The floor of Dani’s bedroom creaked again. She had spent the last ten minutes pacing over every square inch, looking through every article of clothing she had three times over.
Okay so from what I have it looks like my costume options are ‘annoying gamer’ or ‘seventh grade boy.’ Not really what I’m aiming for.
Ryan had promised to help her choose a costume, so where was he? After inviting her the day before, he revealed that he didn’t have any ideas. Just a vague guarantee he would come up with something in time.
Now it was a day and a half away, with no more progress. Dani realized she would need to take charge if she wanted anything more than a bed sheet with eyes cut out.
She took to the internet.
creative costume ideas halloween party
A bombardment of complex, hyper-detailed cosplays swarmed her phone. They looked nice, Dani couldn’t deny that. Just, they would take days to make, not to mention the years of crafting that type of skill. She would have to dumb it down.
cheap halloween party costume ideas
She paused before hitting enter.
cheap halloween party couples costume ideas
Rows and rows of couples dressed in various attires popped up. Ranging from knight and princess to peanut butter and jelly, Dani became overwhelmed and tossed her phone onto her bed.
Why did I search that? We’re obviously not going as a couple. He would have said something! Though he did suggest matching costumes…
Dani shook her head.
No, he must have meant something else. He knows I’m not out to anyone outside the apartment. Obviously I wouldn’t go in a girl’s costume.
Her phone buzzed. She retrieved it from its landing spot and noticed a new text from Ryan.
Got our costumes! It read. Told you I had it covered.
Alongside the message was a picture of two white bed sheets.
Oh my god, Dani thought. It’s as bad as I imagined.
Part of her was relieved. As embarrassing as it would be to have such a low-effort costume, she would at least be matching with Ryan. Even if they didn’t call it a date, it would be easy to think of that way in her head.
Should I wear makeup? If so then how much? Would it be weird if-
Dani suddenly remembered that a ghost costume would involve her face being covered.
Oh. Duh. Maybe it’s not too late to get him to change his mind? Seriously anything would be better than ghosts.
She told herself that wearing a low-effort costume would embarrass her, would ruin their party experience. In reality, she was hoping this party would be a chance to show off her femininity more than usual.
If I say it’s a costume then nobody can really judge me that harshly, right? And if I look bad then that’s fine too! It won’t feel great, but…
When Ryan had first told her about the party, visions of her wearing a flowing dress, a tacky exercise outfit from the 80s, even the classic black shirt and cat ears, all appeared in her head. Although she knew that the odds of her going through with any of those were minuscule, having the opportunity stripped away still stung.
Whatever. It’s not like Ryan knew what I had in mind. And I never would have had the courage to buy any of those outfits, let alone wear them out of the house.
She looked at more couples costumes on her phone while she sulked.
***
Twenty minutes after getting his text, Dani heard Ryan arrive home. Simon was never quite as loud opening the door, plus he would be away for work another few hours.
“Hey!” He called from the living room. “Come out, let’s get our costumes ready!”
Dani got up, bracing herself to not laugh at Ryan’s dumb ghost idea.
He’s involving me, that’s what matters.
As she entered the living room, she noticed a small bag next to the sheets he had tossed on the couch. Scissors to cut out holes? That seemed like a safe bet.
“So,” Ryan said, gesturing to his day’s work. “What do you think? Simple but fun, right?”
“Um,” Dani struggled to not hurt his feelings. “Yeah, it should be fun! A real… classic.”
“And I was thinking you could wear makeup like you have been recently without it really being an issue,” Ryan continued without noticing her hesitation. “You can just say it’s part of the costume or whatever.”
“But if my face is covered nobody will notice anyway…” Dani said.
“Huh?”
“Is this… Is this not a ghost costume?”
Ryan looked down at his sheets and then back to Dani. Then, he started cackling.
“Oh my god,” he said between fits of laughter. “Please tell me your opinion of me isn’t that low.”
Dani’s face grew red, “Well, like, what is it supposed to be then?”
She didn’t enjoy being wrong. His laughter started to make her feel dumb, and she just wanted him to stop.
Ryan soon calmed down. “It’s not ghosts, it’s supposed to be, like, a Greek outfit. Like a toga, ya know?”
