The Ghosts of Your Past Haunt Me

Sunlight filtered through the window, hitting me directly in the eyes and making me pull the sheet over my face.

“Morning beautiful,” a sleep filled voice said from beside me.

I smiled and turned over to face Zak, “Good morning.”

I opened my eyes and screamed at what lay next to me.

I bolted upright in bed; sweat beaded down my face and my breathing was heavy. I immediately looked over at Zak, he was still sound asleep. I let out a sigh of relief and ran my hand over my face. I hope this wasn’t a new ghost or spirit or demon or whatever the fuck they were that had followed him home. I was still getting used to the others even though we had been together almost three years. I could still remember the first encounter I ever had with one of Zak’s supernatural things.

*flashback*
I smiled as I looked around; all my things were mixed in with Zak’s making this feel more like an official relationship. Hell what could be more ‘official’ than moving in with him! I grinned and clapped happily to myself.

“Finished unpacking I see.”

I turned around to see the gorgeous man I called my boyfriend standing in the doorway.

I nodded, “Almost, but It feels more like home already.”

His smile didn’t reach his eyes, “I’m glad.”

I ignored it thinking that he had something on his mind about the lockdown he had, “So what time are you leaving?”

He walked over to me and wrapped an arm around my waist, “In just a few. Are you sure you want to stay here tonight while I’m gone?”

I looked at him a bit confused, “Of course! I didn’t spend all day unpacking and putting my stuff with yours just to leave it. Why?”

He just shook his head, “Just promise me that if you get scared or something happens, you’ll go to Hailey’s right away.”

His tone was scary, but I nodded, “I promise.”

He halfway smiled and kissed my forehead, “Okay well I have to go, I’ll text you when I can and I’ll see you in the morning. If anything and I mean ANYTHING happens and you need me, call me. Don’t hesitate. And if you go to Hailey’s text me so I’ll know you didn’t just leave.”

“Zak, you’re scaring me. What’s wrong?” I asked, concern in my voice.

He shook his head, “Just promise me, please?”

I sighed, “I promise. Now go before you’re late!”

He looked at me for a minute as if he didn’t want to go, but walked out the door and shut it behind him. The apartment was eerily silence with the exception of Gracie’s feet clicking as she walked into the living room. Sighing I started up the stairs, knowing I had a few more boxes up there to unpack. Once I got up there, I began working on one of the few boxes in his our bedroom.

After a few minutes, I had almost all the boxes unpacked so I decided to take a break. Walking down the stairs, I heard footsteps behind me. Whipping around, I saw nothing. Shrugging it off as Gracie, I continued down the stairs and headed into the kitchen. I made myself a drink and started to look through the cabinets for something to eat.

“Who are you?”

My hand froze over the cabinet door, the hair on my arms stood up and goosebumps started to form. I turned my head slightly and out of the corner of my eye, I could see a dark shadowy figure standing a few feet away from me.

“Who are you!” it screamed again.

I turned around slowly and backed up against the counter. My eyes were wide with fear, I couldn’t get my thoughts straight. I had never actually seen a ghost before or whatever this was. My brain finally kicked into gear and I pulled my phone from my pocket, the thing growled before disappearing, and dialed Hailey’s number.

*end flashback*

Since then I’ve seen several things that’s followed Zak home or has been with him for a while and I’ve gotten used to them. Most of the time they didn’t faze me because I usually had my mother as a guardian angel and she wouldn’t let them harm me; a friend with one of the paranormal ‘gifts’ told me that she had never felt safer with anyone than she had me and it was because my mom was almost always around me. It made me smile because she died when I was very young and to know she was still with me filled some kind of odd void I had never been able to fill.

Anyways, I had never seen whatever this was in my dream before, so I just hoped for Zak’s sake that it wasn’t something new. I pushed the covers back and placed my feet on the floor. I grabbed the shirt I had on last night and slipped it over my head and started looking for my underwear. Finding them under the covers, I slipped them on and walked over to my suitcase. I pulled out a pair of shorts and pulled them on before walking out of the room.

“Gooooood Morning!” Hailey sang, a knowing smile on her face.

I blushed, “Morning.”

Nick stifled a laugh. I stuck my tongue out at him and sat down at the small breakfast nook that was attached to the kitchen.

“So knowing that you had a good morning, what would you like to eat?” Hailey asked through a giggle.

