Unliving Love

by Jason A Grimm

  Chapter 10

  The Next Entry

  They started the day the same way the last one ended, in silence. Jen woke up about an hour before Mike and started a pot of coffee since they didn’t prep it to auto start the night before. She took a shower and dressed while it was brewing. When she got out of the shower she woke Mike and then he took his turn in the shower. They barely spoke, only to say excuse me as they stepped around one another in the bathroom or in the kitchen. The events of yesterday still lingered and neither had fully recovered from them. Mike was the first one to break the silence.

  “You ok Jen?” He asked as they stood in the kitchen drinking coffee and eating bagels with cream cheese. “I mean ok as you can be anyways?”

  “Yeah I’d be lying if I said I was fine but I’m ok I guess.” She took a sip of coffee “Did you recognize the voice?” She half looked at him.

  “You mean was it Wes’s?” He looked at her.

  “I don’t know. I mean who knows what could have happened…” Her voice trailed off as she saw a slight look of anger on his face. “Sorry I just don’t know what to make of any of this or how to feel.”

  “It wasn’t Wes.” He took a sip of coffee. “I understand Jen but I can’t believe it was him. Yes he was probably angry at me but that wasn’t him on the front porch and that wasn’t his voice.”

  She nodded and began to nibble on her bagel. She sat there silent for a few more minutes. “I mean what the hell was that yesterday?” Her voice became a bit shaky, as the events of yesterday took over her thoughts.

  “I’m not sure but the only thing I can think to do is to read through some of his journal and see if maybe there is something in there about what is in that house. What is in there and why it got like that towards us.”

  “That’s a good idea.” She glanced over at the clock on the wall, 7:15 she stood up. “We better get going. Are you going to have time to look through them though? It’s not like you’ll be having a ton of free time you’re going to be practicing hard.”

  “That’s true.” He gulped down the rest of his coffee. “Given we are playing towards a bowl game I’ll be watching more film and spending more time at the facilities than usual. “

  “I can look through them.” She grabbed the car keys off the table. “I mean if that’s ok with you. I have a lighter load during the week.”

  “Yeah that’s a good idea. Maybe you’ll be able to find something out.”

  “You sure?” I don’t want to overstep boundaries.”

  “I’m sure babe.” He smiled at her. “You can let me know if you find anything in them.”

  She smiled back at him. It was the first time she had smiled since yesterday.

  They made their way out the door closing it behind them.

  The rest of the morning and first part of the afternoon passed in a blur like it did most weekdays during football season. Mike went to the stadium for a workout and to watch hours of films, then immediately after had practice. It felt good to get back on the field. The football field was his territory. It was where he felt free and in control. From the time he called the play in the huddle, to taking his team to the line, to the end of the play everything else was gone. It was just him and his men and their battle against the eleven savage, blood thirsty men across from them.

  Practice was intense like it normally was at this time of the year with a bowl game riding on the line. Two more wins is what they are shooting for and the coach was working them hard to get them ready. When practice was over he took off his gear put on his warm ups and left not even sticking around to get a shower.

  It was going on eight when he walked through the front door and just like he expected Jen was sitting in their oversized recliner legs crossed with the laptop sitting on her lap. “Home babe.” He walked into the living room and kissed her on her forehead.

  “You stink.” She said as she pushed him away. “Why didn’t you get a shower at the stadium?”

  “Love you too.” He said with a smirk. “I was in a hurry to get home. I figured you’d be reading and I was wondering if you found anything.”

  “I sent you a text.” She said not even looking up from the computer screen. “Didn’t you get it?” She must have gotten to a part she could stop at because she finally looked up at him.

  “My phone is in pieces in the back seat of the car where I tossed it yesterday.” He said as he made his way to the kitchen, opening the fridge and pulling out a bottle of water. “What did you send me?” He opened the bottle and took a big long drink.

  She sat the laptop on the coffee table and flipped around in her seat. Her demeanor had changed dramatically since yesterday and even this morning. “Well…”

  He saw the enthusiasm on her face and cut her off. “Don’t mean to interrupt but I can tell by your face this could take some time so can we do this in the shower.”

  “Sure anything you want your highness.”

  He turned his head and looked at her slightly puzzled as she hopped up and followed him up the steps. I don’t think I was being bossy. I’m nasty and figured we could do this in the bathroom as I was taking a shower. He thought to himself as he made his way into the bathroom.

