You're a Ghost, So Why Can I See You?

I waited patiently on one of the two stools that were placed across from each other from the tiny round table. I was debating on whether I should eat my ice cream already or wait for Ian to come back. That’d be the polite thing to do, right?

I eyed the two ice cream cones like a predator does a prey. Ever so slowly, they started to melt… Oh fuck it. I brought my cone to my mouth and quickly licked the ice cream that was sliding down the side of the cone. Mint chocolate chip. My favorite.

“Hey,” Ian said as he hopped up onto the other stool. “Sorry about the wait. Everything was out of order so there was a huge line.”

I nodded and handed him his cone. Why did he tell me that? “Uh, it’s okay…”

“English toffee?” Ian asked, taking a lick of ice cream.

I looked down at my cone and stared at it nervously. What if he hated that flavor and decides to leave? “Yeah, I had no idea what you liked and just about everyone likes English toffee. I guess some people don’t like it though… I’ll pay for another one if you don’t like it. Seriously.”

Ian chuckled at me and shook his head, smiling. “No, I love it.”

I licked the minty yumminess of my ice cream in satisfaction and studied him carefully. His brown eyes shone with so much light and his smile just radiated straight to my heart… That sounded corny, I know, but it was the truth. I felt like I’d known him forever, though we only met yesterday. Was this normal?

“Peyton,” Ian said in a tone that quickly got my attention. “Why didn’t you just drive over here instead of running across the highway? It would have been the smarter thing to do…”

I expected him to ask something like this. Of course I knew it was the smarter thing to do, but why waste the gas and the time? I’d never had any trouble crossing the road before. Ian just happened to show up on the wrong day…Well, the right day. I would have been dead if he didn’t show up.

“It just makes sense,” I said, shrugging. “I’m not a gas guzzler, and plus it’s a lot quicker to just run across the road. I’ve never had anything like that happen before, seriously.”

Ian didn’t say anything in return, just sat staring at me. It made me uncomfortable with him watching me.

“Fate,” he said quietly.

“What?”

He took a bite out of his cone and chewed for a while. “Do you believe in fate? Destiny?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Whatever happens, happens.” Who cared about destiny?

He nodded slowly. “Okay, never mind then. Let’s just forget the whole thing.”

I nodded happily in agreement. After a moment though, I couldn’t help but make a remark. “You’re an idiot, though, you know that?”

A wave of emotions from hurt to confusion to amusement showed on Ian’s face. “You don’t know me enough to say that. I could be a genius for all you know.” He was slightly smirking.

I stifled a laugh. “I don’t need to know you to say that. You ran out in front of a semi truck.” I paused. “Where’d you come from anyways? You weren’t behind and I know you weren’t in front of me…”

Ian coughed a few times then stood up. “Hey, you ready to go?”

My eyes narrowed and I stood up, popping the last bite of cone into my mouth. “Yeah, but you didn’t answer my question…”

“I’m a fast runner,” he said quickly, avoiding my eyes.

We walked out of the Ice Cream Place together, me thinking about what he said. No one’s that fast of a runner… And like I said before, he wasn’t there. I know for a fact Ian wasn’t anywhere within my sight distance. I was highly aware and looking for any tall, blonde guy. I didn’t want to be absent when he dropped by Subway now did I?

“Be careful,” Ian said as we approached the highway. It wasn’t nearly as busy now. A dog could make it safely across without any worry.

I frowned. “Uh, you’re not coming?” If I remember correctly, he tackled me from behind so that meant that he should have been near Subway (which he wasn’t). Why wouldn’t he want to go the same way he came?

He shook his hair. “No, I have some things to do. I’ll watch to make sure you get across though.” A little smile tugged at his lips.

“Just in case you need to save me again?” I asked with a smile.

Ian stared into my eyes, giving me the chills, then nodded. “Who knows, another truck might be zooming by and you won’t happen to see it.” He shrugged. “Someone has to be there to protect you.”

My heart skipped a beat. I swallowed hard and looked across the road. “Well, thanks again. I hope we don’t run into each other like this again.”

Ian laughed lightly and held up a hand to say bye.

I turned towards the road and checked both ways, and then quickly jogged across the road, all lanes. Safely in front of Subway now, I turned around to wave bye to Ian, but he wasn’t there. My face fell.

I looked right and left, but he wasn’t there. He wasn’t anywhere. I guess he could have gone back into the Ice Cream Place, but why would he do that?

I shook my head and headed into Subway.

“Peyton!” Marie screeched when she saw me. “I’m so sorry about Ben! I didn’t know! Honestly! He seemed like a great guy and I thought-”

I laughed and shook my head. “It’s okay, Marie.”

She looked confused. “What?”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s fine. Nothing happened, so it’s okay.”

“What are you talking about…?” she said drifting off into thought. “Why are you so happy? You’ve only been gone like twenty minutes and you were fuming when you left. Usually you’re still mad after an hour. Why are you so happy?”

I smiled to myself and joined her behind the counter. Was my happiness that noticeable? “Remember that guy I told you about? Ian?”

Marie’s eyes grew wide. “He came?”

I twiddled my hands. “Uh yeah, kind of. I almost got hit by a semi, but he pushed me out of the way…”

“What!?” she exclaimed.

I chuckled again. “Weird, isn’t it? That he just happened to be there at that exact time…” My laughter subsided and my smile disappeared. “He saved my life, Marie.”

Marie looked shocked. “You’re serious? You almost got killed and he saved your life? That’s some serious shit.”

“I know, and you know what happened after that? He paid for my ice cream.” I sighed.

Her mouth dropped open. “Who the hell is this guy?”

I shrugged, allowing my mind wander to the way his breathing was hard after he had tackled me to the ground, the way his hair fell in his face, and the way his eyes were big and worried. I remembered the way my heart was beating from just being so close to him and from seeing my life flash before my eyes when I thought the truck was going to hit me.

“He sounds like your knight in shining armor or something,” Marie added.

I took a deep breath, shaking the thoughts from my head again. “I barely know the guy.”