Fading Out

Chapter 11

Daisy's POV

"There's no one else I would rather wait for." The words echo within me as I stare at the clear emotion present in his eyes. If I were living, I would have blood drained out of my face while I stared at him in shock. What? How? When? Why?  I expected thousands of different responses but not a proclamation of love. I give in to my delayed instinct to flinch away and immediately hurt appears on his face at my reaction. A large part of me wants to soothe him but I resist - barely - in concern of giving him a wrong idea.

I literally gave him a chance to insult me and he claims he has fallen in love with me?  I mean, he showed fear of me when he came in. He stole from me and then was bullied by me. Then we both escaped those mice (eek!) and I told him my story and let him ask me on a pretend-date. And he falls in love? Exactly what did happen to make this so? I mean even the pretend-date was a pretend!

I remember him again when he moves away from me. What happ- Oh!  "Nick! Stop!" I call out and immediately wince. Hurt by my lack of a positive response, he had been walking away to be alone but my calling out, as a friend only, makes him hopeful. He turns so quickly that he momentarily stumbles from the dizziness. And the hopeful expression on his face makes me realize that he misinterpreted everything.

And call me anything you want, but I am not cruel enough to do that to him twice.

"Please, don't go. Stay with me." I plead and he quickly returns back to me, keeping a safe distance for now. I need to let him down gently. Then I look at him again and wonder. How did this happen?  I was a ghost. He was a human. We were going against whatever ghost-human rules were by not following the conventional relationship of haunter-haunted. This fragile friendship here was the most there could be between the two of us. So then how did he fall in love with me?

And then it strikes. The answer is so obvious that I feel like hitting my head against a wall. "Nick, before I speak anything further, I need to know if this really is real." I turn to him and see him look confused. And the likeliness of my theory being true increases. "Are you truly in love with me or are you just feeling this because I told you my past. Because I told you about how things were."

Instantly the confusion vanishes and I brace myself as an offended look appears. Great! "What are you imply Daisy? That this feeling is just because you told me about you? That this isn't real? The opening up may have been helpful but there were little things all along that I was trying to ignore. I couldn't keep my eyes off your face when you first appeared. When in that room, when I took the necklace, I nearly confessed to avoid hurting you. I cannot count the times I had the urge to fail in the games you played with me just so that you would feel a little more comforted.  I could go on but you get my point." He breaths heavily as he stresses every word. "This. Is. Not. Fake."

He exhales a long breath before continuing his rant. "What did you think? That I was lying? Why would I…" He trails off as he realizes something and his entire body locks tight. There is no expression on his face or his body and I can't even guess what his mind is now working on. Then in a half detached, half troubled voice, he asks me something that shocks me silent. "Did you think this was a ploy? To get back out? Tell me, Daisy, did you think I was playing with your feelings to get my freedom? Is that what you think of me? As someone with morals in garbage?" He's practically shouting by the time he's done and I feel like garbage for doing this.

But I'm still not sure that this 'love' is real. After all, how could it be? I start in a low voice. "I am not implying that, Nick, I truly am not. I need you to look at this from my side and understand. So …" I would like to continue further, in fact I would have continued further, but Nick interrupts.