CHAPTER TEN
He turns around faster than anything I’ve ever seen before and his eyes widen. He puts a hand over his mouth and takes a step back, leaning against the island for support as he watches me with careful eyes.
I don’t move, knowing that he’ll need his space, so I just look at the ground and rub my arm up and down the sleeve of my jumper, feeling awkward and out of place.
When I look up, Harry hasn’t moved but now his hand is running over his face, then falling down to his side. He stays silent.
I’m shaking and I feel like I might collapse do to so many nerves. I’ve never actually seen someone stay so long; it’s all very new to me.
I’m not sure what to say because I haven’t talked to someone formally for quite a while. All I say is: “Um,” then scratch my neck awkwardly, “Um…”
Harry is still silent.
His lack of words is making me even more nervous, along with him staring at me like I'm going to do something crazy. I keep thinking he’ll run out soon and I want to run over to him and make him hot chocolate and cookies and just make sure he’s comfortable, but my feet are in cement. “I don’t really know what to say.” I say again, waiting for him to say something, anything.
Still nothing.
I take a deep breath, “You seem to talk to walls more than you do to me.” I joke, trying to break the tension, but I’m not sure if it works because my voice cracks and shakes. All he does is stare at me.
He’s been talking to me and sending me notes, wondering when he’ll find me, when everything will make sense, and yet here I am, the answer to all of his questions, and this is how he reacts.
I get that he’s scared, but so am I; probably more scared than he. None of this has ever happened and here he is, just staring at me.
God, I don’t want him to run away.
I’m about to open my mouth again when Harry says, “You’re actually real.” Though it’s so soft that I almost don’t hear.
I smile now that he’s talking to me and shake my head vigorously. “Yeah! Yeah I’m real!” I say excitedly, “I’m the ghost.” I nod.
“Violet.” He corrects and I feel myself smiling more.
“Right.” I nod. “Right, yeah, my name’s Violet.”
He nods, looking around and his eyebrows are furrowed. He then asks, “Why couldn’t you just tell me your name?”
We’re still pretty far apart and I feel really weird standing so far away from him, but I don’t dare move, too scared with the fact of startling him.
“I, um, didn’t think you would want to know it.”
He nods, “Well, I did.” He says, and looks at the floor, “It’s a pretty name.”
I smile softly, flattered at the compliment. I haven’t talked to someone officially in forever and here I am, getting complimented. It’s a pretty good day.
“Thanks.”
He nods, looking back to the floor and sighing. Before I know it, he’s walking. Walking towards me. Quickly.
My eyes widen and I don’t know what to do when he stands in front of, me about an arms length away.
He’s staring at me with a fixed expression, and I don’t know what to do, so I close my arms around my body, looking at the ground. I don’t want him to see my grey skin, my dark eyes, my ratty hair, my old jeans, and my crappy jumper. I don’t want him to see them, much rather study them.
