“Oh, right. So what meeting are you here for?”
“Mine,” he replied. “I have permission from the university to start a parapsychology club. Haven’t you seen the posters?”
Actually, now that he mentioned it, she had. But she hadn’t paid them any attention.
“So you’re not here for the meeting?” He looked a little crestfallen.
“Sorry,” she said gently. He shrugged. “I’m sure others will come in a few minutes,” she added.
He nodded. He seemed to be reverting to his awkward silence again. She didn’t want that, so she decided to ask him a question. “Theo, you don’t really believe in ghosts, do you?”
“I do,” he replied in all seriousness.
“But... you’re a science major. A future geneticist. How can you believe in something so... unscientific?”
“Jules, I love science, but it doesn’t explain everything. It can’t. The human soul is beyond the powers of science to explain. It always will be. Don’t you think so?”
Jules thought for a moment. “I deal with machines, not organisms. I don’t think they’re really the same. Yes, there is more in this world than physics and biology can explain. But ghosts, Theo?”
“Why not? The phenomenon is well-established across cultures and times.” He thought a moment and then bravely turned the tables on her. “Are you saying you don’t believe? That it’s impossible for something to exist that science can’t explain? Isn’t that a little egocentric, Jules?”
She raised one eyebrow at him. That was far more than she had expected. Impressive. She answered with a painful honesty. “I don’t know, Theo. I’m not saying it’s impossible. I’m not even saying I disbelieve. I’m a skeptic. I go on the assumption that the paranormal is a legend. But I’m a true scientist. I’m willing to let my theory be disproven, if compelling enough evidence presented itself.”
They were face to face now, turned sideways in the desks, leaning forward. The conversation had absorbed them completely.
Theo nodded. “See, that’s a sensible answer. I can respect it. Maybe we can test our theories out together. Would you be willing, Jules, to hunt this ghost with me? If they don’t exist, you’ve proven your theory, right?”
“Well, you know you can never actually prove one...”
“I know,” he interrupted. “You can only fail to disprove. But maybe having a skeptic and a believer work together would have some benefits. What do you say?”
Jules didn’t exactly know. She didn’t much want to go hunting for ghosts, except to test out her new machine, but she did rather want to spend more time with Theo. Behind those dorky glasses, he was awfully cute. She, who was unmoved by muscle-bound jocks and twenty-something heartthrobs, was quivering with attraction towards this shy, nerdy boy in ugly glasses, who believed in ghosts of all things.
She reached across the metal bar that held the desk top to the seat and let her hand rest on his.
“If you want me to come ghost hunting with you, Theo. I will.”
Theo laid his other hand on top of hers and squeezed gently. “Thank you, Julie,” he said, and for once, she had no desire to correct a person using her given name.
***Chapter 5***
“Do we really have to do this in the dark?” Jules complained as she barked her shin for the third time on the arm of one of the auditorium seats.
“Yes,” Theo replied. “You have a light on your... thingy there.”
The light was nothing more than a dim illumination provided by the digital display screen. It was useless as a flashlight.
“And what are you doing?” she asked in exasperation as she adjusted her instruments, trying once again to get a GPR reading of the earth below the basement of the auditorium. The EMF detector had already spiked several times for no reason, but the readings on the radar were muffled. She couldn’t get through. How much cement had they used in this structure?
“I can’t explain,” Theo told her. “How’s the equipment working?”
“It’s not,” Jules replied, unable to keep a hint of a whine from her voice. She walked into the armrest at the end of yet another row and stumbled. Once again, Theo managed to catch her before she went sprawling. Unlike that other time, she didn’t drop her gadget. She did, however, stay very still for a moment, letting the warmth of his hands sink into her bare arms.
“Be careful,” he reminded her in a soft, gentle voice.
“I know,” she replied.
“Any useful readings?”
“No. The EMF detector keeps reading surges in electromagnetic energy, but the ground penetrating radar... isn’t penetrating. I just don’t understand why it can’t see through the cement. It should be able to.”
Theo glanced at the machine. “Are you sure it’s cement?”
