“He does,” I nodded. “I am a delight, after all,” I teased.
“That you are,” he replied with a soft smile as his kind eyes met mine. It was almost my undoing. Mike was just so damn precious. He couldn’t look at me like that and not expect me to be affected. I was ready to kneel in front of him and let him do whatever he damned pleased with me.I wouldloveit, too.
The faucet in the kitchen turned on and I sighed. “Erik needs me.” Mike didn’t even question it when I left the room.
The new note from Erik had me groaning loudly.
For a straight guy, Mike seems really into making you blush.
I whispered harshly, “So, you’re not only spying on us, you decided to ruin the moment too?”
I apologize. You’re not the only one who wants the two of you to get together, you know?
I groaned again, “Am I really that obvious?”
To me, yes. Mike seems oblivious to it, but that just makes him cuter.
“True,” I agreed, because Mike was just adorable always, but even more so when he let his guard down.
I’ll do my best to help you win his heart.
I smiled at that. I couldn’t really reject his help, besides, having a ghost help me out could be fun.
“Thank you, Erik.”
Chapter Eight
Mike
Dylan had woken up before me and made me breakfast.How was this my life?After eating the soup last night, I’d somehow fallen asleep while Dylan was talking with Erik in the kitchen. The fact they could communicate soothed something inside of me. I also liked that Erik had Dylan to talk to, mostly so I could take a break without feeling like shit about it.
Yesterday had been tough, in more ways than one. Firstly, Rino had wanted me to sense how many ghosts were just outside the room we were in. After that he introduced them, one by one. The room we had been in became crowded—or it had felt like that when all my energy drained away in a rush. I’d met Rino’s startled gaze before swaying on my feet. It was like a switch had turned off and I couldn’tsee or hear anything. I’d come back to my senses as I was guided to my car, Rino taking the driver seat. Much later, I’d woken up to Dylan lying on a mattress on the floor and my head throbbing in pain.
Just how was I supposed to survive this medium training? I clearly sucked at it; more thansucked. I couldn’t even handle a few ghosts at once. Which also meant I wouldn’t be able to visit Mom anytime soon and that grated. I couldn’t very well make her ghost residents leave what was also their home, besides, I knew Mom cared for each of them. She’d had some of the ghosts with her since she was young. They were like family to her and Pete. A family I’d never been a part of, and had long wished for. Pete and Mom likely hadn’t known just how secluded I’d felt growing up with both of them being born mediums. They shared this whole thing that I couldn’t be a part of. Suddenly, I could but now I wished it would go away. I didn’t want this “gift” as Rino had called it. I wanted to return to my old job. The job I’d spent years studying to get. I’d had to give it all up. Resigning had been the hardest thing I’d ever had to do. Ivar had been confused but wished me the best and, really, what else was he supposed to say?
“Mike?” Dylan’s concerned tone had me blinking back to my breakfast, which was pancakes.Deliciouspancakes.
“Sorry,” I said, wiping away the dryness from my eyes. I must’ve stared unseeingly at the wall as I worked through everything that had happened.
“Maybe you should talk to Rino about giving you another day to rest?”
I appreciated his concern. Truly, it was nice having someone care for me like that, but I couldn’t risk being unemployed for too long and I had a ghost that needed my help. Erik believed in me and wanted me to be the one to help him. Then there was the fact that I had to live with these new abilities for the rest of my life. I couldn’t just put a pause on things. I needed to learn or I would never be able to live my life again and that was a terrifying realization.
“I can’t,” I whispered. “This is something I need to learn, or I might not be able to ever leave the apartment.”
Dylan nodded as he sat down opposite me at our small dining table. The kitchen was too small for the table, so it was tucked into a corner in the living room, giving us some privacy while Erik was back inside my room.
“How did you survive the flight home?”
I snorted. “Erik helped me. He made sure to keep the ghosts we encountered away from me and once on the plane there was only Erik and one other ghost. The airport was filled with energy but I mentally closed off until we got home. Yesterday I had to open up and that’s when things turned bad.”
“Why can’t you just turn it off all the time then?”
“Because it leads to migraines and according to my mom it will weaken me as soon as a headache begins to form. Imagine not being able to close yourself off while having a nasty migraine and then your energy drains as well.” I shuddered. “I need to learn how to keep my energy from being sucked out of me, something that will come naturally once I get the hang of it.”
“Pete never told me how complicated being a medium can be.”
“Pete was born without knowing anything else. He had to learn as he grew and he will be a better controlled medium forever because of it. I might not ever reach the level of control that he has.”
