Came Back Haunted (Experiment in Terror #10) - Karina Halle Page 0,89
want to be a downer at her holiday party. “I’ve been better.”
“I know,” she says, looking at me closely. “You look tired, Perry. And I mean really tired. You’ve been ignoring my texts for the most part. So has Dex. Are you guys…?”
“Oh,” I say, realizing what she’s getting at. “We’re good. I mean, our marriage is fine, in case you’re worried about that.”
She lifts her dainty shoulder in a half shrug. “I figured maybe my birthday present shook things up too much.”
Ah yes. Her birthday present to me, a pair of leather handcuffs.
“They’re still in the box under the bed,” I say. “They’re for emergency use only. Though I must ask, do you give those to all your friends?”
“Only my best ones.” She smirks, then her expression softens. “So what’s really going on then? Is it baby stuff?”
I shake my head, though I’m not sure for how much longer that card will be on the table.
“It’s the usual,” I tell her. “Ghosts and stuff.”
“You always see ghosts, Perry. What’s different this time? You’ve even lost weight, haven’t you? Are you eating?”
“Does vodka count?” I say, only half-joking. I sigh, looking around. The two tall dudes in front of us are loud and boisterous, not paying us any attention. I lower my voice and lean into her. “Remember that woman and the monster that Lucinda saw at the restaurant?”
Her eyes go wide. “You’re seeing that?”
“Her mainly. Not the monster.” Not yet, anyway, because I know that’s coming.
She shakes her head, letting out a soft whistle. “Bloody hell. I don’t know what to say. Is she haunting you?”
I nod.
“And Dex knows?”
I give her a look. “Yes. He knows now. And he sees her too, but she doesn’t bother much with him. I don’t even know what she wants, but she definitely wants me.” I let out a bitter laugh. “Then again, they always do. Story of my life.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know,” I admit, making fists by my sides, nails digging into my palm. “I really don’t.”
“Are you still seeing your shrink?”
“Day after tomorrow,” I tell her, giving her a quick smile. “Don’t worry, I know I sound crazy.”
She tilts her head sympathetically. “It’s not that. I just think having more people to confide in, the better.” She pauses. “Does Ada know?”
Guilt floods through me. “No. We’re having…she’s having problems. I don’t want to burden her with my own. But we’ll see her at Christmas. I’ll tell her then. Merry Christmas, I’m being haunted.”
The line is moving quicker now, and before we know it, we’re getting everyone’s drinks, struggling to carry them all, and bringing them back to the table.
Then we sit down and drink and talk and I’m able to escape again. Rebecca and Dean tell stories about Lucinda, Seb talks about this girl he’s seeing, and Dex and I mainly stay silent, not wanting to open up a can of worms right here.
Eventually Rebecca introduces us to her co-star Claire, who is as charming and gorgeous in real life as she is on the show, then a few other people who work with her. I watch the two of them together closely, trying to figure out if their chemistry could lead somewhere. It’s hard to tell, but they seem to get along very well and they look amazing together.
Then more drinks are had, including a few rounds of shots, and everyone is getting nicely wasted. Dex goes outside a few times to smoke a cigarette while Seb gets high, and I sit back letting the alcohol sink into my bones, making my problems disintegrate to dust.
Every now and then though, I’ll feel that darkness press down on me from above, that oily black wave that wants to drown me. There comes a point where even the alcohol can’t keep that feeling away. I’m starting to think maybe the booze is making it worse, that it’s inviting my inner demons out to play.
Dex has seemed preoccupied all night too, and I can’t blame him. Sometimes he’s on his phone, distracted, or he’s staring off into space. I figure he’s just drunk or maybe he’s feeling that darkness too.
When Rebecca gets up to have a smoke, Dex goes with her outside, leaving his phone on the table. Dean is sitting across from me with Seb, laughing with him about something. I think he’s stoned too.
I’m stabbing the ice cubes in my vodka soda when Dex’s phone lights up beside me. Curiously, I glance over.