He Saw My Ghost All Along, And Grew Tired Of My Clinging Chapter 04

He Saw My Ghost All Along, And Grew Tired Of My Clinging Chapter 04

I didn’t know how long I’d sat there before I could think again.

I had nowhere else to go. So I drifted back inside.

When I passed the kitchen, I froze.

Reid couldn’t even work a microwave. The only reason he ever stepped foot in the kitchen was to get me a glass of water.

But now, chopping sounds were coming from the kitchen.

I stopped and looked inside.

Reid stood at the counter in an apron, prepping vegetables. His knife work was clumsy, but his focus was absolute.

A pot of broth simmered on the stove beside him, filling the kitchen with warmth.

“Wait, you’re actually cooking? With your own hands?”

“Your stomach’s been acting up. Takeout’s too heavy for you. I’m figuring out something that won’t mess with it.”

Nadine’s face lit up. She walked over and wrapped her arms around him from behind. “You’re the best. You know that, right?”

Reid’s knife stopped mid-chop. He set it down, turned around, and tipped her chin up with one finger. “Yeah, yeah. Come here.”

Something twisted in my chest so hard I couldn’t breathe.

He knew how to cook. He always knew. He just never wanted to do it for me.

I turned away. My fists clenched on reflex.

I thought he’d already done the worst he could. I was wrong.

A hollow laugh scraped out of me. I drifted out of the kitchen and folded myself into an empty corner.

The glow around my spirit was barely there now. I was running out of time.

Maybe that was for the best.

Once I was gone, he’d never have to deal with me again. Clean break. For both of us.

I closed my eyes and waited for the end.

Footsteps. Getting closer.

I opened my eyes. Reid was walking toward me, holding a vial of holy water.

His face was blank. His eyes were ice.

Before I could move, he raised the vial and hurled the blessed water straight at me.

It hit me like acid. It passed through my body, hit the wall behind me, and ran down to the floor.

I looked up at him. I didn’t understand.

“What are you doing?”

Reid’s jaw tightened. He finally looked at me, really looked, and all I saw was revulsion.

“You think I haven’t noticed what you’ve been doing, Elise?”

“Nadine’s been having nightmares. She can barely focus. I had someone look into it. It turns out you’ve been hovering around us so long that your energy’s gone toxic. You’re making her sick.”

I froze.

I’d been so careful. Everything I did, I did because I thought he couldn’t see me. I would never hurt anyone.

“I didn’t…”

“That’s enough.”

He cut me off. “I don’t want to hear it.”

I forced a breath. My voice wouldn’t hold steady. “Then what do you want from me?”

Reid looked at me like he’d already made up his mind.

“Get out.”

“Stay away from Nadine. Stay away from me. I don’t want to see you again.”

The air left my lungs like it had been ripped out.

I stared at him. So this was what I was to him. Something to scrape off.

“Okay. I’ll go.”

My head dropped. The tears came.

He didn’t look back. He walked away.

I thought if I stayed quiet and kept out of sight, we could exist under the same roof until I faded.

That night, strange sounds drifted from the living room.

I floated over before I could stop myself. A priest stood in the middle of the living room, crucifix in hand, chanting under his breath as he swung a censer of burning incense .

Reid watched from a few feet away, arms crossed, his face carved from stone.

I stared at the flickering flames of the candles. Cold seeped through every part of me.

Reid. Do you hate me that much?

The ritual couldn’t touch me. But the fact that he wanted me exorcised like a demon destroyed me.

He really did hate me.

He’d do anything to wipe me out of his life.

The ritual dragged on for over three hours.

The priest packed up and left late into the night. Reid washed up and headed upstairs.

Nadine was sitting up in bed when he walked in. Her face was white.

“Reid, I’m so scared…” The second she saw him, she launched herself into his arms. Her eyes were swollen from crying.

He pulled her in and sat down on the edge of the bed, one hand rubbing slow circles on her back.

“Hey. It’s okay. The priest already took care of it. Nothing’s going to bother you.”

“But the noises were so awful. It still feels cold in here… like something’s still watching.” She pressed herself closer, her voice barely above a whisper.

He kissed her forehead and looked at her like she was the only thing in the world. “I’m staying right here tonight. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Really?” She tilted her face up, eyes bright and hopeful.

“Really.”

He smoothed the hair from her face. “Close your eyes. I’ll tell you a story. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

She nodded and curled under the blanket.

He tucked the covers around her, settled into the chair beside the bed, and started telling her a story. His voice dropped low, almost a murmur.

I watched them from the doorway, and the last thread holding me to this place snapped clean.

It really was time to go.