Love In The Wrong Dimension (Romantic Ghost Story)

by Darbyshire, Anette

  She flung herself at Tom, jumping up and down in excitement. “Do you know what this means?” she cried. “This means I can talk to her. It means that she knows for absolute sure that I’m here, and that I want to talk to her. Maybe now that she knows, she’ll find out how she can make contact with me. Maybe this Maggie woman can help her. Maybe...”

  “Calm down,” laughed Tom, as they walked back through the wall into the living room, “I’m really pleased for you, but have you thought about what you would say if you did speak to her? A lot has changed since you first arrived and tried to contact her. I think you know now that she won’t be able to tell you what to do, which is what you originally wanted. All I’m saying is, if she does find a way to contact you, don’t waste the moment by being unprepared. Decide what’s important to say to her beforehand.”

  “Do you know what?” she grinned, “I’d tell her that I’m really pleased for her that she’s with Jack, and I’d tell her that I’m happy. In fact, I’m happier now, than I’ve ever been, and that’s because of you.” She playfully kissed the tip of his nose before continuing. “Do you know what? I don’t actually care anymore about leaving here, because I’m with you and I never want to leave you. Not ever.”

  “Wow, you’ve certainly had a change of heart,” he laughed, as he kissed her back.

  “Too right I have.” She glanced over at Susie, who was busy trying to tickle a woman’s ear, and Max, who was listening to the meeting with his usual sour face. She felt an overpowering need to get away from the house for a while. Not from Alice and her friends, but from the constant hostility from Max. Even Susie’s innocent teasing about her relationship with Tom was beginning to get a bit tiresome. “Tom? Why don’t we go to the beach? I’ve heard everything I need to hear from this meeting today, and right now, I just want to spend some time with you. Alone.”

  “Sounds great. Come on, let’s just go, they won’t even notice we’ve gone.” Tom grabbed her hand, and Jemma just managed to catch the wink from Susie before they disappeared.

  When they got to the beach, it was deserted, apart from a couple walking a dog along the water’s edge. Since Jemma had told Tom how she felt about him, and when she learned that her love was reciprocated, Jemma had been so happy that she could barely think about anything else. As they were walking along the wet, soggy sand, Jemma started skipping, grabbing Tom’s hand and dragging him along with her.

  “Hey, what’s the rush?” he laughed, as Jemma tugged at his arm.

  “I know you must think I’m mad, but I’m so happy, and I’ve got all this incredible energy, and I just want to skip and run and jump in the water,” she laughed, as she caught up with the couple and their dog. “Hello, beautiful dog.”

  To her amazement, the golden Labrador turned around and ran up to her, barking a greeting and jumping up in delight.

  “Look at Sandy,” said the woman to her friend, “what’s got into him?”

  The couple stared, in disbelief, as Sandy ran round in circles, tail wagging wildly, and barking excitedly at absolutely nothing.

  “Oh isn’t he lovely?” said Jemma, as she knelt down and patted the dog affectionately. “I can’t believe he can actually see us.”

  “They say animals are more sensitive than humans – Casper definitely knows we’re around. I don’t think Sandy can feel you petting him though, unless you’ve got very good at channelling your energy.”

  “He does seem to respond though, doesn’t he?”

  “Yes, he does. Maybe he really can feel you. It takes some of us years to learn to do that, and it seems it’s taken you less than three months.” Tom looked impressed as he watched Jemma playing with the dog.

  “He’s gone completely mad,” said his bemused owners. “Look, he’s rolling over as if someone’s tickling his belly, and he’s actually licking the air!”

  “Bye bye, Sandy,” called Jemma, as his owners eventually managed to drag the dog away, “hope to see you again soon.”

  They continued walking along the water’s edge, holding hands and enjoying the winter sun sparkling on the water.

  “Isn’t it weird,” she mused, “that we can walk in the water and not get wet.”

  “We can do more than that,” he grinned. “We can walk under the water as well. Don’t forget, we don’t need air to breathe, we pass through water pretty much the same way that we pass through walls. Come on, I’ll show you.”

