Love, Like Ghosts: A Bay City Paranormal Investigations Story

overcome that.
Right?
Lost in thought, he almost passed right by the Forest Theatre before the raised voices from inside registered. He stopped. It was none of his business, but a thread of fear laced through the anger in one of the voices. There was no harm in hanging around for a moment just to make sure everything was all right.
Moving as quietly as he could, Adrian retraced his steps until he reached the top of the wide, shallow stone steps leading to the stone archway that marked the entrance into the open-air theater. The voices were much louder here, angry words echoing off the surrounding rock. The thin sliver of new moon overhead lent minimal illumination to the scene, but Adrian could just make out two male figures standing face-toface in the flagstone courtyard beyond the arch. One figure waved his arms in the air as he spoke, the sound of his frustration rising and falling in the night air.
Adrian frowned. The man’s voice sounded vaguely familiar. Using the trees as cover, Adrian sidled as close as he dared. Did he know this person?
The other man growled out something with a distinctly threatening tone. The familiar man turned and walked away, striding toward the steps. “Leave me alone,” he called over his shoulder. “If you ever contact me again, I’m taking out a restraining order.”
This time, Adrian knew exactly who it was, and his stomach dropped into his feet. He scrambled to hide behind a tree. Getting caught was the last thing he wanted. Before he could move, though, the second man leapt forward, grabbed the first one, whirled him around and punched him in the face.
The sharp crack of a fist against bone changed Adrian’s plans. Forgetting all about hiding, he sprinted down the steps toward the dark figure looming over the man huddled at his feet. “Hey! Leave him alone!”
The attacker straightened up. His face was a pale blur in the darkness. He spun on his heel and took off down one of the pathways leading from the theater into the surrounding woods.
Adrian shook his head. Coward.
Crouching on the cold stone, he laid a hand on the fallen man’s shoulder. “He’s gone. Are you all right?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Bastard can’t land a decent punch anyway.” The man pushed to a sitting position and felt gingerly along his jaw. “Thanks for chasing him away, I really appr—” He stopped, eyes going wide when they met Adrian’s. “Oh, my God. Adrian?”
Adrian drew a deep breath and let out the sudden rush of resentment, lust and fear along with it. “Hi, Greg.”

Chapter Four
    For a moment, Greg stared in silent astonishment. Then a slightly stiff version of his usual teasing smile spread across his face. “So, what’re you doing out here at this hour? You heading someplace in particular or just looking for guys in distress to rescue?”
    Adrian glared, irritated by Greg’s nonchalant attitude. “Drop the act, Greg. That man just attacked you. It’s okay to be a little shaken up.”
Greg opened his mouth as if to argue, took one look at Adrian’s face and let out a harsh laugh. “Yeah, okay, you’re right.”
“I know.” Reaching into his jeans pocket, Adrian fished out his iPhone. “I’m calling the police.”
Greg’s hand shot out to curl around Adrian’s wrist. “No.”
The skin beneath Greg’s fingers burned. Adrian drew a shaking breath. “Why not?”
“It’ll just set him off.”
Adrian shook his head. “Well, I’m sure he wouldn’t like it, but so what? If he didn’t want to go to jail, maybe he shouldn’t have attacked you.”
“No, it’s just…” Sighing, Greg let go of Adrian’s hand, pushed to his feet and walked over to the stone arch a few feet away. “I used to date him. I know how he is. I’ve already told him to leave me alone. If I let this go, he probably won’t bother me again. If I call the cops and they arrest him, he’ll be on my ass the second he’s out, and not in a fun way.”
“Oh.”
Unsure of what to say or do, Adrian rose, shoved his phone back in his pocket and went to stand beside Greg. He watched Greg from the corner of his eye. They’d only known each other for a few days, but Adrian had grown used to the witty, outgoing boy he saw every day at Groome Castle. It bothered him to see this silent, hunch-shouldered Greg who stared into the trees as if he were being hunted.
Maybe he is, no matter what he said about the guy leaving him alone if we don’t call the cops.
Heart thumping, Adrian laid a hand on