Coma (Paranormal Romance) (8 page)

“If anything like this happens, someone will
always get me to sort it out. Just make sure you don't get hurt
until I come.” I nodded and gulped. “It doesn't happen often, you
don't have to be afraid.” I smiled with relief, and for the first
time, Jake pulled something similar to a genuine smile. Not quite,
but close enough. Guess his face was not cut out for smiling.

“Are you okay?” Brad stood up as soon as I
came to our table, and pulled out a chair for me to sit.

“Yeah. That was awkward,” I said, a tad
absently.

“I would have cried,” Maya said, looking like
she meant it.

“I would have screamed at least,” Helen
snickered.

“I wanted to do both, but I froze in place,”
I chuckled.

“Thank God that big guy stepped in,” Shawn
added. Compared to Jake, both Shawn and Brad were midgets.

“Who would have said Jake was like that,”
Helen raised her brows.

“Not me,” I shrugged. “He didn't strike me as
that kind
of a guy.”

“Listen,” Maya changed the subject, “It's
warm enough, so we agreed to go swimming afterward.”

“I have to go home first,” I said. “Oh, and I
have to get my paycheck! I completely forgot about it in all of
this.”

“K! Meet you on the beach, then?”

“Deal,” I replied.

~*~

My first paycheck wasn’t much, but it was
enough to make me feel like a worthy member of the society. It was
a damn good feeling! I went for the bus station, secretly hoping
Zack would be there like the other day, but he wasn't. Since that
day, he hasn't popped in, or showed up. I started suspecting
something had happened to him. Although predominantly he got on my
nerves, I kind of got used to having him around. Whether I was
surrounded by friends, or all alone, I always felt lonely. I don't
know how and why, but Zack chased that feeling away. I felt more
alive arguing with him than ever before.

I was sitting at the bus station, picking
through my purse, when a large shadow blocked the sun. I looked up,
and saw the fat man from earlier in front of me. My heart stopped,
sending a knot to my throat.

“You owe me money!” Fat-man growled.

“What money,” I asked, scared to death, and
feeling so tiny.

“The one your bully friend took from me,”
Fat-man stepped closer in a very threatening manner.

“I don't have it. It belongs to Mario's,” I
replied, scared of the outcome my reply would cause.

“I don't care!” He yelled. “Give me all
you've got in there,” he pointed at my purse. Instinctively, I
pressed the purse to my chest. The man grabbed it, and ripped it
out of my hands, but at the same time, a hand grabbed his larynx
from behind. Fat-man started choking, and coughing, releasing my
purse to fight off his attacker. I was petrified, but glad Jake had
seen my peril, and decided to step in again. From behind Fat-man's
back, a familiar voice screamed:

“RUN! I can't hold him much longer!” That
instant, I knew it wasn't Jake. It was Zack! My mind was incapable
of processing what to do first—grab the purse, start running, or
hug Zack to thank him. Then, colored by a sense of urgency, Zack
screamed: “NOW!”

I snatched my purse from the ground, and
started running faster than I ever did. I glanced behind my back
seeing Zack still holding him. My feet felt heavy, refusing to
cooperate. I could have stumbled at any moment, so I stopped at the
park that seemed far enough from my attacker. Both Zack and Fat-man
were no longer in my sight. I sat on a bench, and put my head
between my knees, panting hard. My lungs struggled for air. Each
breath I took seemed to lack oxygen, making me fight for more.
Heart hammered so hard that my entire body pulsed at each beat.

When I finally caught my breath, my mind went
into high stress mode. I wondered why Zack decided to get involved,
and hoped he wouldn't harm that man...too much. I hoped he wouldn't
get hurt himself. Oh, God, I hoped he would be okay. I reached for
my purse to call the police.

“There you are,” a voice said. I shrieked,
and jumped up from the bench, but then I saw it was only Zack.
Without thinking, I ran straight into his embrace. Locking my arms
around his waist, I burrowed my face in his chest, just below his
jaw. He hesitated for several seconds, then put his arms around my
shivering body, lowering his chin on my head, and started gently
stroking my hair.

