You Have My Attention

Twenty-Five

« Winter's POV »

"What?" Cameron asks, voice doubtful. "You must've seen someone else."

I shake my head, eyes wide. I'm sure my skin is ghostly now. "She introduced herself to me."

"There's got to be hundreds of girls named Sam in this world, Winter."

"She knew Kason."

He swallows and studies me, looking at me like I'm crazy. He's probably thinking everything I am: It had to of been a dream, it had to of just been my imagination. But she was holding a gun, threatening to take those men's lives away if they didn't leave me alone. It was real.

"How...there has to be a coincidence. When did you meet her?" Cameron urges, needing an answer to this unexplainable question in the air.

"I was assaulted on my way to my apartment," I rush out. "These two guys attacked me...but she was there, Cameron. She held a gun to them. A-And she had a violin and—"

"Wait," he interrupts. "A violin?"

I nod.

He runs his hand through his hair and looks at me, confused and wide-eyed. "I...I was never a firm believer in the afterlife. I guess now..."

I shrug, not knowing what else to say with an expression matching his. We're both bewildered by this event. It definitely wasn't a dream. If it were a dream, that means I woke up in the same clothes I was wearing when Kason came up to my door in his drunken state. There's all the proof you need that it actually happened.

I'd seen a ghost.

Damn.

I mean damn damn.

"Do you—"

"Hey, Cam."

We both snap our heads over in fright to where Kason stands. Cameron gives me a look that demands me not to say a word. I swallow and not, choosing to keep my lips sealed once more.

Now I really am a double agent, keeping secrets from Cameron and Kason now. How is Kason supposed to know his ex-lover is roaming this earth, rescuing me in her spooky ghost form?

Yeah, no.

"Hey, Kase. What's happening?" Cameron asks smoothly, going up to him to emerge into a bro-hug-type-thing.

"Not much." Kason looks over his friend's shoulder and looks at me. "Clumsy and I were actually gonna head out now. I was just dropping by to visit, but Kassidy isn't here so..."

Cameron nods, forgetting my story about how Kason was going to come and apologize, thankfully. It would make sense since whatever occupying his brain would most likely be the conversation we just had.

"Uh, yeah, sure. It was good seeing ya," Cameron says.

Kason nods and grabs my hand. "You too."

He leads me out the door, and before we exit the large home, we bid goodbye to Zara and Emily (who'd been sleeping at the time we arrived). Zara had painted a picture of a forest for us. It has a little log cabin in the middle, and two little kids are running around near the lake with their toys scattered about in the grass. A man is off to the side, working on his truck with the hood up and his arms grimy from the oil. A woman watches her children play with a loving smile as she snaps a photo with a Polaroid camera. It's gorgeous. How long had she been working on it?

I complimented her artistic abilities, to which she thanked me for and blushed before Kason and I headed out. Any thoughts of the ghost girlfriend left my mind briefly, although they lingered in the back of my head the entire drive home. Kason talked to me about what he found, however, I blanked out on most of it. It was difficult concentrating on two things at once.