I drop my legs, standing up, too. “I didn’t mean to—” I begin.
“Wow,” he says, dropping his gaze to the floor as his eyebrows fly upward. “I mean, okay… I knew things were dire. I knew you were going through something here and needed some space, but I didn’t know we’d reached this place.”
“Wade, we can’t be together…” I say, fighting back tears.
“Why? Because you decided?” he demands.
I roll my head back, staring at the ceiling. A single, stupid tear trickles down my cheek and I swipe at it. “No, because I’m not right for you. Because things would never work. Because we’re so different…”
“And what?” he says, stepping forward and towering over me. Sandalwood and soap circle around me, tugging at every raw emotion left dangling.
My chin quivers, but I manage to say, “Your dad said that we…”
“Who the hell cares what my dad said? He had his one life and he fucked it up. I’m not going to let him dictate the one that I have, too. Don’t you get that?” he spits back. His eyes penetrate mine, pleading with me to understand.
“You deserve someone better than me,” I whisper.
He snorts indignantly. “Are you kidding me? Nah, you’ve gotta be kidding me… Who are you to decide whether or not there’s someone better for me out there? You don’t get that responsibility. My dad, as much as he wishes it weren’t the case…doesn’t get that responsibility. It’s mine. Do you hear me? Mine.”
As if to punctuate his statement, all of the lightbulbs in the room burst. Instinctively, I hunch forward and cover my head.
“It wasn’t me—” Wade cries out, reaching for me.
I drop my hands, surveying the room. Shards of broken bulbs are everywhere, and the only light cascading into the room comes from the far-off sunset that’s about to extinguish itself.
Wade’s eyes are wide as he backs up and turns in circles with his hands raised.
Suddenly, the same intense cold from earlier sweeps through the room. Wrapping my arms around myself, I turn around, hunting for its source.
“Do you feel that?” Wade whispers, shivering as his breath bursts out in small clouds. “It’s like the room just plunged by forty degrees.”
“Yeah, I feel it,” I say, shifting myself closer to him as I continue to monitor the space.
“Is Abigail pissed or something?” he says, reaching out and pulling me into his arms.
I blink hard, unsure whether or not to allow myself the pleasure of staying there or not. His strong arms and warm body are a safe place and I feel anything but safe…
I place a hand on his chest, but gently push myself away, giving us both a little space. “I’m not sure. I haven’t really seen much of her since…”
“Maybe we should, um, go somewhere else to study?” Wade offers, tugging at my sleeve as he backs toward the door.
I nod, taking a step toward the table to grab my things. “Yeah, that might be—”
Behind me, a gurgling sound erupts, making me spin on the spot. Wade’s eyes are large silver circles of sheer panic as he drops to his knees and gropes at his throat.
Chapter 4
Haunting
Racing over to Wade, I drop down beside him. “Wade,” I cry out, reaching for him and trying to process what’s happening.
There’s nothing in sight, but the room is utterly frigid—like all warmth has been ejected. My fingertips freeze against his skin as I try to pull back whatever is there, but there’s nothing.
“Where is it? What is it?” Panic wells up inside me as I realize I have no idea what to do or how to help. My worst nightmare is coming true right before my eyes.
Wade continues to struggle, fighting off the unseen force. His face transitions from a bright red to a muted shade of gray.
“Stop—stop this!” I scream, throwing my arms down like a petulant child.
All at once, the room spins and I find myself flat on my back on the floor as if a blast just went off. Wade drops his arms as he slumps over, landing hard on his right side next to me. He gasps for air, then goes completely silent as his beautiful eyes flutter closed. I push myself up to my knees, scrambling over to him and pulling him into my lap.
“Wade, Wade, please…” I murmur, running my hands over his hair and the side of his face. Bending down, I place my head against his chest. The faint thump of his heartbeat greets me, settling my own out-of-control pulse slightly. “Oh, thank god.”
I watch his eyelashes flutter like he’s deep in a dream and I sit there, holding him and brushing my fingertips against his forehead.
The room slowly warms up, releasing some of its foreboding vibe. The sun has set and the only light penetrating the room cascades in from the chandelier in the entryway. It adds an eerie glow on the top of his head, like he’s adorned with a halo, and it pulls me back to reality.
That was close…too close.
I don’t know what happened, or why. If it was a ghost, I don’t understand why I couldn’t see it.
Some postmortem medium I am.
Suddenly, Wade’s eyes flicker open and he abruptly sits up. His left hand rises, resting at his clavicle as he turns his perplexed gaze to me.
“What was that?” he says, his voice barely a scratchy whisper.
I bite my lip and tug my eyebrows in. “I don’t know. I couldn’t see anything. I wish I…”
Swallowing hard, Wade places a hand on my shoulder, pushing himself to an unsteady stand.
“You should be careful. You don’t have to rush,” I begin.
Wade shakes his head. “No, I need to get outta here. I need air—”
Undeserved disappointment rolls through me, but I nod and stand up, too.
“You should come with me,” he says, his eyes wide. Backing out of the study, he studies the doorway as if it’s the gateway to hell.
“I can’t,