  He grabbed hold of her hand, and led her further and further into the sea, the water level getting higher as they walked. Eventually, the water reached their heads, and they carried on walking until they were actually under the waves.

  “Wow,” said Jemma, “This is amazing, it doesn’t feel any different to being up there on the beach.”

  She stuck her tongue out at a jellyfish as it swam past “Ha ha, you can’t sting me!” she sang, as they passed through a clump of seaweed.

  “Obviously this isn’t quite as spectacular as it would be somewhere like the Seychelles,” grinned Tom, enjoying Jemma’s awed reaction. “There’s no coral or exotic fish here.”

  “Well, let’s go to the Seychelles, then!” said Jemma, excitedly.

  “It’s not that simple. It’s a lot harder travelling over long distances, we could end up anywhere, although it could be fun trying. But not today,” he smiled, “let’s just enjoy being in Norfolk today.”

  “I wish we could eat,” said Jemma wistfully, when they eventually got back on to the sandy beach, “I’d love some fish and chips right now, and a nice hot cup of tea.”

  “It took me years to get used to not eating,” said Tom, “I still miss a nice curry and pint of lager.”

  “It’s ice cream and chocolate that I miss the most,” sighed Jemma, thinking longingly of the Baileys ice cream she had seen Alice pop into the freezer the other day.

  “Let’s not think about food. Come on, I’ll race you to that dune over there,” he called, as he ran off, leaving Jemma watching him in amusement. She waited until he was about a metre away from the dune, closed her eyes, and instantly transported herself to the dune, just as Tom was approaching it.”

  “Hey, that’s cheating,” he laughed, grabbing her and throwing her down on the grassy mound of sand. He kissed her gently before collapsing next to her. “I never thought I would fall in love here,” he said softly. “You’re the most incredible woman I’ve ever met. I can’t imagine how I managed all these years before you turned up.” He propped himself up on his elbows, and looked down at her. “Do you remember when you called me Hot Lips the day you arrived?”

  “Oh no,” groaned Jemma, “that was so embarrassing.”

  “I think that was when I fell in love with you. I nearly kissed you there and then.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  “Are you joking? In the state you were in? Don’t forget, you had just died and were very traumatised.”

  “Oh yeah. That seems like such a long time ago now. The only thing I wanted was to get out of here, and now, the only thing I want is to stay here with you.” Jemma sighed, contentedly, as she gazed up at the clouds.

  “Were you happy before you died?” asked Tom.

  Jemma thought back to her excitement at starting her college course, but that wasn’t happiness. That was hope. Hope that she could find a way out of the rut she had got herself into.

  “I don’t think I had truly been happy since my mum died,” she said, thoughtfully. “I just sort of drifted through school, jobs, boyfriends. I had no ambition, and didn’t really think too much about what lay ahead in the future. Alice was the only real, solid thing in my life, and when she left to go to New York, I felt completely alone. It was only when she came back and we moved in together that I felt like I had some sort of home. A real home, and when I decided to go to college the day after going to Jack’s party, I finally felt that I was on the right path. And then I died.”

  “I watched you at that party,” said Tom, “I thought you were amazing, even after you got
pissed on that punch.”

  “Alice said she had felt some sort of presence in that house. Who would have thought that that presence would turn out to be the love of my life?”

  “Watch it,” grinned Tom, “it might have been Max’s presence she had sensed.”

  They laughed, talked and kissed some more before deciding it was time to go home and make sure that Susie hadn’t caused too much havoc at Jack’s meeting. When they got back, however, Susie was nowhere to be seen and the meeting had finished. The living room was empty, except for Max, sitting in his usual place, looking as grim and miserable as ever.

  “Where’s Susie?” asked Jemma. She was beginning to get a little less intimidated by Max’s offhand manner, although he still gave her creeps.

  “Dunno. She said something about going to see Claire.”

  “Oh!” Jemma was surprised. She didn’t realise that Susie and Claire were that friendly, or that Susie even knew where Ashdown Forest was.

