Love her so much that she might doubt your sanity...
But never your passion.

-Dean Jackson

××Playlist××

'Are you sure having the party here is okay? You won't get into any trouble?' Kelsey asked Adriana again for the umpteenth time.

'As long as we finish up all of the chips and I mean all of it, we should be good. If Tatiana finds out the grocery store has "ordered" a new supply of chips and she starts sucking on them again, then I will hunt each of you down and kill you.' Adriana replied, scrolling through the playlist for the party.

'What do I do with these?' Gavin asked, gesturing to the antique flower vase.

'Take it upstairs. Hang on. I'll show you.' She stood up and led the way upstairs where she locked away the vases in one of the spare bedrooms along with all the other important breakables.

'That should do it.' Adriana announced surveying the party preparations in the living room and kitchen.

'Leo get the lights.' She ordered. He flicked off the light switch and the bright skylight was replaced with muted warm glow.

'That should do it.' She nodded in approval. 'And now we wait.'

'Not that any of you bothered to say thank you but you're welcome.' I muttered sarcastically. I'd been standing in silence since the orphanage. I was starting to miss bickering with Gavin.

'What are you yapping about?' He asked with disinterest.

'Yap? When do I ever yap?' I glared at him.

'You have the attention span of a... You know what? Forget it.' He shook his head. 'What didn't we say thank you for?'

'This was my idea remember? You little... Pilferer.'

'Pilferer? Really?' He asked drily.

'You know what I mean.'

'Gavin? Are you feeling okay?' Adriana asked with a worried expression.

'Uh oh.' I bit my lip.

'Yeah. I'm good.' Gavin smiled reassuringly. She shot him a doubtful look.

'So we're all set for the party?' He attempted to change the topic. I rolled my eyes at his lame attempt.

'Gavin, you were just talking to air. Having a full on conversation with air isn't normal.' She looked to Kelsey and Leo for back up. They refused to meet her eyes.

'Wait.' She frowned. 'None of you are surprised. This has happened before?'

They all shared guilty glances. Seriously? I would never trust them with a secret.

'Oh God, it has! Why aren't you worried? This is not normal behaviour. What the hell is going on?'

'Don't.' Leo warned.

'Don't do it, Gav.' Tom seconded.

'Do what?' Adriana cried in frustration. 'What is going on?'

'I'm with your friends on this one but unlike them, I know you're going to do it anyway. I just hope you know what you're doing.' I shrugged.

'I do. Ria, I can't tell you. Not right now. You just have to trust me.' He said, crossing the distance to her. My eyebrows furrowed in thought. He didn't tell her. Why didn't he tell her?

'Gav, I trust you. You know that but you need to trust me. You have to tell me what's going on with you. You're talking to people who aren't there and volunteering at orphanage. You're a good person but you don't ever go out of your way so what is going on? Are you in some kind of trouble? I could help, you know that. I've got influence and cash. You've helped me so many times. Let me help you this once.' She said squeezing his hand.

I rolled my eyes. He's gonna spill the beans.

'Fine.' He sighed.

'What?' Leo and Kelsey snapped.

'I knew this was going to happen. Honestly Gavin if you plan on telling everyone who sees you doing something odd about me then you might as well go announce it national television. You're football captain and resident golden boy for Pete's sake.  Everyone is watching you. Do you think anything you do escapes scrutiny? The whole town is going to know about me before we're even halfway done with the blasted tattoo!' I ranted.

'I trust Ria.' He countered.

'You trust everything in a skirt that walks.' That was not at all true but I can't have him blabbing to everyone.

'Excuse me?' He glared at me through narrowed eyes.

'What? You're deaf now?' I cocked my head, spoiling for a confrontation.

'Because you're a ghost doesn't make you wise and all knowing.' He growled lowly, slowly advancing towards me.

'And it also doesn't give you the right you seem to think you have to interfere in my life.' He continued. He was a few feet from me now.

'Really?' I goaded. I infused the single word with as much bored indifference and condescension as a word could have.

'And just so you know, you don't know me. Being a ghost doesn't mean you know me because you don't.' He growled. We were almost nose to nose now. Well more like nose to forehead.

'No but having studied you for five months, I know you Gavin Connor. I know how you think. I know you almost as well as you know yourself and that's why I can say from my wide knowledge that you, Gavin Connor, are a fool. The biggest one the twenty first century has seen.' I snapped.

His fists clenched at his sides. 'Thank the good Lord you're a ghost and I can't hit you because I think you being a girl would've been enough to stop me.' He said in a dangerous kind of calm.

'I'm so grateful.' I muttered sarcastically. By this time, we were so close we were practically breathing the same air.

'Gavin,' Leo said, sensing danger.

'Gavin. Come on bro. Let's calm down.' Tom said, trying to steer him out of the room but he didn't budge. Leo joined in and between them, they managed to steer him away.

'Fool.' I called out a parting shot and his shoulders tensed and he clenched his fists tighter. Everyone could see the fight going on inside him.

'Gavin, I don't know what it is that she said to you but you've never hit a girl before. It's not you.' Kelsey said but he didn't seem to hear a word she said. Adriana was just watching the whole scene unfold in awe and confusion.

After a few tense moments, Gavin unclenched his fists and stormed out of the house, slamming the door on his way out. He needed to cool off and so did I.

