I'm Here

CHAPTER 2. Regrets

All eyes were on him, he was trembling and the suffocating atmosphere of that office was not helping at all. The dim white lights illuminating the room with a cold, dull tone, and all the noise from the subway station made everything so much worse. He tried to look directly at his friend for comfort, but he could hardly maintain eyesight with him as the heavy eyes of the obscure and odd ghosts were impossible to ignore, and the silence was unforgiving.

The scene was against him, he was sitting on a pretty stiff and hard couch as the shadowy figures standed right in front of him, analyzing him with a piercing stare that sent chills through his soul, until one of them finally spoke.

-So...is Luke gonna say anything or is he in a staring contest by himself? -Hayden asked, feeling impatient.

-An incredibly boring one to be honest -added Charlie in a sarcastic tone, which pressured Luke to speak.

-I...I -muttered Luke, trying to get at least one word out, but he was way too frightened to even form a sentence in his brain-

-We know you're dead, so feel free to skip that part... -River joked, as Eugene had talked to her about Luke in the past, she thought maybe he would calm down by a little joke, but she immediately noticed that it really didn't work, as the guy seemed to be a bit more scared now, maybe that fact hasn't wrapped around his mind that well yet.

But it was hopeless, and the ghosts were visibly starting to lose their patience towards Luke. They were there to help and they really wanted to, they knew Luke and how much he meant to Eugene, so the "hurting him" option was not available at all, they tried to look like it, but Luke was making it very hard for them not to lose it.

The only moment Luke said anything was to Eugene, that moment on the roof after their eyes met. They slowly walked towards each other, still discerning if what they were seeing was true for it felt as if it were merely a dream, they stood inches apart; Luke gently caressed Eugene's cheek, realizing it was real, he was there- followed by a tight hug, wrapping their arms around each other as if the other was going to dissolve away from their grasp if they let go. Luke gently whispered to Eugene's ear -"You're here".

But that calm and relief was nowhere to be seen right now, if someone was terrified at that moment it was Luke, Eugene knew this and he felt terribly bad for him, he's been in that position before and it is gut wrenching, he had to do something to get Luke out of that position.

-Guys, calm down -interrupted Eugene, stepping forward and standing in front of Luke, protecting him from his colleagues' questions and stares- maybe it hasn't been long since he died, he might need some time to process it.

-Maybe, but that doesn't dispute the fact that if he needs help he's gotta talk sooner or later...-mentioned Joan, and she was right, Eugene couldn't fight her on that statement, they still needed at least one basic answer.

-Yeah, plus we could really use an explanation as to why he's so damn dark, you weren't exactly a saint, were you? -added Charlie without a single care in her words, which resulted in a quick kick from River.

Eyes were on him once again, he had to, he needed to say something, but he was tongue-tied, words simply wouldn't come out of his mouth, he couldn't, and he didn't even know if he should, he was scared. Then he saw Eugene, this time it was easier to block the other ghosts for he had Eugene right in front of him, it had been a while since he's seen that face as close at it was right then and there, and so he realized that if he wanted to stick with him, he had to say something.

-I...don't remember how it happened -Luke finally said.

A few moments of silence invaded the room once again, but this silence was different, soon all eyes were on Boss who was still staring at the boy, wheels turning in his head.