Misguided Ghosts

Chapter Sixteen

Sixteen - Ed

We all piled into my car, and I couldn't help but grimace as the chassis creaked under the weight of all five of us. My car had ferried around four of us before, but five? I hadn't tried.

"Where to?" I asked, turning on the engine.

Being the like-minded individuals they all were, they answered in once voice. "Costa!"

I rolled my eyes. "Why did I even bother to ask?"

They all chattered amongst themselves while I drove, my jaw clenched to prevent myself from screaming at Caleb. What the hell was he doing here, in my life? Why couldn't he just leave me alone?

I finally pulled the car into a parking space in the cheapest car park I knew about - the one I always used for work. Jared, Char and Caleb had been squeezed into the back and they all clambered out, stretching as they did so. Only Tay and I remained in the car.

"Ed, what's going on?" Tay said, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Nothing," I said lightly. "Everything's fine."

Tay sighed, her shoulders dropping and her lips twisted slightly to the right. She always looked so cute when she pulled that face. I sat in silence as she scrutinised me, her eyes narrowing by the second. "I don't believe you. Not for one second."

"You don't believe me?" I challenged. "Fine. You want the truth?"

"You can't handle the truth?" Tay joked, raising an eyebrow. Then a smile broke through the storm clouds of her face and she laughed. "Don't look so serious. I believe you."

She got out of the car, still laughing, leaving me to contemplate what the hell had just happened.

I followed her out of the car as Jared walked back over and handed me a ticket. "You drove us, so I'll pay for the car."

"Cheers, man," I said, clapping him on the shoulder and putting the ticket in the car.

Tay took my hand and I linked our fingers together, swinging our joined hands as we walked, earning an 'aww' from Char. Knowing she was watching, I raised Tay's hand and kissed our twined fingers. Tay turned to face me, linking our other hands together and stretched up on her tiptoes, her eyes slowly closing. I smiled, letting my own eyes drift closed as I tilted my head down to meet hers. I gave her the barest brush of my lips - nothing animalistic or passion-filled, but enough to let her know that I loved her. The feeling of her lips on mine was more like a memory of a kiss than an actual kiss.

"Please don't ever, ever, ever break up with him," Char told her.

Tay laughed and stretched up to kiss me once more. "I don't plan to,"

When we broke apart, my gaze flickered over the top of Tay's head, to Caleb. He shook his head at me ever so slightly, his eyes narrowed and his arms folded. Clearly, I was going to pay for kissing Tay right in front of him. His jaw was clenched so tightly that he could have probably cracked a nut. I arched an eyebrow at him, determined not to be intimidated by him. He was the one that was on my turf, the one that had wormed his smarmy way into Tay's life and her friends. I wasn't going to back down, and neither was he.

We all walked into the beautiful warmth that was Costa. I smiled as I inhaled the scent of coffee, my morning saviour.

"I'll go find a table," Caleb announced, pressing a fiver into Jared's hand. "Grab me a café latte?"

"Sure," Jared agreed.

"Ed, why don't you go with him?" Tay prompted. "Caramel latte, right?"

I kissed the tip of her nose. "God bless you for knowing my coffee orders." I handed her the money and followed Caleb to the table.