Once and Forever

Chapter 4; Sweetheart

It's been 4 months since I've died and I'm still following my friend around. I notice how they accepted my death and feel good again. They laugh and they have fun. They think less and less about me. Which should make me happy, right? And it does! It doesn't! Let's say I have some mixed feelings about that.

I mean of course should they go on with their lives, but I just feel so lonely. Nobody can see me, nobody can talk to me. I'm alone and invisible. Is this how the afterlife should be?

Caroline, Florence and I are on our way to town again. They want new dresses for the summer. I look down at my own dress. I don't know where it came from, but I noticed it on me after the majestic bird circled me and gave me his burning wings. The Phoenix disappeared along with my wings and I haven't seen them since. The bird gave me a dress with the same turquoise colour and made out of feathers. I tried to take it off the other day, but I couldn't. It's fixed onto me. The strapless dress reaches to my knees with the same feathers that my wings were made of. They're so soft, you could compare it with the softness of clouds.

We stroll down the streets and enter one boutique after the other. The cute guys passing us on the streets aren't unseen by my friends. One guy with black hair winks at my friends which makes them giggle and whisper to each other. Florence responds through swishing her hair back and smiling at them. I've seen that move many times and I've always envied her how beautiful and deviant she looks. With her long raven hair and black clothes that show a lot of skin you could expect her to be the goddess of the underworld.

We're nearing our favourite coffee shop when we heard a guitar playing. We decided to follow the music and step onto a square where we find a street musician playing a song called "Loveland" by Milky Chance. I have their whole album on my phone, so I  recognize the song immediately.

The musician had dark curly hair reaching his strong jaw. He has a black acoustic guitar slung around him and plays it like second nature. You could think his guitar is an extension of his body.

There's a small crowd gathered around him. My friends join the appraisal and stand right in front of him. The young man plays with his crowd and doesn't forget to make eye contact with everyone.

When his eyes land on me, my breath catches. He has beautiful grey eyes and a smug grin which gets bigger when he winks at me. He carries on with his round of making eye contact, but never forgets me. Every few seconds his eyes land on me again. He's so beautiful.

After the song finished, everyone applauses and we make our way back to our planned destination. We turn the corner and cross the street. My eyes wonder around and I look at the buildings surrounding us. I noticed how I never really paid any attentions to the architecture from this city.

I lower my eyes to the front door of the coffee shop and that's when I'm met with grey eyes. The same grey eyes from before. And suddenly it dawns on me. He's looking straight at me. To make sure I look behind me, but there's no one else he could stare at. He's looking straight at me. Can he see me?

My friends apparently don't seem to notice him smoking next to them, when they pass him to enter.

"Hey there." He says to me with a deep and raspy voice. It suits him well and it explains why he covers songs originally sung by milky chance.

"Hello?" It came out more like a question. He can see me and speak to me?

"How you doin'? Did you like my performance?" Is he fishing for compliments?

"Ehhm... yeah. You were pretty good."

"I wrote the song . It came to me the other day, so I just sat down and started to write down the text. In the end I added music to it tada; The song was created."

"Huhh. Interesting." Wow. Now he's even stealing the song.

"Yeah you should also hear my other creations."

"Oh yeah?" I asked playing along. "How did you name your songs?"

"The one I played before is called "Loveland" and my other favourite is called "Sweet Sun". You should hear it sometime."

"Yeah I guess I could do that, or I could just press play on my phone and listen to the original soundtrack recorded by Milky Chance."

The guy's face slacks when the realisation hits him. I know the band and I know he's lying about writing the songs.

"Oh, you know them."

"Yes, I have their whole album on my phone."

"Well, usually people don't know them since they're a german band. How did you find their music?"

"I normally don't listen to the same songs that other people do. I found them on YouTube and I liked their stuff, so I got them on my phone. How do you know them."

"I saw them in Berlin. Me and my friends were looking for something to do one evening and when ew entered a bar they were playing "Fairytale" on the little stage in the front." He took a last drag from his cigarette and threw the butt onto the ground. So much for keeping the world clean. Why couldn't they find a bin like everyone else and dispose it there? Oh well, better not say anything or he could get mad. I want to say as little as I can, since I've only known him for minute and I still don't understand why he's the only one who can see me.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did." He picks up his guitar by its neck and starts to walk down the street.

"No wait. Please." I call after him. He keeps on walking and gestures with his hand to follow him. I look back at the door where my friends disappeared just a few moments ago.

"Don't worry, your friends won't notice you missing." He says and laughs at that. He never once looked back at me to know what I was thinking. Can he read my mind or am I just that predictable?

"Okay I'm coming." I run after him and when I catch up he looks at me and smiles his smug smile from before.

"So what's your question?"

"How come you can see me, when nobody else could for the past four months?" His smug expression turns into a surprised one and he halts midstep.

"Four months?" He asked perplexed.

"Yeah. Why are you surprised?"

"I can see you because we are the same."

"What? We both are ghosts?"

"Nop, that's not what I said." He started walking again und passed me. He makes no sense. What does he mean with "we are the same"? I died, that makes me a ghost or a spirit. Right?

"Wait a minute!" I shouted and ran after him. "Can you please explain? I don't understand!"

"You're NOT a ghost!" We stand face to face now. I could see his anoyance written all over his face. Looks like he doesn't like to be called a ghost. But if not a ghost, what are we?

As if he could read my mind he answered:
"Sweetheart, you're an angel."