Page 81 of The Burnt
“I’m not sure exactly what you’re saying,” Ted replied as he started to take short, rapid breaths.
Now was the time to say what Charlie needed to say. “Dad… Declan and I are seeing each other…like a couple. That’s because I’m gay.”
Charlie’s father said nothing. He appeared to be processing Charlie’s words.
“Did you hear that, Ted?” Gran said. “They’re dating. Isn’t it nice that Charlie has a special friend, and one who runs his own business?”
Declan interjected. “I promise you—your son is one of the most important things in my life, and I’ll make sure he doesn’t get hurt.”
“But what about Carrie?” Charlie’s mom asked.
Gran shook her head. “Oh, for crying out loud, Maggie. She’s always known he’s gay and they’re nothing more than good friends.”
Charlie turned back toward his father. “Dad… I love him, and he loves me and I hope that you and Mom can accept us.” Charlie reached out and took Declan’s hand.
Ted walked out of the room, then left the house, got in the car and drove away. Charlie tried to fight back his tears.
“He’ll be fine.” Gran said. “He just needs time to think about things. It’ll take him a while to come around, but I know him, and he will. He’s never been good with change.”
Charlie faced his mother. “Are you all right?”
She smiled, then pointed to Declan. “Well, at least you’ve got a good-looking boyfriend. I guess I always suspected that you weredifferent, Charlie, and if this is who you are, and this is what you want, I’m behind you. I love you no matter what.” She paused. “And let me deal with your father.”
Charlie hugged his mother. “Well, we should be going. I promise I’ll come back soon.”
Declan and Charlie each kissed Maggie and Gran on the cheek, then made their way back to the car.
The drive home began in silence but eventually Declan said, “I really admire what you did back there. That took real courage. Watching you come out to your folks like that, that got me thinking…”
They pulled up to a stoplight. Declan looked at Charlie and asked, “Do you think you might want to take this relationship to the next level and maybe move in with me full-time? I think I’m ready to commit…one hundred percent.”
Charlie turned to Declan and kissed him full on the lips, then replied, “Yes!”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Charlie woke up snuggled into Declan. His face was buried in Declan’s hair. He took a deep breath.You smell like my boyfriend. He lay there, soaking up the warmth of the man’s body. At this moment, he had everything he needed…except for coffee. He carefully got out of bed and made his way down to the office. The sun hadn’t come up yet. He wondered what time it was, but his eyes were too blurry to read the clock.
He went to the kitchenette, grabbed the espresso machine’s reservoir and took it into the staff washroom to fill it with water. When he stepped back out, Dave the dead barista was waiting for him near the coffee maker. Charlie had come to accept that the office was haunted and that Dave wasn’t a threat.
“Cortado, right?” Dave asked.
“You got it,” Charlie replied.
In a minute, Dave presented him with a steaming hot coffee. He smiled as much as his partially burnt face allowed. “Well, I guess my job here is finished.”
Dave started to shimmer, then he began to change. He got smaller and younger until the person facing Charlie looked a lot like the young Milo from the picture Simon Griffin had given him.
“Thank you. Thank you for everything,” the ghost said before fading into nothing.
Charlie drank his coffee, then made his way back up the stairs and crawled into bed with Declan.
It seemed like only a second later that Charlie woke again. This time everything was clearer. The encounter with Dave had obviously been a dream. Charlie smiled. It was the gentlest dream he had experienced, and this one had been positive. Then an eerie whisper drifted through the room. “Thank you for everything.” A chill ran down his spine. As he dove under the sheets, he heard the sound of coffee being poured into a mug.
Dave?
“Good morning, sleepyhead.”
Charlie peered out from beneath the covers. Declan walked toward him and handed him a cup of coffee. “What’s wrong? You look spooked?”
