The Haunted - Jessica Verday [36]
A bunny hopped out next to him, and I couldn’t stop the little “awww” that escaped me as he nibbled on the grass too and they ate side by side. It was like watching live-action-theater Bambi.
But something must have spooked the deer, because all of a sudden he looked up and then ran away. I tilted my head slightly to watch it. Were deer afraid of other deer?
Except… the shadow that moved now wasn’t a deer. It appeared to be more… human-shaped. I held very still. Is someone out there? Maybe they haven’t noticed me.
But I knew who it was. With every fiber of my being, I knew it was him. Caspian.
He took a step forward, and I swear I felt his eyes burning holes into me. Even in the darkness I could see his white-blond hair. His silhouette stood out against the trees, and somehow I knew this wasn’t a dream or a hallucination.
He was here.
Blanket left behind, I stood up and moved across the grass. With every step I took, I dug my bare feet into the wet earth, forcing myself to feel. Every move I was making was real.
This was real.
He disappeared again, back into the shadows, but I saw him as soon as I reached the trees. He was leaning up against the broad trunk of a solid oak.
Squeezing my eyes tightly shut, I choked back tears. Did this mean I was still crazy? That I always was? “Caspian… ,” I heard myself whisper.
He didn’t respond, but there was a rustling sound, and I opened my eyes again.
He’d moved closer, and in the darkness I could see bright green eyes. Their shocking color tore right through me, and my world tilted crazily. I’m falling.…
Grabbing on to the tree for support, I stopped myself from pitching over. I cursed as I saw everything so clearly. It was happening again.
“I missed you, Abbey,” Caspian said quietly. “I know it’s wrong. That I shouldn’t be here—” He stopped and ran his hands jerkily through his hair. “God, Abbey, I missed you.” My heart somersaulted, and I wanted to fly into his arms. Started to, then stopped myself.
Remembering. “I don’t even know if you’re real. How can I see you? You’re dead.”
“I don’t know why you can see me. We’re both just… here.”
“But why are you here? I had to leave town. I had to go see a specialist. I thought I was crazy. Seeing things that weren’t there. You, and Nikolas and Katy…”
“Is that where you were? I thought you just stopped coming to the cemetery.”
“Of course I stopped going to the cemetery. Last time I went there, the boy I thought I was dating told me that he couldn’t love me because he was dead! I don’t know if I’m more pissed off at you for making me think I was crazy or for making me think you were alive.”
“I thought you’d be mad that I lied about not loving you,” he said softly.
“You lied about… not… loving… me… ?”
He nodded, and the stripe of black hair that normally angled across his forehead fell into one eye.
“You love me?” I whispered.
He looked at me and said very clearly, “I think I’ve loved you from the moment I first saw you, last year in the cemetery.”
I stared down at my hands. Once, I would have been happy to hear those words. Now they just left me feeling even more confused.
“But you… I’m… You said that—”
“If you’re mad, be mad,” Caspian said. “I’ll take that over…” He shook his head. “The last time I saw you, I thought I… broke you, Abbey.” His voice came out in a whisper.
“You did.”
His eyes were horrified, and I wanted to explain, to make it all better… but I couldn’t.
“You really messed with my head, Caspian.” I laughed quietly. “Obviously, you are still messing with my head if I can see you again. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Some part of my brain is messed up.”
“Maybe it’s not such a bad thing,” he offered.
“How can it not be a bad thing? I see dead people.”
Caspian looked away, and shoved his hands into his pant pockets. “Who was that guy here earlier?” he asked, changing the subject. “The one you were getting hot and heavy with.” He almost sounded jealous, and I wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it. “I was not getting hot and