The Soul Catcher (Harry Styles)

08 - Out Of Control

"Men should think twice before making widowhood women's only path to power."

― Gloria Steinem

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The tension was far too thick, it would have suffocated me if I wasn't already dead.

"Jake, I'm so glad you're finally here. Don't you ever leave me for that long again," the woman whined.

The man, who had to be Jake then, held her at an arm's length, staring into her eyes as if she was the only person that mattered. "I told my boss that I now have a family to entertain and that I wouldn't be able to go on any business trips for the next few years."

The whole scene seemed like a cute little reunion in a sappy movie – if it weren't for Paul fuming next to me.

"How could you?" He screamed at the top of his lungs, making me wince.

The oblivious couple was too lost in their doings, but I could have sworn the air cooled.

"I've been dead for barely four weeks and you already have a new man at your side? We weren't picture perfect but we could have been happy! Anna, why did you have to ruin everything?" Paul shouted, standing directly next to his wife.

He tried to put his hands around her arms but they went right through her. Without hesitation, he lunged at her again, but still without success.

Jake gently closed the front door behind him and stepped in, hanging his tuxedo on a hook. Anna quietly admired his white dress shirt.

Just as Jake reached for the woman again, Paul swung his fist at his face, trying to hit him. But, again, he didn't succeed.

"What the hell is this? What do you want? Who are you?" He was unstoppable, a maniac gone mad.

Kicking and screaming didn't get him anywhere. Unable to do anything else, he watched the couple walk off towards the living room.

I had no time to process any of this before I stood there on my own, lonely in the middle of the hallway.

"This is going to be a pain in the arse," I muttered under my breath.

Seriously, adults brimmed with issues. No matter where they stepped, they always left a mess behind.

And who was supposed to pick it up? The younger generation.

I silently cursed the Council for foisting this assignment on me. There surely had to be another Soul Catcher – a more experienced one at that.

But no, why not take the new one who only had completed one assignment and then lost his mentor?

I didn't even have any time to rest. Coming from one assignment, I directly had to jump into my next one.

Deciding that complaining wouldn't get me anywhere, I followed the sound of a conversation and screaming.

"The general government pays my widow's allowance and the insurance company still has a few monthly instalments left to pay. I'm doing really well," Anna told her lover with a smile.

You didn't have to be Sherlock to see that they were lovers. I wondered whether they have had an affair while Paul was still alive.

"That's just great. Who knew something this good would come out of Paul's passing?" Jake grinned down on Anna, stroking her thigh.

They were sitting on the couch, Anna leaned back into Jake and he held her tightly in his arms, one hand stroking her stomach and the other one tracing her thigh up and down.