Misguided Ghosts | TREEBROS

•Chapter 8•

A pair of anxious lips pressed against each other was alarming, but truly it was a moment of bliss and love. Evan opened his eyes to see Connor's face, his face flushed a deep red and he smiled into the kiss letting it happen.

The sound of his phone buzzing woke Evan from his dream, the ghost still sleeping beside him. Evan muttered a swear at the lackluster reality he was facing, grabbing his phone he saw the name of the person calling him which sent him into a panic. He answered.

"Y-Yes Zoey?" His quiet voice wavered.

"Hello Evan-why are you so quiet?" Zoey responds, she sounded suspicious of him as she always did.

"Sorry, I'm trying to not to wake-uh... it's unimportant, w-what do you need?" Evan began sweating keeping his eyes on the sleeping Connor.

"My parents want you to come over tonight... with more emails. Could you? Will your mom allow it?" Zoey said, seemingly indifferent from Evan's refusal to tell her why he was speaking in such a hushed tone.

"Yeah... yeah I can" Evan answered, his eyes half-lidded staring longingly at Connor's face.

Zoey went on talking about tonight and Evan nodded along, not paying attention, Connor just looked so cute with his hair laying across his face. He had hung up on Zoey while he continued to lean towards Connor, Evan's breathing became faster as well as his heartbeat. Connor's face twitching brought to Ev's attention that he was uncomfortably close-oh god he was so close he couldn't explain away how he was that close to his perfect lips. The boy leaned back and covered his mouth, embarrassed at his own thoughts.

Connor woke up to see Evan looking like he was about to have a panic attack, looking panicked he lurched up and grabbed Ev's hand and watched as Evan became more red.

"Evan what happened are you okay?" Connor asked, acting cautiously.

"I'm great! Hhhhh-so your parents they asked me to come tonight with more emails." Evan answered, his voice cracking several times.

"So email time?" Connor asked with a sigh. Evan picks up his laptop, hovering over Jared's profile ready to call him.

"Yeah..."

Evan shuffles with the pieces of paper as he enters the house, carefully stepping around as to not do something stupid-probably looking stupid in the process. Evan gave the Murphy's the emails that consisted of fabricated non-romantic fantasies from his mind. Excusing himself, Evan left with Connor to his room.

"They really cleaned this place out huh?" Connor says quietly, Ev nods looking around before taking a seat on the foot of Con's bed.

"I don't think they want reminders..." he responds with a somber tone

"Of what? The demon that left them?"

"No... they don't want reminders of the angel that they lost" Evan looks at Connor with a sincere expression, before looking away blushing. "Sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Zoey's voice cuts in. Evan jumps at the sudden presence and laughs nervously.

"Nothing Zoey don't worry about it," Zoey cocks her eyebrow, and sighs.

"You're weird."

"I'm sorry,"

"You don't have to apologize for everything-"

"I'm sorry....uh, sorry"

Evan begins to slouch and shy away from the girl who just giggles, sitting beside the boy on the bed. The silence is thick, broken only by a nervous voice.

"Why did he say that?" Zoey asked with hesitation. Evan looked at her and furrowed his eyebrows, "in his suicide note?"

"His suicide note?"

"Because there's Zoe. And all my hope is pinned on Zoe. Who I don't even know and who doesn't know me." Why would he write that? What does that even mean?" Zoey looked down, contemplating the words while Evan's blood suddenly ran cold.

"Oh... he uh... he was...." Evan looks to Connor and takes a deep breath, "he wanted to get closer to you... because he thought you were awesome even though he didn't know you that well..."

"He thought I was awesome? My brother?"

"Uh-definitely!"

"How?"

Evan racked his brain for reasons, but all he could think of were memories of Zoey... then he noticed how Connor was always there being his wonderful self. So he said them all, what he saw although her brother was his focus. Like when Zoey would dance, but Connor was always in the background reading or on his phone.

"Did he say anything else?" Zoey interjects.

"A-About you?" Evan says still in his thoughts, Zoey tries waving off her words but he continues, "He said so much about you, I'm just trying to remember the best ones!"

Evan continues to reminisce, staring at the ghostly figure of the boy whom he loved so much. He stared at Connor's watchful gaze, the smile creeping onto his lips.

"And how do you say.... I love you..." Evan finishes, "but we're a million worlds apart... and I don't know how I would even start..."

"If I could tell him..." Evan mumbles under his breath. He looks to Zoey, the silence hanging in the air. He panics thinking she just heard him confess his love to her dead brother, but while he was in his thoughts Zoey began to lean in for a kiss. Noticing her closeness Evan entered fight or flight-er well flight.

"wOAH-" He blurts out, falling off the bed as he attempted to get away. Zoe was left stunned as Evan ducked the kiss.

"I uh...." Evan panics to think of an excuse, "like guyyyyyyyyyysssssssss....." Evan mentally slapped himself, although he wasn't entirely wrong-it was just suddenly awkward. Cynthia appeared in the doorway as a response to the loud sound of Evan hitting the ground.

"Is everything okay in here?" She asked concerned, Evan lets out a shaky nod. "Well it's dinner time kids." She finished, Chloe hastily leaving the room with her mother.

"You didn't kiss her?" Connor inquired, very curiously.

"I don't like her... I know it was in my letter-your suicide note, but I guess I don't anymore.