Page 57 of The Ghost of Ellwood

“Stop!” I moved a stare between them. “I’m not in the mood to hear you guys bitching like two old ladies at the supermarket.”

“Why would elderly women argue at the market?” Theo asked.

“Dude, you obviously haven’t seen them in the deli on Sunday when there’s a good sale. I’ve seen little old ladies go all Jet Li on each other to get that half-priced turkey.”

“Oh. Who’s Jet Li?”

“Only anamazingactor, producer, and martial artist. You need to watch his movies.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose with my forefinger and thumb. They were giving me whiplash with the back and forth between arguing and bonding. When I tried to get out of bed, I winced at a sharp pain in my temple.

Seemed the headache wasmostlygone but not quite.

“Easy, darling.” Theo grabbed my shoulders and gently pushed me back against the pillow.

“That’s the second time you’ve called me that,” I said, finding comfort in his touch but also confusion. “You really are a mystery to me, Theo Blackwell.”

“I…” Theo let go of me. A battle waged in his brown eyes. “Excuse me.”

He left the room.

Carter watched after him before scooting closer to me. He looked freaked out, and rightfully so, but at least he wasn’t running out of the manor, screaming as he went.

“He’s not what I thought he’d be,” Carter said, wringing his hands in his lap. “He seems too…human.”

“I know what you mean. I forget he’s a ghost most of the time. Well, until his body flickers or he vanishes and reappears somewhere else.”

“He cares about you,” he said, and with the words came a dark shadow over his face.

“That upsets you?”

Carter shrugged and wrapped his arms around his stomach. “I saw the way you looked at him before he left. You care about him too. It just makes me wonder if he’s the reason you turned me down.”

Had I done the same thing to Carter that Theo was doing to me? If so, I was a damn hypocrite.

“I’m sorry I hurt you,” I said, grabbing his hand. “I do like you. A lot. But I meant it when I said we worked better as friends. Theo is…I can’t really explain it, and I know it’s hard for you to understand. Hell, I can barely understand it myself.”

“So, I’m right?” Carter looked down and traced the length of my thumb. He was warm, unlike Theo, but it did nothing for me. “You like him?”

No sense in denying it. “Yes.”

Carter shot off the bed and began to pace. “You know that’s pretty sick, right? Like he’sdead, Ben. Practically a corpse.” He stopped and his eyes widened. “Have you fucked him?”

“What the hell, Carter? First of all, who I fuck is none of your business.”

“Answer the question.”

“No.”

“No, you won’t answer the question? Or no, you haven’t fucked him?”

“Jesus.” I sharply exhaled and threw the blanket off me to stand up. I ended up moving too fast and making myself dizzy. I slapped a hand on the wall to keep from toppling over. “We haven’t even kissed, Carter. Get that disgusted look off your face.”

“But you want to?”

“If you’re going to judge me, you can leave. I didn’t take you for the jealous type.”

Carter’s composure slipped and he sat on the arm of my reading chair. “Iamjealous, but it’s more than that. It’s not healthy, Ben.” His blue contacts had silver swirls in them, and it was strange meeting his gaze head on. “I say this as a friend. If you keep chasing ghosts, you’ll become one. You’re dehydrated, stressed, and look like you haven’t had a good night’s sleep in a week. You’re becoming antisocial and locking yourself away in this fucking place.”