"'Sup, my homie with another chromie!" Sebastian put his fist out. He didn't know why he thought Avery would humor him with a bro shake, but he thought it would have been pretty cool if she did.
The blank stare he greeted him with confirmed his suspicions, "Fancy meeting you here."
"Yeah," he grinned. "Who would have thought?"
She didn't reply, more content to look toward the setting sun. The sky was a deep pink hue. Purple clouds lined the horizon, the distant calls of seagulls could be heard over the crashing surf against the sand.
"Finally," Sebastian cried with outstretched arms, raising his hands toward some unseen God. Avery ignored him.
Or, atleast, she tried to.
After an awkward silence, he had had enough. Not that he minded staring at her, but he hadn't come here for that. Eclipsing her view, he put his hands on his hips, "Okay, what's wrong with you? You need some huggies or something?"
"I don't need a hug," she sighed.
"Okay, then... like, what? Chocolate? Tampons? I mean, I can't really help with that but—"
"Ew! No, you weirdo!" She slapped his arm vigorously. Multiple times. She wasn't comfortable enough to share the woes of her monthly visits. Not that it was his business anyway.
His playful mood subsided, and dark, ominous clouds formed in the distance. A low rumbling shook the ground, sending ripples into the tide, "Seriously, Avery. What's going on?"
What's going on? She didn't know. Stuff, was all the reply she had. "I think I'm being haunted." The doors, the radio, John, Mark, Milo... too much stuff. None of it made sense and the more she thought on it, the more she started to question her mental state.
"You're not being haunted."
"And how do you know?"
His lips rolled, an exhale of forceful oxygen deflating his cheeks, "Because it's me."
Brows furrowed in wariness, Avery bit her bottom lip. "It's you," She repeated his words as if saying them aloud to herself would somehow help her make sense of his confession. It didn't. "What do you mean by that?" A bolt of lighting cracked the sky, sending mist soaring into the air.
For Sebastian, it was now or never. He wanted her to know. And if he was being honest with himself, he had always wanted her to know—to know him. Someone needed to, why not her? They stuck together, whether she liked it or not. She might as well accept it. "I'm not just in your dreams, Avery. I'm here. I'm beside you. All the time. Every second, of every day, I am standing right beside you and yet, you can't see me."
A flash of lighting lit up her bulging blue eyes before she disappeared from the sand completely.
Avery jumped out of bed, her heart thundering wildly in her chest. She gulped for air, not receiving nearly enough to her lungs' content. Beads of sweat dotted her pale forehead, the taste of bile stimulating her saliva glands. Covering her mouth, she flew into the bathroom, ripping the toilet lid open nearly too late. A stream of tears slipped down her cheeks as her body purged itself of last night's whiskey party.
She heaved until there was nothing but an empty hole in her stomach.
Anxiety is a mysterious condition. It doesn't care where you are, or what you're doing; if you're surrounded by friends or the only one standing on the highest hill of the tallest mountain. It comes when it pleases, sometimes with no rhyme and no reason and no way to pinpoint the cause. In Avery's case, she knew exactly the cause, his name a constant whisper in her mind. His words, like the spoke on a wheel, spun 'round and 'round, making her dizzy and gripping tighter to the rim of the toilet.
All the times she had convinced herself he was imagined from an inaccessible subconscious were a lie and the odd occurrences around her made more sense.
Her conversation with Veda made more sense.
For the first time in her life, she did not know how to feel. She should be angry with Sebastian for the tricks he played on her. She should be grateful for the protection he provided her. She should be flattered that a hot guy was attached to her hip. She should be confused about why, upset that he doesn't know either, and blessed for the friendship she didn't know she needed.
Another round of dry heaves left her weak and tired. The thought of seeing Sebastian again left her wishing for an endless supply of coffee. She was not ready to confront his daily presence in her life. If she didn't need sleep for survival, she would vow to never do it again.
But as her body slid down to rest on the cold tile floor, she knew sleep was inevitable.
She put up a good fight, nonetheless.
***
"Avery," he approached her cautiously, as if she were an animal in the wild. He feared any sudden movement may cause her to disappear again and he couldn't allow that. They needed to talk, and this time it wasn't just because he wanted someone to talk to.
She steadied her breathing hoping it would slow her treacherous heart, "Veda was right. She saw you. Why did say she didn't?"
"Because I wasn't ready for that," he replied in earnest. "I am sorry. Truly."
"How did this happen? How long ago? I don't..." She chewed on her lip, fighting back tears that craved to be shed, "Why is this happening?"
Sebastian closed his eyes, his mouth moving but no sound resounding and she wondered if he was reciting already rehearsed words or giving himself a pep talk before speaking. Neither option made the storm in her stomach any calmer.
Slowly, a new found confidence seemed to fill him with life. "I want to try something." He held his hand out, waiting for her, "I know you don't trust me right now, but I promise, this will be worth it."
Avery tried reading his face—tried discerning his intentions—but what stared back at her was not a secretive, conniving jerk she shouldn't put her faith in. It was not the ghost that stalked her, the spirit that scared her—it was just Sebastain. Happy-go-lucky, goofy, handsome Sebastain. The one she had come to know, the same one she considered a friend. And while she was still hesitant, something urged her to take his hand anyway.
Nausea was immediately replaced with flaring heat as her skin touched his. It crawled up her abdomen and into her chest finding a permanent home. Coincidently, when she flashed her a relieved smile, it fluttered further down than she would have liked.
Her feet hit solid ground unexpectedly. If Sebastain hadn't steadied her, she would have tripped, face-planting on the large expanse of open pavement. Avery felt the heat of his gaze as she gasped at what laid before her.
Her home.
Standing in the half circle driveway, she gaped at the familiar three-story brick mansion, nestled beneath a dreary Indiana sky. A brick pathway, lined in yellow tulips, led up to an inviting brown door, one she had entered through so many times. One she missed more than she thought she would. A sudden pang of longing overwhelmed her and she couldn't bring herself to look away. "How?"
Sebastian cleared his throat, before his teeth began attacking his fingers once again, "I saw the address in one of the drawers I opened the other night."
She decided she would definitely approach that discretion later, "But how am I here? I'm still dreaming, right?"
"Yes and no. It's more like astral traveling. That's how I used to move from state to state. I really didn't know if I could take you with me, but I wanted to try."
"So, all this is happening in real time?"
"Yes."
"I'm really here?"
Sebastian chuckled, "Not physically, no. But your soul is." The softness in his face stole her breath. "Avery, listen. I don't know what is happening between us. When I said I had no choice in following you home, I meant it. I just happened to be in New York the first day I saw you, the first day you experienced the open doors. You pulled me to you and though I tried to leave, I could never go farther than ten feet away. Something won't let me... it's like a force field. A brick wall. After multiple attempts, I just stopped trying." He grabbed for her hands, squeezing tightly, "I then decided I would just make the best of it, which meant getting to know you. I did the things I did so you would know me. I never intended to scare you. I swear."
"I believe you," she whispered, still lost in his eyes.
He nodded, "Would you like to go inside?"
"Definitely."