CHAPTER 16
“Ummm, Oh….” How was he going to explain this one now?
“Is there someone else here Brian? I thought I heard someone.” Skye was looking over Brian’s shoulder then from right to left and then behind her in search of the sound she had heard.
“There’s no one here.” Brian said flopping back on the lounge. “Not that I am aware of anyway.” He was so close to kissing her again and he had to go and spoil it for himself.
“But…”
“No buts Skye. There is no one here, honestly.” Brian didn’t know if he was ready to tell her about his dreams and ghostly visitors. There was no one there, not of the human kind anyway.
Skye shrugged. “Okay Brian. It’s just that…”
“I know.” Brian interrupted. “Private joke between me and a friend,” he continued, trying to fib his way out of what he had said. “I didn’t mean anyone would really see us. I’m sorry for confusing you.”
“That’s okay.” Skye answered. He had confused her. For a moment she had thought maybe he was hearing voices too and had a spirit watching him. In a way she wished he did so they could share their strange experiences.
“Would you like to stay for some lunch? I know I have not long got up but I’m sure we could throw something together.” Brian asked her hoping she would say yes. He wanted to spend more time with her.
“Well, I actually have some stuff I need to do back at home, sorry.” Skye said to him regretfully. She would have liked to spend time with him.
“How about after?” he asked, still hopeful.
“After would be good,” Skye answered with a smile and Brian’s face brightened.
“Great. I was reading about a place where we can hire a boat and go out for a little while, enjoy the sun and fresh air and just relax.”
Skye’s face darkened almost immediately. “No. I don’t want to go on a boat.” Brian knew instantly he had suggested the wrong thing. She stood shaking her head, fear evident in her eyes.
“Skye. You just told me you are ready to move on with life. You have to put that behind you.”
“But, I can’t. I’m… scared,” she told him. He believed she was scared at the thought, terrified even. Her whole demeanour showed that.
He shrugged. “Okay Skye. But I would be there with you. I won’t let anything happen to you.” Just at that moment a cell phone rang from the bedroom. What bad timing. “I’ll be right back,” he said watching her as he backed into the bedroom giving her a smile as he left.
Brian disappeared into the bedroom, leaving the door barely open. Skye walked towards the window, looking out at the ocean. She thought about what Brian had said and believed he would be there for her, he would help her through her fear. While she just told him she was moving on, this was one fear she didn’t know if she was ready to overcome yet.
“You could have said yes,” Skye’s grandfather said to her whispering in her ear. She sighed. He had followed her here too.
“I’m scared Grandad. I can’t go out on the ocean,” she whispered, making sure Brian couldn’t hear her.
“He won’t let anything happen to you. You already mean so very much to him,” came a female voice, a soft hand resting on her shoulder as she spoke.
“Grandma? Is that you?” Skye asked, her eyes widening in surprise.
“Yes my precious, it’s me. Where both here to watch over you,” she told Skye gently.
Tears misted in Skye’s eyes. “I’ve missed you so much.” A tear fell down her cheek and she felt a finger wipe the tear away. She reached up to take the hand but came up empty. There was nothing there. “Where are you? I want to see you both.” She was still whispering but was beginning to get worked up.
“Shhh precious. Brian will hear you.”
“You know Brian?”
“We both know Brian. He is going to be someone very special in your life, if only you will let him in.”
“I want to let him in. I like him.”
“Then don’t fight him. Go with him. Go on the water, overcome your fears with him. You said you wanted to make a new start. Let him be that start.” The woman pleaded with Skye. “You only have to let him in.”
“I want to let him in,” she repeated, her tears falling down her cheeks, “but I can’t go on the water.” The thought of the water frightened her. It had taken Trevor away from her and she had never been on the water since. She hadn’t even swum in the ocean since that day. She knew Brian would come back from the bedroom and ask her again and right at this moment she couldn’t face him. Emotions were again causing turmoil within her and she had to escape. Slowly she crept to the front door, not wanting to alert Brian, and left the house. Once she was outside, she breathed a sigh of relief, hurrying back to her house. She knew she was doing wrong but she couldn’t help herself. It was as if something was making her feel like this, making her act unreasonably.
Watching from the house the two ghosts shook their heads. “Is she ever going to let go? I don’t know how much patience Brian has. If she keeps pushing him away like this it might be doomed from the outset. We will be floating here in the in between world forever.”
“Leave Brian to me,” the grandmother said. “Go back to her. See if you can make her see reason.”
********
Brian came out of the bedroom after the call from his cousin. Kevin had called to let him know they were needed for a meeting in New York at the end of the week and he needed to be there. He argued with Kevin that he didn’t wish to go, but it was futile to argue with his cousin. They all knew that. So reluctantly he agreed. He didn’t want to be in New York when he could be here with Skye.