“Oh!” Dani’s tension lessened. “That’s kinda neat.”
“Yeah I got the idea from all the toga parties I did back in my frat,” Ryan said. “I can say I’m Caesar or something.”
“Caesar and togas were both Roman, just for the record,” Dani said.
“Ah, Roman, Greek, basically the same,” Ryan waved his hand dismissively. “Besides, it was still Greek life!”
“Did you really go to that many parties wearing something like this?” Dani asked.
“Sure!” Ryan picked up one of the sheets and started to fold it. “I went to four in one week in my prime. I don’t really remember what happened but it was fun.”
Dani watched as Ryan wrapped and tucked the sheet around himself.
Wow, he really has done this a lot.
“See?” Ryan held out his arms to the side. “Super easy and it’s hard to come undone on accident.”
He did look much more royal than Dani was used to. His pant leg was visible, though she assumed they would wear something shorter for the actual party. A whole night of looking at Ryan’s legs…
“Alright, you convinced me,” Dani said. “You’ll help me wrap mine tomorrow, right?”
“Definitely,” Ryan said as he removed his costume. “Make sure you have underwear and a shirt on underneath, or things could get messy as the night goes on.”
Ryan’s head jerked up, startling Dani.
“Or like a bra, or whatever!” He stammered. “Whatever you need to wear.”
“Right, got it...” Dani replied.
She was grateful she always kept her legs shaved. The habit started when she was on the swim team back in high school. It made her feel nice, so she kept it up after graduating, despite her parent’s disapproval.
“And one more thing, to really spice it up.” Ryan reached into the bag on the couch and pulled out two rings of small, green leaves. “Some Roman crowns.”
“They’re called laurels,” Dani couldn’t help herself.
“Yeah yeah, whatever.” He tossed a crown to Dani. “These make it more of a costume, so nobody will complain.”
Dani caught it, turning it around in her hands. “Good idea.”
She looked at the plastic leaves and wondered if they would look nice in her hair. For the first time that day, she was hopeful about the party.
The floor of Dani’s bedroom creaked again. She had spent the last ten minutes pacing over every square inch, looking through every article of clothing she had three times over.
Okay so from what I have it looks like my costume options are ‘annoying gamer’ or ‘seventh grade boy.’ Not really what I’m aiming for.
Ryan had promised to help her choose a costume, so where was he? After inviting her the day before, he revealed that he didn’t have any ideas. Just a vague guarantee he would come up with something in time.
Now it was a day and a half away, with no more progress. Dani realized she would need to take charge if she wanted anything more than a bed sheet with eyes cut out.
She took to the internet.
creative costume ideas halloween party
A bombardment of complex, hyper-detailed cosplays swarmed her phone. They looked nice, Dani couldn’t deny that. Just, they would take days to make, not to mention the years of crafting that type of skill. She would have to dumb it down.
cheap halloween party costume ideas
She paused before hitting enter.
cheap halloween party couples costume ideas
Rows and rows of couples dressed in various attires popped up. Ranging from knight and princess to peanut butter and jelly, Dani became overwhelmed and tossed her phone onto her bed.
Why did I search that? We’re obviously not going as a couple. He would have said something! Though he did suggest matching costumes…
Dani shook her head.
No, he must have meant something else. He knows I’m not out to anyone outside the apartment. Obviously I wouldn’t go in a girl’s costume.
Her phone buzzed. She retrieved it from its landing spot and noticed a new text from Ryan.
Got our costumes! It read. Told you I had it covered.
Alongside the message was a picture of two white bed sheets.
Oh my god, Dani thought. It’s as bad as I imagined.
Part of her was relieved. As embarrassing as it would be to have such a low-effort costume, she would at least be matching with Ryan. Even if they didn’t call it a date, it would be easy to think of that way in her head.
Should I wear makeup? If so then how much? Would it be weird if-
Dani suddenly remembered that a ghost costume would involve her face being covered.
Oh. Duh. Maybe it’s not too late to get him to change his mind? Seriously anything would be better than ghosts.
