The Possession

by Spikes J. D.

  How would I make it through the year without him?

  I threw my arms around his neck, disregarding historical protocol on dancing, and held him close.

  When the song ended, we grabbed water bottles from the cooler and headed toward the lighthouse fence. The rest of the gang gathered around us and we set various poses in the moonlight.

  The sea was calm, the shushing of wave on rock reassuring while the clack of stones in the surf reminded us it could change at any moment. We exchanged glances and smiles.

  It had been a good day. A good weekend. When all was considered, an excellent summer. Like the wind, the weather and the waves, we would change. Shift and grow. Learn and discover. We would go our separate ways and come back again.

  We would find our way.

  But tonight . . .

  Tonight, we would just be.

  Epilogue

  My bags were packed and loaded into Aunt’s car. She had thankfully decided to bring Rowdy for a bathroom walk before we departed, leaving Zach and I alone to say goodbye.

  “Senior year is so busy. You won’t even have time to think.”

  “Don’t, Zach.” I shook my head. “All the busy in the world won’t matter. I’ll still miss you terribly.”

  We stood apart, afraid, I think, to touch each other. My heart empty and full at the same time, I voiced my biggest fear.

  “You’re going to college. So far ahead of me. You’re on the way into your future. You’ll meet girls . . . women. You won’t need to come back to me.” I wiped my eyes, angry at myself for showing my weakness. “You won’t want to.”

  He reached for me, but I backed away. He pursued until he held me in his arms. I melted, for a moment unable to fight him, but then I strengthened my resolve and pushed away.

  “Daph, don’t leave mad.”

  “I’m not.” I slapped his hands away.

  “Daph . . .”

  I held him off. The longer I looked at him, though, the faster I crumbled. My mouth turned down, lips trembling as I blinked back tears.

  “Why are you doing this?” he demanded, brushing away those tears. “You have this whole thing worked out in your head and it’s not even true.”

  “It’s not?”

  “No.” He kissed my forehead. The tip of my nose. He lifted my chin and placed his mouth on mine, his tongue warm and familiar.

  He broke the kiss and nibbled my ear before whispering into it, “I was accepted at URI. They’re the best Fishery & Wildlife university in the country.”

  My tears dried instantly and I blinked, dazed.

  Zach nodded, affirmation that I’d heard right. “Yup. University of Rhode Island. I’ll be going to school in your backyard.”

  I shook my head, certain that couldn’t be right. Zach laughed.

  “Eddie already said she’d bring Dad down Thanksgiving weekend and we could spend it with your family.”

  Zach and the sisters? Not sure I was ready for that. I smiled in spite of myself.

  “Will you really be in Rhode Island?”

  “Yup.”

  “Will you really want to see me?”

  His hands slid down my arms to my waist, then over my hips, pressing me to him.

  “I mean as in ‘go out’.”

  Zach laughed, the sound as warm as the mid-August sun.

  “You’re my girl, aren’t you?”

  Our lips met again.

  The future called.

  About the Author

  J.D. Spikes is a spinner of tales—spooky stories about guys and girls and things that go bump in the night. Lifelong research and experience with the paranormal infuse her stories with spirit while her belief in love fills them with heart.

  A paranormal investigator when the need arises, she aspires to advance the field both spiritually and scientifically. When not writing or researching, you can find her cooking, gardening, horseback riding, or forever getting lost in secondhand shops. The mother of two grown sons, she lives in Rhode Island, the Ocean State, with her very own hero-husband, Tim, and two crazy cats. She is the proud recipient of the Jo Ann Ferguson Service Award for selfless assistance and dedication to fellow writers and the craft.