Page 63 of Provoke You

18

A Normal Day

Matt

“Morning.” Ela stirred next to me, stretching her legs along mine.

“I could get used to this.” Waking up next to Ela was a part of a life I never thought possible.

“Same.” Her dark, long hair fell in waves behind her back. The more she messed with it, the bigger it got. She sat up. “What is your plan for the day? You know, when you’re not fighting bad guys. What does a normal day look like for you?”

What did a normal day look like for me? It’d been such a long time that I honestly didn’t know. “I go out and see the sights.”

“Sights?” She scrunched her nose. “Oh, because you’re normally not at home. Got it.”

She didn’t say it, but the awkward silence did. New Orleans was technically my home, but I left when I was so young that being back made me basically a tourist. “I don’t really know my way around.”

“More importantly, you don’t know where to go for good food in the Quarter.” She hopped out of bed. “You look pale. Are you okay?”

I was hoping to stay in for a few hours and overall be naked all day. But I still had Rebecca Smith to deal with. “I am. We can do whatever you want today, but first I need you to meet someone.”

“Is this your ghost from the cemetery?”

“Yes,” I didn’t want her to think Rebecca was more than what she was.

“OK. But I need a shower first.”

While she was in the bathroom, I went to my own room and washed up. The whole time, I thought about Rebecca waiting downstairs. I knew what she wanted, which was no different than what Ela wanted: a safe place. But I couldn’t give that to her, not without leaving Ela.

I sat on my bed fully dressed, trying to decide if Ela should be part of the conversation pending downstairs. I meant it when I said I wanted to be with her. She had to meet Rebecca and get a good look at what my life looked like on a daily basis. What my normal looked like.

In the hallway, I paced a few times up and down between her bedroom and mine. On the third round, Ela waited by her door with her gaze trained on me.

“You know, for a spy, you’re not a good liar.”

“I’m not a spy.”

“What’s going on?”

I opted for the truth because if Ela and I were going to make a real go of it, I needed to be honest. She’d stopped drinking. I should at least start telling her the truth about who I really was and what my job entailed up until the time we met.

“I, well, we were stationed in Venezuela.”

“Stop. You skipped a whole lot of story there.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you all the details. You’ll have to work with what I can give you.”

She smiled at me. “Is this the classified mission?”

“Yes.”

“I promise I won’t tell a soul. You can trust me.” She stepped toward me and placed her palm on my cheek. I nodded, and she kissed me.

Not one of her hot kisses. Instead, she pressed her lips against mine gently, willing them to form to hers.

“Okay. So who’s the ghost? And what does she want?”

“How do you know it’s a she?”

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