  Mike turned on the water adjusting it to the right temperature and turned around to start to undress and there stood Jen completely naked. He was surprised by this. He thought she was going to tell him about it while he took a shower and the look on his face must have shown his surprise.

  “What?” She asked taken back by his look.

  “I just thought you were going to tell me while I got a shower I didn’t know you were going to get in with me.”

  “Oh well I’m sorry. I’ll just put my clothes back on.” She bent over and grabbed her bra but before she even stood up again he spoke.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa… I’m not saying that at all.” He grabbed her bra and tossed it back on the floor. “I’m just surprised is all, excited.” He gave her a big smile. “Very excited, but surprised none the less.” He started taking off his clothes as she climbed into the shower. When he was done he hurriedly climbed in with her. “What has gotten into you?”

  “Nothing… why?” She was running her fingers through her wet hair.

  “Well this morning you looked like you were an inch from a breaking point and well now.” He pointed his hands at her palm up and moved them up and down. “This. It’s a pretty big one eighty in a short amount of time is all.”

  “Well did you know we have a parapsychology class on campus?” Not giving him time to answer she continued. “They even have their own paranormal club.” She reached past Mike, who was now washing his hair to get her shampoo. “They go on ghost hunts and everything.”

  “I was unaware of that.” He said as he grabbed his wash cloth and squeezed a glob of liquid soap on it. “How did you find that out?”

  “I was in the library and asked about paranormal books and Tracy the girl that works the counter at the campus library is actually a member.” She paused as she rinsed the shampoo out of her hair.

  Mike took the opportunity to ask his previous question again. “You didn’t answer me though. What brought this change on by the way?”

  “Oh, sorry.” She grabbed her wash cloth and like him, squeezed a glob of soap on it and began to scrub. “Tracy and I started talking. I am actually very surprised at how easily it all came out to be honest.” She stopped talking long enough to wash her face. “I explained to her what had happened.” She paused and held her wash cloth out to him. “Can you get my back?” She spun around as he took the cloth from her hand and he began to wash her back. “So anyway, I told her about what had happened and she just lit up. She told me that there are paranormal investigators that go their whole lives dreaming of having that kind of contact. We talked for about an hour and she made me feel a lot better about everything.”

  He handed her wash cloth back to her over her shoulder and when she turned around handed her his then spun around. She took
it and began washing his back. “So now you are excited about what happened?” He was having an issue wrapping his head around the dramatic turnaround. He was still freaked out about what had happened which is why his phone still laid in pieces in the back seat of their car and here she is excited about it all.

  “I’m still a little freaked of course but after talking with Tracy and hearing her talk about it, I have to say I’m a bit excited yes.”

  Mike was now rinsing the soap off his body and a second later Jen grabbed him and swung him to the back so she could rinse off.

  “Well that’s good you’re starting to feel better about what happened. I was worried about you.” He reached to open the shower curtain. “Did you read anything interesting in the journal?”

  He barely got the shower curtain open a few inches when Jen grabbed his hand and pulled it shut again. He turned his head and saw her standing there, grinning from ear to ear.

  “I don’t think you understand.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips. “I said I was excited.”

  He was taken by surprise but it only took him a few seconds to shake it off and wrap his arms around her waist.

  She slide one of her hands down and began to rub his muscular chest then leaned in and kissed where she had just rubbed. “Besides I made you a promise at your parent’s house.”

  He had forgotten all about it until just that second. With everything going on it had completely slipped his mind. Now that he remembered however, excitement began coursing through him and it became visibly apparent.

  “You forgot!” She raised her hand that she was rubbing his chest then brought it down and smacked him right where she was rubbing.

  “Ouch Crazy” He said with a smile. “There has been a lot going on, hasn’t there.”

  She raised herself up and kissed him on the lips again. “I’ll let it slide this once.” She smiled and then kissed him again but this time it was deep and passionate. “But just this once.”

  He slid his hands down and grabbed her thighs and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around him as he lifted her. He turned, held her against the wall, and kissed her lips with an almost ferocity. She ran her hand that she had been rubbing his chest up and in his hair grabbing a handful as she did. She let out a moan as he moved his lips to her neck and began to kiss.

