Talk To Me

Chapter six

Seven years ago

"You can get it," Mia said in a raspy voice.

"It's your house," Oliver laughed, caressing her frizzy hair.

"So?" Mia raised her eyebrow. "You know we are alone." She caressed Oliver's cheek with her palm.

"True," he agreed with a slight nod.

Oliver lifted the sheets and stood up, keeping his balance as he put on his underwear. He stepped towards the bedroom door and glanced at his girlfriend. The satin sheets covered Mia's naked body. Her face seemed flushed, but her breathing seemed steady by now. Her hair appeared messy, a part of it stuck to her damped forehead. She looked beautiful to him, no matter what. The view of her always made him feel like the luckiest guy in the world.

"Just water?" Oliver asked, resting his hand on a metal doorknob.

Mia relaxed in bed on her right side. She lifted herself on her elbows. "You can find food in the fridge." She smirked. "Just water for me." She fell back down on the bed.

"Okay. I will be right back." Oliver opened the bedroom door.

He welcomed the dark house with squinted eyes. On the way to the kitchen, he turned on a wall lamp, giving some visibility to the staircase. The first floor also stayed gloomy, but Oliver knew the route to the kitchen well by now. For the last three months, he spent as much time as possible with Mia. Mostly at her mom's house, since her mother often had night shifts at the hospital. Where she worked as a nurse.

Oliver reached the kitchen and opened the fridge, dim light giving his face a slight shadow. He inspected what kind of snack he could eat. Not finding anything appealing, he took two bottles of water and went back to Mia's room. Oliver felt sick upon reaching the second floor of the house, his stomach looped in knots. And he gulped a few times.

He knew the sense very well but still hoped the feeling came from the spicy food he ate for dinner. Surely if any ghost visited this house, he would know by now. He swallowed a lump in his throat. His gray eyes got wider when he noticed a man standing near the bathroom door.

"Mr. Jones?" Oliver squinted his eyes. "What are you doing here?" The man turned back, facing Oliver.

Mia's parents divorced a few years ago, as Mr. Jones loved strong liqueur more than his family. It had been a while since Oliver saw Mia's father. He seemed pale and thin, his blond hair almost invisible, giving him a more eerie look. Oliver's eyes got more extensive as he realized why and how Mr. Jones appeared at the locked house.

"Where is my wife?" Mr. Jones asked, furrowing his forehead.

"She is working," Oliver whispered, glancing at Mias' bedroom door.

The man furrowed his eyebrows. "How can you see me, Oliver?"

"It's a gift I have," Oliver explained. Visible confusion remained on Mr. Jones's face. "What happened?" Oliver inspected the man in front of him.

There were no visible wounds on Mr. Jones. He looked less muscular than Oliver remembered him. The man stood slightly slouched, making Oliver visibly taller than him.

"My liver gave out. I have been in and out of the hospital for the last few months," he said, bending his head down.

"I didn't know that," Oliver spoke, still in a hushed tone.

"No one did." The ghostly man shook his head.

The bedroom door opened, giving more brightness to the poorly lit corridor. Oliver felt startled, and he closed his eyes for a moment as the light irritated his orbs.