Page 6 of Painting Ghosts

“I wasn’t dreaming.” I narrowed my eyes and squinted around the room. The fire had long gone out, and faint streaks of light were beginning to stream into the sitting room through the cracks of the curtains. “Something brushed against my foot.” I withdrew said foot under the covers again. “Anyway, I suppose it’s time to get up. I need to pee.”

“So I see,” Theo murmured, mischief in his eyes.

I blushed. “Morning wood,” I said airily. “You know how it is.” I didn’t move because to do so would be to leave the dream I had of waking up in bed with Theo. Even if this was simply a friendly stayover, it meant the world to me.

He stretched like a cat, showing me his hairy armpits and long, lean lines of his arms. Beneath the blanket, his dick tented, and I averted my gaze hastily.

“Yep, time to get up,” I repeated, and scrabbled out from beyond the blanket, rolling over onto the cold tiled floor. I clambered to my feet, wrinkling my nose when I realised I was in yesterday’s clothes. One sock was missing too. I looked around, trying to spot it. Perhaps it was in the blanket.

I tugged the fleece off Theo and lost my breath when I saw he was clad only in his boxers. “Err, weren’t you a little cold last night in just that?” I gestured towards him as he smiled lazily.

“Be glad I didn’t undress you,” he murmured. “But you looked so peaceful snoring next to me I didn’t have the heart to wake you. I didn’t think it would be comfortable sleeping in the braces though.” He wrinkled his nose. “I don’t know how you manage those things.”

I glanced down at my sleep rumpled shirt and trousers, and the now skew braces. “It’s a fashion statement,” I said loftily. “Those who can wear them. Those who can’t – complain about those who can.” It was a little lame, I know, but right then, I couldn’t think of much other than the fact Theo had thought about undressing me.

And here I was with my favourite Scooby-Doo bikini briefs on. I’d have been mortified if he’d seen them.

Someone giggled beside me and the hairs on my body leapt to attention. Theo looked as surprised as I felt. “Did you hear that?” I exclaimed, looking around wildly. “Please tell me I’m not going mad.”

Theo had paled a little beneath his tanned skin. “It sounded like a little girl giggling,” he confessed. “I thought I heard it in the middle of the night but thought I was dreaming.”

“It was me, silly,” said a little voice from behind me, and as Scooby-Doo would do to Shaggy, I rushed over to Theo and would have flung myself into his arms if I could. We’d both have bailed to the floor because I’m no lightweight at a hundred and sixty pounds, but still.

A dark-haired girl of no more than ten or eleven years old stood before us, her green eyes sparkling in merriment. She was dressed in a tube sundress of emerald green, and I was sure she was the figure I’d seen yesterday disappearing out of the room.

“How did you get into the house?” Theo queried as he crouched down to her height. “Are you lost?”

I shoved him. “Psst, you dweeb. You have no bloody clothes on. Get dressed before you get done for child indecency.”

Theo stood up with alacrity, turning to shield his front from sight. He picked up the blanket and drew it around him as he wandered over to the corner of the room where a heap of clothes lay. “Uh, sorry about that,” he stammered. “I’ll just, err, get dressed then.”

“Oh, it doesn’t matter,” the child said with a beaming smile. “I’ve been watching you both now for a while.” She scampered happily over to the ornate marble table pushed to one side of the room, and sat down, legs swinging.

I was a little non-plussed by her comment. “What’s your name and where do you live? I think we need to get you home to your parents. They’ll be missing you.”

She grinned. “My name is Natalie and this is my home. So I’m in the right place.” Natalie placed a finger on her lips. “I’ve been telling the others to stay away from you, that you’re both my special friends. They want to come to say hello, but I said I wanted to be first.”

A trickle of dread slid down my spine. In the corner, Theo had finished dressing into a tracksuit and was regarding the child with some trepidation.

“What others?” he asked as he came over to me, standing close. “I thought I was alone in the house. The estate agent confirmed no one would be here.”

She let out a peal of laughter. “Well, of course there’s no one else here. Not living anyway.” Natalie winked, and I wanted to turn around, speed out of the house, and never come back. Theo clutched my arm tightly. He seemed to feel the same way from the look of dread on his face.

“No one living?” I echoed nervously. “That’s a joke, right? You’re winding us up.”

“Nope.” Natalie shook her head. “There’s Grandpa and me, and Serge visits us too. We all live here.”

Beside me, Theo tensed. “Fu-frack it. I don’t believe this. It can’t be.”

I glanced at him. “What?” I hissed. “Do you know them?”

“Not personally,” he whispered, his face pale. “I know of them, though.”

“Care to share?” I said acerbically. “I’m starting to feel I’m in the Twilight Zone.”

“You’re not far wrong if she’s the real thing,” Theo muttered. “Let me try to get some answers.” He cleared his throat. “So, where are your mum and dad?”

Her little face fell. “They died. But it’s fine because they’re happy. They’ve been trying to get me to come home to them for ages, but I like it here, and I love Serge, so I wanted to stay with him.” She sighed softly. “We’re going to be married someday.”