by Aki_kaze
Sam’s face grew relaxed. He leaned his head in towards the other. Keith lifted a hand to caress the other’s head even though he could not actually. The spirit mumbled something he couldn’t make out.
“What did you just say?”
“Nothing. Let’s get back to work.” Sam beamed and walked back to the two boxes.
Keith turn around to dust the window. His heart started to calm down. He asked himself what he had to do in order to see Sam in his dream. Would there ever come a night when he had a nice dream? Sam promised he would sleep with him from now on. Would that help?
He turned to look at the spirit. Perhaps he didn’t need any dream because he was already happy at the moment.
Keith sat down next to him, aiding him in putting the stuff into each box. It seemed though that he spent most of the time peering at the other. Gleeful smiles tugged on their lips as they kept working in silence.
Chapter Thirty Two
My Boyfriend Is…
Diane walked up to the attic. She looked around, her mouth hanged agape. The once dust-laden room had now become a perfectly clean one. No more messy stuff strewn about the floor. She once thought the place was dark and suffocating. Now she saw it in a different light.
“Keith, you did this all yourself?”
“Yes.”
If he admitted that he received a spirit’s aid, she would call Doc Anderson right away. It was true Diane said she would give an attempt in understanding him, but Keith wouldn’t risk telling her everything.
“You can donate the stuff in these two boxes. Or throw it away.” He gave her an instruction, directing at the said boxes on the floor.
“They’re the ex-house owner’s, right? Shouldn’t we contact them first?”
“They are not important stuff,” Keith said. Besides, the owner was standing next to him, giving a nod of agreement.
“Is that so?” Her eyes roughly inspected the items inside. “I think I’ll go through them one more time. Anyway, what are you going to do with this room?”
He let out a sigh, his eyes roaming around. The neat room reminded him of his time and the attempt dedicated to it.
“I don’t know. My secret base, perhaps?”
A faint smile appeared on his aunt’s face.
“I’ll give this room to you.” Her eyes then scanned the boy from head to toe. “And I think you should go clean yourself, too. There’re jellies in the fridge. Don’t forget to get some.”
“Oh. Okay.”
The word ‘jelly’ made his face flush with heat. His eyes caught a small smile on the spirit’s face. He could do nothing but glared at him.
After Diane left, Keith went to his room. He looked at himself in the full-length mirror and understood in that instant why his aunt told him to take a shower. His face was covered in the filthy mixture of dust and sweat; and his clothes, soiled and stained. He felt a little envious of Sam: that boy didn’t need to get changed.
Keith eyed Sam’s choice of clothing. It was always the same but looked quite familiar like he’d once seen it somewhere else. He scratched his head. The other’s clothes were like any of other teenagers’; nothing special.
“Hey!” Sam called, “want me to wash your hair for you?”
“Huh?”
“Wash your hair, you know.” The spirit held up his two hands and moved them in circular motions, imitating the scalp-massaging gesture.
“How can you do that?”
“I once soaked you in the shower, remember?”
He would never forget that day. He was completely drenched while the other was completely and unfairly unaffected.
“I know. But your bathroom doesn’t have a bathtub.”
Sam tilted his head in question.
“Well, duh. But why do we need it?”
“Then my clothes will get wet too.”
Sam only blinked at him.
“Who takes a shower while they still have their clothes on. Everyone must first take of—”
The boy sent his fist right through the spirit’s face. Sam crouched down and covered his face, pretending to moan in pain.
“Why?! Why must my boyfriend be this violent? What a moody, willful brat.”
“Who do you call a mood—” Keith’s mouth hanged open, his face blushing and his heart beating fast. “W… what did you just say?”
“A moody, willful brat,” Sam repeated, looking up at Keith, head resting on his hands.
“Wha— No. before that.”
He knotted his eyebrows in confusion, and then he got it.
“Oh! My boyfriend. You’re my boyfriend, right?”
Keith supported himself by placing his hands on his laps as he leaned forwards. His face turned so serious that Sam’s naughty grin disappeared. The boy said flatly.
