For the first couple of days, he tried to love-bomb his way back into a relationship. After that didn’t work, he started harassing me. I kept blocking him. I worried he’d show up at the store, but he hadn’t so far.
I couldn’t wait for him to give up and leave me alone, although I felt bad for any poor woman he targeted next.
This was the first time I’d thought about Alex since meeting Vie. It made me look at Vie in a different way. Vie had ghosted me for a full twenty-four hours so far. If he came back, should I be worried about ending up in another toxic relationship?
The issue was that he was a wraith, not a human. This went way beyond cultural differences.
It was all too much to think about. Should I take a few shots of Jina’s expensive tequila and see if I could fall asleep on the couch again? I always missed her when she had to deploy, but more now than usual. She wouldn’t be home until late tomorrow, which felt like forever from now.
Deciding to go for the tequila, I unwound from the blanket I’d wrapped myself in and struggled out of my perfectly shaped Willow spot on the couch. Halfway to the kitchen, I felt him.
I went perfectly still. “Vie?”
For a moment, nothing happened, then a mist formed in front of me. He didn’t take his human form, but the vague outline of a hand holding something appeared. A silver-colored envelope became solid, held in the ghost-like hand.
“Is this for me?”
In response, he floated closer, extending the envelope out more. I plucked it from the mist and the ghostly hand disappeared back into the rest of the ether.
I opened it and pulled out a card on thick, cream colored paper with gold filigree at the corners. There was a simple message written in elaborate calligraphy.
The Wraith of Violence invites Willow Jones to his home.
Below that was an address. I looked up from the paper. “Should I go right now?”
The hand appeared again, this time holding a small box shape. Like with the letter, the box solidified, and I was able to take it. There was a small note attached to what looked like a jewelry gift box.
This is a small token of my adoration of you. This is to show you that all I have is yours.
Inside the box was a regular house key. It took me a moment to understand. I pulled the key out of the box and held it up between us.
“Is this the key to your place?” It was more of a statement than a question. “And you’re telling me that everything in there is mine if I want it?”
Yes.
Oh shit, he could talk in his mist form, and it sounded like a monster whispering in the dark. Before I could say anything, he spoke again.
It’s your choice. Always your choice. No matter what you decide, I’ll be waiting for you.
Then he was gone again. I don’t know how long I stood there holding the key with my mouth open. Finally, I looked up at the ceiling and shouted, even though I could tell he was gone.
“Goddamn it! You don’t drop a line that fucking romantic and then just disappear! You asshole!”
Following the directions on my phone, I pushed my tired little car to her limits by rushing to the address Vie gave me. By the time I pulled up to a three-story, non-descript building in an office park, my car was making noises I knew were bad.
It died as I pulled into a parking spot. Shit, I hoped Vie didn’t mind if I stayed the night because my car wasn’t going anywhere on its own for the foreseeable future. I winced at the thought of the mechanic's bill.
Whatever, I’d deal with the consequences tomorrow.
Getting out of the car, I stared up at the building. It looked like a typical three-story office building that might house a tax business, optometrist, and lawyer’s office. It wasn’t exceptional in any way.
Except for a complete lack of signage.
Businesses wanted to be easily found. When I opened, I put signs everywhere and kept them up until management told me I had to take all of them down except for the one over my door. I was used to seeing lists of business names on buildings like this, or at least the name of one large corporation.
But there wasn’t a name or logo anywhere, other than the building address clearly displayed in bronze lettering off to the side of the double glass doors.
I walked up to the tinted glass and cupped my hands around my eyes and pressed them against the glass so I could see through. I wasn’t surprised to see a typical American corporate lobby full of the type of blocky, heavy-duty furniture common in business waiting rooms.
