Page 40 of Ghost of a Chance
“What kind of clues did he leave you?Is there anything he might have been doing for the last five years that reminds you of that puzzle?”
“There’s this one TV show that’s always on when Paul’s ghost acts up.Tonight, I was thinking that most of the cases she sees involve people who knew each other.Who break each other’s trust.”
She took her phone from her cardigan pocket and started tapping her fingers on the screen.“So, a soured friendship?You said you’d had a fight with him, right?”
“Yeah.But really it wasn’t friendship ending.I just thought he needed to take a break.Party a bit more instead of always hitting the books.”
The look she gave him wasn’t hard to figure out.He made himself sound like an entitled prick who’d come to college to just have fun.“There was a Reddit thread on how blowing off steam helps you to focus better when you come back to studying.Paul wasn’t retaining half of what he wanted to because he worked too hard.”
“You sound defensive.”
“I know.I went to the party he refused to go to…and he died that same night.If I had been there with him, I could have called 911 or taken him to the hospital.”
He’d never denied the guilt he carried about that evening.The thought of Paul dying alone…the way Jasper’s dad had, broke his heart.
“You said he had a brain hemorrhage.I’m not sure there was much you could have done,” she said.
“But he wouldn’t have been alone,” he said quietly.
He didn’t hear her at first as she sank down on the couch next to him, wrapping her arm around his shoulders and hugging him.He put his hands on her arms, taking the comfort from her.It was nice to have her next to him, not because he was pushing her to be but simply because she cared.
Though he wished it wasn’t the fact that he was getting a response from her by showing her his hurt.
He leaned to the right until the side of his face was on the top of her head.Her shampoo smelled like fall, all apples and cinnamon.Her breath was warm against the column of his neck.Even the glow of the TV with Judge Judy bringing down her gavel and handing down her judgment couldn’t distract him from this moment.
This was…nice.Comforting.Something that he hadn’t experienced in a long time.He seldom talked about Paul.There was no reason to rehash his past.
He missed his friend,still.But no one wanted to hear that.
Kirsty was the first person in a long time to put her arms around him and make him feel like he wasn’t alone.
* * *
Jasper’s head was a comforting weight on top of hers.One that made her feel fuzzy and confused.Something she was doing her best to ignore, but it was tough when he was this close.She wanted to be just another girl to him, but there was no going back from this.
Things were changing.
She was almost willing to forgive him for surprising her on Bri’s show.Almost.But she held on to grudges.It was one of her flaws.But considering she was lying through her teeth about her abilities, holding on to a grudge here felt pretty difficult.
This close, she noticed a small circle-shaped scar on his left pec.She reached over to touch it, drawing her finger around it in a slow circle.
His nipple puckered and goose bumps covered his entire chest.Lightly she traced her finger around the scar and then moved lower to his nipple.His hips shifted, and she noted a substantial bulge in the front of his sweatpants.
He placed his hand over hers as she started moving lower.Lacing their fingers together.
“Why do you think Paul was reluctant to enter the circle tonight?”she asked as he stroked the back of her hand with his forefinger.
Delicious little sensations spread up her arm.Her nipple tightened and heat spread down the center of her body.The room was chilly but being this close to Jasper, she wasn’t cold.
“I don’t know.I have no idea why he’s doing any of this.He should have gone to Victor in the first place.”
She shifted to look directly at him.“From what you said, it seems like Paul wants to be with you.Why do you think that is?”
He wouldn’t meet her gaze as he stared toward the open door.Was he contemplating leaving?
He did have trouble opening up.She was onto something with these questions.This was the key to getting Jasper closure and maybe never having to do a scary séance again.
“Hey, whatever it is, you can tell me.”