  Damn. She had been dying to tell Susie all about her day with Tom and their new friend, Sandy. Tom was off to visit his dad’s grave and she certainly didn’t feel like talking to Max, so she decided to go to Ashdown Forest herself, and find them both.

  When she got there, she found Susie sitting next to Claire on the bench. Neither of them had heard Jemma arrive, and, as they were obviously in the middle of a conversation, she decided to wait until they had finished before she announced her arrival.

  “Don’t get me wrong,” she heard Susie say, “I’m really glad for Tom and Jemma, but it sort of complicates things.”

  “Really? How?” asked Claire, which was exactly what Jemma was thinking.

  “I died in an accident,” Susie said, quietly, “it was a hit and run. The driver was drunk. It wasn’t meant to have happened, it wasn’t my time to die, but it did happen, and Tom got the blame for it.”

  “Oh!” Claire looked shocked, “What happened?”

  “It was Tom’s car, but it wasn’t him driving. It wasn’t Tom’s fault honestly, Claire, but it was because of him that the drunk had his car. The events that led to his car being stolen, ultimately led to my death. That means that the only way I can leave here, would be for Tom to go back in time and change those events so that I don’t get killed. But that would mean Tom leaving here as well, because in changing those events, he will also change the circumstances around his own death.”

  Jemma stood listening to what Susie was saying, and felt her legs go weak as her head started spinning. The only way to help Susie get back, it seemed, was for Tom to leave as well. Could fate really be so cruel as to lead her to her soulmate after her whole lifetime, and then take him away again? She turned away from Claire and Susie, tears blinding her as she stumbled to get away. She was devastated as Susie’s words echoed in her ears, the reality of what they meant slowing sinking in. She started to walk, faster and faster, until she was running blindly into the forest, desperately needing to get away, realising that her whole world was about to fall apart.

  Eventually though, she stopped running, gradually acknowledging that running away wasn’t going to change things. She brushed a tear away from her cheek as she contemplated what to do. There really was only one thing she could do, she thought sadly, she had to do the right thing and help Susie get back, after all she had given the girl her word. And in doing the right thing, she thought, she would lose Tom forever.

  Chapter 12

  Alice woke with a start to the sound of a piercingly loud ringing noise. With a groan, she rolled over and forced an eyelid open, as it gradually dawned on her that the offending noise was the alarm clock. Jack was sleeping soundly next to her, completely oblivious to the racket, so it was up to her to switch the damned thing off. She groped randomly towards the direction of the sound, waving her arm in the air in a feeble attempt at finding the snooze button, only to send the clock flying across the room. Unfortunately, it landed right next to Casper, who was curled up on a soft chair, fast asleep. He jumped up with an astonished howl as the clock landed on the side of the chair with a thud. He flew across the room, and dived under the bed, his tail swishing angrily.

  Alice buried her head in the pillow, thankful that the clock had finally stopped ringing. And Jack had slept through the whole thing! She was about to doze off again, when a nagging voice inside her head kept telling her that there was a good reason for the alarm going off. And then she remembered. Today was the day that she was starting her new job! Thank god she hadn’t gone back to sleep.

  As she dragged herself out of bed, and staggered into the bathroom, she cursed Oscar’s cheerful call yesterday to say that, although she would normally start at eleven o’clock for the lunchtime shift, would she come in at nine on her first day, so that he could show her the ropes? Yesterday, she had cheerfully said that it was a great idea, and of course she’d be there at nine, but now, she wished she hadn’t been so quick to agree.

  Once Alice was showered and dressed, she tip-toed downstairs so as not to wake Jack. He had been up working until three in the morning, so she didn’t begrudge him a lie-in. Walking sleepily into the kitchen, she absently put the kettle on and looked down at Casper, who had followed her down.

  “Do you want some breakfast, Casper?” she whispered, as the purring cat wound himself round her legs, leaving a thick blanket of white fur on her black jeans. His earlier shock was now forgiven as he jumped eagerly up onto the kitchen counter to help empty the contents of the foil tray Alice was opening.

