Love, Like Ghosts: A Bay City Paranormal Investigations Story

intense determination that had become all too familiar over the years. “I know they do. But everybody would like you too, if you gave them the chance. You’re a great guy, Adrian. You just have to open up enough to let other people see that.”
Yeah, because everyone loves a guy who can move things with his mind.
Adrian shoved the bitter thought to the back of his brain and pretended keen interest in his keyboard so he wouldn’t have to meet Sean’s painfully sincere gaze. He hated being discussed, analyzed and advised, even by his beloved brother. Fortunately, he knew just how to make Sean stop.
Straightening his shoulders, Adrian forced himself to look into Sean’s eyes. “Actually, I kind of met someone today.”
Sean lit up like a spotlight. “Well why the hell didn’t you say so in the first place? What’s his name? How’d you meet him?”
“His name’s Greg Woodhall. We met today at Groome Castle. He’s a theater major. He’s playing the ghost of Lyndon Groome at that haunted house I told you about.” Adrian felt an uncharacteristically goofy smile spread over his face. “He was coming on to me like you wouldn’t believe.”
“Wow. Sounds promising.” Sean leaned closer, grinning. “Is he cute?”
Adrian couldn’t help mirroring his brother’s smile. Sean’s eagerness on his behalf was infectious. “Yeah, he’s cute.”
“You gonna ask him out?”
A sudden tension drew Adrian’s shoulders upward. If he could only bring himself to lie, Sean would go away happy, and Adrian would be left in peace. But he couldn’t do it. Lying just wasn’t in his nature. “I doubt it.”
Sean wrinkled his nose. “Why not?”
“It wouldn’t work, that’s all.”
“Again I say, why not?”
Yes, Adrian. Why not?
He tuned out the inner voice which prodded him now and then to expand his scope of experience. It rarely worked out for the best. Sometimes, yes. Like when he’d finally gone to bed with Christian and discovered sex for the first time. But the tempting whispers had hurt him more often than not, and he’d sworn to himself that he wouldn’t listen anymore.
“We’re too different,” Adrian answered, though he wasn’t sure if he was talking to Sean or himself. “We wouldn’t have anything to talk about.”
Sean made a rude noise. “Bad excuse.”
Sighing, Adrian rested his head in his hands. “Sean, come on—”
“No, dammit.”
Adrian looked up, surprised at the heat in Sean’s voice. The spark in Sean’s eyes matched the expression on his face. It made Adrian feel unaccountably ashamed. “Sean—”
“Look, you’re always like this. Always so damn careful.” Sean jabbed a finger at the computer screen. “Let me tell you something. If you don’t loosen up a little bit, you’re gonna careful yourself into dying alone.”
Anger swelled in Adrian’s gut. Years of hard-won control kicked in before the unwelcome emotion could even raise his heart rate. He arched a cool eyebrow. “I’m only twenty-one, Sean. It’s a little early to be condemning me to a lifetime of loneliness, isn’t it?”
Sean shook his head. “Just ask the guy out, Adrian. What’s the worst that could happen?”
The memory of Adrian’s last date, just over five months ago, flashed into his mind. The boy had called him a frigid, self-loathing emo fag before stalking out and leaving him alone at a club in Raleigh with no ride back to school and not enough cash for a thirty-mile cab fare. He hadn’t even known about Adrian’s abilities. That particular rejection was based purely on Adrian’s sparkling personality.
Adrian elected not to mention the incident, since Sean would only point out that he’d managed to get a ride to the bus station and catch a late bus back, and anyway such a thing wasn’t likely to happen again. “Oka y, I’ll think about it.” Adrian heaved an exaggerated sigh. “You’re worse than Mom.”
Sean snickered. Their mother pestered Adrian for details of his nonexistent love life every time she talked to him. It irritated him on one level, because he wasn’t looking for a relationship and wished everyone would just leave him alone and let him concentrate on his studies. Deep inside, however, a part of him loved that his mother accepted his sexuality so completely.
When he’d first come out to his family in ninth grade, it hadn’t been that way. His announcement had torn open wounds everyone had believed healed. His mom had blamed his dad and Sam for Adrian’s