  Neither one had noticed how cold the water had gotten till the sexual endorphins in their bodies had finally gone away but when they did, they both let out loud yelps. Jen threw the curtain back and jumped out of the shower blocking Mike’s escape in the process.

  “Thanks babe, throw me to the wolves, very nice.” He said as he grabbed a towel and began to feverishly dry himself off.

  Jen had a towel wrapped around her and was already out the door making her way to their bedroom as she yelled back to him. “Women and children first!”

  By the time Mike had dried off and made his way into the bedroom she was dressed in her pajamas and under the covers. He walked to the dresser and pulled out a pair of pajama pants and slid them on then made his way towards the bed and began to crawl into it when she flipped the covers off and stopped him before he could get one leg on the bed.

  “It’s not time for bed yet.”

  He stopped in his tracks and sighed. “I’m exhausted babe.”

  “Don’t give me that. You can stay up a little longer.” She scooted to the side of the bed and sprung up and out of it. “After what I just did to you in the shower I think you can stay up a little for me, don’t you think?”

  He knew there was only one correct answer to the situation and he wasn’t dumb enough to not go along with it, so he raised himself back up and followed her out of the bedroom and down to the chair she had been sitting in when he had gotten home.

  “So I was reading some of the journal entries” She grabbed Mike’s hand and sat him down in the chair and then climbed onto his lap then pulled the laptop over to them. “First ones are just normal things nothing about her or anything at the house.” She moved her finger over the mouse pad and double clicked bringing a new screen filled with words. “This is from Halloween night though.” She spun the laptop and Mike grabbed the edge with his hand adjusting it so he could see it better and began to read.

  10/31/2007

  It was Halloween night and Mike and I were at the old abandoned house. We had always heard of people going and the stories they told were nothing spectacular. I didn’t really believe it to be actually haunted until now. We saw something. I’m not sure if it was real. It feels like it wasn’t but it’s in my brain the image, my heart is still pumping. I can’t get the image out of my head and honestly I don’t want to.

  The night started off like a normal night, well as normal as it can be with the prospect of spending the night in an old abandoned supposedly haunted house anyways. When we had gotten to the house the sun was just starting to go down and everyone was gathered in the large great room. There was just enough light coming in the house so that flashlights weren’t really needed yet but we all had them ready and there were even several candles lit too. I was following Mike around as he did his normal walk through the crowd, the way a king would greet his subjects. He hates when I make that comparison but I find it amusing so I do any chance I get. Then again it gives him his opening for calling me the court Jester but it’s a fair trade if you ask me… Way off topic… Back on track… As we were making our way through the crowd you could hear the murmurs of how the house was haunted and how most people planned on staying down stairs but a few people were bragging about how they had been all through the house and had seen this and that and they were going to hang out in the basement or attic and blah blah blah “I’m a big man now let me in your panties” talk. Sometimes it’s embarrassing to be male… It wasn’t till the end of the royal tour that I heard Penelope say that she and her older brother came here one night and while they were upstairs they saw a ghost, a full body apparition. She went on how it looked so real and had it come from anyone else I probably wouldn’t have believed it. Penelope wasn’t the type to try to impress people and the sound of her voice as she talked about it… That’s when I decided that we should try our luck upstairs and I’m so glad we did.

  About an hour after we got there Mike and I made our way upstairs and it wasn’t long after that we saw what I believe Penelope and her brother saw.

  As we walked down the hall most of the rooms didn’t have doors and if they did they were wide open. We shined the flashlights in and peaked in them as we passed. However there was one door that was closed and though it peeked our interest, we passed it at first. It wasn’t till we were on our way back towards the stairs that we stopped at it. We both looked at each other and then with a big breath as if trying to inhale some bravery we opened the door and there she stood. After seeing her standing there my body just went numb not out of fear though. I wasn’t scared I have been scared and that wasn’t it, this feeling was new. Whatever it was it made me drop my flashlight and when it hit the floor she turned towards us.

  Penelope had said she and her brother saw a ghost but that’s not what I saw. I saw an angel, the most beautiful creature I have ever and can only imagine will ever see. I can see her face right now all I need to do is close my eyes. I see her long wavy hair that reached a good six inches past her shoulders, her flawless skin, and her beautiful eyes. Where there would have been color was a light grey almost a silver but it didn’t shine like silver would, she had full flowing eyelashes that sat above them. She had the cutest button nose, and her lips had a light greyness to them not the same color as her eyes but slightly darker than the rest of her whitish skin.

