by Amy Richie
I laughed at my own stupid thoughts.
“What's so funny?” His chin jutted out towards me.
“I was just thinking I should find some pants.”
“Not what I was expecting you to say.” He laughed loudly, startling me, but not unpleasant.
“If you're going to be my friend- you better get used to the unexpected.”
“Do you want me to be?” I held my breath, knowing what he was asking, but waiting for him to finish his thought. “To be your friend?”
“Yeah,” I smiled, “I'd like to be friends.”
Chapter Eleven
My mouth went a little too dry when he sat up to bring our faces just inches apart. “I don't really know much about being a friend,” I managed to croak out.
“Me either.” It didn't bug me very much that his voice was strong and steady. I was too worried about not passing out.
“You must have a lot of... friends.”
He shook his head slowly. “You'd be surprised.”
I let my tongue glide softly over my bottom lip, but pulled it back inside my mouth when I noticed Tristan watching the movement. What would it feel like to kiss him? Could we kiss? Was he thinking the same thing I was?
“What are you thinking?” he asked in a low voice that had finally turned husky.
“I don't know.” I bit down briefly on my bottom lip. “I'm not sure.”
His hand was against my face before I realized it had moved off the bed between us. “I know what I'm thinking.”
“What are you thinking?” I tried not to lose myself in the depth of Tristan’s gaze, but it was getting harder as the tense seconds ticked by.
“I'm thinking that I want to kiss you right now.”
“Okay,” I breathed.
He leaned forward the few inches needed to let our lips meet. It surprised me how warm and soft he felt. I pulled away, the shock taking over and let my forehead fall against his.
He pulled away quickly, too quickly. I almost fell into him; if his hands hadn't caught me, we would have both ended up on the floor. Confused and hurt, and slightly embarrassed, I looked up at him.
“What's wrong?” Why did he look so worried? Had I done something wrong? “I've never... kissed anyone before. Did I do something wrong?”
“No.” His adams apple bobbed a few times in his throat, but the look on his face didn't change. “I think I've done something wrong.”
“No,” I reached out to him, “it seemed alright to me.”
He swallowed again. “Just alright?” he grinned. “We'll have to see about that.”
I smiled against his kiss, not as surprised this time by the warmth that flowed through him and set my blood on fire. I closed my eyes and tried to take a breath, forgetting for a second that he was too close to allow much breathing.
His tongue slipped past my parted lips to invade my mouth. I gasped, trying to pull away, but he kept me close. It wasn't what I had expected- kissing. It was messier and scarier.
“Are you alright?” His voice was gentle, next to my ear.
“Yeah. Are you?”
“Will you come with me, Ren?” he whispered hoarsely.
“Come with you where?” I whispered back, too afraid to speak much louder.
“I'll take you somewhere safe.”
It was difficult to hold on to any rational thought when Tristan was sitting so close to me. His finger still rippled across the back of my head, raising bumps along my arms. His other hand rested lightly against my arm, the warmth spreading through my entire body. Why shouldn't I go with him?
“Toby told me to wait here.” I heard myself reply.
“Toby left you,” Tristan cooed, “he doesn't care what happens to you.”
I wanted to argue with him, to stick up for Toby, but mostly I knew Tristan was right. Toby wouldn't care if he came back and I wasn't here; or if I was dead. If he cared, he wouldn't have left me.
But, my nose crinkled as the arguments swirled around and around in my head. Nona had told me to trust Toby. In fact, she had gone as far as to say that Tristan was going to kill me. Being this close to him, that was hard to believe; but what did I know? I was crazy. State-certified crazy.
“What if he comes looking for me?”
“So?” He shrugged. “He won't find you.”
“Where would we go?”
“I know a place where you'll be safe.”
“Where?”
“Just... a place.” He traced the line of my jaw down to where it turned into my chin. “We have to leave soon.”
Toby would be back eventually and he would never let me just leave with Tristan. He probably couldn't stop me, but did I really want him to follow us? I shuddered at the images filling my imagination. Toby wasn't good company when I was obeying him, what would he be like if I went willingly with Tristan?
Taking a deep breath, I finally nodded. “Ok, I'll go with you.”
His smile spread out slowly, breaking his entire face with contagious warmth. “You will?”
“Yeah,” I chuckled lightly. “Why not? You have to be better than Toby.” My heart lurched at the betrayal, but it was the truth.
Two sides. That's what Tristan had said. Well, I had picked which one I wanted to be on. I could only go along with it now and hope that I had made the right decision. If Tristan’s smile was any indication, there was no doubt.
“I am.” His eyes widened, but he ducked his head anyways. “We better get going, though.”
“Before he gets back?”
“Yep.” His lips popped on the word, making us both smile. He rose up from the bed, pulling me- less gracefully- up behind him. “You should probably find some pants,” he advised.
“Why? You think people would say something if I went out like this?” I glanced down at my half dressed state.
“Well, we are trying to keep a low profile,” he winked.
“Guess so.” I bent low to unzip the small red colored backpack Toby had given me earlier in the night. He had said there was an extra set of clothes inside.
