Chapter Eight

"I bought drinks, let us drink to our fill." The silence had become so unbearable that Geneva had to do something about it.

She must get him drunk to avoid the horror - the unspeakables of a wedding night. But could ghosts drink? The look on his face answered the question.

Time for plan B!

"Let's talk for a while, shall we?"

Geneva sat down and watched him do the same on the single sofa in the room, right beside her. Feeling that familiar iciness in the air surrounding them, the hairs on her body stood instantly.

"Let's start with the basics, what is your name?"

"Nicholas."

What an ordinary name. So ghosts do have one.

"You said something about being half dead and second chances, what does that mean?"

"Recovering my memories gives me access to my body and its location."

Oh, so he doesn't know where his body is. Poor ghost.

"But, why me?"

"I told you. Soulmate." All strength left her. Conversations with this ghost led nowhere.

"Ehen, the most important one. Okay how to ask *cough cough*. Before you revealed yourself, did you uhh, uhm, perhaps view what nature has designed to be hidden from all but one's hus...band?" She was done for, he was her husband now.

Looking at the said husband who refused to acknowledge the question as he stared pointedly at her with his ashen face, Geneva figured: he refused to answer questions he found unnecessary or just ones he didn't want to answer.

She took off the hat whose veil had not been lifted yet and fanned herself with it, threw it away and scratched her head.

Wearing such a thing in the first place had been a way to protect herself from the 'kiss the bride' part of a wedding which she'd purposely skipped and the ghost –Nicholas, yes, she should get used to calling him that now– had as well overlooked.

He was full of surprises, wasn't he? Was he really so decent or was he a pervert underneath all the pretense. What if he had been something worse before his death. The list was so long, should she start panicking?

Geneva's imagination was taking her many places in a short time but her curiosity ruled over her fears. "Where had you been before you showed me yourself?"

"I was trapped in the walls."

"So you really were in the walls. Then why didn't you stop me from escaping when I thought you were missing?"

"When I was missing?"

She marveled at the way his questions, statements and the look on his face seemed like one discussing business. "Ehh, I mean when I was leaving."

"I was reliving some vague memories from my past."

"Ehn?" Geneva understood nothing that he had just said.

"You freed me from the walls and released some memories of mine using the locket." Nicholas explained.

"I really did that? So I am the cause of my problems? I must be crazy."

But he said no more.

So he really doesn't like talking unless necessary.

After a short moment of silence Nicholas produced words again, "come with me to the bedroom."

The ambiguity of those words blew her mind. "What? No, no, let's talk longer, shall we?" Where in the world has dawn gone to? "Ehm, I noticed, how is it that I can feel your touch?"

"I told you. Intimacy." He spoke unhurriedly.

She started that weird noise again but the wails in it this time were prevalent, domineering and loud. My world!

He watched her steadily for a while and without having mercy on her uttered, "let's sleep together."

Then he stood, turned to face the bedroom which was by their right and waited for her. She clutched the skirt of her floor-length Lolita wedding dress as big as a ball gown, in tightly clenched fists.

Had Belle felt like this when she was with the beast? She doubted. Calculating mind and all, Geneva followed him in.

Her heart was beating and thumping, threatening to smash its way out of her chest. She was sweating all over, even on her legs.

She could feel the cold air surrounding the ghost as he lay beside her, encasing her too. Geneva clutched her wedding dress tighter, proud of herself for having chosen a gown with heavy embroideries in case any funny situation arose.

She wiggled her toes and felt her frantic heartbeat calm down a little, her heels –a very deadly weapon– were still intact.

They had entered the room about twenty minutes ago and all Nicholas had done was to silently guide her to the small bed, walk to the other side, open the sheets and settle on the bed! That was soooo suspicious.

She had just realized that she had not had that horrible dream filled with the stench of blood and pain. The nightmares could have served as a much needed distraction right now. But she was still surprised that that mysterious old woman had been right.

Geneva noiselessly turned her head to look at him. He was lying on his back with his eyes closed. Is he asleep? She wanted to raise her hand and shake it across his face to know but that was too risky.

And so it was decided, she would not sleep tonight!

******

Noooo!

Geneva woke up with a jolt.

Her fingers met her head, scratching it to rid her brain of the cobwebs in them. That was when the memories came to her –she had slept off!

Her hands immediately shot to her dress. They were still intact and without any form of manhandling. Relief flooded her body in large waves. Turning her head to know what Nicholas was up to, she discovered him missing.

Is he gone? Has he recovered all of his memories and found his body? Had last night... pfft rather, lack of a last night been enough?

She searched for Nicholas under her bed, in her closet, in her drawer, under her book, inside her pen and when hope was already building up, she found him.

Geneva was standing in front of the open door and Nicholas was standing in the sitting room, a little bit to the left, facing the kitchen.

His broad back was upright and firm as he stared with focus at nothingness with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

They looked like a crazy couple with Geneva looking as distraught as she did in a parachute wedding gown full of creases, smurred nude lipstick and a crazy bird nest of hair to top it off and Nicholas seriously staring and analyzing the air.

When had we switched from Belle and the beast to Joker and Harley Quinn?