Page 104 of Light As A Feather
“I can’t wait until it heals.”
With a dip, I whisper against her ear, “Who said we have to wait?”
She rolls her eyes. “I can’t imagine having me clench around your dick while the skin is still healing will feel very good. Plus, we can’t have you getting an infection.”
“You’re dead, remember. One of the many perks of having a ghost girlfriend. Plus, we won’t know what it feels like till we try.” Tipping us back to full height, I spin her away, then back into my arms.
“Girlfriend?” She objects to the casual title.
“Come on now. You know that you’re my world, my dreams, my soul. My past, my present, my future.My Omen.There’s no title that could embody everything that you are to me.”
“God, I love you, Hawthorne Addams,” she says softly beneath the music, just for our ears. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”
Before I have the chance to remind her that there’s no merit required to be worthy of love, Jayden approaches us.
“Hey, man.” I give him a quick hug and step back to get a better look at him. The bags under his eyes have finally cleared, and he moves around the house with ease, no longer haunted by Ivan’s ghost. He’s even put back on some of the weight he lost after his possession. I couldn’t be more relieved that he’s come out the other side of this with us.
“Are you leaving already?” Sol asks with something so close to disappointment in her voice.
“Umm, no, actually…” He runs a hand through his hair. “I just wanted to formally apologize for everything.”
“Like I said, there’s nothing to forgive. You were possessed. Nothing that happened was your fault. You were just as much a victim as I was.” Sol puts a hand on his shoulder, but he shivers and visibly tenses for a moment, and she drops it.
“It’s not you. I’m sorry. I’m just still getting used to being around ghosts again,” he stammers out.
“Understandable,” she assures him.
Turning to me, he rests his hand on my forearm. “I didn’t mean any of that shit I said. I truly am happy for you.” He looks toward Sol. “Both of you.”
“Thanks, Jay.” I squeeze his shoulder and bring him in for a hug before stepping back to wrap my arm around Sol.
“Oh, I almost forgot.” He reaches into his deep pockets, digging around for several seconds, metal clinking and papercrinkling. When he draws his keyring out, a flare of hurt lashes through me.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“I thought…” He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. “I just thought you two would want your privacy, finally having the house to yourselves and all.”
“Hell no. You’re keeping that. I meant what I said. You’re always welcome here. You’re family.”
“Are you okay with that?” Jayden turns to Sol.
“You’re Hawthorne’s closest friend. You don’t need my approval to be here.”
“I want it,” Jayden insists. “I don’t want to come between you guys. I want things to be good between us.Allof us.”
“Of course it’s okay. Please, keep your key.”
He hesitates for several seconds before finally slipping his keyring back into his pocket. “All right. If you insist. Thank you. So, I guess I’ll be seeing you two around then.” He makes it a few feet before he turns back to us. “Take care of him, yeah?”
“I won’t let him out of my sight, I promise.” She laughs at her own joke, and it’s infectious. Seeing her so at ease is something I’ve dreamed about for so long.
Jayden nods and heads into the kitchen, joining the others. Alone again, I pull her back into my arms and sway to the music. Sol’s mind is elsewhere as she considers the staircase for far longer than could be necessary.
“There’s something I’ve been wanting to do,” she finally says.
“What’s that?”
“Can we move Curio to the mausoleum?”