Jules pulled back a bit. “What do you mean? What else would it be?”
“I don’t know. I think this building was constructed in the 1960s, right?” he asked. In the dim green glow, his dark eyes shone with intensity behind the heavy black plastic rectangles framing them. It seemed like he was urging her to understand something, but right at the moment, all she could think about was his eyes.
“I, um, I guess so. Why?”
“What if they constructed the basement as a bomb shelter? Can that thing read through a steel plate?”
“Steel? I never even gave it a thought. No, I bet it won’t. In fact, I doubt any hand-held GPR would be able to. We’d have to get a professional model, and there’s no way I can afford one of those!”
“Um, Julie, if it’s true, would the electromagnetic fields from the water in the aquifer be able to penetrate up through it enough to affect people in the auditorium?”
Jules froze. If he was right... then her whole theory was blown. She would have to scrap it and start over.
Something of her distress must have shown in her face. Theo released one of her arms and touched her cheek gently.
“You’ll find the answer,” he said. “I know you will. We don’t even know if the plate is there.”
Jules sniffled a little and shook herself. “Yes. You’re right. We have to be willing to let go of disproven theories. But first we need to do more research. Listen, Theo, it’s after midnight, and I have stupid philosophy in the morning. I can’t get anything else done in here tonight. Can we just go?”
He nodded. “Yes, of course. Let’s.” But he didn’t release her arm. He didn’t take his fingers away from the side of her face. It struck her how close he was. Inches from her. She could actually feel his body heat all along her front. So hot. Burning.
And then her lips were burning as his touched them.
It was a brief, sweet kiss. Then he took her hand in his and led her out of the auditorium, never once coming close to crashing. How he managed it in the dim lighting, she couldn’t imagine. But he moved with as much confidence as she had in full light.
Outside, the cold had deepened to icy night and a terrible wind was blowing. Jules retrieved her leather jacket from the inside door handle of the auditorium and pulled it around her body.
“Theo,” she said.
“Yes, Julie.”
“Why did you kiss me?”
He exhaled noisily. “I wanted to,” he replied. “Did you want me not to?”
“No, Theo. I did. I mean, I didn’t expect you to do it, but I’m not sorry. Just curious. Why did you want to?”
“Girls,” he snorted. “Have to have an answer for everything, don’t you?”
“I guess so,” she replied, unmoved by his attempt at prevarication.
“Fine. I like you. Okay?” Poor Theo. He sounded so awkward under his phony aggressiveness.
“You do?” she feigned shock. “Like in what way? Like a friend you might sometimes kiss? Or what?”
Theo stopped moving and turned to face her, taking her upper arms in his hands again. “Please don’t play games with me, Julie. Not about this.”
He was right. This was not nice teasing,
and no time for it. He was trying to be real. She should do the same.
“Sorry, Theo. Okay. I like you. I think you’re a great friend. I’m so glad we’ve gotten to know each other.”
“Friend?” His face fell.
“Yes. Friend, Theo. A friend with a great deal of potential to become even more. How would you feel about that?”
“Do you mean it?”
Oh those wistful eyes. “Yes. I mean it. Once we... get to know each other a little better... I would like it very much if we could be... more than friends.”
“I would like that too, Julie.”
If two opposite magnetic fields had been aligned they couldn’t have pulled together more intensely than Jules and Theo were in that moment. She slipped her arms out of his grasp and wrapped them around his neck. His empty hands came to rest on her slim hips. Then they began kissing again. What started as a delicate smudge of his lips on hers quickly caught fire. They opened as one, tongues meeting in a wet, eager touch. Languorous desire flared. Jules pressed her whole body against Theo’s, squashing her little breasts into his chest, noting idly that he wasn’t a bit soft. His muscles had tone and definition. He felt wonderful.
His hands on her hips urged her forward, so her pubic bone ground into his groin. She could feel the firm swell of his erection against her belly.
With a gasp, she broke free.
“What?” he asked.
“Uh, um... wha... I...” Jules stammered but couldn’t form coherent words.
