Love, Like Ghosts: A Bay City Paranormal Investigations Story

Adrian’s ear, sending electric jolts up his spine. “I want you to fuck me, Adrian.”
Sheer panic at the bald declaration galvanized Adrian into action. He grasped Greg’s arms and shoved hard enough to send Greg stumbling backward. Greg stared, mouth open and eyes wide. “What the hell, man?”
Adrian hunched his shoulders, face flaming. “I’m sorry, I just…I don’t…” Frustrated, Adrian ran a hand through his hair and tried to marshal his thoughts. “I can’t pretend I’m not attracted to you. But I don’t do casual sex. So if that’s all you’re after, you can forget it.”
Greg’s expression turned hard. He drew a breath, as if to speak, but the sound of several people entering the house at once interrupted him. He cut a swift glance toward the din of footsteps and conversation from the foyer, then pinned Adrian with a cold look. “Fine.”
Before Adrian could say anything else—though what exactly he would have said, he had no idea— Greg strode across the hall to greet the cluster of six students who’d just come into the room. Adrian pretended to inspect the nearby framework he and his team had built the day before, while watching Greg from beneath his lashes. If he hadn’t seen those gray eyes bright with lust only moments before, he wouldn’t believe it had ever happened. He wondered if all actors hid their true faces that well.
As well as you hide yours? Hypocrite.
Adrian scowled. Keeping his psychokinesis to himself was different. No one would consider it lying, or being two-faced. What reasonable person would reveal such a thing to someone they barely knew? And who would believe it anyway?
You never told Christian.
He was saved from having to deal with that particular truth when two girls he had worked with the day before broke from the group and walked toward him. He drew a couple of slow, deep breaths. By the time the girls reached him, he had his roiling emotions under control.
He managed a smile that didn’t even feel forced. “Hello, Erin. Chelsea.”
“Hey, Adrian.” Erin stuck her hands in the back pockets of her jeans and flashed a flirtatious grin. “What’re we doing today?”
Deliberately turning his back on Greg and the knot of boys and girls gathered around him, Adrian rubbed his chin in an effort to channel his thoughts where they needed to go. “More building. We got a lot done yesterday on the false walls, but there’s a lot more to go.”
Chelsea wrinkled her nose. “Building frames isn’t very exciting.”
Adrian laughed in spite of the tight, sick feeling in his gut. “No, it isn’t. But you know they’re necessary if we’re going to turn this giant room into smaller areas that people can walk through and still leave spaces in between for the cast and crew to operate.”
“Yeah, I know.” With an exaggerated sigh, Chelsea gathered her shoulder-length black curls in one hand and secured them into a ponytail with a red band she took from her pocket. “All right, let’s do this thing.”
“I’ll get the tool kit,” Erin offered. “We should be all set to go when the rest of our team gets here.”
Adrian nodded. “Good thinking.”
Erin’s pallid cheeks flushed pink. Beaming, she brushed past him and practically floated to the alcove across the room where they’d stored their tools. Adrian turned away and busied himself with inspecting the heavy black cloth they’d stapled to the frames the previous day. He’d never had a straight girl crush on him before. It was a very strange feeling. He had no idea how to handle it.
“You realize why she’s fixated on you, right?”
Startled, Adrian blinked at Chelsea. “What?”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be dense, you know what I’m talking about.”
He shot a glance at Erin, who knelt at the alcove entrance digging through the pile of various implements. “Yes.” He looked at Chelsea again, curious. “So why is she fixated on me, then?”
“Because you’re safe. You’re gay, and she knows it. She can moon over you all she wants, but there’s no way you’ll ever return her interest so she won’t have to put any effort into a relationship.”
Adrian frowned. “How do you know that?”
“What? That you’re gay, or what her motivation is?”
“Both, really.”
“Word gets around. You used to date one of my suitemate’s older brother’s roommate’s best friend, Christian. As far as Erin’s motivation?” Chelsea flashed a wide, evil grin. “She and I have known each other