Page 9 of Dancing with a Ghost

“No!” I shouted. “No one can know. I’m not a cheap sideshow for people to come and see.” I wouldn’t be an attraction at their hotel.

“Sorry, that’s not what I meant,” he said, stepping away from me and instantly, I felt the effect of him waning. “I just know my sister would get a kick out of it, but if you don’t want me to say anything, I won’t."

"Toby! Toby!" The shrill voice of his mother sounded from the garden room.

He turned towards the shout. "I have to go, but can we talk again? When you can?" He looked at me, a hopeful look on his face, and I nodded.

"I'll try." As he walked away, I sagged against a nearby tree, not realising how much energy it had taken to do that. Would I ever be able to maintain that form again? I didn't know.

It was late, getting dark, and the loud music was assaulting my ears. Time for me to go, I reckoned, but as I walked away, the sounds of Glen Miller met my ears. Moonlight Serenade, if I wasn't mistaken. This was my kind of music and I stopped just outside the door to listen.

I hummed along with the music, swaying gently as the song played, and I peered closer through the open glass doors, watching as the bride and groom danced together. Their hands clasped between them, sharing a loving look.

Would men be able to dance that way now? I'd seen some things, as I said, and I thought about how it would be to dance with Toby. Would he fit against me perfectly? Would he want to dance with me? He'd at no point showed that his preference was for men, but the way that man had acted today, and after his words earlier, it suggested that perhaps he was.

I looked for him in the room, but he was nowhere to be seen. He was no doubt sorting out whatever problem his mother had found for him. She really was a force to be reckoned with. I turned away, feeling a little sad now that he'd gone. I'd see him again tomorrow. There was no doubt about that.

Chapter Five

Toby

Trustmothertocallme just as we seemed to be getting somewhere. I'd been amazed and shocked in equal measure after seeing my ghost.

Shocked because I didn't think they really existed, but amazed he'd been able to appear to me. I really should look that up. It'd mean me firing up the laptop and googling the shit out of this paranormal stuff.

I’d gleaned the little I knew from watching Most Haunted in the dark with Georgie, laughing and squealing together at each bump and bang on the show. The mediums had fluffed their way through the programme, telling tall tales of women dressed in grey and violent spirits intent on hurting everyone in the building.

I hadn't believed it, or I'd pretended I didn't believe it. Georgie, bless her, had hidden behind the cushions but had insisted it was all crap. Ghosts didn't exist.

It'd only been the past few months where things had got a little strange, that my mind had gone back to that show. The scent that followed me around was definitely an odd one, but tonight had been a complete revelation. I'm not sure why this evening had caused my ghost to appear to me.

Perhaps it had something to do with Aaron. He'd not been particularly nice to me, had refused to get out of my way in the corridor, and had then accosted me in the garden. I didn't know what he was doing there unless he'd been following me. I'd stepped out of the room for a moment to get some fresh air. It'd become unbearably hot in that room.

He'd suggested we try to rekindle our relationship, and I'd turned him down flat. I was completely over Aaron, had been for a while, but he didn't see it like that. He thought that because I'd spoken to him, he had a chance with me. What a complete dickhead, and I wondered what I'd seen in him in the first place. It was obviously his good looks that had attracted me and I couldn't believe I'd been so shallow.

But my ghost, that was a different matter, and if he appeared to me again, I needed to get his name. I couldn't keep calling him 'my ghost'.

He was attractive, in an old-fashioned way, looking incredibly handsome in his RAF uniform. He'd said he'd come down in his aircraft. Had he been shot down? I'd seen no injuries, even though he'd said he'd been burned. He'd looked perfect to me, in more ways than one.

I was a sucker for dark hair and eyes, and he had both. He’d been clean shaven, which I found oddly alluring, having usually been attracted to men with beards, except for Aaron.

I loved the roughness of it against my skin, scruff or a full beard. I wasn’t fussy.

By special request, the DJ had played Glen Miller. Tabitha had requested it, saying it had been her father’s favourite, and I had to admit, it was one of mine, too. Big bands were a weakness for me, that and old musicals from the forties and fifties. I loved dancing to it and teaching it too, but it’d not been popular, most kids these days preferring hip hop or street dance. Although it wasn’t my specialty, I taught it. I preferred tap, brought on by years of watching Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. As a child, I’d spent hours watching them, much to my mother's dismay.

When not working, I’d grab some popcorn and snuggle down on the sofa at my small apartment to watch them. I wasn’t a fan of clubbing, that was for sure.

Funny how you begin to notice the smallest of things, and while I stood by the door, the aroma of tobacco and vanilla hit me. I smiled involuntarily. He was around and, hopefully, was enjoying the music as much as I was.

Jeremy and Tabitha looked a picture, both engrossed in each other, not noticing when the music stopped. The dance floor filled as a more popular tune played out across the room. I normally didn’t stay longer than the first dance, leaving one of the other managers to oversee the rest of the evening, but mother had insisted that I stick around for this one until the end. They were important clients, ones she wanted to keep happy.

I took a seat at the bar, and motioned to the bartender for my usual; iced sparkling water with lime on the rocks. No alcohol. Not until the last guest had left, anyway.

I watched the crowd, my thoughts once again straying to my paranormal friend. Why was he here? How had he died? So many questions, I just hoped I’d get to ask them, hoped I’d see him again.

He’d said he’d try to, and I believed him. For some strange reason, I felt a tentative bond, and the shock that had gone through my body when I’d touched his skin. Well, that was something that defied explanation. The other weird thing, I could see him more clearly after that, as if it had made him more intact.

I shook my head. It was all too much today. On top of the wedding, the problems in the kitchen and bloody Aaron, I was ready for the night to be over. I was tired and couldn’t wait to get to my bed. Looking at my watch, I had a good few hours left, the night time celebrations having not long started.

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