Love, Like Ghosts: A Bay City Paranormal Investigations Story

moment, they just lay there, staring at each other. In the muted blend of moonlight and streetlight from the window, Adrian thought he saw something he couldn’t quite name flicker in Greg’s eyes, something that made Adrian’s pulse quicken in response. Then the whatever-it-was vanished. Greg smiled, curled up in Adrian’s arms and closed his eyes. Adrian lay awake for a long time, lost in thought.

Chapter Thirteen
    Greg was unusually quiet the next morning. Adrian wanted to blame the early hour—five a.m., dark and cold as the grave—but he knew that wasn’t it. The pensive expression on Greg’s face at the breakfast table spoke volumes. He was still thinking about what Adrian had said last night. Adrian knew it, deep in his bones.
    If only he knew in what direction Greg’s thoughts ran.
If only he had the courage to ask.
By six, he and Greg had said their goodbyes to Adrian’s family and were on the road back to Chapel
    Hill. Greg sat with one leg curled beneath him, staring out the passenger side window at the headlights zooming by on the other side of the interstate while Adrian drove. Adrian frowned at the road ahead and wished he could read Greg’s mind.
    Normally, silence didn’t bother Adrian. However, silence between him and Greg wasn’t normally this uncomfortable. Or maybe Adrian was the only one uncomfortable. It wasn’t like Greg was going out of his way to let Adrian know how he felt.
Get a grip. You know he gets moody sometimes. Maybe this is just one of those times. Adrian worried his lower lip between his teeth, thinking hard. What could he say that would draw
    Greg into conversation without being too serious?
When it hit him, Adrian grinned. “Hey, don’t you have auditions for that other play soon?” Greg gave him a blank look. “Other play?”
“Yeah.” Adrian glanced sideways, his confidence slipping. Had he remembered wrong? “You know,
you were talking about it just the other day. The one you mentioned right after the other audition, back in
    November?”
Comprehension lit Greg’s eyes. “Oh, you mean Wicked. ”
“Yeah, that’s it.” Relieved, Adrian shot Greg a smile. “You have auditions for that one soon, right?” “Couple of weeks.”
“Which part are you trying out for again?” Adrian’s cheeks heated. “Sorry, I know you told me
    already, but—”
“But your theater brain is about the same as my physics brain.” Greg grinned at him. “It’s okay. I’m
trying out for Fiyero.”
The name meant nothing to Adrian. Not that he was about to let on. “Right. I remember now.” He
darted a sidelong glance at Greg. At least he wasn’t staring out the window anymore. “Do you want me to
come with you again?”
Greg shrugged. “You can if you want.”
He didn’t seem very enthusiastic. Adrian’s heart sank, but he nodded and forced a smile. “I’d like
that, if you don’t mind.”
“Any time.” Greg slouched in his seat and planted both feet on the dash. “You know what, let’s not
talk about that. Let’s talk about something else.”
“Okay, sure, if you like.” Adrian switched on his signal, moved into the left lane and hit the gas to
pass a puttering old Buick. “What do you want to talk about?”
Tilting his head, Greg studied Adrian’s face. “Tell me about this research project you’ve been
working on.”
Surprised, Adrian cast a wide-eyed look in Greg’s direction. “Huh?”
Greg laughed. “C’mon, Adrian. You’ve been all over this thing for weeks now, but I don’t have the
first clue what it’s all about.”
Adrian straightened and flexed his fingers around the wheel. “You really want to know?” It wasn’t that Greg never showed any interest in Adrian’s academic life. He’d asked several times
how the project was coming along and always knew what was going on in Adrian’s classes. But the fact
remained that upper level college physics wasn’t easy. It tended to make most people’s eyes glaze over, and
Greg was no exception. Adrian didn’t blame Greg for not wanting to talk about the research project. The
fact that he’d asked—no, flat-out insisted on details—shocked Adrian to his core.
“What, you think I’m stupid? You think I won’t understand what you’re talking about?” “What? No, God, I don’t—” Adrian caught Greg’s grin and let out a long breath ending in a laugh.
“Smart ass.”
Greg snickered. “You’re too easy.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Adrian slid the Toyota back into the right lane