I could hear his heart rhythmically beating,
having a soothing effect on me. Fear left my body, and something
else took its place, sending all my senses into overdrive. I was
suddenly hyper-aware of each point where our bodies connected. The
warmth that radiated from his chest with each heartbeat had an
intoxicating effect on me. Noticing his heart picking up a beat
sent mine into cardiac arrest. All I wanted was to raise my head
from under his jaw, and connect with those full lips that were
calling me with each breath that caressed my hair.

His breathing got heavier, luring my insides
to give in to temptation. Slowly, I moved my head back, toward his
shoulder, leaving my lips only inches from his neck. His jaw
clenched as my breath touched his neck, then he pressed his cheek
against my forehead. His neck connected with my lips, and I stopped
my breathing completely. He sucked in a sharp breath, and I felt
his body stiffen up under my arms. A couple of long moments passed
without either of us breathing, and then he put his hands on my
shoulders, and detached me from his body.

“Are you alright? Did he hurt you?” He asked,
his voice slightly hoarse. The black of his pupils almost covered
the green in his eyes.

I cleared my throat, and said “I'm okay.”
Reality kicked in, and I looked around. Good that no-one was near
us, because it would have appeared as if I was hugging air. “Are
you okay?”

“Sure,” he released my shoulders, and let his
arms free-fall, avoiding my glance.

“What happened to the Fat-man?”

“Oh, nothing. I released him as soon as you
were far enough. He has no idea what happened to him. No serious
injuries, just a sore throat,” Zack let out a half-laugh, tucking
his hands in pockets.

“I'm thinking about calling the police.
What's gonna stop him from coming after me tomorrow?” Dread washed
over me at that thought.

“I have a better idea,” Zack said, and I
raised my eyebrows. “I followed him home. He lives nearby, so I
thought about paying him a nightly visit. If I talk to his
subconsciousness while he sleeps, I might be able to make him
forget you ever existed.”

“What? How?” This was getting weirder by the
minute.

“You see, this state I'm in has its
privileges. While I was hanging out in the hospital, I discovered
that if I talked near nurse's ear, she would think my words were
her own thoughts. It happened totally coincidental!”

“Hmm. Not quite the same as deleting
memories,” I ran my fingers through my hair, not at all convinced
his idea would work. “You didn't pull that trick on me, did
you?”

Zack chuckled, “No! Unlike them, you can see
me. There's no way I could.”

“That's not very reassuring,” I narrowed my
eyes, still suspecting he might have done it.

“If I could pull that on you, don't you think
I would have made you more compliant to my needs?” He flashed a
mischievous grin.

“I wonder––” I squinted, thinking about our
hug earlier. I wondered what he meant by
his needs
. I felt
blood rush to my cheeks, and a set of impure thoughts piled up.
Quickly, I changed the subject. “I have to go home.”

“Come. I know a shortcut to the next bus
station.”

“You do?” That was odd. I lived here my
entire life, and didn't know any.

“Yes,” he grinned. “I had to use a bus a
lot,” he winked, and I followed his lead.

Several minutes later, we were at the bus
station just in time to catch the incoming ride. I felt sadness
expecting the same thing to happen as it did before––me getting on,
and him staying––but instead, Zack went in first. I hid a small,
inner smile, and went inside.

Bus was almost empty, several people
scattered here and there. Zack was already sitting at the back,
watching me stumbling down the aisle as the bus rocked, and
slightly grinning. I managed to reach him without disgracefully
falling. I sat next to him, having a hard time hiding surprise on
my face. He widened his grin, tucked my hair behind my ear, and
lowered his lips to whisper something.

“You said you’d hate me less if I were quiet
on the bus,” he whispered, spreading his warm breath into my
earlobe. My belly did some weird flip-flops. He moved his head
back, slightly grazing the tip of my ear with his mouth. I couldn’t
shake off the feeling that he did that on purpose. I glanced at him
sideways, but his face remained expressionless. The rest of the
ride we remained quiet. I was aware of every inch of his body next
to mine. Several road bumps made our arms touch, but some of those
weren’t that hard to cause that, and still it happened. I started
harboring hope that I wasn’t alone in this fatal attraction.

My bus station was in sight and it was time
for me to get up. I turned to him and asked: “Where are you
headed?”

“I have some things that require my
attention. I’ll let you know how it went with the Fat-man.”

