Misguided Ghosts

Chapter Forty-Eight

Forty-Eight – Ed

Tay got home about half an hour after I did, her schoolbag hanging off one shoulder while she struggled to carry her folder and a shopping bag. I sprang up from the sofa and took her folder from her, earning a sigh of relief and a kiss on the cheek.

“What’s in the bag?” I asked. “Decided to treat yourself?”

She rolled her eyes. “Trust me, wearing this,” She dropped her schoolbag to the floor and delved inside the shopping bag, pulling out her purchase. “Is anything but fun,”

My eyes widened when I saw what she’d bought. “You went out and bought a dress?”

As I took in the cream and brown dress that she was holding up, I couldn’t help but imagine her in it, the bodice hugging her curves while the skirt flowed out to just above her knees. In my mind’s eye, I saw her twirling around in it and giggling to herself, because as much as she hated wearing dresses, she felt pretty in it. And when she felt pretty, she was deliriously happy.

“You’re going to look amazing in that,” I smiled.

“Yeah, well,” She groaned, digging around inside the bag. “The amount all this stuff cost, it had better look good,” After she pulled out a pair of nude-coloured heels, she threw a tie at me.

“Why’d you buy me a brown tie?” I asked, confused.

Tay looked at me scathingly. “It’s called mocha, dumbass. It matches my dress. And I bought it for you because we have a dinner to attend tonight, Mr Milligan,”

For some odd reason, I felt myself smiling. It was undoubtedly one of her father’s work dinners, and now I had the chance to show her off. And she had the chance to show me off, to prove that I was respectable and worthy of her.  We would dance and not care if we weren’t doing it properly, because to me, the sound of her voice was an intricate melody to which only my heart knew the steps. The tunefulness of her laugh became a quickstep, sending my heart skittering out of control every time I heard it.

“Am I coming as the friendly boyfriend or the best friend?” I knew that it was a stupid question, but I needed to gauge her reaction.

“Boyfriend,” She didn’t miss a beat. “I don’t want anyone getting the wrong ideas. And if I’m going to make it through tonight, I’m going to need you,”

“Okay,” I smiled. “I best iron my shirt,”

Tay spent the majority of the time we had left before we had to go out in the bathroom. Whenever I heard a groan of frustration, I knew that her hair hadn’t quite gone right and she now had to start again. I found the iron hiding under the sink and dug out my dress shirt from my wardrobe. I ironed out the multiple creases, wondering if I could remember how to tie a tie. I hoped I could.

But what surprised me more than the fact that I was still perfectly capable of tying a tie was what I found on the hanger next to where my shirt had been. A waistcoat. Shrugging to myself, I pulled it on over my t-shirt. It still fitted me. I then attempted to search for my smart trousers, but when I realised that they somehow had a large hole in the crotch, I decided against wearing them. Looking down at the jeans I was wearing, which had been dubbed as my ‘best jeans’ because they didn’t actually have holes in them, I figured that they’d look alright with my shirt and tie.

“Tay?” I called, going to the bathroom and knocking on the door. “Am I allowed in yet?”

“No!” She sounded stressed. “You are most definitely not allowed in!”

“But I need a wee,” I lied, jumping up and down and whining. “And my deodorant!”

“They can wait!” She snapped from the other side of the door. “Pee in the sink if you have to!”