Chapter Five
A loud ringing woke me and I groaned as I blindly accepted the call, already knowing it had to be Mike. “Hello?”
“I need your help.”
I sat up, immediately alert. “What happened?” I hadn’t heard from Mike in a while and had started to worry. My fear was now heightened as I waited for him to talk, his deep inhale enough of a clue that this wasn’t easy for him.
“I got my medium abilities,” he began. “And I’ve gotten a tag-along ghost.”
Fuck.
“You need to come home, now, Mike,” I said, stating the obvious.
Mike needed training, all mediums did. Without training his abilities could drain him of energy, especially in crowded places.
Pete had gone through training himself and learned how to block the ghosts when he needed to. Mike didn’t have any of that.
“I tried to wait it out and finish my assignment, but I can’t focus.” Mike sounded so tired and dejected, I wanted to hug him tight against me and comfort him.
“So, you’re coming home?” I asked hopefully.
“I’m leaving for the airport in an hour. Listen… I know this is a lot to ask, but—”
“You can live with me,” I offered, hoping that was what he’d wanted to ask.
Mike had lived with Jackson before leaving for Africa, but they’d sold that apartment when Jackson moved in with Pete.
Mike had wanted to wait with getting a new place until he’d returned home from Africa.
His mother was a wonderful woman, but his old room was now occupied by Jackson’s little sister, who’d moved into Linda’s care and that meant Mike would need to live in Pete’s old room.
I totally got why he would rather live with me.
Besides, his other option was with Pete and Jackson, but considering they had their whole BDSM club thing where they lived, I figured Mike would pick me over them.
He sighed with relief. “Thank you. I’ll transfer money tomorrow for half the rent.”
“No worries,” I said, smiling widely. “Roomie.”
Mike laughed. “God, I needed that laugh.”
“I’ll bring many more laughs out of you,” I promised easily. “Just get your butt home. What time should I pick you up at the airport?”
Mike gave me his flight information and then we hung up. I had the biggest grin on my face. I would be living with Mike soon!
Fuck… I eyed my cluttered bedroom that not even the darkness could hide. I needed to clean. I looked at the time. My neighbors would kill me if I started vacuuming at four a.m. but there were many other things I could get started on first.
With Mike in mind, I jumped out of bed, ready to start cleaning before the sun had even risen.
I was basically vibrating in my car seat, eager to finally see Mike’s face after one year and ten months apart. And yes, I’d counted the months. Don’t judge me.
I was a little early but that was to be expected when I’d woken up at four and had way too much caffeine in my system.
It was late at night now, Mike’s flight having taken over ten hours, but I was so wired I couldn’t even feel the fatigue.
The apartment shone, the bedding was all washed and neatly placed on Mike’s bed.
It had been so weird changing his bedding knowing he would soon be sleeping in that bed, the one I’d made, with the sheets I’d bought.
Linda had dropped off some of Mike’s stuff as well, so she’d been by to say hello and admire how clean my apartment was. It was a good thing she rarely visited. I truly wouldn’t enjoy lying to her if she asked me about the cleanliness.
The last thing missing was Mike. And just as I’d finished that thought, a brown-haired guy made his way out of the airport.
His skin was tanned from the many months in the sun and his hair was longer than usual.
I bit my lip as I eyed him in the mirror, not even attempting to hide my blatant stare. He was just so damn edible.
The car door opened and there he was. “Hey!” he greeted, getting into the car and smiling warmly.
“Hey,” I replied with a matching smile. “Flight go okay?”
He groaned. “I sat next to a talker.”
Laughing, I started the car. “Let me guess, you felt too bad telling them to shut up so you ended up not getting any sleep?”
“Precisely,” he sighed. “Even Erik found her annoying.”
Erik was his tag-along ghost and the reminder of him had my mood souring.
I wouldn’t just be roomies with Mike now.
I would have a ghost roomie too. I had not planned for a ghost to live with us, watching as I slowly made Mike fall in love with me.
Okay, maybe not love, but deep affection so potent he would never ever want to live without me.
“That sucks. Burgers?” I figured the mention of his obsession would make Mike happy, and it did. His eyes widened with glee as he turned to face me.
“Burgers?!”
I laughed. “I did promise you lots of burgers when you returned home.”
Mike nodded enthusiastically. “I want all the burgers.”
“What my man wants, he gets,” I said, grinning when Mike bumped my shoulder playfully.
“No, we’re not,” Mike said, blushing a little as he stared at the backseat. Just what had Erik asked him?
“We’re not what?” I teased, watching his cheeks darken further.
“Dating,” Mike replied, clearing his throat. “Dylan and I are both straight.”
“What?” I exclaimed, surprised. “You think I’m straight?”
“You’re not?!” Mike seemed truly surprised by this.
“Have I ever said I was straight?” I knew for a fact I’d never spoken those words. I knew I was bi, perhaps demi, too, or something like that, but I hated labels, I just knew I was all about personality and only with feelings in the mix I could admire someone's appearance too.
“Well, no. Sorry, I shouldn’t have presumed.
” Mike sounded truly put off by this, like I would somehow take offense.
I knew Mike hadn’t meant anything by it, and even with a little brother and a best friend who were gay, he likely still thought everyone to be straight unless they told him otherwise.
“No need to be sorry,” I said, turning into the drive-through. “I fall for the person and not the gender.”
“So, you’re bi?” he questioned.
I shrugged. “I don’t look at someone and think, hey I want to sex that one up.” Mike choked on air. “I need to get to know someone before I feel attraction like that, and it often comes with feelings, too.”
“That’s actually rather sweet,” Mike said, his tone fond.
I shrugged again. “I guess. Makes dating a bitch though. It’s much easier falling for a friend than trying to date someone random and just hope we end up clicking.”
The rest of our conversation was put on hold as I placed our order of burgers upon burgers. Then I added milkshakes to our order too and I could see hearts in Mike’s eyes when I handed him his vanilla milkshake.
Food was the way to Mike’s heart. Duly Noted.
We spent the rest of the drive making small talk as the car filled with the amazing scent of greasy burgers and salted fries. We made it back to the apartment and Mike took his first look at his new home with a smile playing on his lips.
“This is so you,” he stated fondly, grinning when he spotted Poki on his spot in front of the living room window.
“I would hope so,” I replied, smiling back at him. I carefully placed our food on the coffee table, turning on the TV before sitting. “Anything you’re in the mood to watch?”
Mike shook his head and joined me on the couch. “Whatever you want to watch is fine. I saw whatever I wanted to while in Africa. It’s nice to not choose for a change.”
“I get that.” I put on one of my favorite shows, mostly so I could focus on Mike and not the TV.
The loudest, most satisfying moan escaped Mike’s throat and now I was jealous of a fucking burger. And hard, because how could I not be when I had Mike right next to me, moaning up a storm and licking his lips in a way that—
Mike choked, staring to our right with wide eyes, then blushed while looking intently at his burger. What had Erik told him to cause that reaction?