  Once Casper was happily tucking in to his breakfast, Alice turned back to the kettle to make herself some tea, when she caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye. Looking more closely, she saw a perfect white tulip, lying in the middle of the kitchen table. But it was December, where on earth would a tulip come from in the middle of winter? As she picked it up and touched it’s smooth, velvety petals, a memory came flooding back to her. Tears welled in her eyes as she thought about the day she and Jemma had moved into their flat. Jemma had come back from shopping with a bunch of white tulips, laughing that she couldn’t afford roses, but she wanted to buy something anyway to wish them luck in their new home. She had brought tulips to lay on Jemma’s grave at her funeral and now she was returning the gesture. This tulip was from Jemma!

  “Oh, Jemma, thank you,” she whispered. Jemma had left her a good luck gift. She must have known that Alice would be nervous about starting her new job, so she had left the tulip to remind her that she was still around. She carefully put the flower in a glass of water, and finished making her tea. Twenty minutes later, she slipped quietly out, shutting the door gently so as not to disturb Jack.

  She walked to Camden, it wasn’t too far, and she enjoyed the chance to think quietly whilst getting a bit of exercise. She thought about Jack and how much she loved him, about her new job and how much she was looking forward to it, about Jemma and her message on the voice recorder, and about the ghost boy, wondering if she would see him again. By the time she got to Glitz, she was fully awake and ready for anything.

  “Good morning, Petal,” called Oscar from the back of the restaurant as Alice pushed open the door. “You’re early!”

  “We agreed nine o’clock remember?” smiled Alice, taking her coat off.

  “Did we? Oh well, now that you’re here, I might as well show you the ropes.”

  Oscar showed her how to make a perfect cup of coffee on the giant espresso machine, whilst chatting away about the morning routine, the customers and a bit about the other staff. Alice admired his enthusiasm, thinking how lovely it must be to run a business that you really loved.

  “By the way, here’s your uniform,” said Oscar, handing Alice a black t-shirt with the word Glitz boldly spelt out across the front in small silver sequins. Alice loved it! “That’s about it, Petal, you’ll pick it up really quickly, I’ve got a really good feeling about you. Tell you what, I’ll just pop Arrival on now before Dean gets back. He hates Abba, and if I don’t get in first, he’ll stick Unde
rscore, or something equally dull, on and then he’ll disappear into the kitchen where he can’t even hear it.”

  Just as Alice was beginning to wonder if she would ever get to meet Dean, the door opened and Oscar waved his arm at a tall, dark and serious looking man walking towards them. “Hi Sweetie,” he said, getting up and giving Dean a quick peck on the cheek, “this is Alice, our new waitress. She’s just started today.”

  Alice smiled at Dean and held out her hand. “Hello, I’m pleased to meet you.”

  Dean shook her hand briefly and nodded at her, before disappearing into the kitchen. There was no smile, no warmth or friendliness in his greeting, and Alice was slightly taken aback by his curt and offhand manner.

  “Don’t take any notice of him,” said Oscar, staring furiously at the swinging kitchen door, “he’s always a miserable sod in the mornings. Come on, let me show you how the till works.”

  It didn’t take Alice long to find her way around the restaurant, and by the time the first customer came in, she was confidently making frothy cappuccinos, and efficiently showing them to their tables and taking their orders. Lunchtime got busy very quickly, and Alice found herself loving the friendly buzz. The customers were relaxed and chatted to her as if she’d been there for years, and the time flew by as she took more orders and expertly delivered the food to the hungry guests.

  It was only later, as she and Oscar were clearing away after most of the customers had left, that she realised how hungry she was. As if reading her mind, Oscar called out to her, “Alice, Sweetie, why don’t you make us some coffee while I finish clearing the last tables. Oh, and help yourself to something to eat.”

  A couple of hours later, she was telling Jack all about her first day at work, as they relaxed in a coffee shop in Hampstead High Street. “Oscar’s great,” she told him, as she stirred a spoonful of sugar into her coffee, “but Dean’s a bit moody. He’s in the kitchen most of the time though, so I don’t really get to see much of him, thank god. Oh, and I made fifteen pounds in tips,” she grinned.