Chapter Thirty-Eight

2018 – Earth – The past (for you)

There you were. As usual. He liked to watch you while you hopped around while getting ready for work. Your rushed antics were cute. One shoe on, the other missing, your hair a mess—absolutely ridiculous. You let out a frustrated sigh when you spotted your other shoe and pulled it on before rushing out the door and driving to work.

Most days began like that—some didn't. He had watched you for so long that he understood your rhythm. On the days you had off you'd always try to get up on time and enjoy your day, but you tended to fail miserably. All you could do was wallow in your bedsheets until ten or eleven and wish that you had more free time.

He liked your days off best, though. You were happier when you got to live your life—happier when you got to sleep in. You deserved it, he knew you did, and he wanted you to have it. More than anything, he... He just wanted you to be free from the stresses of your life.

It was hard watching from the outside. He wanted to comfort you when you cried. He wanted to celebrate with you when you were happy—he wanted you to feel safe with him and to love being around him as much as he loved being around you.

But he couldn't.

If there's ever been a time where you feel like you've been watched, or if you saw a shadow but when you turned there was no one there, you haven't been wrong. He's been watching you for years.

You weren't crazy when you thought you saw something in the mirror—the chills that you felt at random weren't a coincidence. Your life was full of odd occurrences that you just brushed off. He wanted to be with you and to have you want to be with him.

He couldn't wait any longer—frankly it made more sense to just do it now.

You see, you thought you could feel something different in the air on the day of your death, but, like everything else, you dismissed it. Surely, it was nothing.

Right—he couldn't truly become physical on earth, but he could still have some effect. That's why you could sense him sometimes even if you didn't realize it was him. If he could just—if you were just dead—well. He thought it was a good idea.

And he was right...!

Well. Almost right. He was learning a lot each time he tried again, at least. He tried to stay positive. This time was going pretty well. Was this it? Did you love him?

It seemed that way. It was weird—the extra people—you seemed to need them to push you into his arms, but they also seemed like the very reason this could all fail. He wasn't sure what to make of it.

He just loved you.