The Bertie Mansion

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Late the next afternoon, Jeremy dozed on a bench, listening to people passing by and soaking up the sun. Some people moved at a casual walk and others rushed across the platform to catch a train.

When the sun had come up he had woken up too, and went down to the library in his pyjamas, which he only noticed on his return when Jade pointed his clothing choice out. The library didn't open as early as he had thought, but he was able to stand outside to steal their internet, successfully buying and emailing the ticket on his phone as promised. After that he had thoroughly cleaned the room beside his, ensuring it was sparkling. Then he had stocked up on good food to balance out the supply of microwave meals. Finally, he paced back and forth while his family and Rob watched in amusement.

Rob had tried to distract him by giving speeches. Once he had shared his thoughts on Jeremy's—only slightly—violent nature, he couldn't be stopped. A century of existence provided plenty of time to think, and apparently the ghost had come to many conclusions about the world around him. He would not be shut up.

Jeremy smiled when he thought of the ghost-man. He acted all tough and war-hardened but suddenly he could become really modest in an instant. It was cute—wait, not cute, he corrected. It was, cool? Interesting? Not cute. Guys shouldn't be labelled as cute.

His head dropped forward in sleep and he jerked it back by reflex. He felt a twinge through his neck and rubbed it, frowning. The train should have been here ten minutes ago.

A shadow fell across him and he glanced at its cause, only to see the face of his friend. Caleb was looking down at him, no worse for wear, backpack slung over his shoulder. There was a frown on his face as part of his nervous expression.

"Hey, Jerry," he said as he shuffled his feet.

"Caleb!" Jeremy replied, pretending he hadn't heard the taunt. By instinct he stood, pulling the other man into his arms, holding him close in a very manly embrace. How much he missed his friend crashed down on him. He hoped this would make things go back to normal between them.

Caleb laughed and squeezed back, dropping his bag at their feet. "Nice to see you actually care."

"Of course I do," Jeremy replied. He held his friend closer, overwhelmingly happy to see him again, and pouring all his apologetic thoughts into the hug.

Jer—I can't breathe! Seriously, dude," Caleb gasped. "You're strong. How many push-ups do you do in the morning?"

Scared he was hurting his friend, Jeremy released him immediately. They caught their breath and watched others come and go.

"So," Caleb said, voice hesitant, "How popular are you around here? I got some looks coming down here on a ticket bought by you. Have I interrupted anything?"

"No, never," Jeremy was quick to say. "I'll always make room for you, even if I have to push everything else off a cliff."

Caleb rolled his eyes. "How sweet. Many wow."

"Is that a new saying in the city?" Jeremy frowned, keeping an otherwise uninterested face despite the hole in his chest. In a lot of ways the country was nice, but it could also be backwards, and he sometimes missed the hustle and bustle. It had just been too expensive and dangerous to stay.

"Yeah, it's taking the world by storm. I forgot you don't get much internet in the country. But seriously, you famous around here or something?" Caleb wanted to know.

"Infamous," Jeremy corrected. "I'm not sure what happened. We've got a decent amount of money and centuries-old deals with companies, and no friends."

Caleb scratched his chin in a mocking gesture and gave a wry smile. "Jeremy Findale the Third, did you lie to me about having friends? Is that why you coaxed me to drop my life to visit your new one?"