True to his word, I discovered a wrinkled pair of blue jeans crumbled into the bottom of the bag. Shaking them out didn't do much for the wrinkles, but at least they fit. Perfect fit, actually.
I ran my hands down my thighs, marveling at Toby's thoughtfulness. There wasn't much to admire about him, but maybe he paid more attention than I gave him credit for. He got a pair of jeans in my size.
“You're not getting sentimental on me, are you?” He crossed the short distance to stand close to me.
“No.” But my voice sounded too small.
“You'll be safe with me,” he breathed against my temple, stirring the small hairs there.
“I know.” I moved slightly so I could look up at him.
His soft lips closed, then fell back open. I waited for him to say something else, but no words came out. Instead, he lowered his mouth until we were once again joined together.
His warm breath against my mouth made my blood race and heat up until I was sure it would boil out of my skin. In that moment, I was absolutely positive that spontaneous combustion could result from a simple kiss.
“You know,” I said softly when he pulled back away, “when Nona said you would kill me, I didn't realize she meant like this.”
“More blood? Less...”
“Heat.”
“I was going to say passion,” he laughed, “but heat works.” He raised one eyebrow lazily.
“Yeah, heat.” I ducked away from his gaze.
“What do you feel now?”
“I...” My words stumbled over each other to create silence. What did he expect me to say? I was just getting used to this friend thing. Did we have to tell each other everything?
“I feel safe,” I said at last when it was clear he was waiting for something.
“Good,” His arms swung out to wrap around me and pull our bodies close together. “I wa
nt you to feel safe.”
Without moving, his hand had found mine and we were walking- towards the front door. How had it gotten so far away? And instead of getting closer as we took steps, it receded further out of reach. What was wrong with me?
I did feel safe with Tristan. He had saved me once and he would do it again. There was a part of me though, a big part, that knew I should wait for Toby. He had been with me my entire life- every step I took. Was his absence why it was so hard to take these few steps to the front door?
Tristan swung around to stop in front of me, his smile instantly smoothing the furrows in my forehead. Warmth radiated from those lips, lips that were eager to smile down at me.
“Here,” he pushed the bag into my outstretched hands. “You might need that later.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled.
“This is the right thing to do, Ren,” he encouraged softly as we took the last few steps that carried us to the front door. “You'll be safest with me.”
“Will the ghost people stay away from us?” I knew I sounded just like a little kid asking for false promises, but I couldn't stop the question from slipping out.
“Yeah,” he nodded with a furrowed brow. “I'll keep them away from you.”
That was enough for me. Tristan could do it. I wasn't sure how he had power over them, but I couldn't deny they way they obeyed his words. He was my only hope. I leaned into his lopsided smile.
“Ready?” he asked with one hand on the round gold handle.
“Yeah.” I was as ready as I was ever going to be. With the small red backpack Toby had given me draped over one shoulder and my heart fluttering wildly somewhere between my stomach and my throat, I looked back one last time at the empty hotel room. What would Toby say when he came back and I was gone? Would he care? Did I?
“Come on, Ren.” Tristan tugged lightly at my hand to lead me out into the fading night.
Chapter Twelve
I approached the desk slowly, self conscious that the man from last night was still there. Really though, it had only been a few hours. Now I was leaving with someone else, what would he think?
I bit hard on my lip, letting go only when Tristan’s hand made contact with my elbow. He was right, what did I care what this man thought? I would never see him again anyways. Taking a deeper breath than necessary, I took the few deliberate steps that carried me to the counter.
“I’m…uhhh…leaving now,” I announced grandly.
“Mmm,” he grunted with only barely a curious glance up.
“I…have some…things I need to do.” I glanced at Tristan, but he was absolutely no help. “Here’s the key back.” I slid the hard plastic card across the counter. The man took it and slipped it into a drawer under the counter, without a single word. I pushed my hair back awkwardly.
He finally looked up when I continued to just stand there like a moron. “Is there anything else you need?” he asked with forced niceness.
“Umm,” I shifted my weight to the other foot. “If you could just pass a message on to the guy I was with earlier…” That probably sounded bad, but I forged ahead anyways. “If you could just tell him…”
“What?” his nose crinkled when he snarled his top lip.
“I just mean…the guy I was with before….he might ask if I checked out.”
“I think you might have checked out a long time ago, Sweetie.” His expression relaxed but his eyes remained narrowed, watching me for any signs of cracking.
Tristan remained silent at my side, offering his support but nothing else. “Toby…he left,” I tried to explain.
“O…K…?”
I chewed nervously on the side of my thumb. I should have just left and said bye. I wasn’t good at talking to other people. “Ok,” I shrugged.
“You came in here alone last night,” the man said, already losing interest in me for favor of his magazine, “or this morning. Whatever. We don’t do refunds.”
“Alone.” Of course I was alone. No wonder he was talking to me like I was an idiot. I was an idiot.
“He wouldn’t have seen Toby,” Tristan explained - unnecessarily.
