Free Coma (Paranormal Romance) by Lilly Mance

less if I were quiet
on the bus,” he whispered, spreading his warm breath into my
earlobe. My belly did some weird flip-flops. He moved his head
back, slightly grazing the tip of my ear with his mouth. I couldn’t
shake off the feeling that he did that on purpose. I glanced at him
sideways, but his face remained expressionless. The rest of the
ride we remained quiet. I was aware of every inch of his body next
to mine. Several road bumps made our arms touch, but some of those
weren’t that hard to cause that, and still it happened. I started
harboring hope that I wasn’t alone in this fatal attraction.
    My bus station was in sight and it was time
for me to get up. I turned to him and asked: “Where are you
headed?”
    “I have some things that require my
attention. I’ll let you know how it went with the Fat-man.”
    “Thanks,” I said, getting up. The bus pulled
over, and I went out. Our gazes locked one more time, and the bus
drove off. I felt kind of empty. His presence did funny things to
me. For the love of God , I growled internally, stop
swooning over him. No good can come out of it. He's a
ghost.
    ~*~
    I had no trouble finding my friends at the
beach. There was no way you could miss Helen's charming giggles. I
used it as a beacon many times before at parties. I would close my
eyes, and follow the sound.
    “What up, peeps?” I said, spreading my beach
towel next to Maya. She was down on her tummy, getting her back
tanned.
    “Lyra! You made it,” Helen smiled, pulling
her shades down just enough to reveal her eyes, then pushed them
back.
    “You won't believe how true that statement
is,” I referred to my Fat-man rendezvous. Brad and Shawn were
swimming, so I thought it would be best to tell them about it while
guys were absent.
    “What do you mean?” Maya asked, lowering her
shades after propping herself on the elbows.
    “You remember the Fat-man from Mario's?” They
both nodded. “He caught me on the bus station, and wanted his money
back.”
    “No way!” Helen shrieked.
    “Yeah. He grabbed my purse, but Zack
intervened, so I managed to escape.”
    “Hold on. Rewind! Zack who?” Maya said, and
it hit me that I haven't updated them on my ghost stalker status.
I’ve been so preoccupied with work, and ever since they hooked up
with guys we were almost never alone, so I totally forgot.
    “I'll fill you in before guys get back,” I
said, throwing a quick glance toward Brad and Shawn splashing in
the sea. I told them how I found out my ghost wasn't a ghost at
all, and finished with: “I think I'm falling for him hard.”
    “Careful, Lyra,” Helen shot me a warning
glare. “You know nothing about him. Sure, he went all knight in
shining armor on you, but still...”
    “I know,” I spouted, knowing she was right,
but, “I can't help it. It's the way he makes me feel. I never felt
like that about a guy.”
    “I think that's cool,” Maya said, flipping to
the other side, taking a bottle of sun tanning lotion from her
bag.
    “Drop it,” Helen said to Maya. “What kind of
relationship can she have with him?”
    “Uncharted territory,” I said, feeling rather
stupid. Relationship never crossed my mind. At first, he was a
ghost, and I was scared, but then things changed. Now he was real,
and I was too busy feeling, not thinking. I sighed, “It's not like
I'm gonna do anything about it. I don't know if he feels the same,
anyway. “
    “I don't want to ruin your fun,” Helen glared
at me, “But I don't want to see you hurt, either.”
    “I know, Helen,” I offered an earnest
smile.
    She was my biggest support when things with
my ex went downhill, and helped me get through it. Damien and I
were together for what seemed ages. It wasn't love, it was more of
a habit. He was always sweet and polite, but when he wanted to take
a step further in our relationship, I felt reluctant to make it
since I didn't really feel that way about him. One day, while
making out, though I begged him to stop, he