Ghost Boyfriend

call

"Um... would you like to go on a date with me?"

My throat goes dry and there's a hushed silence rippling. I try to stay calm but clearly, all I want to do is crawl into a hole.

"Pardon?" he looks flummoxed.

"A date. I'm asking you to go out with me." I say quietly, hardly believing myself and shuffling from one foot to the other.

I turn a little to see Mark hovering farther above, his legs crossed in a kungfu position. He's got his eyes shut and muttering words that sounds intense. "Say yes, say yes!"

Great. He's a voodoo ghost or some whacky hypnotist. I can't believe he's gone this far to get what he wants.

Much to my amazement, the man's reacting, Mark's spell slowly taking over his mind as he's nodding distantly as though someone's calling him.

"Sir, you clearly have no idea - " Goatee man is saying to me.

"It's just a question," I interrupt him, my face boiling. "All I'm asking is a date with you," I swivel to the sunshades man once more.

"Please say yes," Mark pleads a little louder, brows knotted tightly. "Say it!"

This is impossible, the sunshades man is nodding, backing away slowly like he's losing his mind. Mark starts hovering around him in a dizzying circle. The man's shaking his head as though he's disagreeing. I feel sorry for him but Mark more. He looks so desperate hovering and frustrated with when no one hears him apart from me. It's so pitiful to watch. This guy won't -

"Alright. Yes,"

I'm rooted.

What?

A gasp spreads across the room and everyone's gaping, expecting me to say something. "Nice!" I say sprightly in a bid to gather my composure. "So we'll talk later, shall we? I'm Peter Collins and here's a card,"

"Daniel," he still looks unsure, reaching into his breast pocket to retrieve a card also.

"Okay... so um Goodbye Dan!" I'm hurrying to the door, cheeks flushed from embarrassment. He said yes. Oh god, it's a date. How do I survive the evening? How to do -

One thing's left, Peter. Get out of here!

I'm still dazed and almost bash into a tree at the park near the office building. It's a bit hard to admit but I'm impressed with Mark's telepathic prowess. He actually communicated to the man! Mr Sunshades obviously heard him!

"He's such a dove," Mark sighs dreamily, eyes looking skyward. "So sweet of him to say yes,"

"I'm impressed," I utter in disbelief. "Your telepathy was astounding! How come you never told me about it?"

"It's not telepathy, it's called concentrated thinking," he looks grim like a determined teacher. "When I found out that if I shut my eyes and shout as loud as I could while picturing the person nodding to it, they can hear me faintly. It's hard and most times my head hurts for days. "

"Wow, so you've done this before? With who exactly?"

He shrugs. "Well, I did get a few words across to the man who sells those hot spicy buns downtown. I told him to give a couple of skinny kids his whole batches for the day and he listened! He probably thought it was an angel telling him to do so,"

I feel proud. Mark helped some kids get something to eat. Mark helped someone!

"This is so unbelievable,"

"Make of it what you will," he yawns. "It's stressful as f**k and it takes a good nap to rid myself of migraines. I gave up after that, until today."

"I can't believe I'm not the only one suffering from you,"

"You're not suffering, it's just that you're one lucky b***h to have me. Look what I caused today! Don't you think it's pretty flashy to go out with that delicious man than sit home, obsessing over someone who bloody doesn't care about you,"

I nod in agreement, pleased a bit. "Well, it is."

"Yeah. Where do you think he'd take us? Bangers? Tufts? I love their hamburgers!!"

"Mark, those places you're calling does not exist anymore. Nowadays it's Tweets and Hinny Ginny that are in vogue."

He looks smacked. "Tufts shut down?"

This is so not happening. How can I go on a threesome date with a flaky ghost and a man I basically don't know?

It's not like he'd call after all. The man can't possibly be weird enough to claim a date with someone who just barged into his company's interview meeting, having no reason to be there except forced by a stringy ghost. He'd blame the whole incident on a headache that's probably disturbing him all week or on his sugar level and then he'd throw my card into a bin. A bit nervous, I walk down to the tube and clamber onto it, sitting at the farthest corner away from everyone else to enable me to think.

Back home, I put a call across to Mark's Mom, replaying my findings on Reece and his wedding. She gasps, called him a pretentious snob and hung up, promising to keep me posted if anything comes up.

