Ghost Lover

The sun was out and Austin still laid on the bed with him staring at the ceiling. His mind wanders off, trying to search for answers but none are forthcoming. He couldn’t close his eyes last night, even for a second. When he tried to do so, he found the image of Tasha staring at him and he couldn’t get that image off his mind. To make things worse, it was her naked. He felt disgusted that he found her attractive and at some point, all he wanted after seeing her naked was to have her beneath him, moving to his rhythm and her sinking in pleasure while she moaned his name. Her sweat rubbing off on his skin and watching her crave for more. He hated himself; he wanted that so much. Why can he see her and others can’t, he kept on questioning himself.

His door flew open and Allen walked him seeing him lost in his thoughts.

“Now, what is it this time?” he flew onto the bed.

“Could you at least knock?” Austin rolled his eyes, turning his back against his brother and facing the wall. Allen held him and asked, “hey, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, but Dad knocks before he comes into my room, you should too”

Allen not listening to what his brother said, “Fine then” he stood up and made his way out of the room ” Remember, you’ll have to introduce me to that person”

“What person ” Austin replied looking confused, and sat up on his bed.

“Come on! Dad’s still in, you wouldn’t want me to say it out loud”

Austin quickly remembered the drug dealer which he had no idea about but promised his brother he would bring the person to him.

“Ohh sure, I remember ”

He went back to laying on his bed and burying his head in his pillow. He had no idea what to do, but he knew he had to find someone to keep on selling this lie.

He knew today was supposed to be his official day back at school, but he wasn’t mentally stable to go back and he knew it. Struggling to recover from his mother’s demise and now he is seeing Ghosts.

He got into his bathroom to wash up and prepare for school. Turned on the shower and stood still as the water paraded his skin and him exhaling, he felt calm at least. He closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair, and immediately saw Tasha calling his name, her eyes filled with darkness and Her hand stretching out to him. He couldn’t move, his heart felt like it was being squeezed. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t speak.

“Open your eyes!” Austin’s Father yelled. He lay in his father’s arms, unconscious but he found it hard to breathe and kept his mouth open like he was choking.

“Breath, stay with me son” Mr. Richard cried, “I can’t lose you”

He gradually started breathing, sighed, and asked “what happened?”

“I Just came in here and saw you on the floor”

Austin hurriedly freed himself from his Father’s arm and stood up to get his Towel.

“I’m fine” he looked at Allen who was by the door all this time looking at him, he could see the look on his face and knew his brother was worried.

“Are you sure? If we need to see the doctor, you can skip school”

“No, it’s fine dad” Austin insisted, ” can you guys leave now? I need to take my bath”

Before his father left, he patted him on the back and made him promise to tell him, if anything was wrong. Austin nodded in agreement but knew he would never confide in his father, after everything. He stared at himself in the side mirror in his bathroom and he could notice his left hand shaking. He used his other hand to stop it.

“You can do this” he urged himself.

He turned on the shower and kept his eyes open throughout him bathing, scared of another reoccurrence. He got dressed, wearing his favorite black long sleeves.

He came out and saw his father and brother outside the house both waiting for him and they still looked at him like they were worried he’ll slump and pass out.

“What?” Austin questioned both of them

“You ask dad, left for me? I would have left but he wanted us here waiting for you”

Mr. Richard’s put his hand on Allen’s shoulder to stop him from being rude toward Austin.

“We were just worried”

“I’m fine Dad” Austin insisted and walked past them. Allen followed him and they didn’t say a word to each other until they got into the bus. Austin went right to his favorite spot in the back seat and laid his head on the window, counting every house as their bus went past it.

“Hey”

He turned and saw it was Nala who nudged him as she sat beside him.

“Heyy” he replied slowly.

“What’s wrong?” She questioned him, sounding worried too.

“Why’s everyone just thinking something is wrong with me!” He replied with his voice rising.

Nala rolled her eyes at him and stood up about to leave “don’t use that tone with me!”

He held her and apologized. Nala wasn’t sure what was wrong with but all she knew was she wanted to be there for him regardless of what he was going through.

“So that’s your brother?” She said pointing at Allen who was sitting in the second roll of the bus.

“Yes that’s him” he nodded.

“Wow”

Austin could sense the excitement in her voice and he watched her as she stood up slowly, stretching her neck.

“You know you can’t get the full view of him this way yeah?”

Nala smiled and shunned him. She waved him goodbye as she was slowly tiptoeing to her seat but she stopped and came back to sit beside Austin.

“How about that girl you said you’d introduce to me today?”

“What girl?”

Nala shot him a mean look ” don’t pretend to remember ”

“Oh shit” he smiled, “she left for Brooklyn yesterday, apparently she said came over to visit her uncle’s grave one last time”

“How doesn’t someone who stays in Brooklyn, come over to Boston just to visit a dead man” Nala replied in a sarcastic tone.

“Well, people have some connections Nala,” he said looking back outside the window.

“Like the one we have,” she nudged him, smiling mischievously.

Austin could feel his cheeks turn red, he laughed softly, “you are not funny!”

“My boyfriend would disagree with you” She folded her arms and looked at him satisfied, she struck a punch.

“Your boyfriend?” Austin surprised and confused “oh, the one you have no plans of seeing?” He scoffed as he remembered her online boyfriend she had been having video calls with.

Nala hissed and he laughed, knowing he struck a nerve too but knew she wouldn’t take it seriously. He went back to looking outside the window and drowning in his thoughts again as they were close to school already.