“I can’t help it, you know,” he told her softly. “It doesn’t mean you have to do anything.”
“I know,” she replied, finding her voice at last. “I just... got startled. That’s all. Um, I should get back to my room.”
“Yes, okay.” Without another word, he took her hand again and led her back to the stocky red-brick building. At the door, he spoke once more. “You know the Halloween dance?”
“Uh huh.”
“I’d like to go with you. Do you dance?”
“I have two left feet,” she replied honestly, “but if you want to go, I’ll be happy to meet you there.”
“Good,” he replied. Then he gave her another of those delicate soft kisses before opening the door of the dorm building and ushering her inside.
***Chapter 6***
A week later, Halloween night, Jules stood in the ballroom. This large room with its parquet floor, wainscoting, and ornate medallions in the plaster ceiling throbbed with loud music. It wasn’t the kind she liked, being mostly rap. How people danced to it was beyond her. She looked. Oh. They didn’t dance. They ground their pelvises together in time to the music. So it wasn’t about dancing, it was about sex in a public place. She imagined Keller was here somewhere.
Sighing, she turned away. Where was Theo? Once he got here, she would suggest they leave. Go somewhere else and talk, get a cup of coffee. Anything.
One thing about this music. The throbbing rhythm increased her heartbeat. Which made her want to breathe shallowly. Maybe that’s why events like this were so popular. It was a bit like being drunk, without the alcohol. Not that there was no alcohol. Of course, the main drinks table, with its orange plastic cloth, served only bottles of water and glasses of ice cream and soda punch, but several students were smuggling beers and other drinks disguised as more innocuous than they were. Jules had learned her lesson about alcohol the easy way last year. A bit too much wine at a banquet and a bad headache the next day. She was lucky. Even at this university, there were horror stories about what happened to drunk girls. Excess was not in her nature, which was a blessing.
It appeared that was not the case with a ridiculously tall specimen in a faded high school letter jacket. He was sucking on the straw of some kind of pink concoction in a Styrofoam cup with the name of a local drive-in diner stamped on the side.
“Hey, baby,” he grinned at Jules.
She raised one eyebrow. “Are you speaking to me?”
“Sure thing. Want a drink?” He shoved the cup in her direction. Jules fought not to gag as a string of saliva stretched from his lip to the straw.
“No thank you.”
“Aw, c’mon, baby. It’s a cherry-lime slush.”
“Oh yeah? And what else?”
“Just a little Everclear.”
Jules snorted. As if. “No, thank you,” she repeated even more firmly, turning her back on the jock. So what if he was tall, blond and handsome. His attitude left her more than cold. He was repulsive. Especially drunk as he was.
She took a few steps toward the door. This was getting out of hand. She would call Theo and apologize for not being here, but she couldn’t tolerate this crowded sweaty environment another minute.
A heavy hand clamped down on her shoulder, spinning her around. “Come on, baby, dance with me.”
“You don’t listen very well,” she told the jock in her most scathing, unwelcoming tone. “I said I’m not interested. Now let me go.”
He wasn’t listening at all. Keeping a tight hold on her shoulder, he started to lower his face towards hers. She pulled back, wrenching her shoulder in his hand, trying to break his hold. He had a grip like a vice.
“Let... me... go...” she hissed in a furious whisper, trying not to panic.
“Just a little kiss, baby.” He licked his lips. This time Jules really did gag. “Not a chance in hell.” She yanked again, this time managing to upset his unsteady balance. He didn’t let go, but he did lose his grip on his drink. Sticky pink liquid splashed over the front of Jules’ tee shirt and onto the black skirt she’d worn for Theo.
“Jerk!” she shrieked. “Get off me NOW!” The struggle was beginning to attract attention. But where was security? Someone should be here making sure the party didn’t get out of hand.
“I believe the lady asked you to let go,” a calm, confident voice said from off to their left. Jules sagged with relief at the sight of Theo walking over to them.
“Fuck off, nerd boy,” the jock sneered. He stood head and shoulders over Theo, but her friend wasn’t backing down. He shook his head.