I put the phone down, happy to get a few things off my chest. I glance up to see Mag beaming at me. "It's so refreshing to see you looking into your ex's murder."

I shrug. "He was such a peach. This was the least I could do."

"I'm a peach?" Mark fumes. "How dare you say that! You should say I helped you search his house and that you're thankful for it. Not call me peachy like I'm some yellow fruit!"

"You're so kind. I would never have done this if Jacob died before we broke up. I'm going to Tweets so tell me now if you need anything. You deserve a treat!" She says sweetly.

"Oh, come off it, I'm fine." I smile at her. "Go have fun! Tell the boys I said hello,"

She nods brightly and dashes off. The minute the click-clack of her heels fades off, Mark saunters over.

"So," he hovers closely with eager eyes. "Are you gonna call him?"

"Who?"

"Sunshades man!" he exclaims, offended I'd forgot.

"Daniel? Don't you have any shame?!" I regard him derisively. "Bottoms don't ring tops these days. It's always the other way around. If I call him now he'd think I'm petty, so quit all the ruckus!"

I'm a ninety per cent sure the man must've forgot everything which took place earlier. I mean he's got more important things to see to in his company than go on a date with me.

Mark stares a little too longingly at the phone then sighs.

"Look who's losing sleep over a man now, " I say teasingly.

"I'm not losing sleep, it's just - "

He glares at me.

"Not my take. You can watch the phone all day and he still won't ring. Can't force feelings sweetheart."

Anger ripples across his features as he stalks off, sighing and hissing at every turn. I'm about to lose it here. He's behaving all lovelorn.

"It'd be so much better if you'd go out a bit. Help a bunch of girls get a few buns free for dinner."

"My head's banging," he shoots me a stony look. "And I feel - "

The telephone trills off the nook. Mark's by my side in an instant. "Oh, God! I knew he'd call!"

"It's a private number," I say lightly.

"Yes!" he's yipping about. "Tell him we've chosen Tufts for our date!"

"Are you nuts? I just told you Tufts doesn't exist anymore. The restaurant sold out. I'm not saying that."

"I'm the one who arranged it all so I say, Tufts, whether it exists or not."

We exchange a heated glare as I press the phone loosely against my ear. "Hello? Peter speaking."

"It's Candy Stevens," says a male voice I don't recognize.

"Yes?"

"I called to tell you about Reece Heavener, your one-time lover."

"What about him?" this man seems to know too much so I'm being cautious.

"You may not know this yet but he's one of the two people who hired thugs to sabotage Mark's death."

"Oh, God! It's about you!" I shoo Mark over to listen too.

"Hello?"

"Go on," I say calmly.

"The thugs were hired to wait up on Mark on the Virginia Express disguised as Policemen. The drill was to stop Mark and walk off with a lot of cash plus diamond jewellery he was going to deliver to his Aunt but he struggled and got shot. This happened on a Saturday as you're aware of."

"Oh, okay." I scribble all these down, heart thumping. "Is there any way we can meet up and talk in details?"

He hesitated. "Alright, meet me at Pavlova Plains next week Monday. Please come alone."

"Of course," I say, toes curling in a moment's uncertainty. What if he turned out to be a serial killer? I'm not taking chances so I'm prepared to let Mag in on this. "See you there!"

I hung up, Mark's shocked expression making me giggle nervously.

"He's the mastermind?" he sounded so shaken for his own good. "You're going right?"

"I promised, so yes." I make a paragraph theory out of the conversation. "Now I've just got to tell your Mom. Finally, something worth focusing on."

"I'm still hoping on this date though. All this waiting is torture," he continues sighing and hissing and there's no way I can concentrate on that. "About Daniel," I murmur. "Face it, he'll never call."

"What do you mean? The hell he will!"

"Stop dreaming. There's no way he'll ring some crazy boy who he probably won't recall meeting tomorrow. He's not even gay and my number's in his blacklist now, that's if he saved it at all."

Mark stares at me in rising hatred as though all I've done all day is nip plans in the bud.

"He's gonna call," he says lowly as if assuring himself of the far-fetched possibility. "And we're going out this weekend."

I nod, too exhausted to argue. "Whatever you say,"

He disappears and I can't help but sigh in relief. Finally some peace!