It's not like I can come right out and say he shouldn't propose.
But that's okay. One thing people don't know about empaths is that we can be particularly good liars. It's a little too easy whenI've been able to pick up on the tiniest hints of suspicion wafting off of someone for as long as I can remember.
I offer a friendly smile and slip right into the lies, deciding to use my failed date to this guy's advantage. "Sorry to ask this, but could you do me a favor? I'm leaving, and I can't get a hold of my boyfriend in the men's room, but…" I drop my voice to a whisper. "The thing is, I'm pretty sure he was going to propose to me tonight."
The relatability gets his attention. "He was?"
I feign laughing uncomfortably. "Yeah. I mean, he doesn'tknowthat I know, you know? But his sister accidentally let it slip the other day when we were out shopping together."
"If you know he's proposing, why the hell are you leaving now?" he demands, confused.
He's already getting emotionally invested, which means he'll keep comparing this to his own situation. I fidget as I remember all the minor emotions I was picking up from his girlfriend, piecing together the most likely reason for her decision.
"I know it's crappy of me to duck out on him like this, but…it's just the wrong time, you know? I've actually been thinking about breaking up with him."
"You're kidding," he scoffs, intrigued. "Why?"
Jessica grins. "Oh, you'regood."
A relatively fresh ghost wanders past us, waving absentmindedly at Jess before passing through the wall of the restaurant. I don’t react because I’m used to seeing other random ghosts now and then—although compared to right after the Upheaval, when there were ghosts everywhere, they’re much less common now. I’ve never seen Syntyche, but that goddess has clearly been busy catching up on reaping souls.
“My boyfriend is a really nice guy," I tell the blond guy quickly. "We've been together for years, but things have just been stale lately. I think deep down, he can sense we've beendrifting apart, and that's why he's suddenly trying to propose, thinking it will somehow fix things," I sigh.
Familiarity blooms in this man's emotions. His hand almost goes for the ring in his pocket again before he frowns at me.
"I feel like you should really be telling him all of this yourself."
"I probably should," I agree, still channeling his girlfriend's emotions. "I just can't bring myself to do it tonight. I don't want to fight with him, but I mean—seriously? He was going to propose to mehere, of all places, on a random Tuesday night when we're both tired after work? That's just a sign of how out of touch he is with our relationship. I need more from him, you know? More effort. Would it kill him to take an interest in my day or spring for a little romance? I'd love to make our relationship work, but if he proposes right now, it'll be the last straw. Could you just tell him I had to leave for a family emergency or something?"
The man looks through the restaurant window at his girlfriend as she returns to their table. Unsureness and something bordering on realization have washed out all of his previous adrenaline.
"Um…sure, yeah. I can do that. What's your boyfriend's name?"
Oh, crap.
My date's name was…
"Keith," Jessica volunteers.
It's not Keith. I have him saved in my phone asTest Run.My old boss and friend, Stephanie, set this up and told me it probably wouldn't go anywhere, but that he wasn't a serial killer and it would finally get me out of my house.
"It's Ken. Or Kevin," my ghostly bestie goes on. "Kolton?"
This is what I get for using anything but the person's actual name for my contacts.
I recover quickly with a smile. "You know, it might be weird if he walks out of the bathroom and a stranger calls him by his name. But he's about this tall," I hold up a hand for reference, "With brown hair, and he's wearing a navy blue jersey. Oh, and whatever you do,don'tshake his hand. Okay?"
"Okay?" the blond man repeats, confused. "Why would I?—"
"Thanks!" I chirp before practically skipping to my car with relief.
Crisis averted.
"Gods, you're a hopeless romantic," Jessica sighs from the passenger seat as I pull onto the sunset-bathed highway soon after. "Who's to say that relationship was even worth saving?"
It's about a fifteen-minute drive from this small city back to Koasville, so I set up music to play quietly in the background and flash her a grin.
"Who's to say it wasn't? Besides, even if she breaks up with him tonight, hopefully he'll save some face and have a better idea of how to treat someone else in the future."