“Thanks,” I said, getting up. The bus pulled
over, and I went out. Our gazes locked one more time, and the bus
drove off. I felt kind of empty. His presence did funny things to
me.
For the love of God
, I growled internally,
stop
swooning over him. No good can come out of it. He's a
ghost.

~*~

I had no trouble finding my friends at the
beach. There was no way you could miss Helen's charming giggles. I
used it as a beacon many times before at parties. I would close my
eyes, and follow the sound.

“What up, peeps?” I said, spreading my beach
towel next to Maya. She was down on her tummy, getting her back
tanned.

“Lyra! You made it,” Helen smiled, pulling
her shades down just enough to reveal her eyes, then pushed them
back.

“You won't believe how true that statement
is,” I referred to my Fat-man rendezvous. Brad and Shawn were
swimming, so I thought it would be best to tell them about it while
guys were absent.

“What do you mean?” Maya asked, lowering her
shades after propping herself on the elbows.

“You remember the Fat-man from Mario's?” They
both nodded. “He caught me on the bus station, and wanted his money
back.”

“No way!” Helen shrieked.

“Yeah. He grabbed my purse, but Zack
intervened, so I managed to escape.”

“Hold on. Rewind! Zack who?” Maya said, and
it hit me that I haven't updated them on my ghost stalker status.
I’ve been so preoccupied with work, and ever since they hooked up
with guys we were almost never alone, so I totally forgot.

“I'll fill you in before guys get back,” I
said, throwing a quick glance toward Brad and Shawn splashing in
the sea. I told them how I found out my ghost wasn't a ghost at
all, and finished with: “I think I'm falling for him hard.”

“Careful, Lyra,” Helen shot me a warning
glare. “You know nothing about him. Sure, he went all knight in
shining armor on you, but still...”

“I know,” I spouted, knowing she was right,
but, “I can't help it. It's the way he makes me feel. I never felt
like that about a guy.”

“I think that's cool,” Maya said, flipping to
the other side, taking a bottle of sun tanning lotion from her
bag.

“Drop it,” Helen said to Maya. “What kind of
relationship can she have with him?”

“Uncharted territory,” I said, feeling rather
stupid. Relationship never crossed my mind. At first, he was a
ghost, and I was scared, but then things changed. Now he was real,
and I was too busy feeling, not thinking. I sighed, “It's not like
I'm gonna do anything about it. I don't know if he feels the same,
anyway. “

“I don't want to ruin your fun,” Helen glared
at me, “But I don't want to see you hurt, either.”

“I know, Helen,” I offered an earnest
smile.

She was my biggest support when things with
my ex went downhill, and helped me get through it. Damien and I
were together for what seemed ages. It wasn't love, it was more of
a habit. He was always sweet and polite, but when he wanted to take
a step further in our relationship, I felt reluctant to make it
since I didn't really feel that way about him. One day, while
making out, though I begged him to stop, he didn't. He raped me. I
never told anyone about it. Foolishly, I blamed myself for allowing
it to happen by not breaking things off when I should have. For not
seeing him for who he truly was. As if that wasn't enough, his rape
left me with a present. Chlamydia. Adulterous bastard! That's when
I confided in Helen. “You've always been there for me,” I patted
Helen's shoulder.

“Come on you two,” Maya said after applying a
ton of lotion. “It's not like she's gonna marry him and have lots
of babies. How many of our relationships end up being just a fling?
Let the girl have some fun!”

Helen narrowed her eyes, ready to explode,
“Okay, miss casual. When did you ever hear Lyra say she's falling
for anyone, let alone
hard
? Ha?”

“Guys, I'm right here. Don't talk about me
like I'm not,” I said, earning two
butt out
looks, so I
added, “Or do. I don't care.”

“Never,” Maya replied to Helen's question.
“That's why I say
go for it
!”

“Oh, sure. Let's double date with them. All
six of us in the movies, and one empty seat. Or better yet, let's
have dinner.
The chair will have ravioli!
” During her
theatrical, Helen's face turned beet red.

“Stop it! I get it,” I wasn't gonna let this
turn into a fight of epic proportions. “You both have great
arguments, but it's my life, and I'll do as I see fit.”