“Are you trying to kill me?”
The spirit squinted his eyes. His face, too, grew stern. He beheld Keith’s look of determination.
“Do you want me to have a heart attack?”
Sam’s gaze was still trained on the other, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“I want you to have a heart racing,” he said, “I want to hear your heartbeat. I can’t hear it from myself.”
Keith went speechless. He looked at Sam who was bending his head downward, hiding his expression. But when the spirit’s shoulder started shaking, Keith pulled a face.
“You were pulling my leg?!”
Sam burst out laughter as he rose to his feet.
“I do mean it.” Sam said, his finger lightly touched the other’s nose tip. “But I don’t want you to feel pressure. There’re many things I can’t do for you, but I’ll make you the happiest person alive.”
Keith was red to his ears.
“Stop saying those things. I’m taking a shower now!”
Keith stormed off to the bathroom.
“You really don’t want me to wash your hair for you?” Sam shouted after him.
“Get lost!” Keith closed the door with a bang.
He sighed then sank onto the floor. He murmured to himself, hands covering his face.
“Why do you get so happy, Derringer. You’ve lost your mind.”
After taking a shower and getting dressed, Keith went down to grab some jellies and get back to his room. He sat against the headboard of the bed, next to him was Sam.
The spirit turned to speak to him.
“I want a taste of it, too.”
“I won’t fall for the same trick twice,” Keith disregarded the other’s request, which put a sad face on the other.
“But I really want to eat it.”
Keith sighed at Sam’s puppy voice.
“Nothing I can do.”
Sam rested his head on the Keith’s shoulder. The chilliness gave him goosebumps; he put his legs under the blanket.
“I feel down. Comfort me?” Sam didn’t give up his attempt at being a puppy.
“There, there.” Keith played along. He then finished the last bite of the jelly and put the empty plate on the nightstand.
“What did you talk about with Mom?” Sam asked, his voice back to normal, “I know they know about Oliver and things at school. My classmates came to visit them.”
“She told me what happened.”
Keith didn’t tell him that his mother wept and still blamed herself for Sam’s fate. He didn’t want the other to get sad.
“They were here for about 10 months, I think,” Sam said, his head still on the other’s shoulder. “She came to my room every day, and every day she cried. The worst thing was to hear they quarreled. Because of me. Because of my thoughtless action. Maybe that’s why I’m still trapped in this house. To get to learn what I’d done. They blamed themselves. They blamed each other… It was not their fault…”
“It was not yours either,” Keith remarked promptly.
“Thanks.” His voice grew tired. “That time, all I thought was what’s the point of living if I couldn’t meet him anymore.”
K
eith’s chest felt tight like there was an invisible hand clasping it. He wanted to remain still, but his hands started quivering.
“Why did I do that?” Sam asked himself aloud.
Keith didn’t say anything. He eyed Sam’s hand which rested beside his body. He reached for it. The spirit responded with soft laughter.
“I know you suffer from being able to see spirits. But I’m glad you can see me.”
“Don’t say something like that,” Keith disputed, his face serious.
Sam sat straight, not understanding what he said wrong.
“Don’t put it like you’re leaving me…”
The spirit gave him a gentle smile and replied in a soft voice.
“I’m not going anywhere, Derringer. I’ll always be with you, following you everywhere.”
The boy slouched at those words.
“If only you could leave the house…”
“Then we could go out for the date.”
“Right!” Keith burst out. He quickly got to his feet and hurried out of the room, leaving the confused spirit there. Five minutes later, he was back with a smartphone in his hand.
“That’s…”
“It’s John’s! I forgot Alice still hasn’t got her phone yet,” Keith said, “and he was kind enough to lend me his.”
The boy then eagerly tapped the screen. Soon enough the ringtone from his own smartphone rang. He looked up and eyed the spirit, gesturing him to pick it up.
Sam pointed at himself and then the ringing device.
“Yes. Pick it up already.” Keith rushed.
