Ghosts Between Us (ManxMan)

Chapter 10: Ghostly Closure

Keaton sat cross-legged on his bed, his phone glowing in his hands as the bottle of wine slowly dwindled beside him. The tangy liquid made his head swim, his thoughts blurry, and yet—somehow—sharp at the same time. He had redownloaded the app, already resigned to the idea that he couldn't feel worse than he did now.

His thumbs hovered over the keyboard, frustration and hurt bubbling up inside him. The sting of being ghosted—again—cut deep. He clenched his jaw and typed furiously, letting the wine-fueled anger seep into his words.

"You're a fucking coward. If you didn't want anything to do with me, at least be a man and say it to my face instead of sneaking out like a—"

Keaton stopped. He stared at the words, his pulse racing as he read the message back. No. This wasn't him. This was the wine talking. He let out a shaky breath, his thumb trembling as he hit the backspace button, deleting the harsh words one by one.

He wiped his face with his hand and tried again, this time more slowly. More honestly.

Message to Cole:

"Hey. I don't know why I'm doing this, but I can't just let it end without knowing what happened. I don't want this to sound desperate or clingy, but I've been thinking about that night and how it ended. I thought we were getting somewhere, but then I woke up and you were gone. No explanation. I mean, you didn't even leave a note.

I don't know what your deal is—if I did something wrong, if I scared you off—but at least tell me. You owe me that much. I'm not asking for anything more than the truth. It's not even about wanting more; it's about not being ghosted again. This has happened to me before, and I swore I wouldn't let myself feel this way again, but here I am. Just tell me what went wrong!."

As he typed the final words, Keaton could feel the tightness in his chest spreading, like something was cracking open inside of him. Moisture pricked at the corners of his eyes. Not again.

He hovered over the Send button, blinking rapidly to keep the tears at bay. Should I send it?

His thumb hovered above the screen. He clenched his jaw, feeling the weight of every word he had typed, and yet... there was hesitation. What if this just makes things worse?

Keaton tossed the phone aside for a moment, running both hands over his face as if trying to rub away the exhaustion. Maybe it's better to just forget about it. The thought crept into his mind, but even as it did, he knew it wasn't what he wanted. He couldn't just forget.

He grabbed the phone again, stared at the screen, and before he could second-guess himself, he hit Send.

Tossing the phone aside again, he rolled onto his back, trying to focus on his breathing. He's gone. The weight of the realization pressed down on him like an anchor. He refused to cry. Not for someone who walked away. Not for someone who didn't have the decency to explain themselves. But the weight of it all—the memories, the feelings—was suffocating.

His phone buzzed almost immediately, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Keaton grabbed it quickly, heart pounding. Cole? Already?

But the notification wasn't from the app.

It was from Wilfred.

Message from Wilfred (Uncle Will):

"Hey Key! Haven't heard from you in a bit. How's my favorite nephew doing? Miss you, man. I'll be back in a few weeks, and we should catch up—just the two of us. Let's plan something, okay?"

Keaton stared at the message, his mind trying to process everything at once. He hadn't realized how detached he'd been from everyone, even Uncle Will—the man who had always been like a second father to him. There was something warm and familiar in Wilfred's words, something that always made him feel grounded.

He smiled briefly, remembering the times Uncle Will had shown up when he needed him the most. When his last breakup had left him spiraling, Uncle Will had been the one to pull him out of it, always knowing what to say.

But tonight, the words didn't hit the same. The weight of Cole's absence still hung over him, a shadow he couldn't shake. He typed a brief response to his uncle, his hands trembling slightly: "Miss you too. We'll catch up soon."

He set the phone down on the bed, feeling the warmth from Wilfred's message fade. But something about Wilfred's return—something unspoken—left him feeling unsettled. Why now? He couldn't shake the timing of it. But before he could dive into that thought, his phone buzzed again.

This time from the app.

His heart skipped a beat. Cole.

Keaton sat up in bed, staring at the app notification. Cole had responded.

His hand trembled slightly as he held the phone. Part of him didn't want to open it—not yet. What if Cole's message wasn't what he needed to hear? What if it was a simple explanation or, worse, an excuse? He didn't know if he could handle another rejection.

He ran his hand over his face, trying to clear his thoughts. Just open it.

But he hesitated. If he opened the message, it would be real. He wasn't sure he was ready to face it.