Sin Miedo - Simon "ghost" Riley

Chapter 23 - Ghosts

I open the door to my room and see Ghost sitting on the couch, one arm laying over the back of it and the other holding a book open. As soon as I close the door behind me his head shoots up, closing the book and walking my way.

"How did it go?" He asks, following me into the kitchen.

"Good, I think I was a little more nervous than I needed to be." I laugh, taking some bread and putting it in the toaster. "Breakfast?"

"Sure."

"Where are the rest of the guys?" I ask, pulling out the instant coffee and two mugs.

"Getting food downstairs, I wanted to know how it went so I didn't go with them. Told them I had a headache and I'd be in my room." He says.

I pour some instant coffee in the mugs while he reaches into the cupboard and pulls out a small pot, filling it with water and putting it on the stove. I smile at the small gesture while I walk over to the fridge.

"Creamer?"

"No, I like it black." He says, taking a seat at the small dining table.

"Like your soul no doubt." A chuckle comes out of him and the smile on my face somehow gets wider.

The toast pops up and I place it on a plate, handing it over to Ghost. I put in two more pieces into the toaster and walk over to the fridge, taking out some butter and jam and placing it on the table.

I hear the water boiling and turn around, turning off the stove and pouring the water into the two mugs. I place a spoon in each and hand Ghost his cup before putting a bit of creamer in mine.

"Thank you." He says, stirring the coffee. I sit in front of him while stirring my own, taking a small sip and letting the hot liquid warm my body.

"So Price took it well? No punishments?" Ghost asks, taking a sip right after.

"No, he said he understood. That he'd lie too if it meant protecting someone he loved." I say. My toast pops up and I stand, putting in on a plate and sitting back down. "He said he'd help me find her, I told him that her missing has something to do with Oscar and these missiles. Finding her could give us more clues as to where they could be."

I spread the butter across both pieces of toast, handing the knife to Ghost after. I feel bad not having more food to give him, but even if I did I wouldn't want to cook it. I still feel nauseous from all the drinking yesterday, the smell of food might actually make me puke.

"So you both grew up together?" He asks, lifting his mask over his nose and taking a bite from his toast. My hand stops spreading the jam for a second, getting thrown off by the question.

"Yes. Like I said, our parents were neighbors and really close friends. They raised us together." I say, continuing to spread the jam on the toast.

"How was your childhood?" He stirs his coffee before taking a cup, followed by another bite of his toast.

I take a deep breath and smile at the memories that pop up in my head from his question. "Hard because of where I lived, but my parents made it the best it could be."

"They sound amazing."

"Yeah...they really were." I say, feeling a tinge of pain in my chest after the words 'were'.

"Oh...I'm so sorry." He says. He reaches over the table and places his hand on top of mine, caressing the top of it. I pick up my coffee cup and look down at it, trying not to make eye contact with him.

"It's okay, it was a while ago. They were uh...murdered...by a rival cartel gang." I look at my reflection in the coffee cup, seeing my mother's eyes looking back.