“Yeah, I know,” I snapped.
“Alright,” the man replied instead of Tristan, “take care then.” He raised two fingers in dismissal.
I blinked rapidly, suddenly awkward and unsure what to do. Should I try to make up some lie so I didn’t sound crazy? What could I say though? That I was kidding? That Toby came in later?
“Let’s just go,” Tristan suggested quietly.
“That’s probably a better idea,” I mumbled, taking the few shaky steps that led me back outside into the cool night air. Barely night though. I squinted up at the lightening sky, trying not to panic.
“He’s not even looking at us,” Tristan cooed, already anticipating my worries.
“He knows I’m crazy.” It was pretty obvious, really.
“So?”
“So?” I gaped at him. Of course he wouldn’t see anything wrong with it, the guy couldn’t even see him. No one could. Tristan could sound as crazy as he wanted, no one would know. “I wish I was invisible too,” I muttered.
I watched as his broad shoulders rose with his deep breath and fell back slowly. “Not many people see you, Ren.” His words were almost a whisper; why then did it feel like he was screaming at me?
“So?” I threw his earlier sentiments back at him.
“Exactly.”
“He might call the police.”
“He won’t.”
How could he be so nonchalant? “Where do we go now?” I growled, irritated and wishing I was back in my room.
“Bus station.”
“What?” I crossed my arms over my chest, ready to do battle.
“I already told you, I’m taking you somewhere safe.”
“We should probably just wait here,” I sighed. “Toby’s going to be mad that I even left the room.”
“You don’t have to worry about Toby anymore.”
“I’m not.” I pulled my arms tighter to my body.
Faster than I could react to, Tristan’s arms shot out and pulled me close to his body. “Ren,” he half scolded into my shoulder.
“I’m not,” I insisted stubbornly. Did he really think I was going to hug him back?
“I won’t let go of you, Ren,” he said softly. “I won’t leave you alone.”
“I’ve always been alone,” I mumbled into his chest. “My whole life.”
Without any permission from me, my arms unfolded from my chest to snake around his solid waist. “Not really though.”
Not really? Did he count the ghost people as not being alone? Or did he count Toby? How was it possible that Tristan’s words affected me so deeply? I had just met him a few days ago. Who was he? Why did my heart pound so furiously when he touched me? Why did he have to make me feel so safe?
He was standing close to me, so close I could feel his breath against my face. He felt so real, so solid against my chest; it was easy to believe that everyone else could see him.
But they couldn’t.
I pushed myself away from him until I was standing on my own. I needed to be more careful now that we were out in plain sight of other people. Or I was at least.
I glanced back at the man through the large glass that now separated us. He was back to his magazine. Could it possibly be the same one he was reading when I’d checked in hours ago?
Taking a deep breath, I looked back up at Tristan. “We should get out of here.”
His lips pursed in sympathy; he felt sorry for me. Keeping the distance between our bodies, Tristan leaned slightly to press his still pursed lips against my forehead. “I’ll take you somewhere safe,” he whispered against my skin.
As always, the feel of his kiss heated me up from the inside out. “Lead on,” I laughed. “Preferably before that guy calls the loony bin to come get me.”
“He won’t do that,” he grinned. B
ut only half of his face responded.
I tried not to worry as I followed Tristan through the nearly deserted Four AM streets. The world looked different without people in it. It’s potential to hold something darker increased with the lack of life.
In the distance, a street light flickered on and back off again a few seconds later. A young woman stood in its glow, visible only when the light decided to bathe her translucent form. Tristan turned his head to glare in her direction but the woman didn’t even flinch.
When I could finally tear my eyes from Tristan’s hard profile, I realized that I recognized the woman. She was the woman from my dream, the woman who stood behind Nona. Like in the dream, the woman under the light only stared at me. Was she here to remind me not to trust Tristan?
Too late now. I followed Tristan into a crowded bus station, leaving the woman outside.
“There’s a lot of people here,” I hissed, trying not to open my mouth too much.
“Not really,” Tristan scoffed, “small town bus stop.”
Small town or not, it was more people than I was used to seeing. Suddenly, the dingy white shirt and wrinkled jeans I had on were inadequate. What if someone recognized the jeans? Would they try to take them back?
I considered changing back to my pink hospital pants but that would require asking someone where the bathroom was, so I just pulled the straps tighter on my backpack and pressed closer to Tristan.
“Come on, just come with me.” He began weaving expertly through the crowd of people who just kept popping up.
Easy for him, I thought grumpily, he’s a ghost. Not sure how far he would go ahead without me, I shuffled forward a few steps. The first time a tall man with no smile bumped into my shoulder, I lost my nerve completely and scurried to press my back against the wall again.
“No one will hurt you here,” he sighed, appearing at my side.
“They’ll know I’m crazy,” I half groaned. “They’ll know and then…”
“And then nothing,” he cut me off. “They won’t know anything just by looking at you.” I couldn’t bring myself to look up at him. “Fine,” he said suddenly, “you wait here and I’ll go get the ticket.”