I rolled my eyes, “I think I’ll have some sausage, bacon, and eggs, please.”

I heard Nick mutter something like, “You’d think she’d had her fill of sausage last night.”

I swatted his arm, “Fuck you Groff!”

He dodged the swat and just laughed in my face, “Well it’s true!”

I rolled my eyes.

“What’s true?” Zak’s sleep filled voice made me jump.

“That Katie should’ve had her fill of sausage this morning,” Hailey informed him.

He kissed my hair and sat down beside me, “Sausage? Since when do you eat sausage?”

Hailey died laughing along with Nick.

“Apparently as of this morning,” Nick breathed out between laughs.

“Oh fuck you guys! That’s how Hailey wound up pregnant, remember?” my voice cracked at the end and I busted out laughing as well.

Zak finally caught on, “So you guys heard, huh?”

Nick nodded as he stood up and walked over to Hailey, “Yeah we did. Kind of ruined the mood for us, here babe, let me do this. You go sit down and get off your feet.”

I giggled, “Well maybe you guys should be louder.”

Zak coughed to cover his laugh, but still had a smirk on his face. Hailey sat down across from me and stuck out her tongue. The conversation died down, well about Zak and I’s morning festivities anyway.

“So what’s on the agenda for today?” I asked, taking a bite of my delicious sausage.

I did think it was a bit strange that I wanted sausage this morning, no pun intended, but occasionally I wanted a piece or two.

“We have to fly to Italy for a lockdown that we’re doing there in three days,” Nick answered, eyeing Hailey and I cautiously.

I nearly choked on my sausage (oh shut up), “What?” I managed to spit out once I got through coughing.

Zak patted my back, “Yeah we’re going to be locked down at "Poveglia Island" in Venice, Italy.”

I dropped the sausage on to the plate and walked out of the room, heading for Zak and I’s bedroom. I shut the door sort of hard behind me and jumped in the bed. I curled in a ball trying to fight the tears that threatened to fall. I heard footsteps coming towards the bedroom and then the door opened and shut.

“When were you going to tell us, Zak?” I sputtered, the tears already falling from my eyes.

The bed sunk under his weight as he climbed in beside me and wrapped his arms around me.

“Baby, I’m sorry. We just found out this morning when we got out of the lockdown. I meant to tell you when I got back, but I kind of got sidetracked,” there was a smile in his voice as he said the last part.

I shiver ran through my body as I remember our perfect morning, “How long will you be gone?”

He tugged on my arm, indicating he wanted me to face him so I turned over. He wiped the tears from my face and rubbed his thumb gently over my cheek.

“We leave tomorrow morning and we will be back in four days technically,” he answered his voice barely above a whisper.

Another tear fell from my cheek, four days without him, “When do you leave?”

He wiped the tear away, “Tomorrow morning.”

“So I guess I’m left to Gracie and the ghosts of your past lockdowns, huh?” I tried to laugh, but to be honest I was scared.

His eyes narrowed, “You know I don’t like it that you stay there when I’m not there.”

I rolled my eyes, “I’m a big girl Zak. I’ve gotten used to most of them.”

He sighed, “You’re so stubborn.”

I giggled, “Well that makes two of us.”

A smile played on his lips, but faded as quickly as it had come “Did you have a weird dream before you woke up?”

Shit how did he know?

I swallowed hard, “Sort of.”

His eyes closed as he exhaled through his nose, “What happened?”

“Well I woke up and you had said ‘Morning beautiful’ and I smiled and said ‘Good morning’ back, but when I rolled over it wasn’t you in bed with me. It was the silhouette of a man, but his face was distorted,” the last part came out as a whisper.

He tightened his arms around me, pulling me closer to him. I buried my face in his chest.

“I’m so sorry you have to deal with my shit,” he whispered, sorrow in his voice.

I pushed away from him so I could look at his face, “Zak, its part of what you do. I understand that. Don’t be sorry for something that you can’t help.”

He opened his eyes and they locked with mine, “But if something happened to you because of my problems, I’d kill myself.”

An automatic shudder rippled through my body, “Don’t ever say that. Ever.”

Tears pricked my eyes again. He kissed my tears away before they fell. I buried my face in his chest again. Inhaling his scent, I couldn’t even begin to fathom my life without him. I don’t care what baggage he comes with. Granted a crazy ex would be easier to deal with, but he’s a paranormal investigator so it comes with the territory.

