Restless Spirits

“Sauerkraut chili dog with mustard and fries?” The amusement in his tone made her roll her eyes. When it came to food, she was a creature of habit, while he preferred to be adventurous.

“Yep, don’t forget the lemonade.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said sarcastically, and they stepped up as the people in front of them moved to the pickup window.

With their food in hand, they took a seat at one of the picnic tables. Conversation was scarce as they devoured what she thought was the best in the city. Bellies full, they began to talk as they sipped on their drinks.

“So, what are you working on right now?”

“A new computer game for kids, featuring aliens. It’s pretty cool.”

“Nice. Is it educational?”

She wrinkled her nose. “I guess, from the problem-solving-skills point of view. It’s no Oregon Trail.”

“Wow, way to take it back, Demi.”

She laughed. “Hey, man, our childhoods rocked.”

“It’s true. We had way better things.”

“See, this is why we work. You agree with me.” She reached over and patted his cheek.

“Most of the time.”

She laughed. He’d been right they were well-matched, and that spilled over to them as a romantic couple. The sun began to set, and a chill settled over them.

“You ready to leave?” he asked.

“Yeah, it’s getting cold.”

They threw away their garbage and headed back to the car.

In the driveway, he bent down and captured her mouth. Their tongues dueled, and she cupped his neck. She tilted her head, deepening the kiss. They made out like two teenagers. He cupped her breasts, massaging her through her T-shirt, and she returned the favor, circling his nipples with her fingernail. They broke apart, breathing heavily.

“Are you coming in?” she said.

“Do you even have to ask?”

* * * *

She woke in the middle of the night and sat up in bed. A sound made her ears perk, and she leaned forward, slowing her breathing as she strained. The light thump came again. She peered down at Pierce, remembering his skepticism about the oddities occurring earlier. I’ll find proof. Tossing the covers back, she climbed from the bed and walked out of the bedroom. Scanning the hallway for anything abnormal, she flipped on the light. Heaviness filled the air, making it hard to breathe. An icy blast of air brushed across the back of her neck. She spun around. A crash came from the kitchen. She turned back to face the eating area and saw something gray pass her in the hallway out of the corner of her eye. Rooted to the spot like a tree, she held her breath.

“What’s going on?” Pierce’s concern-filled voice broke the semi paralysis.

“I don’t know. Something fell in the kitchen.”

He stalked to the island and ben

t down, coming up with a pot in his hand. “It must’ve fallen off the hook.”

She glanced up at the rack. The rest of the pots and pans still swayed.

“We must’ve had a low-level earthquake,” Pierce said.

“Yeah. Sorry, you got woken up. “

“Not your fault.” Pierce placed the pot in the sink. “Come on, let’s go back to bed.”