  I saw the look on her face from the side and she was staring at the wardrobe with such longing it was heartbreaking. I don’t know if it was hers and she missed the clothes or what it meant to her but whatever it was it was important. When I dropped the flashlight she spun around and Mike was the first one she saw. She looked back and forth between us f
or a bit and her face was just… Well I don’t know how else to describe it but she looked like she had seen a ghost I have no idea what it was about but it was very strange. She lingered for a few seconds but it felt like an eternity then turned and ran and then vanished.

  Mike has been acting weird since then. He acts like it never happened, that he didn’t see whatever it was that I saw. I know he did though I saw his face when she was staring at him. He saw it, there is no doubt in my mind. I wish I could describe the look on his face though I have never seen anything like it. That was probably the scariest thing of the night. His look was just… well it just got to me and it still has me a bit shaken.

  I’m going to go back I want to see her again. I want to meet her. I’d love to get to know her. Mike doesn’t approve but I have to. I don’t think I have a choice in the matter it’s like she’s calling me or something. I can’t stop thinking about her.

  All kinds of emotions started to roll in to Mike as he finished reading this entry. He could see the memory of that night like he was there again. He pushed the laptop back to Jen and she sat it down on the coffee table. He could remember everything about that night except for what was going through his mind. He sat there in the chair racking his brain trying to figure it out but it wasn’t coming. She must have noticed him straining for the memory because she gave him a look of slight concern.

  “You ok Michael?” She asked in a soft voice.

  “Yeah I’m just trying to remember that night more clearly. I’m still thinking about what you said in the car about my mental block. Nothing is coming though I wish it was but it’s not.”

  “Well don’t stress yourself about it.” She leaned down and kissed his forehead. “I asked Tracy about it actually.”

  Mike looked up at her and she had a smile on her face. “You two are becoming fast friends I take it.”

  “Something like that.” She paused as she ran her fingers through his hair. “Well anyways she said that someone getting a mental block from a traumatic paranormal experience is a lot more common than you think.”

  “Did she say what to do about it?”

  “Well she said it’s unlikely to come back on its own so if you really wanted to find out what it was you should go see someone.”

  “Like a therapist?” He rolled his eyes, at the thought. The last thing he wanted was a shrink to say he was mentally unstable months before draft time.

  “Well a kind of therapist…” She paused for a second as if debating the next words. “Like a hypnotherapist.”

  He started to laugh. The idea of going to a hypnotherapist seamed absurd. The types of hypnotherapist he knew of, cured people of their cravings for cigarettes and got people to have imaginary sex or cluck like a chicken on a stage somewhere.

  “Don’t laugh.” Her look of concern was now replaced with a full on pout.

  “I’m not laughing at you sweetie I promise it’s just the idea. Even if I wanted to go you know I can’t right now. With the end of the season coming up I’d never have the time.” He decided to leave his possible career ending thoughts out of the conversation.

  “I know I was thinking maybe after the season when things calm down.”

  “We’ll see.” He knew he had no real intentions of going but he didn’t want to burst whatever bubble of excitement she had wrapped around her at the moment. He took her hand and brought it to his mouth and gave it a little kiss then with his other hand reaching underneath it he pinched her thigh.

  “Ouch asshole.” What was that for?

  He smiled. “You’re Highness? Really?” He laughed. “I wondered what that was all about.”

  She tried to suppress her smile. “I wasn’t sure you caught that.” She laughed as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

  “Now can we go to bed? I’m seriously exhausted.”

  “Whatever you wish your majesty.” She smiled and kissed him then stood up, took his hand, and pulled on it.

  He stood. “Careful I could have you sentenced to death for assaulting a member of the royal family.” He smiled and winked at her.

  “Shut it and start walking.”

  They walked hand in hand up to their bedroom, crawled into bed, and pulled the covers up over themselves. Jen reached over and turned the lamp that sat on her side of the bed off then rolled back over and gave Mike one last kiss.

  “I love you.” He said as he looked into her eyes.

  “I love you too baby.” She laid her head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

  She fell asleep almost immediately but he laid there thinking about Wes and that Halloween night trying to figure out what secret, if there was one that had happened so long ago. He thought about it till his thoughts began to slow and exhaustion finally won the battle and he drifted off to sleep.