“Ma’am, just a few more minutes.” Someone said over the speaker.
I didn’t trust myself to speak.
Minutes later, the elevator jolted to the lobby floor and the doors slid open. I got up off my butt and bolted for the main doors to the hospital. I was a bit impressed with my ability to run in high heels. Had Gabe seen me, he would have yelled that I was going to break my neck. Hah! No death for me. Because the last thing I wanted was to join…him in the afterlife.
Shivering, I started the car and made my way back towards campus. It was September, classes were starting that week, and I still hadn’t gotten my schedule together.
I parked by the student center and marched towards the doors, my high heels clicking against the pavement. I could do this. I was confident. I wasn’t Mel anymore. I was Lisa, a college student, free from my past, free from the memories of him, free from everything that held me back—that kept me in LA when it was slowly killing me inside.
Not really paying attention to anything except for walking and breathing at the same time, considering the whole elevator incident was hell on my frazzled nerves, I jerked open the door to the center and was nearly knocked on my ass by someone pushing the same door I was pulling.
I stumbled backwards. “Hey watch where you’re—”
“Mel?”
My entire body froze—instantly paralyzed with fear. It was one of those moments you experience when you’re a little kid and you hear a freaky noise down the hall. You’re so terrified you just—pause. All you can feel is your heart beating against your chest, and your own ragged breathing. Ginger and caramel colored hair, grey eyes—oh, God the eyes. Muscles lining every part of his body. Hulking shoulders. Hands, huge hands. My body shook at the memory of hands just like that, touching me, pushing me, hands I’d trusted—hands I’d at one time in my life—loved. The guy in front of me reached out, just as instinct kicked in.
I turned on those tall heels and ran like hell back towards my car. It took me four tries to get the key in the ignition. I sped out of the parking lot and turned in the direction of the dorms.
My body was still shaking by the time I pulled up in front of my place. I couldn’t call Kiersten. She’d just gotten married. Wes would kill me.
Gabe was already married so…did that mean he was fair game?
He’d kill me if I didn’t call him.
I chewed my lower lip and then finally, with trembling hands, dialed Gabe’s number.
“Hey, where’d you go?”
“He’s here.” My voice quivered. “He’s here, Gabe.”
“Who?”
“T-Taylor!”
“Sweetheart…” Gabe sighed. “He’s dead, remember?”
“No!” I hit the steering wheel. I wasn’t crazy. I knew what I’d seen—who I’d seen. I had seen the guy who ruined my life—who ended his own. I saw him! “I’m not crazy.”
Swearing, Gabe whispered into the phone, “Where are you?”
“The dorms.” I looked behind me just to make sure he hadn’t followed. Right, because it was totally possible for a human to chase a car two miles and actually arrive at the same time. Then again, ghosts could do just about anything right?
“I’ll be right there.”
“I’m going crazy.” Saying it out loud made it scarier. “Aren’t I?”
Gabe didn’t say anything for a bit and then sighed heavily into the phone. “You’re not going crazy. You’re just really stressed, okay Lisa?”
I nodded even though he couldn’t see me.
“Is it possible you saw someone who looked kind of like Taylor?” he asked gently.
“I guess, but he knew my name! My real name!”
“Lisa, I hate to break it to you but half the known universe knows your name right now—especially after the story about me went viral for months. It’s going to happen.”
I breathed a little easier. “So maybe it was just…me being…stressed?”