When a weary college student accidentally summons the ghost of an arrogant billionaire, she hesitantly agrees to help solve his dark disappearance, but discovering the truth entails bidding farewell.
...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Lake Larson
My life had become an endless day of surprises. And not just because my roommate popped up ghostly, but also because I amazed myself. But here we are, standing in the streets of Pike's Market in Seattle, and it was not our plan to be here this morning.
The red lights to the sign flickered in the puddles on the brick road. Rain rippled in the liquid and pooled at my wet tennis shoes. My hair stuck to my cheeks while drips ran down the strands.
The clouds covered the stars in the night sky. Water ran down my nose, falling over my lips and soaking the front of my shirt. Ian waved his hands at the lady trying to sell him flowers. She kept pointing at the roses and me while he protested, telling her no. He must have noticed me watching because he peaked over at me with confusion. His smirk formed slowly before he finally ran away from the lady.
I smiled at the sky as he stepped out into the rain with me. His bare feet splashed into the puddles, but the precipitation from the clouds dropped through him like he didn't exist in the world.
"Okay, crazy," Ian said, stopping before me. "Time to get out of the rain before you catch a cold."
Ian grabbed my hand and pulled me into a covered area before hearing my answer. My giggles echoed in the alleyway, followed by his chuckles. He kept his palm behind his back, hiding a secret from me.
"Okay, what did you buy?" I asked him, pointing at his arm.
Ian tilted his head while shrugging his shoulders. I stepped wide to him, which caused him to back away quickly, bringing his free hand up to stop me.
"Okay, hear me out," he said, chewing his lip. "I don't have any money, so this is the best I could do for free." Ian paused before bringing a single white rose swirling with blue.
I hesitated before slowly wrapping my fingers around the stem and bringing the pedals to my nose. "Blue?" I questioned. "Why?"
Ian lifted a brow, tapping the top of the rose. "I think you know the answer to that one."
My gaze stayed on the flower while his finger left the rose. The blues danced with the white, causing a distorted color like the ocean meeting the sand. Neon colors shined in the dark, brightening the pedals. My expression brightened when realization kicked in.
"I want to show you something," he said, with the rain hitting the metal top, muffling his voice.
Ian led me deeper into the alley, opening an old wood door toward the musky-smelling shops. His fingers locked with mine, and we stomped down the stairs out the doors again into the rainy night. The crowd thickened on the streets under the freeway, hiding from the downpour.
Cars rushed by, spraying us with saltwater mist. We rounded further away from the crowd toward the light as Ian kept walking, not stopping at the intersection. I pulled him back, stopping at the sidewalk.
