Esme
Duske glares in my direction, his dark gaze surveying the kitchen. I’m almost sure he can sense me as I curl up a little tighter into a ball, my sorry ass slipping into the kitchen island. Weirdly enough, I can see through it, which gives me a perfect view of the men who should have been mine.
Vesper jostles Duske’s shoulder and gestures upstairs. “Why aren’t we staying here again? I get that we lost Esme here but it almost feels wrong not to settle with her spirit before we go.” He manages a shrug, brushing it off like it doesn’t bother him but this is the most vulnerable I’ve ever seen him.
He misses me.
Liora interrupts the moment as she returns from the living room, that gleeful smile on her face just a reminder of her betrayal.
“Bitch!” I yell as I stand up, shaking my fist in the air. I’m very much still in the middle of the kitchen island, half of my ghostly body hovering above the counter.
Duske frowns and looks around again, scanning the kitchen. We never talked about their abilities, so I have no idea if he can hear ghosts, see them, feel them, or some strange combination of the three. I shrink back as he rubs a hand down his face and slides into a seat at the kitchen table. "Okay, Liora, what still needs to be packed and cleaned?"
Liora shoots them fake smiles, all polite and sweet on the surface. "Pretty much everything from upstairs. Everything down here can be donated or trashed."
That hurts. Liora never really liked our parents’ décor, but it was all we had left of them. I didn’t mind, mostly because my friends didn’t either. It felt like they were still here in some respects, the worn couch where I used to curl up with books on my mom’s lap, and the table with scratches from family dinners. It stayed because I was here the most, the memories keeping me sane.
But to my sister? It was all just outdated junk, musky reminders of a life she no longer wanted to live.
Vesper leans against the counter, inches from where I am. I can almost run my fingers through that silky hair of his, tugging until he grabs my wrist and threatens to do nasty things to me. But my fingers just slip right through him, Vesper shuddering from the sensation in response. "You don’t want to keep any of your parents’ stuff?" His nose scrunches up a little, no doubt remembering the moments he spent in this house alongside our parents when they were alive.
Liora shakes her head. "No. It all leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It’s even traumatic being here. I booked a nearby hotel so that we don’t have to stay here."
Anger surges through me as I fist my hands at my sides, unable to help the growl that comes out. It’s a pitiful one, but it gets the point across… if they could hear it. Milo looks around,his green eyes narrowing just to the right of me.They know I’m here.
Or at least,somethingis here.
I just hope they don’t think it’s malicious and try to exorcise me before I can get a message through. Neither Duske nor Vesper react, the little hope I have in being discovered dashed completely. Liora moves toward the sink, rummaging through the drawers until she finds something of interest. Her eyes light up and I scowl, knowing she’s going to sell it.
Then she gets to my precious coffee cup and grimaces before dumping it down the sink.Fucker.
"I’ll go grab us some things for breakfast and you can start." She heads out the door with a wave, obviously banking on the fact that they’ll just pack up the house with minimal help from her. Liora’s always been like that, making everyone else work for her but it hurts even more that she’s doing it to my best friends.
Milo waits a beat until the door closes and then turns to the others. "You feel it too, right?"
Duske sighs, leaning back in the chair. "Yeah, her spirit is still here. Esme always was a fighter."
Vesper moves toward the counter and stares at the coffee cup now in the sink. "Damn, she didn’t even get to finish her coffee. This fucking sucks."
When he turns around, I see the hurt etched on his face, his hazel eyes shadowed with pain. Tears prick my eyes. Of the three, I spent the most time with Vesper, late nights whispering secrets, my beautiful chaos demon loving me from the inside out. I'd never been so cherished, his darkness pulling me out of my shell, our friends-with-benefits thing turning into something deeper, even if we never labeled it.
"I’m sorry," I whisper, the words slipping out into the air.
This time when Vesper looks up, I can see that he’s searching for me. He still can’t see me but the pensiveness in his gazecuts at me. I want to feel his heartbeat against my ear, his arms around me, pulling me close like he used to. The heat in my belly stirs again, that insistent pull making me ache for more than just comfort.
Milo glances at Vesper. "You okay, man?"
Vesper slowly nods before moving to the cabinet and pulling a cup down. I stare at him, confused until I watch as he prepares all the fixings for another coffee. Neither Milo nor Duske stop him, my lover’s smile widening as the coffee begins to drip into my favorite mug. It’s one of many pumpkin ones Milo gave me but this one had a horridly stupid smiling face on it.
It always made me laugh.
I bite back a chuckle as Milo catches on and rushes to the fridge. He drags out the pumpkin creamer he bought earlier, checking for the expiration date, and then thrusting it at Vesper. “It’s still good. Fuck, you’re making it for her, right?”
Vesper nods, stepping back to allow Milo to dump enough creamer in the mug to turn it almost white. That’s not how I drink it but in his excitement, I would absolutely drink the fuck out of that. Still, I have no ideawhythey’re making me a coffee when I can’t touch it.
That’s when Duske steps closer, both of my friends moving to the side. My face twists up in confusion, all three of them staring at the mug like there’s some kind of ritual that requires pumpkin creamer and a mug.
“Boss, would you do the honors?”
