Ghost Guardian

Chapter 22

(I'm exhausted so...if you see any mistakes, let me know.)

Emery's POV

"What?" I asked, bewildered. He saw Severin again? Severin- his dead ex-boyfriend who is an invisible ghost- that Severin?

"I saw Severin, " he said, "Like actually seen him, and talked to him." His eyes were starry.

A million different things ran through my head from this. What did this mean? Was Aaron re-falling in love with Severin again? Was he going to kick me to the curb?

Aaron continued at my confused expression.

"He told me I could see him because I was bordering life and death. He told me that he couldn't come back as a ghost anymore b-because he failed at trying to protect me," Aaron continued, tears welling up in his eyes. "I won't ever see him again."

I tried to put myself in Aaron's shoes. What would happen if he ended up dying and coming back as a ghost? And what if I was almost killed, and Aaron couldn't come back and see me ever again?

I would be heartbroken.

So, I took his bigger, tanner hand in mine, and squeezed it. I gave him the comfort that he needed, yet still wondered a million other things in my head. Like if he wanted to still be together with me, even after all of this. Or if this new meeting with Severin was going to hurt him even more. Or-

"Um-but everything feels different now," Aaron continued, squeezing my hand back, "I feel sad, sure. Part of me- Part of me wishes I would have died to stay with him...but a larger part of me feels completed. That the end, this time, is really the end. And I think seeing him made me realize how much my life revolved around him being there beside me. It made me realize that- maybe I don't want to move on from him, but... I need to if I ever want to be happy."

"I'm glad you feel like that," I confessed, "I would rather you be happy."

"I know," Aaron continued, not looking in my eyes, but at our hands, "And I need you for that."

He looked up at me.

"I don't want you to blame yourself for what happened," he said. I was about to object, but he continued, "I should have known that was bound to happen with Silas McCallister being related to you! Plus, it was all Silas's fault for being a psycho murder. I want to be together for as long as we can take it. No matter how long that may be. Okay?"

"Okay," I nodded, knowing he was responding to what I said before he woke up. He must have overheard me confessing my love for him, then. How embarrassing! Even more so that he hasn't said it back... but I understood. It was too early for him, especially since he just lost Severin for good.

"Now," he continued, "What was it that you wanted to tell me about?"

"Um, well, I don't-" I tried again, starting over with a sigh, "I have never done this before. With a guy. With anyone. And I wanted to let you know that- that I'm more broken than you think. I didn't think- I don't think that anyone can put up with me, can help me. I-"

"Emery," Aaron said, " You are not the only one who is broken." He lifted a hand and caressed my face with it. "I'm broken too," he said, "We are all broken in some way."

"But-" I sighed, knowing I was going to have to show him at some point. I might as well do it. 

Slowly, I pulled my hand from his and used my other one to pull up the sleeve of my purple hoodie, the one I always wore. Underneath lay the result of being lonely, bullied, hated, and neglected.

Scars.

"Are you this broken?" I asked, tears pooling in my eyes.

"Those aren't from Silas, are they?" he asked as if in a trance, knowing the answer to his query, tracing his fingers over the marks. Each touch was like a burn. It made me want to jerk my arm away and hide the scars again, but I was determined to stay still and let him see.