I'll Wait Here for You in My Time of Dying

Matt’s P.O.V

It had been about six hours since Lesia had disappeared. I hadn’t seen her or even heard her since. And it was killing me. I didn’t know where she’d gone. She could have moved on to the next life and I hadn’t been able to say goodbye.

For those six hours I’d just sat on my couch, staring at the TV even though I’d failed to turn it on. I didn’t want to go out, not if there was the small possibility that Lesia might come back. My phone had rung many times, and the house phone had rung many times, but I didn’t move to answer them. I just sat there.

“Matt?”

I picked up my head as I heard my name shouted through the house and a moment later Taylor walked through my living room door.

“Okay, so you are alive,” she mentioned and threw her bag down on the floor. “Now would you care to explain why you’re not answering any of our calls?”

I grunted and ran my hand down my head as I looked over at my girlfriend, noticing just how upset and angry she looked.

“Seriously Matt, I’m trying not to get angry here but...” Taylor trailed off and shook her head as she sank down onto the end of couch. “There is something you’re not telling me and I’ve tried to ignore it but I can’t. Every so often your attention drifts off to the side and away from whatever you were focused on and then you’re not even looking at anything. You’re just staring off.”

I didn’t know what to say to that because she was right. There was something I wasn’t telling her, I just had never realised that she had noticed.

“Matt talk to me. Why have you been ignoring our calls?”

“I haven’t been ignoring them, I’ve just...”

“Not been answering them?” She asked and sighed quietly.

I dropped my head into my hands and then ran them through my hair before glancing over to Taylor. She was staring at me, her head cocked to the side slightly as if she was studying me. Her brow furrowed a little as she shuffled over to me, sliding one of her hands into one of mine and squeezing gently.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Taylor questioned. “Please, just let me in that last little bit.”

I looked down at our joined hands and frowned a little bit.

“I honestly don’t know if you’d believe me,” I told her.

Taylor shrugged and turned her body so she had one leg crossed onto the couch as she looked at me.

“You won’t know if you don’t try,” she pointed out.

I looked at her, my eyes flicking about her face before I sighed and slumped down against the back of the couch.

“Please Matt.”

I looked over at Taylor and saw the worry in her eyes. I’d only ever had my friends who gave me that look. Even back when I was with Ashley, she never truly worried about me. Not the way I knew she should have. Looking back, I know she never truly loved me the way that I loved her. Not the way that I thought she loved me. I even wonder if I loved her the way I thought I did, or if it was just habit.

Looking back, I wasn’t so sure anymore.

Looking back, it just made me sure of one thing.

“I love you Taylor.”

Taylor smiled and brought her free hand up, cupping my jaw with hers before running her fingers through my hair.

“I love you too Matt,” she replied before her smile fell a little. “And I’m so hoping that this isn’t the reason you look so down.”

I chuckled and shook my head, tightening my grip on Taylor’s fingers.

“There’s only two other people who know this,” I told Taylor. “And that’s my sisters. Lyndsey thinks I’m insane but Sarah doesn’t.”

“I’m really hoping that you’re not talking about you loving me or I’ll have to hurt Lyndsey.”

I shook my head once more and pulled Taylor a little closer to me. I didn’t really know how to tell Taylor about Lesia. I didn’t know where to start. I didn’t know if I should ease her in. So I came to the conclusion that I should just come out with it.

“My house is haunted,” I blurted out.

Taylor’s brow furrowed and she looked at me, a smile itching at the corners of her mouth.

“Haunted?”

I nodded. “Not in a bad way. She’s just...here.”

Taylor stared at me for a few seconds before cocking her head to the side.

“You’re serious?”

I grunted and tried to take my hand from hers, but she wouldn’t let me.

“I told you, you wouldn’t believe me,” I huffed.

Taylor smiled and tugged me towards her a bit. “It’s not that I don’t believe you. It’s just...ghosts? It’s a little hard to get my head around it.”

I nodded and slumped back a little once more.

“Trust me, I know it is.”

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“So she just vanished?”

I nodded and looked up at Taylor from my laid down position, my head in her lap as her fingers scratched my scalp gently.

“And that’s why you haven’t been answering your phones?”

I nodded again and watched Taylor’s face so I could gauge her reaction. I still wasn’t sure she believed me at all.

“I know it sounds odd, but in these last months she became...she became a friend. Like a best friend. I saw her like Lyndsey and Sarah and I couldn’t help the compulsion I had in me to protect her. And not knowing where she’s gone, or if she’s okay,” I trailed off with a small shrug and sighed. “I’m just worried.”

Taylor ducked her head down and pressed her lips down gently to mine. I kissed back, whining quietly when she pulled away. Taylor chuckled and stroked my cheek with her thumb as she took a deep breath.

“I’m not going to lie,” Taylor admitted. “But I’m still finding it hard to wrap my head around all this. I mean...I’m not saying that I think you’re lying to me but I just...this is the kind of thing that I’d need proof to really believe. To have no doubts.”

“I understand that,” I told her and raised my hand to tangle my fingers in her hair. “At least you’re not like my sisters.”

Taylor smiled. “What do you mean?”

“Sarah got over excited and Lyndsey told me I was insane. Then they began to fight between themselves.”

Taylor bit her lip and I could see she was trying her hardest not to laugh. I chuckled as Taylor covered her mouth with her hand and let a few snickers out.

“Sorry, but I can so picture that in my head,” she explained.

I smiled before pushing myself to my feet. “I’m getting myself a beer, you want one?”

I stretched my arms up and waited until I heard my back click before letting my arms relax back down to my sides. As I hadn’t got a response from Taylor I looked down at her to see she was looking at me whilst biting her lip.

“Baby?” I chuckled. “Do you want a beer?”

Taylor’s gaze flicked up to meet mine and a smirk slowly crept across her lips as she leant forward and curled her fingers into my belt loops, pulling me towards her as she leant back against the couch. I cocked an eyebrow and rested my hands against the back of the couch, my knees going either side of Taylor’s legs as she pulled me forward.

“I don’t want a beer,” she decided.

“Oh really?” I smirked and leant closer to her. “What do you want?”

“I want,” Taylor paused, leaning forward and bumping her nose against my cheek for a second. “You.”

I smiled and closed the tiny gap between us, pressing my lips to hers. I felt Taylor sigh beneath me and couldn’t help but feel so unbelievably lucky that I had this woman in my life.