Love, Like Ghosts: A Bay City Paranormal Investigations Story

second, there’s something here.”
“What, that brown thing there?” Greg bent dangerously far forward. “What do you think it is?”
“I’m not sure, but it looks like leather.” Leaning closer, Adrian rubbed a thumb over the material. A tingle shot up his arm, and for a moment the world around him blurred behind a vision of a lightning-split night sky, wind-tossed trees and the castle wall looming in the rain.
He knew what it meant, even though he couldn’t see the bones yet.
He turned wide eyes up to meet Greg’s. “Oh my God, Greg. We did it. We found Lyndon.”

Chapter Nineteen
    At first, Greg didn’t want to call the police. He was afraid he and Adrian would get in trouble for excavating on college property. Adrian argued that while they might face some sort of punishment, they had an obligation to notify the authorities.
    Greg hedged up until Adrian offered to remain at the castle alone while Greg returned to his dorm. At that point, he relented and let Adrian dial nine-one-one from his iPhone. No way, he said, was he letting Adrian go through any of this alone.
    After three hours of standing around broken up by brief bouts of questioning by the police, Adrian was incredibly grateful for Greg’s presence. Especially since the officers weren’t predisposed to believe Adrian’s tale of how he’d found the body in the first place.
    “Oh, my God,” Adrian groaned as he and Greg shuffled into his apartment that afternoon. “I’m exhausted. Who knew just finding a hundred-year-old body would take up so much of a person’s time?”
“No kidding. But at least we didn’t get busted for digging up college property. I had no idea the property ended at the tree line, but damn, I’m glad it does. Thank God for cops who know their property lines.” Toeing off his sneakers, Greg stripped out of his filthy jeans and sweatshirt and headed toward the bathroom in his underwear, his dirty clothes hung over his arm. “I’m taking a shower. Care to join me?”
Adrian’s cock twitched at the thought of naked, wet Greg. “Oh, yes.” He followed Greg’s black-briefclad rear, pulling off his sweater as he went.
Greg laughed. “No shower sex. I’m too tired to stand up and fuck at the same time.”
“And here I thought you’d be in great shape with all that dancing you do for theater.” Grinning, Adrian dodged the swat Greg aimed at his head. “Kidding, kidding. I agree with you, actually. We’ll get clean, then have fun.”
“That’s what I like about you. You’re so smart.” In the bathroom, Greg dropped his jeans and sweatshirt into the laundry basket in the corner, turned and started working on Adrian’s button fly. “So. Now that the mystery of Lyndon Groome’s murder is solved, is his ghost going to be gone forever?”
A pang of loss tugged at Adrian’s heart. “I expect so, yes.” He put a hand on the sink to steady himself while he took off his mud-caked sneakers. “I know it’s what I set out to do, and what’s best for Lyndon. But I have to admit I’m going to miss him. There were a couple of times over the past few weeks when I felt like he was my only friend.”
Greg’s shoulders tensed. He said nothing, however, even though the meaning behind Adrian’s words couldn’t possibly have escaped him. Keeping his gaze downcast, he hooked his thumbs into the waistband of Adrian’s jeans, snagging his underwear as well, and worked the garments down over Adrian’s thighs. Adrian took over from there, and they each finished undressing in silence.
Neither said anything else until they’d finished bathing and Adrian shut off the water. Greg stepped out of the shower first. Adrian stood just inside the half-drawn blue plastic curtain, wiping water from his eyes and wishing he’d kept his mouth shut. He could’ve shared his fondness for Lyndon without adding that bit about him being Adrian’s only friend. The days of his and Greg’s breakup were in the past. Bringing up that time now—especially in a way serving only as a reminder of how much Adrian had been hurt—was unnecessary and petty.
Adrian drew the shower curtain aside and stepped onto the bathmat. “Greg, I’m sorry, I—”
Greg cut him off with a hard kiss. Both arms wound around his waist to pull him close. Adrian opened to him, a tiny involuntary whimper escaping as their tongues slid together. Almost four months to the day after their first kiss, electricity still sparked along Adrian’s skin every single