She told herself that wearing a low-effort costume would embarrass her, would ruin their party experience. In reality, she was hoping this party would be a chance to show off her femininity more than usual.
If I say it’s a costume then nobody can really judge me that harshly, right? And if I look bad then that’s fine too! It won’t feel great, but…
When Ryan had first told her about the party, visions of her wearing a flowing dress, a tacky exercise outfit from the 80s, even the classic black shirt and cat ears, all appeared in her head. Although she knew that the odds of her going through with any of those were minuscule, having the opportunity stripped away still stung.
Whatever. It’s not like Ryan knew what I had in mind. And I never would have had the courage to buy any of those outfits, let alone wear them out of the house.
She looked at more couples costumes on her phone while she sulked.
***
Twenty minutes after getting his text, Dani heard Ryan arrive home. Simon was never quite as loud opening the door, plus he would be away for work another few hours.
“Hey!” He called from the living room. “Come out, let’s get our costumes ready!”
Dani got up, bracing herself to not laugh at Ryan’s dumb ghost idea.
He’s involving me, that’s what matters.
As she entered the living room, she noticed a small bag next to the sheets he had tossed on the couch. Scissors to cut out holes? That seemed like a safe bet.
“So,” Ryan said, gesturing to his day’s work. “What do you think? Simple but fun, right?”
“Um,” Dani struggled to not hurt his feelings. “Yeah, it should be fun! A real… classic.”
“And I was thinking you could wear makeup like you have been recently without it really being an issue,” Ryan continued without noticing her hesitation. “You can just say it’s part of the costume or whatever.”
“But if my face is covered nobody will notice anyway…” Dani said.
“Huh?”
“Is this… Is this not a ghost costume?”
Ryan looked down at his sheets and then back to Dani. Then, he started cackling.
“Oh my god,” he said between fits of laughter. “Please tell me your opinion of me isn’t that low.”
Dani’s face grew red, “Well, like, what is it supposed to be then?”
She didn’t enjoy being wrong. His laughter started to make her feel dumb, and she just wanted him to stop.
Ryan soon calmed down. “It’s not ghosts, it’s supposed to be, like, a Greek outfit. Like a toga, ya know?”
“Oh!” Dani’s tension lessened. “That’s kinda neat.”
“Yeah I got the idea from all the toga parties I did back in my frat,” Ryan said. “I can say I’m Caesar or something.”
“Caesar and togas were both Roman, just for the record,” Dani said.
“Ah, Roman, Greek, basically the same,” Ryan waved his hand dismissively. “Besides, it was still Greek life!”
“Did you really go to that many parties wearing something like this?” Dani asked.
“Sure!” Ryan picked up one of the sheets and started to fold it. “I went to four in one week in my prime. I don’t really remember what happened but it was fun.”
Dani watched as Ryan wrapped and tucked the sheet around himself.
Wow, he really has done this a lot.
“See?” Ryan held out his arms to the side. “Super easy and it’s hard to come undone on accident.”
He did look much more royal than Dani was used to. His pant leg was visible, though she assumed they would wear something shorter for the actual party. A whole night of looking at Ryan’s legs…
“Alright, you convinced me,” Dani said. “You’ll help me wrap mine tomorrow, right?”
“Definitely,” Ryan said as he removed his costume. “Make sure you have underwear and a shirt on underneath, or things could get messy as the night goes on.”
Ryan’s head jerked up, startling Dani.
“Or like a bra, or whatever!” He stammered. “Whatever you need to wear.”
“Right, got it...” Dani replied.
She was grateful she always kept her legs shaved. The habit started when she was on the swim team back in high school. It made her feel nice, so she kept it up after graduating, despite her parent’s disapproval.
“And one more thing, to really spice it up.” Ryan reached into the bag on the couch and pulled out two rings of small, green leaves. “Some Roman crowns.”
“They’re called laurels,” Dani couldn’t help herself.
“Yeah yeah, whatever.” He tossed a crown to Dani. “These make it more of a costume, so nobody will complain.”
Dani caught it, turning it around in her hands. “Good idea.”
She looked at the plastic leaves and wondered if they would look nice in her hair. For the first time that day, she was hopeful about the party.
