Midnight {*COMPLETE*}

F I V E

I woke a few hours later, not to the sound of my name, but to a whispering touch trailing across my cheek. I smiled, not afraid at all, and opened my eyes.

"Hi, Carter," He said quietly, greeting me.

"Hey Jamie," I answered, and sat up in my bed. I could feel the silly happiness flow over me. Crush away. Crush away.

He was perched next to me as if he had been waiting there a long time for me to wake.

"How long have you been here?" I asked. A huge smile threatened to burst open at any second.

"A while," He answered, smirking. "You can learn a lot about someone when they're asleep." I groaned.

"I wasn't snoring, was I?" Jamie laughed.

"No, you mumble. It's actually kind of adorable."

Okay. That's it. First the comment about how I smelled, the little touches, then the pictures, and now this. I had to know.

"Jamie, listen. You've said a couple of things that I don't know which way to take. Are you...?" I didn't want to say the words. I was afraid he'd get mad.

"Am I into guys? I think you know that answer. I don't remember much about my life, but that I know. I definitely know." He grinned sheepishly at me as if he was trying to confess something. As soon as he said it, I had an idea.

"Do you think that's why I can see you?" He looked confused so I elaborated. "Maybe I can see you because I understand you. Because I'm like you."

"What...you're dead too?" He was teasing. His impish smile made my pulse patter in little giggly bursts. He reached out again. This time, he cupped my elbow and dragged tingly fingers down my arm until it almost felt like he was holding my hand. It was like being surrounded by bubbles. Sexy bubbles that made my blood heat. I couldn't really feel his skin, but I could totally tell he was there. The unbelievable sensation made me tremble visibly. I closed my eyes for a second.

"You don't like that?" He looked disappointed.

"No, I do. It feels incredible. I can't even describe it." It made me want to touch him too. I reached out, but my hand dropped straight through his arm to my comforter below. He gave me a sad look.

"You can't touch me. I can't really touch you either. Just what I've been doing." I thought of something.

"Jamie, do you think you were ever, you know...with a guy before you died?" His head dropped to the side like it seemed to always do when he was considering something. God, the things I'd love to do to his neck with my tongue!

"I think I probably was. I mean, it seems really familiar, the idea of holding someone. Of kissing and touching him. I know I wouldn't get that strong of an imprint from just seeing it."

Okay, here goes the next part, I thought.

"So, I found your picture tonight. In the old house photo albums. You were always next to a guy. Grayson Turner. I was wondering if he may have been..." I stopped talking when I saw Jamie's already pale face turn ashen. He faded quickly, turning more and more translucent.

"Gray..." He whispered, then all of a sudden he was gone.

******

It was two days before I saw him again. I was starting to wonder if he was gone for good. The thought was a little depressing, somehow. I was up late studying for a math test when he appeared, coming from the general area of my closet.

I jumped a little, startled because I hadn't expected him.

"Carter?" He sounded hesitant, like I may be angry with him.

"Hey, Jamie. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm really sorry about the other night. It was just a shock to hear that name again. When you said it, so many memories came flooding back. It was just too much effort to try to stay here."

"Who was he?" Jamie's face looked pained.

"You were right. Gray Turner was my boyfriend."

"Tell me about him." I could see how hard this was for him. He wrung his hands together. I wished I could reach over and comfort him. Obviously impossible.

"Gray and I got to be friends freshman year when we were both rushing Sigma Ep. His family was really rich, I think they had originally been logging barons or something. Anyway, all the houses on campus wanted him. I was just this quiet guy on his floor in the dorms. He kinda dragged me along and convinced me to join with him." I waited quietly, not wanting to interrupt.

"It didn't take me long to figure out Gray was like me. There were little things at first, touches and looks. Then one night we were sitting in the dorms talking about some party we had been to the week before at the house. He just leaned over and kissed me. I was stunned but so happy. I figured because of his family that he would never do anything about the attraction between us."

A little surge of jealousy hit me again right in the gut. I wanted to know what it was like to kiss a guy I liked. I wanted to know what it was like to kiss Jamie.

"Anyway, after that, we were basically a couple. We made a pact not to tell anyone, because of his family, because of the way things were. I would have never broken my word." Jamie's face clouded.

When he said that, I started to get a general idea of how it probably played out. My stomach turned.

"Jamie, what happened between you and Gray? How did it end?"

"You know, I have no idea. I do remember us asking to be roommates here at the house. None of the guys thought anything of it cause, publicly at least, we were best friends. I was elated that I could be with him every night. God, I was so in love with him. I do remember that." I tried to ignore the fact that it made me ragingly jealous to hear Jamie say he'd been in love with Gray Turner. Even if it was fifty years ago, I still hated it.

"You don't think he had anything to do with your death, do you?"

"I don't know. I remember loving him, but now when I think of him I just get angry and sad. I don't know what happened, but I don't think it was good. Carter, he's got to be part of it." I had already decided the same thing.

"I think he's important too. I'll see what I can find out."

We couldn't do much more that night to help the situation, and Jamie seemed to be genuinely upset when he thought of Gray. I decided to drop it. Besides, I really did want to get to know more about him than how he died.

"Hey Jamie," I started.

How do you ask a ghost to hang out with you? I was nervous like we were on a first date.