“Skye.” Brian called out. That’s odd, he left her here. What had they been talking about? Kevin’s phone call had distracted him. “Ah, the boat!” Brian said to no one in particular. “I scared her away. Damn.”
“She’s still frightened Brian. She doesn’t mean to push you away,” came the familiar voice.
“Will it always be like this? Is it all worth the struggle?”
“Every relationship worth fighting for is worth the struggle Brian, remember that. If it is handed to you on a platter, it’s too easy and when problems arise it’s easier to give in. If you fight for the love, the tough times are easier and you can overcome them.” Brian felt warmth moving from his shoulder to his heart as the old lady spoke and he looked at his shoulder. He saw nothing, but felt her hand there. “Is she worth the struggle Brian? Do you want to fight for her love?”
Brian was nodding his head as the woman spoke. “Yes, yes I do want to fight for her love.” He had admitted to Trevor that he loved her, now he would admit it to her grandmother. “I want my love to be returned.”
“You love her.” It wasn’t a question but Brian still nodded his head. “Then just give her a little bit more time.”
“After lunch. I’ll go see her then.” Brian told the voice.
**********
Skye stood in the centre of the kitchen looking out the window at the ocean she feared so much. Why had she run from Brian? She needed to fight these inner demons and she sensed Brian was the one that would help her overcome them. Her mind spun with her thoughts but in the end she could think of only one thing. She should have accepted his offer and let him help her through her fear. Now, once again, he was going to think she was some crazy person, one that was hardly worth the heartache over. He had reached out to her and every time he did she pulled away. She had to stop. Next time, assuming he thought it was worth a next time, she would say yes.
Her chance came right before lunch when she realised she was out of bread for a sandwich. She reached into her pocket for her wallet and it was missing. Where could she have put it? She searched all over the house coming up empty.
“Maybe you dropped it at Brian’s place,” came the voice of her grandad.
Skye thought for a minute and realised it might have fallen out of her pocket as she sat on the lounge, but she really didn’t think so. She would have to ring him and ask him.
“I need to ask you something.” Skye said to her grandfather as she walked to the phone to make her call.
“What’s that my dear?”
“Does Brian hear you too?”
“No pet, Brian doesn’t hear me,” was his reply and he prayed she didn’t ask if her grandmother could. Her speaking to Skye today could really have ruined things for them, but it had been necessary at the time.
That seemed to satisfy Skye, but still had her wondering what was going on. Why was this happening to her? She picked up the phone and dialled Brian’s place.
“Hello,” came Brian’s voice gruffly, throwing Skye off. She hadn’t expected to hear him like that and thought that maybe her behaviour had done more damage than she thought. She contemplated hanging up without saying a word, but realised that was a cowards way out.
“Brian?” she asked.
“Skye. Are you okay? Where did you go?” he asked, his voice softening when he realised it was her.
“I’m sorry Brian. I was….” Could she tell him? “I remembered something I had to do. I should have told you but you were busy on the phone.”
“Oh? Okay,” Brian said to her, confused.
“Ask her to go boating. See what she says.” Came the voice again. Brian stood shaking his head. He didn’t have to make things harder on himself. “Yes, ask her. Give her another chance.”
Brian frowned but agreed. How would he ask her a second time? He thought for a moment.
“Brian?” Skye prompted him, then continued. “Brian I was wondering if I had left my wallet at your place by accident. I can’t find it and wondered if it had fallen out of my pocket. Maybe as we sat on the lounge.”
Brian looked around as he talked on the phone. “Sorry Skye, I can’t see it anywhere.”
“Hmm, I wonder where I put it.”
“Skye, are you sure you won’t come out with me this afternoon? We won’t go far on the boat, I promise.”
She took a deep breath and let it go slowly, not wanting Brian to realise the difficulty she had in answering him.
“Brian, I’d love to go. I’m sorry about before. I wasn’t thinking.”
“Yes you were and I understand. But Skye, I would like to help you get over your fear. Let me be the one to help you.”
“I’d like that Brian.”
“Great. How about we have lunch out too. You haven’t had any yet?”
“No I haven’t I was going to get some bread but I can’t find my wallet. I need to find it.”
“My treat Skye. You won’t need your wallet. See you soon Skye,” he said with a cheerful voice far removed from the one he had answered with.
Skye turned around after she hung up the phone. To her amazement her wallet was sitting in the middle of the kitchen table. “Now how did that get there?” Skye asked herself. She picked it up and looked at it as if it were some foreign object. “How did that get there?” She repeated putting it back in her pocket and going towards her bedroom to get ready for lunch, not hearing the chuckle from the distance. Ghosts could get into all sorts of mischief without getting caught.
Chapter 17
Index
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