This whole thing escalated pretty quick. What even started the argument anyway? He was going to tell Adriana about me and the curse and I was trying to tease him about it but I guess it got out of hand. I went too far. I pushed him a little too much. And it was all for nothing. No concrete reason. Two hundred years and I still haven't grown out of the habit of pushing people too far for zero valid reason. I have to apologize.

At that unpleasant thought, my lips curled back like I'd just taken some sour lemon.

I have to apologize to Gavin. Damn it. When didn't I just keep my mouth shut in the first place. Its not like I have any thing against Adriana. But no, I opened my mouth and now I have of apologize. One of my least favourite activities.

I sighed in resignation and set out to find him.

***

I found him sitting at the top of a small valley yards away from the house. I sat down next to him.

If I so much as stretched out my fingers, we'd be touching.

'Gavin.' I smiled peaceably. 'Hi.'

He didn't reply. He didn't even acknowledge my presence or look at me. I guess this is going to be harder than I thought.

'So...' I trailed off. I never said I was good at apologies. In fact, I royally suck at them.

Once again my statement was met with radio silence.

I sighed though my nose. He's going to make me work for it.

'I'm sorry. Okay? There. I said it.' I blurted without much repentance.

I finally got a reaction out of him. He cocked his head to the side and raised one eyebrow.

'In my defense, I suck at apologies.' I hurriedly threw in.

He turned away and went back to staring at the horizon and for some reason, I felt properly chastened. He's never been angry at me. I insult him all the time and he just takes it. This all felt weird and out of character.

'Come on Gavin. We have a system. I insult you, you insult me. We both get over it.' I joked to lighten to mood but it only made it worse because of the bored unimpressed look he gave me.

'Fine. I'm sorry. I really am. I mean it. I swear.' I added when he gave me a doubtful look.

'I pushed you. Too far. I was spoiling for a fight and I took my frustrations out on you. It wasn't fair. It was wrong. I shouldn't have done it.' I said earnestly.

He gestured for me to go on.

'And all what I said about you. I didn't mean any of it. I just... I said it because I knew it would get a rise out of you.' I admitted shamefully. 'I don't think that about you. You should know that.'

'Then why did you say it?' He finally spoke up.

'To get a rise out of you, Gavin. To annoy you. I was frustrated and I... I don't know. I just wanted to yell at someone and you're the only someone who can see me so it's a no-brainer really. But I'm sorry.' I wrapped my arms around my legs and buried my face in the groove between my legs and my upper body.

'Why?'

'What?' I turned my head to the side so I could look at him.

'Why are you frustrated?' He asked.

'Huh?' He picked up on that?

'Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. I've noticed you've been a little tense and extra snarky these past few days. And you just confirmed it so I'll ask again. Why?' He cut straight through all my excuses.

Is it weird that I both hate him and like him for it? God what is wrong with me?

'It's nothing really. I was just....'

'It's the tattoo, isn't it?' He cut straight to the heart of it.

'How did you guess?' I asked, surprise colouring my tone.

'I've seen how you look at it when I'm getting dressed and you think I'm not looking. Sometimes even when I am dressed and you can't even see the outline, you just keep staring at the spot like the tattoo is already imprinted in your brain and you don't need to see it to know exactly which lines crisscross.' He said.

'Oh. I guess I wasn't being subtle about it.' I smiled apologetically.

'Tell me what's wrong.' He said.

I sighed heavily. 'What isn't wrong?' I countered. 'No substantial part of the tattoo has gone off in the past two weeks.'

'So what?' He shrugged. 'We've got time.'

I squeezed my eyes shut and pinched the bridge of my nose.

'What is it? What haven't you told me?' He asked anxiously.

'Time, Gavin. We don't have time. I lied. Well it's not exactly a lie since you never asked but there is a time limit, Gavin. Six fortnights is all I have. That's three months. Three months to break the curse once I've started. We've already used up one month and a majority of the tattoo is still there.'

'Why didn't you tell me any of this?' He asked.

'You know I don't tell you everything. I only recently started talking to you about my life and blurting out that you had only three months to break the curse seemed like a bad idea. I didn't want you to feel pressured.'

'You should have said something.' He insisted. 'What happens if you don't meet the ultimatum?'

'I don't know Gavin and I don't want to find out. At first the tattoo was going off quick and easy without you having to do much good deeds so I thought I could handle it. I could keep that tiny detail to myself and everything would be fine regardless but lately the tattoo hasn't been making much progress fading off so I guess I've been stressing over it.'

'That's why you've been stressing the whole good deeds thing. Making me do more good deeds than usual and that's why you were so eager to rope Leo, Tom and Kelsey into helping.'

'Yeah.' I sighed. 'But it isn't making much of a difference anyway.' I said hopelessly.

'Hey. We'll find a way out of this.'

'I don't think you can do enough good deeds to completely erase the tattoo in two months time. Not at the rate we're going at least. Even you're not that amazing. You're not Superman, Gavin Connor.'

'No, I'm not. Superman wore a cape. I wear a varsity jacket. And who said I'll be doing it alone?' He smiled.

Author's Note:

Sorry for the late update once again guys. I'll be posting just one chapter a week from now on.

And a really big thanks to MinAllie for adding this book to his/her book of recommendations. It means a lot.

As always, don't forget to vote, comment and share.