“That’s my girl you’ve got there. Let her go.”
“Your girl my ass. Why would she want you when she can have me? I’ll give her a ride to remember.”
“Oh God,” Jules said, “No, no, no! Let me go. I don’t want you near me. Let GO!” This time, with the jock’s attention diverted by Theo’s presence, she managed to break his grip. She shoved him hard on the chest. It was like pushing a brick wall. He didn’t even react. Nor did he seem to notice he was no longer holding her. The fist that had gripped her had clamped down on itself... Oh no.
Before anyone could react, the jock swung, clipping Theo on the jaw. He took the hit squarely, rocking back from the force but not falling. Jules screamed.
“What is going on here?” A uniformed security guard who towered above the crowd pushed his way through. Jules sighed with relief. Officer Richter was a gentle giant who had escorted her across campus many times. But his height was intimidating.
“Officer, this man was bothering me, and then he hit Theo for no reason,” Jules explained.
Richter nodded. “Come on, pal, you need to cool off.” His big hand clamped down on the back of the man’s neck and guided him out the door. Jules sighed with relief.
“Are you okay, Theo?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he replied. “I’ll live.”
She took his hand. “I’d hug you, but I’m covered in cherry slush. You saved the day. Thank you.”
“The officer saved the day. I didn’t do anything.”
“You stood up for me, Theo. You took a hit. I can’t believe you didn’t fall.”
“I’m stronger than I look,” he replied. There was a note of irritation in his voice.
She guessed his size was sometimes an issue for him. Wanting to reassure him, she leaned closed and touched her lips to the red mark on his jaw. “I know you are,” she said. “Would you like to dance with me?”
“I t
hought you were covered in cherry slush?”
“Oh, I am. And I’ll want to go get changed in a minute, but I don’t want to come back here. If we don’t dance now, we won’t.”
The song had changed. No more rap, they were playing an ‘80s rock ballad. Nice. She stepped close, leaning her dry side against him. He wrapped his arms around her back. They swayed like that for several minutes. Jules could smell the clean, evergreen scent of Theo’s cologne, now slightly tinged with artificial cherry.
He looked down into her eyes, and she smiled at him encouragingly. He took her unspoken suggestion and gave her a soft, gentle kiss.
“Shall we go?” he asked as the song ended.
“Yes, let’s,” she replied. He placed his hand on the small of her back and escorted her to the door.
Shaking her head in mute disgust as the sticky mess on the front of her shirt turned icy cold in the late autumn wind, Jules led Theo back to her dorm. A grumpy-looking underclassman was on duty at the desk.
“Sign your guest in, Jules,” Joey said sulkily.
“I’ll only be a minute,” she replied. “We’re not staying in my room.”
“Regulations. Sorry,” Joey replied, tossing a mass of overly long black curls from his face.
Jules muttered under her breath and signed Theo’s name on the visitor pad. The clock above the desk read 10:45. She took his hand and led him up the stairs to her room.
“No elevator?” he asked.
“It’s unreliable. For only three stories, I never waste my time with it.”
At the top, a long hallway covered in ugly gray industrial carpet stretched many feet to end in a white-framed window set in a cinder block wall. Both sides were lined with doors, each with a number, all painted different bright colors. Jules led Theo to an electric blue one labeled 306 and opened with a little key hanging from a chain around her neck. The key was almost lost in an assortment of charms. She pulled the door shut behind them and walked across the little space to her white dresser, pulling open the center drawer. She glanced back at Theo and saw him taking in the girly space. Keller’s side was a mess, as usual. Dirty clothes and discarded papers littered the floor. Her flowered bedspread lay in a crumpled heap across the foot of the mattress, exposing lavender sheets. Jules’ side was tidy. Her girly skulls grinned from the perfectly positioned comforter, and a plush pillow in a matching design lay across the top. Her books sat on a shelf above the built-in desk where her laptop waited for her next homework assignment.
He Loves Me Not: Haunted Hook-up Page 5
