2 HAUNTING
I stare at Ginny’s text. An odd synchronicity tightens in my gut.
I should call her first, but Leah may have more insight into strange dreams.
I’m paralyzed by indecision, and my head is still a little woozy from my interrupted nap.
Blinking, I close my eyes, feeling exhaustion flow over me.
I’ve been overdoing it some, and my body feels tired.
My vibrating phone opens my eyes, and I recheck the screen and find another text waiting for me.
Paige:
We’re home. Text when you’re on your way from Bea’s.
My eyelids feel heavy, and the words blur as they slowly close. I struggle to stay awake before I succumb to my exhaustion. “Just a cat nap,” I think as blackness overcomes.
Stacy smiles at me from across the table. We’re at the lakeside diner, having burgers again. She’s older than the last time we were here in high school. I swipe a fry in my shake and bite into the crisp outside. The salty-sweet cold cream is delicious.
“Are you happy with your new girlfriends?” Stacy asks, grinning mischievously.
“They’re incredible,” I say, recalling the faces of my five beautiful girlfriends. “We get along so well, both in and out of the bedroom.”
“Good,” Stacy says, focusing on the fry she stirs in her shake. “I’m glad. I tried to find girls who would love you like I did.”
I look back at her, confusion filling my mind. Taking another fry from my basket, I bite into it without dipping it in my shake. “What do you mean?”
“I can’t stay, Kurt. I’m sorry I left without telling you. I wanted to reconnect, but—” Her nose crinkles as she shrugs at me, taking another fry covered in her shake and chewing it slowly.
My forehead creases with more confusion as I focus on her. “Where are we?” I ask, looking around at the familiarity of the diner overlooking the lake as everything starts to shimmer and fade.
“Tell mom I love her. I’ll be moving along soon, and she needs to know I’m okay.”
“What are you?—”
The car shifts under me, and I awake with a start. Bea slams the driver’s side door and leans over, smiling at me. I feel like I’m pushed toward her, but as we kiss, I sink into the pleasure of her lips.
“Fell back asleep?” she asks, pulling on her seatbelt. “That’s good. You looked exhausted when we got here. I packed everything I needed for the next week. Clothes, my work stuff. Amy has good wi-fi, right?”
“Uhm, yeah.” I shake my head and check my seatbelt.
I never unfastened it before falling asleep.
I rub my forehead and close my eyes, Stacy’s image lingering before slowly fading as the apparition wanes.
I struggle with what to say as my mind melds with the present.
“Yeah, Amy’s got great internet for being in the mountains. She told me their bandwidth increased during the pandemic as more people started working remotely.”
“That makes sense.” Bea grins. “Are you navigating to their house?”
“Right.” I swipe on the phone and tap the Map app, bringing up Paige’s location. “Okay. Start by turning right and heading north.”
Focusing on navigating to Leah and Paige’s house, I let the lingering dream settle in my mind. It’s not long until we pull up behind Amy’s SUV, park, and climb out. The front door opens, and Paige appears as we walk up.
“Kurt.” She grins lopsidedly as she carries a box of quilts past me. “Thanks for texting me back. I wasn’t getting worried at all.”
I twist to say something when a pair of arms wraps around me, and blonde hair covers my face. “I was getting worried,” Ginny says, kissing my cheek as she hugs me tight. “You need to reply to texts and not leave them on read.”
“I’m sorry?—”
“He was zonked out,” Bea says as Ginny releases me and turns to hug her. “He couldn’t keep his eyes open and slept in the car while I packed.”
Paige returns to hug and kiss me. “You alright, babe? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I may have,” I murmur into her cheek, tightening my arms around her. Her warmth grounds me to the present, but my dream of Stacy’s goodbye still lingers. When I lean back, watching her eyes, her expression shifts to caring.
“Hey, gals?” she says, getting Bea and Ginny’s attention. “Can you handle loading the stuff on the kitchen counter? I’m going to help Kurt pack his stuff.”
“Sure thing.” Ginny takes Bea by the arm and steers her into the kitchen.
The pair giggle and chat happily as Paige pulls me to the stairs. She guides me up to the second floor, looking over her shoulder at me with concern. “What happened, babe? You look shook.”
“I don’t know,” I say, pushing my fingers through my hair and scratching my head. “I had some weird dreams, or maybe they were memories. I’m just exhausted. I feel disoriented after sleeping most of the way down the mountain.”
“Come on. Sit.” Paige pats the guest room mattress next to her. My bags are open on the other side of the bed. My backpack leans against the wall, reminding me why we’re here.
“We need to pack and get back up to Amy’s,” I say, reaching and grabbing my backpack.
“Kurt, sit,” Paige says sternly. “We’re ahead of schedule. Take a load off, for fucks sake.”
I glance at her, then carry my backpack to the bed, sitting next to her and placing it at my feet. She leans into me and hugs me again, and I sink into her. Her body is warm from her movements, but she holds me close and rubs my back. I sigh, trying to figure out what to say.
“I had a dream about Stacy,” I admit as she pulls back. “Two, actually, but I don’t remember the first as clearly as the second.”
“I’m listening, but we should call Leah if it’s about a dream. Maybe?”
“That’s what I was thinking, but just listen. I feel like this sounds crazy.”
“Okay, babe.” She turns toward me, and her calm expression is a comfort. “I’m here for you. Whatever you need.”
“I dated Stacy in high school before I met Amy,” I begin as the memories of our history meld with the remnants of my first dream. “She went camping with my family and me to the lake. I confessed I loved her on a hike to the spring.”
“Wow, I never knew that,” Paige says. “But you and I didn’t run with the same crowd in high school. I barely knew Stacy since she was a year ahead of me. She sticks in my mind because of her accident and the town’s reaction to her death.”
“I never heard what happened,” I say, reaching for Paige’s hand, needing her calming contact. “Do you mind telling me the whole story?”