The ringing noise was gone. The boy looked down on the screen, on which the counting digits appeared.
“Sam!” He called.
“Keith.” The reply coming from the spirit was louder that that from the phone.
He put the device against his ear and signaled the other to try again. The voice he heard after that made him almost drop the phone. It was not a voice actually, rather an acute buzzing noise.
He hung up at once.
“Did you hear me?” Sam asked him. When he saw Keith’s pale face, he went straight to the boy. “Keith, what happened?”
“It was my first time…” Keith was still in a daze. “You’re… you’re really a ghost.”
Sam almost slip out a curse word but could restrain himself. Also, Keith quickly continued.
“I’ve never thought I’ll get to talk to a ghost on the phone. It was incredible. Just… Wow….” That last word was so flat the spirit wasn’t sure if he was positively impressed. “Look at the hair on my arms. All stood up.”
“You get goosebumps every time I’m near. Why so amazed now?” The spirit complained.
“And my heart picked up speed.” Keith rubbed his own chest, still not believing what had just happened.
“I can make it go even faster if you don’t drop this.”
“Oh! Okay.” Keith started to come to himself, giving himself a nod.
“Derringer!” Sam was about to lose it.
“Okay! Okay! I’m good now. Absolutely,” Keith said, “I have to return the phone. Will be back.”
The boy left the room quickly and as quickly he returned. He still couldn’t believe what he had just heard through the phone. It was true he talked to the spirit daily but that was a novel spine-chilling experience. He wouldn’t repeat it again.
“You sure you’re good?” Sam asked, crossing his arms.
“I’m totally fine now,” Keith assured, “but what’d you do if I said no?”
The spirit quickly encroached his personal space.
“Do you really want to know?”
“N… no.” Keith stepped aside and headed to the bed.
Sam followed him and flopped over the bed. He lifted his two arms upwards before parting them to each side, as if he was drawing curtains open.
“My boyfriend doesn’t speak his own mind.”
“Sam.”
“My boyfriend’s bashful.”
“Sam!”
“When my boyfriend’s embarrassed, his face turns red to his ears.”
“Samuel!”
Sam gave him a sharp glare before looking upwards again.
“My boyfriend’s not cute at all. But I do love him so much.”
Keith threw a pillow at the other’s face, which prompted him to sat up.
“My boyfriend…”
“Enough. I’m going down for dinner. Don’t you dare follow me.”
He jumped to his feet and took quick steps towards the door. Before the door was close, he heard Sam say he was looking forward to them sleeping together.
Keith sighed. He felt a sudden urge to slam his head against the door. He wondered if that could save him all these troubles.
Chapter Thirty Three
Sweet Bane
Continuous squeaky noises came from the court. Ten players were in jerseys of two different colors, indicating to which team they belonged. They all aimed for the ball in hope of scoring. But whichever team sent the basketball down the hoop, the crowd would burst into loud cheers.
Keith didn’t understand why he, too, must come. It wasn’t like the one dribbling the ball right now wanted him to be here.
“John!” Alice shouted from the seat next to him along with other people when her brother scored.
Keith never expected the delinquent gang leader would turn into a determined sport player. The game was for selecting the regulars for the school team, so everyone was giving it all.
Keith tugged on the sleeve of Sam’s blue sport jacket. He wasn’t there, but at least the jacket provided him with a sense of his company.
Out of sudden, Keith shifted to get closer to Alice even the seats next to him were vacant. Most of those who came to watch the match were the players’ friends. The girl eyed him in question.
“Is everything okay?”
He straightened himself, not saying anything. His gaze was fixed on the court, but his face started to drip sweat. Alice held his hand and found out that it was cold.
“Don’t worry. They can’t hurt you.”
He only hoped it was true. During the summer break, he mainly stayed at the house. At times he went into the city. He almost forgot that he was able to see not only Sam. Returning to school meant he was bound to encounter other spirits, like the one who came to take a seat beside him. That one was engrossed in the game, while Keith completely lost his focus.