The Playground : Collection of Short Stories

'Soul' mate - Prompt Winner

Written for 'writing prompt' #29 by ChickLit

Word count: 1091

***

Casey and I had been dating for three months now, but I could already feel that he was the one for me. 

The way we met was an interesting story. I had arrived in New York five months ago in hopes to become a successful fashion designer. It was difficult, with my mediocre education and lack of finances, but what I didn't lack was faith in my talent. After trying extremely hard, I had managed to gain a six month internship at a leading design house. I knew this was my chance, and hence much against my parents' wishes, I decided to shift to this city of dreams. 

One thing that people failed to tell me was about the difficulty in finding an apartment here. They were either great but too costly to afford, or they were super cheap but quite shady. That's when I had come across an ad on Craigslist about a certain 'Casey' looking for a roommate. The rent was super affordable and the location was decent enough for a woman to live safely. Since there was no phone number provided, I decided to respond by writing to the email address given in lieu of it. I was surprised that Casey responded me within fifteen minutes and asked me to check out the apartment that very day in the evening. It looked like she was very much in need of a roommate.

However, Casey turned out to be a 'he'. 

My initial thought was to refuse. However, Casey insisted on becoming roommates. He was a writer who mostly worked from home, had fallen into hard times and was unable to pay the complete rent on his own. He promised never to bother me and went on to offer me the best bedroom the apartment had.

I accepted, not because I pitied him, but because the apartment was too good to reject. 

I'm glad that I did, because Casey was the best thing that happened to me. He was bit awkward though. He rarely went out or spoke to others in the neighbourhood, though there barely were any. There was just this old woman who lived two apartments away from ours, and I never ever saw her. Then there was this creepy man who would always look at me as if I was an alien. I didn't really blame Casey for not trying to mingle with his neighbours.

His idea of dating was also unconventional. I still remember how he took me to a remote lake house, which was his ancestral home, for our first date. Throughout the time I was driving while he acted as our GPS, I was afraid that he would turn out to one of those axe murderers. I was relieved when we came back home and both of us were alive. I had been more comfortable with his ideas of date since then. Casey was an introvert, but an extremely lovable one. 

So, when he asked for a picnic to a nearby park to celebrate my birthday, I wholeheartedly agreed. It was also a perfect place for me to propose him. As we drove towards our destination, I felt the tingling weight of the ring in my pocket. Some would consider it to be too soon, but I knew in my heart that I was ready to spend the rest of my life with him.

"Okay, we're here." he said and asked me to stop the car.

Casey's 'park' was a graveyard. I gave him a questioning look, but he simply grabbed my hand and led me inside. We walked for a while, and I couldn't help but get little scared by seeing so many headstones around me. We finally came to a halt after a while in front of one of the graves. What I saw shook me to the core.

Here lies beloved son, brother and friend

Casey Jones

April 2, 1991 - June 15, 2017

May his soul rest in peace

"It was a car accident. I don't really remember how it happened, but one moment I was in the car and then everything went black. The next time I opened my eyes, I was at my apartment, surrounded by my grieving family. I didn't know what was happening, until I saw my body in a casket. I somehow managed to follow them till here for my burial."

I had overcome the shock till then, but my eyes were beginning to fill with tears. 

Today was June 15. Casey died on my birthday.

"I posted that ad for a roommate out of boredom. I missed having contact with the world outside. It was risky as I didn't know whether anyone who'd respond would be able to see me. Most people couldn't. So, imagine my surprise when you not only saw me, but could also touch me."

My mind was trying to process all this information. It seemed nearly impossible for something like this to happen. I was trying to understand, but the more I tried, the more I became confused. Casey probably saw the look of distress on my face, so he gently grabbed me and pulled me closer to him.

"You know, they say that some souls are unable to cross over to the 'other side' because they had an unfinished task. Mine was loving you."

"What do you mean?" I managed to speak through my tears.

"It means that it is time for me to go."

I shook my head. It wasn't supposed to be this way. But he took my hand in his and placed a small kiss on it. He then placed the basket of food on the ground and asked me to sit. We then celebrated my birthday, and we did it in pure joy. The thought of him leaving kept nagging me, but I decided to brush it aside because he asked me to do so.

We spent the entire day at the graveyard, and I soon noticed the sun going down. I looked at him and saw that he, too, was fading away. He came closer to me and said, "I wish we could do more, but this is all I can give you. I'm so sorry, my love. Maybe in our next life, we'll get more time. Till then, I'll wait for you on the 'other side'."

He continued to hold me till the sun went down completely till there was nothing but darkness.

And, the ring was still in my pocket.