“I love you so much for that,” he mumbled into my hair.

My heart melted, “And I love you for who you are, ghosts or no ghosts.”

He smiled down at me and pecked my lips. We lay like this for a few more minutes before deciding to take a shower.

*****************************

“Okay so are we staying here or are we flying back to Vegas?” I asked as I dried my hair.

Zak was stepping out of the shower, water rippled down his chest and over his abs. My mind went completely blank as I stared at him.

“Earth to Katie?”

I snapped out of my trance and looked up at him, “Huh?”

He chuckled, “Do I really distract you that easily?”

I blushed, “Maybe. Now what did you say?”

He wrapped a towel around his waist before he answered.

“I said, ‘We are staying here for the night. There is no point in flying back to Vegas’.”

I nodded, “Okay so Hailey and I will fly back tomorrow once you and the guys leave for Italy?”

He wrapped his arms around me, kissing my shoulder, “I’ve already got your tickets, you head out the same time we do.”

I sighed, “Okay.”

He turned me around, still keeping his arms around me, “Katie promise me that you won’t stay home alone. Not after the dream you had.”

I could hear the fierceness in his voice, “But Zak I haven’t been home in what feels like ages.”

He narrowed his eyes, “Katie, please don’t stay there.”

I rolled my eyes and pulled away from him, “Dammit Zak quit treating me like this! You know I have my mother, granted she isn’t always around; which explains why I’ve seen things, not to mention Gracie. Nothing will harm me, I promise.”

When I turned around to face him again, he was pinching the bridge of his nose. I let out a heavy sigh and threw my hands in the air.

“Fine dammit! You fucking win!”

I walked over to my suitcase and pulled out some undergarments and clothes before marching back into the bathroom and shutting the door with a little more force than I intended to. I placed my back against it and slid down to the floor. I closed my eyes and sighed, trying not to cry. I know what followed Zak home on occasion was not something to play with, but I didn’t have to be afraid of it either.

Zak was afraid I was going to leave like the rest of his past girlfriends. Even though we had surpassed the length of time he had been with any of them. I loved Zak with every ounce of emotion I had in my body. Call me cliché, but he was my heart and soul. Standing up, I dropped my towel and pulled on my purple boy shorts and a purple bra to match. I realized it was sheer luck that I actually grabbed a matching pair, but the thought dissolved quickly because I was still mad about my fight with Zak. I pulled on the black sweater and followed suit with my jeans.

Once they were buttoned, I grabbed my brush off the counter and began brushing out the tangles. When I finished I picked up my tooth brush and began the process of brushing my teeth. Running my tongue over my teeth, I agreed with myself that they couldn’t get any cleaner so I picked up my toothpaste and my brush and walked out of the bathroom. Zak was sitting on the edge of the bed. His face was blank and he was staring at the floor. I placed my tooth brush, toothpaste, and brush back in my toiletries bag before pulling out my mousse and hairspray.

I walked past Zak and back into the bathroom. I smirked at myself as I left the door open. Bending over directly in front of the door, I peeked to see if Zak was looking. Score! He was so I slowly moved my hips from side to side as I grabbed my mousse and put a decent amount in my hand. I began working it into my hair, making sure my hair was scrunched to perfection. I put a little more mousse in my hand; my hair is extremely thick, before working it into my hair.

“Is this your way of apologizing?”

I felt Zak’s presence right behind me. I smiled at the floor.

“Maybe.”

I sprayed the hairspray on the back of my hair before standing up and flipping my hair over. I felt it as it gently smacked Zak in the face. I turned to face him, a smirk on my lips.

“Unless you want to have to redo that hair of yours, I suggest you stop teasing me,” he smirked.

A thrill ran through me, but I back up and smiled innocently. I sprayed the top part of my hair and bent to pick up mousse. Straightening back up, I handed Zak my hair products.

“Looks like you need to do your infamous ‘fohawk’, Mr. Bagans,” I giggled.

He rolled his eyes, but smiled to show he was playing. I stepped out of the bathroom so he could fix his hair. I began gathering things from around the room to place them back in my suitcase. I felt a tap on my arm and I looked up to see Zak standing next to me. I smiled at him and grabbed my mousse and hairspray from him. I placed them back in my suitcase and took Zak’s hand before walking out into the living area of the hotel room.