when my friends drag me out,' then yes, absolutely. I'm a total regular."

She smiled, tilting her head slightly. "So, why did they drag you here tonight?"

I hesitated, not really sure how to answer. "Honestly? Probably because they think I need to stop hiding out in the background. They keep saying I'm like an NPC."

Katie raised an eyebrow. "An NPC?"

"Yeah," I explained, scratching the back of my neck. "You know, like those characters in video games that just stand around, blending into the scenery? That's me. Quiet, forgettable, the guy who barely makes a blip on anyone's radar."

She looked at me for a long moment, something almost serious flickering across her face. "I don't know about that. I noticed you, didn't I?"

My stomach did a weird little flip, and I tried to brush it off with a laugh, but the truth was, her words lingered. "Yeah, well, maybe you're just good at picking out the strays."

"Maybe," she said, giving me a soft smile. "Or maybe you're more interesting than you think."

We stayed out there longer than I expected, just talking about everything and nothing. She told me about her Halloween tradition of watching terrible horror movies, the ones that are so bad they're hilarious. I told her about my love-hate relationship with scary games that I barely had the patience to finish. We even compared our worst costumes from childhood—hers was a glittering fairy princess disaster that left her covered in glitter for days, mine was a Frankenstein's monster that somehow ended up with one eye missing.

Finally, when she had to leave to meet up with her friends, she gave me a little wave. "See you around, Jason."

"Yeah, see you," I replied, watching her walk back inside, blending into the crowd, that bubble of conversation between us popping as quickly as it had started.

For the rest of the night, I stayed on the balcony, nursing my punch and replaying our conversation over and over. It was surreal. It was the kind of thing that happened in movies, not to guys like me. And yet, there it was, as real as the faint buzz left by the music and the October chill creeping into the night.